June Thoughts by Z

Zahara is filled with amazing witticisms and insights. She says so many interesting things that it's hard to capture them all. Moving forward though, I'm going to post these thoughts less frequently. I'm thinking quarterly? Not sure yet. Feel free to share some of your favorite thoughts from Z, or your kids too!

Thought 1:
Dan putting on sunscreen.
Z (sarcastically): Hey daddy, is it Halloween? Don't make me ghostly. Rub the sunscreen in.

Thought 2:
Z:Daddy, what does this say?
D: Girls rule.
Z: Right. Because mummy and I have all the rules and you and Asher follow them.

Thought 3:
Z: I only want to marry Asher when I grow up because I can't find anyone else I want to marry.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

May Thoughts by Z

I love that Zahara can easily flip between silly and smart. It's one of the things I love most about her.

Thought 1:
Z (to me): Do you know how to read a curse of Hebrew?
Me: Do you mean cursive Hebrew?

Thought 2:
Z: I want to learn all the math and all the planets so I can say it while I'm floating in space.

Thought 3:
Dan captured this video the other night while reading a bedtime story to Z. It's too good not to share the whole thing. Here, Zahara explains why wizards are actually called lizards.

(If you are reading on your phone you may have to click through to the website to see the video, or click here)

See previous Thoughts by Z here

April Thoughts by Z

These thoughts give me a little glimmer into Zahara's future. I'm not sure if I should be proud, or scared.

Thought 1:
Z (to Dan after he said she could only have one snack): Because of how you're acting, when it's my birthday you have to leave the house and can only watch through the window. And you can't have cake.

Thought 2:
Z (to me): I know I'm not supposed to correct you, but I'm just correcting you for fun.

Thought 3:
Z: I'm going to be a president. Presidents are in charge of everyone when Hashem (G-d) is not here.

Thought 4:
Z (Putting a sparkly headband on me): You look better with a little bit of glitter.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

March Thoughts by Z

Zahara's imagination and creativity have always astounded me. She's entered a new phase of story-telling that blends facts and fiction. It has been interesting watching her learn about little white lies and what makes a good story.

Thought 1:
Z (after screaming): I drew this picture too scary and creepy and now it scares me every time I look at it. And also, I want to hang it on the wall.

Thought 2:
Z (to Dan): Mommy didn't cuddle you last night because there was not enough room and she's not an octopus.

Thought 3:
Z: When we get home and you talk to me, I'm going to ignore you because I have work to do.
Me: What kind of work?
Z: Project work for mitzvahs (good deeds).

Thought 4:
Z (after not liking how Dan combed her hair): You hurt me and the hurting will never stop.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

February Thoughts by Z

Oh man, there were some gems this month. I'm still cracking up about them.

Thought 1:
Z: I'm just a little bit cooler than everybody else. Not a lot cooler.

Thought 2:
Z: The thing I like best is being lazy.

Thought 3:
Z: If I was a chameleon you could never put me to bed. You couldn't find me.

Thought 4:
Z: Asher is welcome any time I'm going potty, but only if I say yes because it's my body. If I say no, that means no. And if I say yes, he has to do it. That's the way it works.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

New Year Thoughts by Z

New year, new great thoughts by Z. I love getting small glimpses into the way her mind works. I can tell she is starting to grapple with more difficult concepts while growing her already impressive imagination. I could listen to her talk for hours.

Thought 1:
Z: You can leave me in the bath by myself. I'm the oldest, for goodness sake. I won't drown!

Thought 2:
During Chanukah
Z: Do I get to open three presents a night? Or maybe infinity presents?

Thought 3:
Z: Ms. Leila (a teacher in her school) says I can't marry my brother and that's not nice. So I thought, and decided that I'm going to marry Asher and not tell Ms. Leila!

Thought 4:
Z: I know where chocolate milk comes from: brown milk, which comes from brown cows.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

November Thoughts by Z

Zahara is sassy and clever as always. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing the things that come out of her mouth!

Thought 1:
Z: Are chicken nuggets made out of dead chickens? I don't want to eat dead chickens.

Thought 2:
Z: It's nice being four, because then I can read!

Thought 3:
Looking at a smokestack in Baltimore
Z: Look! It's a cloud factory!

Thought 4:
Z to me: Can you please leave my room? I need to have a private conversation with G-d.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

October Thoughts by Z

This month Zahara was very insightful. I wonder if it is because she was learning all about forgiveness and repentance in school in preparation for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. It is really interested to me to see how complex some of her thoughts are getting. Of course, she can still be just as silly as always!

Thought 1:
After talking about the fact that G-d made the world and everything in it:
Z: Did Hashem (G-d) make Himself too then?

Thought 2:
While doing taschlich--a Jewish ritual where we throw our sins (in the form of bread) into a river:

Z: I'm sorry for breaking the rules. I'm sorry for not listening. I'm sorry for being grumpy in the mornings.

Thought 3:
Z: I love our new house because it is so big it can almost touch the clouds!

Thought 4:
Z: When I kiss Omri at school, Felix says "eewww."

See previous Thoughts by Z here

September Thoughts by Z

New season, new gems from our little girl:

Thought 1:
Upon hearing a cricket making lots of noise outside:
Z: Aww, he's looking for a girl.

Thought 2:

Z: Quick! There's an emergency! There's a volcano about to erupt in Brooklyn!

Thought 3:
Z: What are you doing?
Dan: Exercising. It's good for your heart.
Z: And it's good for your tushy!

Thought 4:
Dan teaching Zahara to sweep:
Z: I'm 4 years old. I know how to do it. Give it to me. I'm on it!

See previous Thoughts by Z here

August Thoughts by Z

She's still on a roll. Here's some more thoughts from our little girl.

Thought 1:
Z to me: You're just too beautiful. We need to give you away.

Thought 2:
Z: You know what happens if we eat a watermelon seed? Nothing. We just aren't supposed to.

Thought 3:
After taking my orange crayon when we were coloring together:
Me: I need that crayon to color my carrot picture.
Z: Well, you can use the black crayon and color a moldy carrot instead.

Thought 4:
Z: When I grow up I want to be a doctor who drinks beer.

Bonus Thought by Omri (her school friend):

Omri: Whenever Zahara talks, I listen to what she says because everything she says is beautiful.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

July Thoughts by Z

More thoughts by my newly-crowned 4 year old!

Thought 1:
Z: Mummy, is that alcohol? Can we split it, like last time?

[Note: we have never shared an alcoholic drink!]

Thought 2:
Z: We need to run so all the calories fall down to the floor.

Thought 3:
On seeing pictures of our house progress:
Z: It looks like a broken castle.

Thought 4:
Z: I'm in charge of my body. Daddy, you're in charge of me. And mummy's in charge of you. Mummy's not in charge of me because only one man can be in charge of me.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

June Thoughts by Z

Deep thought by Z this month:

Thought 1:
While swimming in an indoor pool:

Z: Mummy, come in! The water is glorious!

Thought 2:
During a thunderstorm:

Z: Good job bowling, Hashem (G-d)!

Thought 3:
Z: I kept saying to Zevi [her classmate], "no prob-llama mama" and he kept saying, "I'm not a llama," and I kept saying it until he cried.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

May Thoughts by Z

Here's more from our sweet girl. She really is amazing, isn't she?

Thought 1:
Handing me a bunch of stickers while talking like a pirate:

Z: You have to watch these treasures for me because I'm going on vacation to Israel.

Thought 2:

Talking to me after a bike ride:
Z: Would you like the pleasure of taking off my helmet?

Thought 3:

Z: I want Asher to be a girl so he can do all the things girls do.
Me: Like what?
Z: Eat all the things.

Thought 4:

While playing pretend:
Z: I'm a doctor and a mummy. I can be both.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

April Thoughts by Z

I take for granted how well Zahara is able to communicate and express herself, but I shouldn't. She really is articulate for her age. I love our conversations and always look forward to what she'll say next.

Thought 1:
Pointing to her classmate who is on all fours next to her:

Z: Mummy, this is my pet dog. Zevi, bark for my mum.
Zevi: Ruff, ruff.

Thought 2:

Z: Daddy, I don't want you to sing anymore. Don't be a parent.

Thought 3:

Z: Why are your eyes pink?
Me: That's my eye shadow. Do you like it?
Z: No. You look like a monster.

Thought 4:

Z: I saw all the blossoms on the trees. They look like Cheerios.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

March Thoughts by Z

I may be biased, but Zahara is really clever. Sometimes she really surprises us with what she knows. And we always love learning more about the way she thinks.

Thought 1:
When reading a book about a ninja made out of cookie dough:

Z: The Ninjabread man is made out of food and his head is a circle. That's silly
Me: I'm made out of food too. And my head is a circle. Right?
Z: No! You're made out of bones. And your head is an oval.

Thought 2:

On seeing the moon in the sky during the day:
Z: Go back to bed, moon! You're not supposed to be here!

Thought 3:

On seeing bright pink clouds during a sunset:
Z: I have a hypothesis. My hypothesis is that the clouds are really hot lava.

Thought 4:

Z: I like Ms. Victoria (our babysitter) because I don't have to earn TV shows. I just ask for them and she lets me watch.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

February Thoughts by Z

We can't help but giggle at some of the things that come out of Zahara's mouth. Here's a sample:

Thought 1:

Z: Mummy, when you give me hummus, it is the worst day ever.

Thought 2:

In the back seat of the car after I picked her up from school:
Z: I really missed you.
Me: Thanks! I missed you too.
Z: No, I was talking to the Cheerios.

Thought 3:

Z: When I grow up I want to be an artist who paints and sails a boat.

Thought 4:

While cooking pasta with me:
Z: This is really mysterious.
Me: Why?
Z: Because it is invisible. The pasta is under the water.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

January Thoughts by Z

New Year,  new thoughts from Z!

Thought 1:

Z: Mummy, you can have this sticker because you're my best friend.

Thought 2:

Z: We should never leave Asher outside on the street. He might get run over by a car, and I don't want anything bad to ever happen to him.

Thought 3:

Me: Zahara, you missed your chance.
Z: No, you're  Mr. Chance!

Thought 4:

Me: I saw a deer in someone's lawn by your school today
Z: Was it Santa's reindeer?
(So glad we're in Jewish day school...haha!)

See previous Thoughts by Z here

December Thoughts by Z

More from the mouth of babes:

Thought 1:

Z: I'm going to make this delicious, like a salad!

Thought 2:

Z: Mummy, you can have this sticker because it is huge and you are huge.

Thought 3:
 Seeing Dan's mouth guard in the bathroom:
Z: When I'm big, are my teeth going to be in a jar?

And an extra thought from me, about Zahara:

Bonus Thought:
Me: I thought Zahara was so advanced that she got her "threenager" year out of the way at age 2.
Dan: Yeah, she's so advanced that she still poops her pants.
Asher: <laughs>
Calli: Asher, not sure why you're laughing. You poop your pants too.

See previous Thoughts by Z here

November Thoughts by Z

Just a couple of highlights from this month:

Thought 1:

Z: When I'm a daddy, I'm going to watch grown-up shows (referencing the presidential debate).

Thought 2: 
Z: I want to sit on Zuzu [our cat] like a cowboy.

Thought 3: 
Z: When I grow really big, I want mayonnaise.

Thought 4: 
Reading Aladdin
Me: What would you wish for if you had a gennie?
Z: A dinosaur, a monkey, and a play menorah

See previous Thoughts by Z here

October Thoughts by Z

She's still keeping us on our toes. Here's what Z has been saying this month:

Thought 1:

Z: Why is that man drinking juice? Daddies don't drink juice. They drink beer.

Thought 2: 
Z: When I'm 14, I am going to be a boy.

Thought 3: 
Upon seeing a man in a bandanna and a goatee
Z: Is that man a pirate?

Thought 4: 
Dan: Singing Old MacDonald
Z: Daddy, that was great!

See previous Thoughts by Z here