Trouble with Words

Buttercup and the "well, some word that sounds like that!"

Prayer and blessings time:

Mama: Is there something you want to tell God about our day?

Buttercup nods vigorously.

Mama: What do you want to tell God about our day?

Buttercup: Balla. Day.

Mama: About our day, yes?

Buttercup: Batta.  Daya. (nod nod nod)

Mama: About our day?

Buttercup, obviously meaning something more: Balla.  Aya.

Mama, on new tack of just talking about the day: We talked with Auntie Becca this morning, didn't we ---

Buttercup (nod nodnodnodnodnodnodnod): Auntie. Becca! (nod nod) Auntie. Becca!  

Mama: Oh, you were saying Auntie Becca!

Buttercup (nod nod): Auntie.  Becca!

Mama: You remember talking with Auntie Becca.

Buttercup: 'membah.  Auntie Becca. (nod nod)  T-P. (nod nod) Daddy.

Mama: We talked with Auntie Becca.  On the..... iPad?  Like Daddy?

Buttercup (nodnodnodnodnod)

Mama: Was that fun?

Buttercup: Yes! Fun!  Auntie Becca! Fun!

*********

Discussion with Emerson on the way home from school

Emerson (cautiously): So, Mama, if you talk bad, like if you're mean, if you're not nice, like to your older brother, or your older sister, that's really bad, right?

Mama (wondering where on earth this is going): Yes, that's not good.

Emerson: And then you have to go.... and then you get.... you get.... sales?

Mama: I'm not sure what you mean.  You get sold when you're mean to your older brother or sister?

Emerson: Yeah, you are.... do you get put..... sell?

Mama: Sell?  Like are you sold?

Emerson: I think there's a lake.  And it's made of fire?

Mama: Go to ...... hell?  

Emerson: Yes!  Hell, that's it!  Do you go to hell?

Mama, !!!!!!!!!!: I think it's a little more complicated than that.

**********

Words I would be very happy to never hear again:

from Hibiscus: Me NO for do DAT!!

from Buttercup: Me no likey dat one.

from Emerson: (totally random)

For instance:

Mama: Emerson, please come put your bowl in the sink.

Emerson: (long pause) So Mama, did you know, I'm gonna make the bucket really big, so it can pick up lots of dirt, so it can make a big hole, and then it will be really big, and then---

***********

And I remembered my one for Hibiscus!  On the theological and prayer-time theme....

Prayer and blessings time, and for some reason we were discussing being like Jesus, which frankly we don't do very often, because the girls don't know much about Jesus and Hibiscus's English has only recently been getting to theoretical-thinking kind of levels.  "Theoretical," as in, you can not in this instant grab it and squash it around in your hand.  They went to church before the orphanage, and Hibiscus has a few vague stories floating around in her head, and Buttercup can sing a song about Jesus.

So I said something about like Jesus, and when he died he was --

Hibiscus shot up into a sitting position, her jaw dropped open and her eyes wide with shock: "What??!!  Jesus DIED??!! OH NO!!!!"

Yes, he died a long time ago, a very very long time ago, but he didn't stay dead...  It's a little hard to grasp the miracle of the resurrection if you haven't figured out that the figure in question died in the first place!

Then Emerson started going into the little-kid version of the Easter story, complete with all kinds of random details, probably including what he wore to the Easter service.  Hibiscus remembered the bit about the nails in his hands, and she could re-tell that part.  But she had no idea that the crucifixion story involved actual death, she thought it was about a really big owie!