Nellisms, vol. 7

Oh man, some of these quotes are from a while ago.  Like maybe a year ago.  I jotted them down in notes on my iPhone and they've lain there neglected for too long!

Photos have similarly been neglected on my hard drive for a couple of months now.  It was a cool day in late spring, and Nell was wearing a dress my mother made for me when I was her age.  Naturally, I pulled out the camera -- in spite of the fact that she had just spilled water down the front of it, as you can see in some of the pictures!

Here are a few gems from a year ago, when we were traveling by plane to California and I attempted to buy good behavior through the bribe of Trader Joe's lollipops:

Nell: "LOLLIPOP!! LOLLIPOP!!!"
Sarah: "Shhh, please be quiet on the airplane!"
Nell: "But it's callin' to me and I'm callin' back to it!"

And, after licking for a little while and making no apparent progress:
"How do you get a lollipop into your tummy?"

* * *

and a great quote, at age three, shortly before that flight to California, and clearly not yet understanding the principles of travel by air:

Nell: "I want to take my toy briefcase to see Grandma and Grandpa!  Oh, wait.  I can't take my briefcase because if I'm holding it then I won't be able to fly."
Sarah: "Well, you don't have to fly, silly goose.  The airplane flies and you get to sit in a seat on it."
Nell: "I know, but I have to fly to get up in the sky and get on the airplane!"

And then I explained the purpose of airports.  And asked her if she had ever flown before, wondering how it was possible she thought a hand with a briefcase in it would be her greatest impediment.

While I was trying to close the door and have a moment of privacy to use the bathroom:
Nell: "Okay, Mama, I'm just going to go in the yiying woom [living room]."
Sarah: "Great."
Nell (popping her head back around the corner): "Okay, I'm just gonna go get my phone."
Sarah: "Good, okay."
Nell (back again to clarify): "My PRETEND phone."
Sarah: "Yep."
Nell: "Okay I'm back!"
Sarah: "When am I going to get some privacy around here?!"
Nell: "You won't!  Because we're kids!"

{Quite insightful for a girl of, at the time, three!}

* * *

Sarah: "Can I have a snuggle?"
Nell: "Not right now."
Sarah: "Ok.  But I love your snuggles!"
Nell: "Oh, ok then.  Maybe we can snuggle for three days.  Or maybe seven.  Okay?"

* * *

Looking over my shoulder while I read a recipe on my phone, pretending to understand what she saw:
Nell: "Whoah that is intesdin.  That is weally weally intesdin."

* * *

Playing with a shape-sorting toy cube:
Sarah: "That's called a trapezoid.  Can you say that word?"
Nell: "No I can't.  I'm too big for that."

And now for a few more recent quotes!

* * *

Holding a block up to her ear like a phone:
"Oh hiiiii pretend doctor.  My baby is just crying all night.  What should I do?"

* * *

Driving down the highway:
"Maybe someday we should just get me a teeny tiny little motorcycle."

* * *

Trying to say 'girl':
"How can I say guwul instead of guwul?  How can I say it?  I'm so little.  Can we talk about it?"

* * *

Sarah: "What would you want to do if you had a million dollars?   Is there anything you'd want to buy?"
Nell: "Some juice.  I'm thirsty."

* * *

Pondering deep thoughts:
"I wonder what it feels like to be born?"

* * *

Playing out a grim scenario with a small toy figure and bus:
"Oh sorry guy you're gone forever!  Crush crunch crushed by the bus!"

* * *

"Can I brush my eyebrows with a toothbrush?"

* * *

Overheard narrating as a playmobil girl:
"Please may I have some fingers?  I don't have any.  Please may I have a lot of fingers?"

When my foot was broken back in March:
"But how can it be broken?  It still looks like one foot!"

and...
"I'm so glad that I get to help you when your foot is hurt.  I just love helping you!"

* * *

At tea/snack time, matter-of-factly:
"After my tea and apple I'm gonna get mawwied and have a baby."

* * *

After our friends the Hansons had a new baby named Maeve:
"I want a new baby sister!  Her name is gonna be Baby Maeve Mike Mulligan."

* * *

An apparent product of the patriarchy:
Sarah: "Okay, so the lady who teaches your nature class is named Mrs. Dunfee.  Can you say that?"
Nell: "No, no, I can't say that.  I can only say Mister."

* * *

And further revealing of her understanding of gender roles:

Sarah (absentmindedly to myself early one morning, after being out late the previous night at an orchestra rehearsal): "Why didn't Daddy clean up the kitchen last night?"

Nell (because she hears everything, which I should have known!): "Because he is not a helper.  And also he is not a girl."

{After that I told Nathan he should be sure to sometimes do dishes when the girls were awake to see as well as helping around the house after they are in bed at night!  And we did have a good laugh about her little statement!}

"Sometimes when I do my little smile and then I turn it into a really big smile, then I can't find the first one again."

* * *

Wobbling her head around from side to side:
"I'm being a wild wild wild girl!"

* * *

Admiring the rose gold watch Nathan got me for our anniversary back in December:
"I just loooove your shiny watch.  I must have one when I get bigger!  I just must!"

* * *

Sarah: "Are you going to finish your salad for dinner?"

Nell: "Well my tummy is weally full."

Sarah: "Is it too full to have one of the cookies we made, too?"

Nell: "Weeeeell the lettuce will scoot back so the cookie will have room."

* * *

Singing to herself outside: 

"Oh it's so lovely, it's a beautiful day!  Oh it's so lovely, it's a beautiful day!"