I love YOUR little brain, Mommy!

Eliza has moved on (somewhat) from asking Why? about everything. Now she has starting asking about what everybody and everything is thinking, but instead she asks, what are they saying.

What is Grandpa saying? What is the kitty saying?

She asks this a lot when we're not around the cat or dog or grandpa.

Lots of times I make up something. Usually if we're out running errands, and Eliza asks me what Zara (the dog) is saying, I tell her- "Zara's going [insert snore sound] because she's sleeping!" or "She's saying. I wish Eliza would come home! I want to play with her so so so so much!"

So a normal conversation while driving in the car:

Eliza: Mommy, what's Oma saying?
Me: Oma's saying, I better go help those sick kids!
Eliza: Why?
Me: 'Cuz that's what Oma does! She helps sick kids feel all better, just like the doctor! (pediatric nurse practitioner's hard to say)
Eliza: What's Grandpa sayin?
Me: Grandpa's saying, Man! I need to get this computer to work!
Eliza: Why?
Me: Because that's what grandpa does for work. He helps computers so they don't get broken.
Eliza: Mommy, whatch u sayin'?
Me: I'm saying, It's so fun to be with Eliza! She is such a fun girl to play with! Fun, fun, fun!
Eliza: What's Abby sayin? and on and on and on...

One of Eliza's favorite people to ask about is her cousin, Reuben.

I enjoy answering about Reuben because usually I can say, "I think Reuben's saying, I'm sleepy!"
Eliza: "Why?"
Me: "Because it's sleepy time. It's time for kids to go to bed."
or
Me: "I think Reuben's saying, I'm hungry! Let's eat lunch!" Eliza: "Why?" Me: "Because it's lunch time, and we need to eat our food all up before we go play!"

Steve told me that one morning Eliza asked him...
Eliza: "Daddy, what's the sun saying?"
Steve: "I don't know. What do you think the sun's saying?"
Eliza, using a deep, husky voice: "Where IS everybody?!"
Apparently the sun talks kind of like Ernie from Sesame Street.

After I heard this story, I was laughing really hard about it and said to Eliza
Me: "Oh, 'Liza, I love your little brain!"
Eliza immediately responded with: "I love YOUR little brain TOO, Mommy!"
I cracked up more and Eliza giggled and said: "We're talkin' bout funny stuff, huh, guys?"

Eliza's best quote of all is from Halloween night. We had dumped out all of her candy from her pumpkin pail and laid it out. She studied it and then suddenly began jumping up and down yelling, "Yippeeee! It's not DOG FODD!"

Here's a video of it:

We have NO idea where that came from. I swear I don't feed my daughter dog food...

Eliza's becoming a proper and bonafide Southern girl, as well, and seems to have mastered her "Yes ma'am's!" It's adorable... although she's still learning to use yes sirs instead of yes ma'ams with men... but that's adorable too, just in a different way.

I've also really enjoyed that Eliza has started saying, unsolicited, "I love you soooo much, Mommy!"

And sometimes when I say something to Eliza like, "Here you go, sweetheart."

Eliza will look up at me and say, "Mommy, I your sweetheart?"

Yes, Eliza, yes. You are my sweetheart.