Childhood Evolution

It is amazing how much little kids learn ... and how fast they learn it. I thought I'd share a few signs of our children's verbal evolution... if not for you, then for me so I can remember how they sounded when I'm old and gray. (OK.... older and grayer)

We have a dog. His name is Buca. A few months ago, Conor called him "Bupta" and now he calls him "Buta". Gettin' closer, my wee one!

Annika used to say "uppy down", which evolved into "eyeside down" and now she says "upside down". (Evolution complete!

We have a cat. His name is Smudge. Conor used to call him "Cat!" and now he calls him "'Mudge" (The "s" sounds still eludes Conor.)

Annika used to sing "Oh, the Lord is Good to me and so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rainy apple seed. The Lord is good to me. AMEN!" Now, "rainy apple seed" has been replaced with "rain and the apple seed." (Evolution complete)

When we tell Conor to be careful, he responds "I DO!"

When Annika was younger and wanted to try doing something on her own, she would proclaim "B'self!!"

Conor used to call himself "Nanu", which has evolved into "Taner. That said, he still thinks his real name is "Nanu." Recently, I asked him if he knows his name. "YES!" he proclaimed. I asked what his first name is. "Taner". I asked what his last name is. "Oson!" (close enough!). I asked if he knew his middle name. "YES!" he proclaimed again. I asked what it was, and he said "Nanu!"

Annika used to call herself "Ankuh" and that eveolved into "Ateetah".

What does this mean? Our kids are going and learning at lightning speed and while I dread the days they'll be on their own and not in our home, I also look forward to seeing the people they blossom into and the things they'll learn along the way.

(Excuse me while I wipe a few tears away from my cheek now.)