It Strikes Again...

We know that Autumn has a wicked sense of humor. It definitely struck again yesterday, around dinner time. We also know that she does weird things with her food. She'll turn her nose up at the simplest, yummy things that normal kids eat...and then turn around and mix crap that should never be mixed.

Example? Rosemary garlic bread with strawberry juice/fleshy bits rubbed all over it, topped with mashed potatoes, ham chunks, and some shredded cheese. All of these were components of her dinner, but we certainly didn't intend for her to mix them this way, take a bite, and then actually enjoy it.

My mom said, "Autumn, maybe you should be a chef when you grow up!"

Autumn responded, "What's a chef?"

"A chef is someone who makes food for people, they mix things up like you just did," said my mom.

Autumn declared, "Yes, I'll be a sandwich maker when I grow up!" (As a side note, I hope for her that she's a fancy sandwich maker, gourmet sandwiches or something...not a Whopper flopper.)

We all snickered at her decision; it changes weekly with her. Last week she wanted to be a "tractor girl" because Papoo (my dad) was taking her on tractor rides in the yard.

"What will you call that sandwich?" I asked, pointing at that nasty piece of bread.

Autumn paused--probably for the drama and suspense because we knew her answer would be a good one--and said...

"A Hamster!"

She even felt the need to explain, "It's because it has ham on it!" Oh, sweet Auttie Girl. :)

New Career Path

Autumn announced today that she wants to be Santa...for a very simple reason, of course. He gets to eat cookies and milk all the time.

Yep, that is my girl!

Italian Anyone?

Autumn built a tower of gift boxes today. She called it the "Leaning Tower of Pizza."

New Word Alert!!

Her independence, her free spirit, her way of thinking, her sass...her point of view, her want-it-now, her want-it-my-way... All of these things I love about my child. They often turn into points of contention or a battle of wills, or a debate...sometimes a deal-making. I parent differently than a lot of people I know. She's more spoiled than most kids, but also more grateful than most. She gets away with a lot more than most kids, but she also knows right from wrong and most of the time, she doesn't repeat words or actions when I tell her not to. She's got a pretty mean stink eye, and when she puts her hands on her hips and bobs her head, it's hilarious. I've decided that my kid doesn't have an attitude... She has an Auttitude.

It's one of a kind.

It's Holiday Time!

Wow - catching up on a few weeks worth of *awesome* from my kiddo... We're hanging in Florida with my family now...it's been a pretty good few days! Yesterday, Autumn had a fabulous day - she was showered in whatever she wanted, and she was super good for us, too! I had a few shoots to do around town, and she was a total angel the entire time. We bought her a princess necklace at the Bippiti Boppiti Boutique in Downtown Disney - she said it gave her good luck. When I suggested she nap on the way home, she happily said, "Ok! Just let me put this down and I will close my eyes." She promptly fell asleep.

First. Time. EVER. In five years!!! That my kid has ever agreed to a nap!!

Autumn also received a phone call from Santa - you know, the Internet brand of Santa with a pre-recorded, but personalized message. Obviously, my husband rigged this one up. Definitely the reason why Santa informed Autumn that she would like a honey badger for Christmas, and why Santa asked for Autumn to leave him some steak (in lieu of cookies, I suppose). Autumn was shocked and giddy. It's the little things, really...although, now she does say, "Honey badger don't care!" If I do say so myself, it is pretty epic.

What other little gems do I have? At dinner last night, I jokingly said, "Are you gonna write your number on that receipt?" when Autumn grabbed it. She wrote, "TTYL" instead. Why does my five year old know what this means??

We are headed to Wonderworks in Orlando today - should be a good time. :)

The Dog Constellation

4:00am. That's when we left town.

5:00am. The approximate time that Autumn announced she saw constellations. Isn't it a little early for anyone to be checking out constellations? Especially when you've been up since 3:00am, and the kid's been up since approximately 3:45am?

It's ok - I played along. I asked Autumn, "What constellation do you see?" figuring that she would tell me she just saw stars.

To my surprise, she said, "It kinda looks like a dog."

I whipped out my Google Sky Map to see what kind of deciphering of the stars she was doing. I mean, she couldn't possibly see a dog, right?

Wrong.

Perhaps I should give my kiddo more credit. Canus Major right where she pointed. *I* can't even figure out the constellations...but I guess the eyes of a child see things differently. I am pretty proud of her. :)

Stating the Obvious

Autumn informed me today that the reason why I work is to be able to buy her stuff. She said, "It's so you can make money to buy things for me!" I told her that while it was mostly true, I earned money for other things, too - bills, food, fun things...

Our discussion about money and the cost of things ended when Autumn stated, "Everything costs money. Except hugs, kisses, and free stuff!"

Yep. Except free stuff.