Grace | Amy Medina

The Sublime and the Ridiculous

By Amy Medina

On June 3, 2011

In Other

When walking to the tailor:

Grace: Mommy, why are all the kids saying ‘mzungu?’ Is that another way of saying Hi?

Mommy: No, it means ‘white person.’ They are saying that because I am white.

Grace: Oh. We don’t mind that you are white, Mommy.

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Grace: When my baby sister grows up, I hope she doesn’t speak Italian. Because then we wouldn’t be able to understand her.

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Mommy: What was that thumping I heard in your room a little while ago?

Grace: (with great emotion) Just the beating of my heart. Because I hurt my chin this morning.

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Josiah to Grace: You are spitting at me!

Grace: No, I am laughing.

Josiah: But you are spitting!

Grace: (indignantly) Laughing makes the spitting come out!

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Mommy to Maggie about college life: You might want to request a women’s only floor. Would you really want to live with guys?

Grace: Yeah, that would be stinky.

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Grace was doing a princess puzzle.

Josiah: I like Belle.

Grace: But she doesn’t have any superpowers.

Josiah: I know; I like her face.

Mommy: Why do you like her face?

Josiah: Because she is awesome.

This Is Why Kids Need a Dad.

By Amy Medina

On May 11, 2011

In Other

Because Mommy says, “Stay in the shallow end with your floaties on and within two feet of me until a professional trained experienced swim instructor can teach you how to swim.”

Daddy says: “Pshaw…throw ’em in the deep end. I can teach them to swim. And dive. And do front and back flips. At age three.”

Ages 5 and 3

By Amy Medina

On March 16, 2011

In Other

Grace just took her kindergarten assessment test, loved it, and was very disappointed that she still has six more months to wait. She is starting to read and SO ready to start school.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know he’s cute. It’s a good thing, too, so that he will live to see four years old. He ain’t so cute when at lunch and told to eat one carrot stick (which he happens to like) and he screams bloody murder at me, “YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND; I AM NOT GOING TO PLAY WITH YOU!” (which is his ultimate insult—and duly disciplined as such)….or when he hurtles a toy across the room when told to remove his socks (which is his ultimate punishment) because he has hit his sister. (But it is pretty cute when he then tells me the rest of the day, “My feet are cold; I need my socks” and its 90 degrees outside.)

BOTH tell me they are VERY ready for their little sister to join us!

Miaka Mitano (Five Years)

By Amy Medina

On January 7, 2011

In Other

We celebrated Grace’s fifth birthday at Lushoto. It was sort of a “come one-come all” sort of deal, which meant that I didn’t know half the kids’ names who were there….and that meant everyone got a really small slice of cake. Next year, I’ll remember to make two cakes. (Since we already made our booking for next year!)

I’m excited about Five. I was an elementary school teacher in my other life, and I taught kindergarten for a couple of years. I know Five. Grace is very excited about it too. I think she was disappointed, though, that she didn’t get to start kindergarten or lose her teeth or ride her bike without training wheels the very next day, since she knows all those things come with Five.

Everybody Say “Awwwwww…..”

By Amy Medina

On October 28, 2010

In Other

We had always talked about breeding our Jack Russell, so now, finally, 5 years later, we finally got around to it.

I wondered often what was going through Minnie’s mind through this whole thing. I mean, she’s never seen a birth, never seen puppies, and one day she gets this enormous stomach that is practically touching the ground, and then puppies start appearing. “It all started when that strange dog showed up,” she wonders to herself. Minnie did give us some very bewildered looks those first few days. “How did this happen?” Yet, of course, due to our marvelous Creator, the dog (who has never seen a birth or had anyone teach her) knows exactly what to do. Maybe this isn’t very amazing to many people but I’ve thought it’s all been pretty darn cool.

And of course, there isn’t anything much cuter than kids and puppies.

Don’t bother asking for one. They were spoken for before they were born. Jack Russells like to catch rats and bark at strangers, so they are quite popular dogs around here.