Inside the 4-year-old mind

NiNi has somehow acquired the debating skills of a teenager. I wish I remembered to write down more examples of her creative reasoning, but here are a couple funny ones.

Both of the girls know that we are waiting on "one more paper" until we can pick up baby Ethan and we usually sneak something about this into our dinner-time prayer. The other day NiNi asked me, "Mom, when are we gonna get that paper?" I said, "I don't know, have you been praying about it?" She replied, "No, I keep forgetting." I said, "Ok let's pray about it now, 'Dear God help us to get that paper. Amen'"
NiNi was outraged and scolded me, "Mom, that's not a prayer...it's too short! It has to be longer, you need TWO things." (I think meaning two requests)
I told her, "No it doesn't, Jesus prayed lots of short prayers"
She slumped over, all defeated-like and mumbled, "Well, nobody told ME that."

Today we were talking about something else and I said, "Why don't you pray about it." NiNi said, "I don't like to pray in front of other people." I said, "Ok, then pray in your head." Still a little miffed she said, "MOM! It's TOO QUIET in there!"

On another topic...
Me: "Oh NiNi, look, it's a full moon"
NiNi: "What's it full of?"

Me: "Give me a kiss" (as I pucker out my lips)
NiNi: "Mom, not when your lips are WATERY!"

Here are a few knock-knock jokes:

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Mrs. Smashed Potato head
Mrs. Smashed Potato head who?
A pumpkin wearing glasses

Knock Knock
Who's there?
A baby wearing a diaper on his head
A baby wearing a diaper on his head who?
Lamp head diaper head

I don't think she gets the idea of knock knock jokes yet.

And last but not least, we think NiNi has a mild food allery since she will occasionally wake up with a swollen lip. Very bizarre. It's not from a fall or a sore or anything. And it mysteriously disappears over the course of the day. I haven't been able to link it with any specific food. Now when we are eating something that she doesn't like, she'll say, "I can't eat that. It makes my lip fat."