Christmas 2008 -- Part I

Some pre-Christmas gems:


"Brenley, you better clean all of that up! ""Yes, Mamaidh I will! RELAX!"

Santa this year at the North Sydney mall was a woman. gasp. Brenley knew there was something not quite right. So when we were home I was making fun of her saying she was making silly faces when she was on Santa's lap. "It wasn't Santa, it was Mrs. Claus!" "Huh," I said, (I didn't think she could pinpoint why this Santa was different), " since when do women have beards?!?!""Well, Mamaidh, maybe God had to do it that way!"

We bought Dadaidh a new something for golf for Christmas; Brenley helped pick it out. So, I made her promise that she wouldn't say anything, that it had to be a secret... she couldn't tell Dadaidh.So.... when we got home we "left it in the car, so he wouldn't see it." When Kyle got home from work, motor mouth met him at the door exclaiming:
"Dadaidh, dadaidh... we gots you the best ting ever! And it's for golf and you're gonna love it and you can't see it though, cuz we left it in the car! It's a present!"
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Something for golf?! Is it a golf club?"
"No, it's a shirt... and it will fit you!"

"Mamaidh, I can't go yet. I need to finish my homework.""Homework? Where did you get homework?""At my school""What's your school's name?""Happy Face school!""Oh yeah, and who's your teacher?""Brenley... Brenley a'Kenzie"

Dear Santa,

How are you today? I like Robert Slaney & Nick MacNeil & Screech from the Screaming Eagles. They are my favourite buddies & friends & hockey players.

I was a good girl all year. After Christmas Eve I am going to be a big sister! (sometime after Christmas) So, I will have to be really good after Christmas, too! For Christmas I would like it if you could bring me a Dora the Explorer game, a Diego game, and Hungry, Hungry Hippos. It would be nice if you could bring me something else you think I would like. Could you fill my stocking with some treats and surprises?

I am going to have some milk & cookies for you Santa; I might even leave a toy for you, too! For Rudolph and the reindeers I will leave some carrots from Dadaidh’s garden!

89647544110u8 (<-- That’s my own typing!) Can you bring something for my cats Piseag & Sgigean, and something for the new baby?

Thank you for the book you gave me in the mall! Have a Merry Christmas! Dadaidh & I will be tracking your journey Christmas Eve!

Love,
Brenley Gillis, age 3

From October & November, 2008

While trying to lift the bookcase/tv stand in the living room, she says:

Who made this wood so heavy?!

(Mamaidh) I dunno.

Maybe God did!

While playing with her toys in the living room one day:

Oh my god! I don't know if I can make it... I really need to pee!
I'm getting out of here!

Look mamaidh, I did it (putting part of a doll house together)... and you
didn't think I never would!

Brenley was having a rough day one day... Dadaidh explains to her:

You're not listening, Brenley. You have to eat your supper. And Santa Claus is
watching. And he won't be very happy with you.

Brenley: What will he say?

Well, you know that hungry, hungry hippo game you want Santa to bring you...
well he wont' bring it.

Looks around with the hand gesturing to all the toys...

"Well, I already have lots of toys... I don't need that game."

Informed, stubborn little bugger!How are we suppposed to win
with that?!?!?

Daddy and Brenley were spending the day together. After eating breakfast at Burger King, they were on their way to Canadian Tire to get the winter tires on the truck. While driving there Brenley asked: "Dadaidh, affer we go get the new tires, can we go see the amnimals?"

"What animals?"

"The ones at the park... you know where they have the slide. "(Two Rivers Wildlife park)

"No, I'm sorry Brenley that place is closed today. I don't know why, but it is."

"No, it's not. "

"Yes, it is. I read it in the paper. The park is closed."

She proceeds to raise both hands in the air in disgust, turns her head away from him, and says in an old lady-like voice:

"Dadaidh, don't even look at me! I KNOW that that park is open."

While having another rough day, (as she explained to Dadaidh when he got home, "I was being a brat today to Mamaidh!") I got cross at her for being a brat, and sent her to her room for a nap.
She whined and she sooked and I warned her that if she didn't go for a nap I'd have to spank her bum!
After about 5 minutes of digesting that thought, she appeared around the corner, sticks her bum out to me, and says, "You might as well give it a try!"

HUH!??! Where did she come from?!?!?

And finally... the finer points of anatomy with Brenley...

On the way home from the hockey game:

"Dadaidh, why do we have noses?"

"To smell..."

"Like dogs' and cats' noses?"

"Yeah."

"I can smell with my nose."

um hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Some things are just "not healthy"

Brenley came to visit Mamaidh's school and some special visitors the other day. She was so excited she got up at 4:50am thinking it was time to go already! One of the guests was none other than her favourite Screaming Eagle, Robert Slaney. She was soooooooooooo excited to see him and have him sign her jersey and get her picture taken with him.

Once she left with Dadaidh, she had a funny moment:

While driving home with Dadaidh, she started laughing. When Kyle asked why, she said "cuz Nick a Neil is probably in bed crying!" Kyle asked why he'd be crying, and she said, "Cuz he didn't get to write on my sweater... only Robert Slaney did!"

In other Brenley-isms... she wasn't feeling well today, in fact she was "puking" and said, "Oh, Mamaidh, this isn't good. It's not health-fy!"

• On Halloween night, my Aunt Jean was at Ma's and was showing everyone a beautiful quilt she had made for Alan and Tracey. Brenley walked right over to it and exclaimed: "Oh, I'd LOVE to have one of those!"

• At the doctor's the other day, she proceeded to tell the doctor that she really did have a baby in her belly and it was doing ok, so the doctor only had to listen to Mamaidh's baby.

• "Look, Mamaidh, look at this... I can make it [a hockey puck] balance!"

I"m sure there's been lots more that she's said, but that's all I can remember right now!

"No he's not. He's pure-fect"

Driving home from supper tonight we were talking about bedtimes and when it was good to go to bed. Brenley asked, "Well, where's Robert Slaney tonight?"

"He's in Victoriaville"

"But, where is he!?!"

"He's in Victoriaville, Quebec, getting ready to play hockey."

"Well, is he in he's bed?"

"No."

"Well, he should be in he's bed! It's dark out and he should be in he's bed. Robert Slaney should be in bed."

Dadaidh: "Yes, Robert Slaney should be in his bed because he's silly"

Brenley: "No, he's not! He's Pure-fect!"

A defender until the end?!?! LOL

====================================================================

While Kyle got her ready for bed the other night, she got all tucked in, and was getting "cozy" when Kyle told her she had to go to sleep in bed. There would be no joking or jumping around:

"I not going to sleep, Dadaidh."

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I not, cuz I am the boss!"

(Didn't go over so well...)

====================================================================

More gems....

Here's the latest and greatest Brenley quotes:

• While in the tub, the water somehow escaped the bathtub... leaving only a pile of suds in the bottom. We heard cries: Mamaidh / Dadaidh come here! "Look", she said, looking down at the suds surrounding her feet, "the bathtub is broked.... it must need new batteries!"
• Downstairs with Dadaidh one night... Dadaidh: "C'mon Brenley if you're coming outside with me. Let's go..."Brenley: "Just wait two minutes Dadaidh. I need to finish my exercises so that my muscles grow big!"
• "Mamaidh, listen to me... I'm very important!"
• "The baby in my belly is crying. I think she needs a drink." (I've heard of sympathy symptoms in pregnancy before... but....)
• " You watch this... I'll show you my yogen (yoga)!"
• After visiting Ma at Michael "Dave's" (Michael Dan's)... where she had a biscuit ("bis-ick"), a square, and a big glass of milk, she says... "Well... that was a very good little visit!"

Sarcasm at not quite 3 years old?!?!?

Some latest gems... we honestly don't know where she came from, this Miss Brenley.

• While walking outside, I almost tripped, and said "Dhia, Dhia!" She asks, "What you do Mamaidh?!" So I told her I almost fell. "Well, well, well, " she responds :S



• Playing with a planter guy-thing... she says, "Look Dadaidh. This is my boyfriend."



• We were asking her, after being in Scotsville for a few days, if she liked different people there. So, when we asked her if she liked Papa, she said "no". Kyle asked her why not, and she responds, "Well, Dadaidh, it's just the way it goes."

• Kyle was saying that he was going to go golfing one day, and then he and Brenley were going to go to Scotsville fishing. Brenley thought about it for a while, and asked a few questions, then said, "Well, Dadaidh... I dont' know if you should go golfing. I just don't know..... (then she looks up with him with this mischievious smile)... Just Kidding, Dadaidh!"



• A random comment today was... "Mamaidh, I'm gettin' married in 10 minutes." (So, I asked to whom, and she said, "My boyfriend!" WTF!?!?!?)



• In PEI, Kyle was helping her on the teeter-totter / see-saw, whatever you want to call it. She loved that thing. So on the last day, I went outside to help her play on it, and apparently, as she pointed out, I wasn't doing it right. So, I called Kyle to come help her. When Kyle got outside she explained that I was "only doing this" (picture a wimpy, hardly moving motion with the hands). "Mamaidh was not doing it right... that's not a very good woman!"

Dear Lord, What's next?!?!?!?

Made'er through the MacNeil Family Reunion

Yep... we had a big family reunion this past weekend, and although the 200 people were a little intimidating for some, they weren't for Brenley!

Brenley's highlights include:

• 1st night... ripping down the drawers and peeing in the field... much to the dismay of some, perhaps, "classier" relatives from outside Cape Breton. These 2 other moms had a fit, and ran to get her.... didn't know what she was doing, and so on. HAHAHAHAHA My rural girl.

• At church the next morning, she had to pee. So, as we were walking along the side to get to the bathroom, she stumbled a couple of times and then said, "URGH! I must be drunk or something!" (as loud as you can imagine!)

• Saturday afternoon, she logged 1.5 hours out of 3 hours on the Dora the Explorer bouncy tent! (And cried when she had to get out.)

• At the dance Saturday night, she went up to the DJ by herself and requested Heave Away by the Fables. See video below!

• On Sunday at the beach ("big pool"), the waves were quite high -over our heads at some points- and she was loving being in them. She was on the look-out for the "big ones" and saw one coming and said, "Look out Mamaidh! Here comes a big one all the way from Florida!"

• And, I guess her whole experience can be summed up in what she said when she got in the car at the beach: "Oh, Mamaidh! I think I had too much fun a-day and last day!"

• Sad thing is, she'll be almost 8 years old at the next one! :(

What a weekend!

Well, this weekend, Miss Brenley outdid herself in her antics! I'll just jot them here:

• At Ma's when she was warned (loudly) by Ma that she was going to make a mess when she was pouring pop from one glass to another:
  "If you'd only stop hollaring at me I'll clean it up!!!!!!!!!" (Picture the hands outstretched and the 13 year old attitude to go with it!)

• "Ma, didn't you say you were leaving?" (so she could be bad!)

• Upon seeing her grandfather's friend, Earl... who's a BIG man... wearing suspenders:

"Him have his seatbelt on already and he's not in the car yet!"

• "Can you find a square, Mamaidh?" (while looking at her Aquadoodle) When I pointed to one... "Right on, Baby!"

• In church, she was drawing pictures (which are quite legible, I must add) and she drew one of a doggy. When I was telling her what a good job she did she grabbed the marker and made a big scribble by the dog's tail: "He's poopin'!"

An imaginary friend...

The spring brought about many changes to Miss Brenley... some good, some bad, given that she's now 2 and a half. (You better not forget the half part!)

She has been busy talking and singing the ears off of us. CONSTANTLY! When she's not talking or singing in the car, we're going through the iPod which has all her favourite songs on it:

• Heave Away -- The Fables


• Hey, there, Delilah -- Plain White Tees


• "The monkey on the back song" aka Anyone Else But You -- The Moldy Peaches (Now, can you figure out why she calls it that?!?! It took us about a week to get it right!)


• Can I Go Nowhere with You -- Joel Plaskett


• Mull River Shuffle -- the Rankin Family


• I've Been Everywhere Man -- Johnny Cash


• Ain't No Sunshine -- Matt Andersen

Pretty well rounded song choices for a 2 and a half year old, I think ♫

Also, while driving in the car, we hear a lot about her friend, Robert Slaney.

(Now... for those of you who don't know, the real Robert Slaney is a hockey player with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles who Brenley adores. She loves him. Everything about hockey is about Robert Slaney.) But... she's brought this puck bunny thing to a whole new level in naming her imaginary friend "Robert Slaney".

As I mentioned, Robert Slaney -- the imaginary appears mainly in the car and is often doing things she thinks are bad -- "Robert Slaney doesn't have his socks on, Mamaidh!" "Robert Slaney isn't wearing his seatbelt!" and so on. So, we have to play along and get her to correct Robert Slaney... which she does quite eagerly!

I don't know if it's cute... or scary. Thankfully, Robert Slaney -- the hockey player in real life is a great guy and is super sweet to her!

Other than the imaginary friend, the other biggest milestone is the seeking of independence. I can't tell you how many times in the past few weeks we've heard "That's not fair, Mamaidh/Dadaidh! Oh, Man! That's not fair!" (How does someone at 2 and a half have a concept of fair and unfair?!?!?)

It's been fun. It's been trying on the nerves!

We've heard it all now... I hope!

Today Ma babysat Brenley and while here she cleaned the whole house, including the floors! (Thank you, Ma!)
When I got home from school, I brought home supper and as we were eating, Kyle said,

"Look, Verna, Piseag is ruining your clean floor!"

Miss Brenley proceeds to stop eating supper all together and heads out to investigate Piseag's mess. She walks over to the edge of the hardwood and looks:

"Holy Jesus...Piseag is making a mess on your clean floor, Ma!"

Good Lord. Just as it would sound coming out of Ma's mouth.

Nothing is sacred anymore!

"I don't know where you got her?!!?!?"

... that's what Grammie in Scotsville said. We wonder sometimes, too!

Brenley farts at Grammie's house. "Brenley, did you fart?" "Yes." "Well say
'excuse me'!"
"No, I only say 'scuse me when I burp."

Mamaidh bends down to tie Brenley's shoe and burps. "Excuse Me," Mamaidh says. "Mamaidh, you say 'excuse me'?"
"Yeah."
"Good girl, Mamaidh!"

At my grand-uncle's 80th birthday party. "I no like this party!" (all grumpy!)
After about another 15 minutes or so, we leave. Once Brenley gets in the
car, she starts BAWLING and CRYING:
"That party no good. Me no like it!"
"Why, Brenley?!"
"Cuz there's no fiddle music there and me can't stet-dance! Oh Man, me no
like it!"
(the crying continued from Gardiner Mines to downtown
Sydney!)

Yep... that's our little lady. Oh... and all of a sudden she's toilet trained. She decided on Wednesday that she wanted to wear panties. Yep... and now it's done. Only one little accident in how many days.

Parenting isn't all that hard when they parent themselves!

April's Candid Comments...

• "I'm not goin' a Grammie's any-mo-re. I'm mad!" (during a temper tantrum, thinking she'd make Kyle mad!)

• With hands and shoulders shrugged after farting at Ma's: "Brenley, did you fart? Say 'excuse me'!" "Well I can't say 's-cuse me for everytime!"

• After heading back to the motel room after a hockey game in Halifax, finding a second wind and seeing the coffee maker and cups and everything in the room: "Ok, every people! Who wants a drink from one of these cups?!?!?

• "Papa's in the hospital. I'm gonna go fix him!" "How are you gonna fix him, Brenley?" "I gonna say sorry for hitting him!"

• "Brenley, it's time for a bath." "Dadaidh come with me! I can't have a bath all by a-self.!"

• While coming home from school one day she noticed all the cars lining the sides of our road. She asked why they were there and I told her they were from people fishing. So she marched in the house and said to Kyle, "Dadaidh, I wanna go fishin' rod!" Kyle, "We can't. We don't have any bait!" "Yes, yes I do. It's in my bedroom!"

• "Goodness Gracious it's wet out!"

• While walking up a steep hill in Halifax, "Someone carry me, I can't walk anymore; my back is sore!" Then, the next day when we asked if her back was still sore she said, "YES! It's broke!"

• And... here are the dramatics on BIG TIME when Dadaidh tells her there's no popsicles (Hopsagals) left!

"What her talkin' about?"

We've been hearing that an awful lot lately. If we're talking to anyone at all on the phone Brenley needs to know the details.

Things these days are about "do it a-self"; so much so that she spent March Break learning how to zipper up zippers just so she could do it herself! There's stubborn and independent and then there's Brenley Seasag Gillis.

All that and all the plans for the future...

"Someday, I go to work, and I work there (points to building on Kings Rd) and Mamaidh and Dadaidh come to see me.... not work there!"

"Someday, I go to school and Mamaidh go to Charlene's (babysitter's) and I drive the car and I go home!"


The independent terrible two's are in full force, I'm afraid!

Brenley's Latest Words of Wisdom

Here they are in no particular order:

Me to a group of people and Brenley: "What does Mamaidh call Dadaidh, Brenley?"
Brenley: "a shit"


"Dadaidh put your hood up... it's freezin out!"


Dadaidh: "You can't go to sleep in Mamaidh's bed! There are too many clothes on it!"
Brenley : "well wash them then"


At the mall... when I was talking to some parents of students, she comes into the store (she was out in the hall with Helen) and says:
"Mamaidh, get your butt out here!"


Dadaidh: "Where are you going?"
Brenley: "Mexico... Not Sydney, I wanna go to Mexico!"


"Mamaidh. I know that song. It's O Can-a-ga!"


"Dadaidh play a strath-slay" (on the fiddle)

Brenley's Dream Last Night

This morning Brenley went downstairs to see Dadaidh (who had to sleep in the basement because someone was in bed with me!) and had the funniest, most animated story to tell:

"Dadaidh, I had big, BIG mittens on. And they come off. And I was fightin'!"

"Who were you fightin' with?"

"The Geagles (Screaming Eagles)! And I play hockey with big, BIG mittens on... and a hat (helmet) and boots (skates)."

"How were you fightin'?"

"Like this... I hit on the head!"

"Did you dream this Brenley?"

"Yes" ... and it went on from there!

We're roaring!

She loves hockey so much she's even dreaming about it!