No Yelling

"Dad, did you ever yell at me when I was a baby?"
"Do you remember me yelling at you when you were a baby?"
"No."
"Then, no."

No need to ruin my rep.

The Not-So-Big Moments

We were up this morning, sitting on Olivia's bed, and talking about all the big moments and fun things we did in 2013. I asked her, "Of all the things we did this year, what will you remember the most?"
She answered,"When we were riding in the minivan for the first time."
"Minivan?"
"Yeah. To Hershey Park"
Apparently, the most memorable moment of 2013 for Olivia was when we took a 4-minute shuttle ride from the hotel to Hershey Park.... in a minivan.

Lol. Why do we try so hard?

The F Word

"Daddy, I know a 'F' word."
"Say what?"
"I know a 'F' word."
"What 'F' word do you know?"
"Fortune cookies!"

Relieved. For now.

FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK from this date in 2011:

"Daddy, can I have a ice pop?"
"Yeah, give me a minute."
"Daddy. Daddy. Daddy, can I have my ice pop, please?"
"Hang on."
"Daddy, look at my hands."
"What's wrong?"
"No ice pop."

Priorities.

"Liv, Liv... why do you keep bothering me? I'm trying to finish your homework."

Forfeit

So, we were playing 'ballon volleyball' in the living room. First one to 30 wins. After my 10-5 lead, Olivia started cheating. So I decided I didn't want to play anymore.
It wasn't until after she went to bed that I found her score sheet. Not only did she give herself 30 points (with a star next to it), but she scratched my name off completely.  I laughed and thought, "that's something her uncle Chris would have done when he was a little kid."

Self Taught

"Daddy, how do I write 'YOU ARE WRONG!'."
"Why do you want to write that?"
"Mommy. She made me mad."
"Don't write that to mommy, Liv"
"I'll figure it out......myself."

Change of Heart

I was just about to call her into her room to clean her messy and cluttered desk.
Then, I went on to clean it myself.

FLASHBACK

FLASHBACK from this date in 2011:

Olivia recited the pledge of allegiance, and I was like,
"Whoa! My baby is so smart!"
She replied, "YES I IS!"
Guess I spoke too soon.

Definition

"Daddy, what's a diva?"
"Huh?"
"I benimber (remember) you said I was a diva. What does that mean?"
"Well...."
"Is it too complicated? You think I won't get it?"
".... who taught you the word 'complicated'?"

Phone Number

When I had her memorize our home phone number, I didn't know that at 4 years old she'd be writing it down, passing it out, and setting up playdates on her own.

Feels Good

She was just sitting on the floor, pretending to paint her nails, when she said,
"Ah... It's good to be Olivia."

I laughed and thought, "Well, at least I know she's happy."

In and Out

"Dad, did you know that when you drink, you have to pee, and when you eat, you have to poop?"
"Uh huh."
"I eat A LOT."
"Yeah you do."

Super Olivia

"I'm Super Woman! Can you put my cape on for me, Daddy?"
"If you're Super Woman, shouldn't you be able to tie your own cape?"
"I'm going to save the world!"
"You can't save the world if you can't put on your own cape."
(Rolls her eyes.)

Boys, Boys, Boys

"Liv, why are you always talking about boys, and having boyfriends? Why do you need all those boyfriends?"
"I have to have a lot of boyfriends, so that I can pick the right one to marry me?"
"Wow. That.... actually makes a lot of sense."

Life Lessons in Sports

(A pair of 4 year olds are arguing at 8:45am)
Christian: I want the cash register! It's my turn!
Olivia: It's mine! I had it first!
Me: If y'all can't play together, then you can come in the living room and watch sports with me.
Christian: Hey, how about we SHARE?!
Olivia: Yeah! That's a good idea!

Is there anything we can't learn from sports?

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

"Dad, one day we should go to another baseball game."
"Oh, you liked the baseball game?"
"Yes!"
"What did you like about it?"
"All the snacks!"
"That sounds about right."
"And Daddy, if you give me the money, I'll pay for it."
"(lol) That sounds like a good deal."

No Babies

"Daddy, I'm not going to have kids."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want them to cut me open. I'm gonna make Christian do it."

Future Fun

The other day, she says to me, "My kids are going to love you."
"What?"
"You're going to be a great Pop Pop because you're fun."

What four year old says that?

I'll Take That as a Compliment

Best compliment I received this week:

"Hmm.  Dad, your armpit smells good!"

Let's Race

When racing, most kids would probably say, "Last one there is a rotten egg!"
My daughter says, "Last one there has to buy the winner some shoes!"

Who's the Boss?

"Hey, turn that down! I can't even hear myself think!"
"Sorry, Liv."

It's difficult to tell who's in charge sometimes.

Take Your Time

"Liv, Liv. You don't have to sip the medicine. Drink it quick. Like a shot."
"What's a shot?"
".....just...  go ahead and finish it up."

Good At Your Job

"Dad, you're good at your job."
"What's my job?"
"Everything. You do everything."
"Oh. Thanks baby."
"You're a good daddy to me."

Sometimes she just knows what to say.

I'm Full

After eating most of her lunch, Olivia says, "Daddy, I'm full."
"OK."
"Can I have a ice pop?"
"No, you just said you were full."
"No, I mean I was full of healthy stuff."

Getting An Answer

"Daddy, can I paint?"
"Hang on."
"Daddy. Daddy."
"Liv, you gotta wait. I'm in the middle of something."
"But I need an answer right now."
"Well then the answer is 'No'."
"I can wait."

Watching My Words

I woke up this morning and thought I'd finish watching "Taken 2" from Netflix. With 35 minutes left in the movie, Olivia wakes up. So I turned the movie off. 
She says, "Why did you stop watching it?"
"It has a lot of fighting and bad words, and I don't want you to watch that."
"It's not for kids?"
"No. It's an adult.... I mean... 'grown up' movie."

It's funny how one word can make a huge difference.

Progress Report

Earlier this week, Olivia brought home another perfect progress report. We were so proud.
The next day, I asked her what she had learned in school that day. She started doing the 'robot'.
I guess that will be on the next progress report.

Walkie Talkies

(We were playing with the walkie talkies this morning.)
"DADDY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"
"Yep."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"I'm watching tv in the living room."
"HUH?!"
"Watching tv."
"YOU NEED TO TALK LOUDER!"
"No I don't."
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"Yes you can 'cause you're sitting next to me on the couch. I told you to go in the other room."
"Daddy....!"

Reflecting and Expecting

The start of a new year has always been a time of reflection for me. Seeing how far we've come and what we can look forward to, is a perfect way of pin pointing where we are in life.  With Olivia, the first four years have flown by. There are still so many milestones to reach, but even now I feel like time is running out on her childhood. Her mother and I always said that we wanted our daughter to have a great childhood. One that she will look back on with fond memories. For the most part, I think we're doing a good job. And it's just as fun for me as it is for her. Seeing Olivia happy and smiling with every new experience is like a natural high for me. And I'm always looking for my next fix.