eeny meeny mino moe has set her free.

 

Annabel has recently discovered the joy of Eeny Meeny Miney Moe

I introduced the concept last week when I used it to break a tie between she and her sister when neither wanted to get out of the tub. It seemed like an objective way to decide.

Annabel made me do it again and a again to see if it would come up with the same answer. I didn't realize that she was testing for consistency until I noticed her surprise when it had her getting out of the tub even though it had chosen Gaby the last time.

Since then she has used it many times to help her make choices about what to eat, what to wear, even what to watch on TV. For Annabel, these choices have historically proven very difficult and can often lead to tears and once in a wile even a good old fashioned melt-down. But now, eeny meeny mino moe has set her free.

It's really funny to watch her actually apply the technique. She will saw the words and move her finger back and forth between the things, but the finger has nothing to do with the words. At the end she will just point at whatever she has chosen and say "Moe!"

We also went to her ballet class this week (it was parent's day, which only happens once a month). And I've posted a video below which I think is hysterical. Notice especially the voice of the teacher in the background. At one point, Annabel puts her toes together and you can actually hear the teacher saying "KissyToes!".

As Fun As The Ten Plagues Are...

Last week we had two passover seders and three (yes, three) separate Easter egg hunts. Annabel threw herself into it with a passion. I think it's safe to say that Annabel just naturally appreciates the fun of dressing up and going to parties. She enjoyed both celebrations, but I must say that Easter has the edge with Annabel. As fun as the ten plagues are, they really pale in comparison to the idea of finding eggs full of candy hidden by a mysterious giant bunny. (although I am proud to report that Annabel was singing Dayenu in the backseat of the car on the way home from one of the passover seders).

Of course this is the same person who told me last year that she wanted to be an Egg Hunter when she grows up. This year she was very focused during the egg hunts. I watched her reaching for an egg that was just outside of her grasp in the low branches of a tree. Other kids were there going for it as well. She ran around to the other side of the tree and on her very tiptoes managed to just reach it with her fingertips which rolled it off the tree and into her basket. She was so proud, she mentioned it several times later in the day.

"Daddy, remember the yellow egg in the tree? I tried hard and I got it!"

Inside, We Have Bones

We have a sick goldfish. It's lost most of its energy and color and it spends the day at the bottom of the tank not doing much. Apparently it has a disease called dropsy, which is usually fatal.

Annabel noticed that it wasn't acting itself lately and asked about it last Sunday afternoon. Kristin and I were both there.

"The fish is sick" said Kristin
"Is he going to be okay, Daddy?" Asked Annabel
"I hope so sweety, but he's very sick and he'll probably die" I said, not knowing how else to put it.

Annabel though about it for a second.

"We aren't going to die are we?"
Kristin came to the rescue here.
"Not yet" She said, "Now its time for your bath, lets go."

Annabel stood for another second thinking.

"Inside, we have bones." She said.

A Masterpiece of Surrealist Kids-Menu Art

We had brunch today with several friends at a restaurant on Golden Gate Park. There were 10 adults and 5 children. Annabel sat between me and Brad, the graphic designer for Shopping.com. She had been given a kid's menu and some crayons and was coloring away when Brad offered to collaborate with her on a drawing.

The idea was to draw a face together: First he would draw an eye, then she would draw an eye. He would draw an ear and she would draw an ear and so on. They decided after some discussion that they would each draw half of the nose and mouth.

This is what they came up with. I think it's destined to become a masterpiece of surrealist kids-menu art. I particularly like the way the face seems to be getting caught up in the windmill's air stream.

Here's another of Annabel's recent works. It is entitled "Tinkerbell", in keeping with her fairy obsession.

According to this article on the artistic stages in children's drawing, Annabel is a little ahead of the curve drawing figures well before kindergarten.