- wheat tuh-ta-toes = sweet potatoes
- bas-tet = basket (specifically, Baby Moses’ Basket)
- am-i-lulls = animals
- Vuh-Vone-Ah = Verona (our German Shepherd)
- buh-ban-ah = banana
- Mc-Sane = McCheyne (our Westie)
- p’ay = pray
- Tar-gick = Target
- dippy dup = sippy cup
- Happy Mal-len-ties Day to me! = Happy Valentines Day To Me! (basically means “congratulations” upon hearing anything exciting: we’re going to the park, she gets to watch Clifford, etc.)
- ‘Lifford = Clifford
- Emily Ah-lill-uh-bus = Emily Elizabeth (on Clifford)
- Puh-teddy = spaghetti
- Little ‘weeties = Mara and Micah (“Mommy’s little sweeties!”)
Category: Mara-Speak
“I never wanted to live in a cage. . .”
When Corban and Carson were at our house on Sunday, I kept the baby gate across the doorway between the living room and the dining room. It kept the dogs separate from the kids, and my husband could make breakfast without the kids underfoot.
Of course, since there was a gate there, Mara and Big C were not content to stay in the living room. They took the stepstool to the gate and gazed longingly into the kitchen. (I realize the photo quality is poor, but it was my best effort to capture the moment.)
Then I heard my melodramatic two-year-old, quoting a line from Corduroy, as she peeked over the gate: “I nevvvvver wanted to live in a cage–like a bear at the zoo!”
“Did You Buy A House?!?!”
Well, our friends Chris and Melissa are officially first-time homeowners! I watched their boys Corban and Carson during the closing on Friday.
Mara and Corban were napping in Mara’s room when Chris and Melissa got back.
Mara stood up in her crib and with intense enthusiasm asked, “Uncle ‘Dis, did you buy a house?!?! And did Melissa buy a house?!?!?!”
Chris laughed. “Yes, we did!”
Mara went running to the top of the stairs and, peering down the steps, she paused in anticipation, as if she fully expected to see the house down there.
Then in a hushed voice, she asked, “Where’s the house?”
I guess she thought buying a house was like buying groceries. You bring it in and set it next to the coffee table! LOL!
I explained to her that it was down the street, and we would go see it sometime.
So when Daniel came home, she said, “Daddy! ‘Dis and Melissa bought a house! And it’s down the street!”
We’re all excited about it! Congratulations, Chris and Melissa!
“Say ‘Dinosaur’!!”
There is a Clifford episode where Clifford and friends dig up dinosaur bones, and once the dinosaur is all set up, they all stand in front of it for a picture. Someone says, “Say ‘dinosaur’!” and they snap the picture.
Mara loves re-enacting major sections of Clifford episodes, and Daniel found Mara after her nap, having lined up all her animals
(Left to Right): Perkle Bear, Puppy Dog, Pink Bear, Ballerina, Yellow Bear, My Little Lucy, and Blue Bear.
Mara was saying, “Say ‘dine-a-door’!” and then laughing hysterically. 
She thought she was pretty funny! (And quite frankly, we did too!)
Bagel Faces
We had bagels at breakfast.
I set half a bagel on Mara’s highchair tray and she said, “Oh, Mommy! . . . My bagel is doing this!”
Then she made a dour expression, apparently imitating the “face” the hole in her bagel was making.
She looked disturbed. “Get me another one!” she insisted.
What two-year-old is disturbed by the “face” her bagel is making?!?!
Mara, eat your bagel.