Merry Christmas -- Brenley's big break out

Here's the Brenley almost no one gets to see (but us at home)!
She got a microphone/stage from Santa and decided to rock out with Uncle Pat tonight.
You should have seen her Axl Rose-esque moves at that mic!
Enjoy!

Jingle Bells:


Jingle Bell Rock:

Best email to get ever! Delivery Status Notification (Failure)

This dinged on my Blackberry last evening. I think someone who's learning how to spell & such may have been trying to send an email?

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

mommy@and.daddy

Technical details of permanent failure:
DNS Error: Domain name not found


------Original Message------
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem
To: Home
Subject: Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
Sent: Dec 18, 2010 4:26 PM

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

mommy@and.daddy

Technical details of permanent failure:
DNS Error: Domain name not found

----- Original message -----

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XhdgdhgdhdgdyededgDhETEwhdEgefewy
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Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
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A message from Santa!

Brenley received a very important message from Santa today. You can see it here:
http://magicsanta.ca/player.html?code=1G2UCK

Dance, Dance wherever you may be...

Who won this episode of "tradesies"?

We were asking Brenley today if she enjoyed her lunch at school.

Well, I didn't really eat a whole lot of it..."

me: "Is that cuz you weren't feeling well?"

No, not really. I just didn't like it that much (It was roast beef & potatoes). But it's ok, cuz Grace and I traded.

"What did you trade?" I asked, thinking she gave Grace her roast beef?!

Well, you know those round meat things that sometimes can be really spicy but these ones weren't?

"You mean Salami?"

Yeah. that.

"So, what did you trade her in return?"

oh, a couple of rocket candy.

LOL. Here's hoping Grace wasn't too hungry this evening!

What?!?!

Driving in the truck last night, Brenley & Madden were playing "teacher & student" -- Brenley was the teacher, obviously.
So, she asks him after he repeated a bunch of words,

"Maddddd-ennn, can you say your ABCs?"

No response

"MADD-DEN, can you say your ABCs?!"

Then we hear a little voice starting to sing the ABCs melody...

"OH MY GOD, kid! Do you hear that, Mamaidh?" (Turns to him)
"Um, you're kinda freaking me out!"

(To me):
"I didn't think he was that smart!"

LMAO
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ooops... sorry...

I didn't realize it's been so long since I posted anything here on Brenley's blog.
Where do I begin after all this time? We'll do some bullets...

School

• School has started. She loves it. She has her best friend, Katherine, whom she has known since forever since they had the same babysitter.
• Her favourite parts of school are colouring in the morning in the cafeteria with all the students before classes begin; gym; music; Gaelic; and time spent outside for recess!
• She thinks that her classmate, Orianna, has the "best laugh, the best curly hair, and the best way to think".
• She doesn't speak to anyone in school except for her friends and Miss MacMillan and Meaghan. It's because she's "too shy". That is, she won't speak to her teacher. (I'm thinking about renting her for weekends....)
• She loves to get the bus, on the rare occasion that I can't drive her.
• I won't say she has a crush on two brothers in grades higher than her... lol... but if I have to answer any more questions about them I'll scream!!

Defining Moment

• A big moment for Brenley happened during the Celtic Colours Festival. She finally got to meet the girl she's named after, Brenley MacEachern of Madison Violet. She was very shy (of course) but sooooo pumped to meet her. She held her guitar, hung out with her for a little while, sat in awe during her soundcheck ("I can't believe I'm named after a girl that can sing so good!"), and even learned a handshake from "big Brenley". She's pretty proud.

So... with all of that, I've got to be more dedicated to writing her funny stuff down. But, actually, when I think of it... she talks a lot less since she started school... now that she's so shy. Let's hope that moves along and the holy-shit-I-can't-believe-she-said-that Brenley comes back soon!

Watch what you say, Dadaidh

Driving from RolloBay to our cottage in Brackley Beach, Kyle was reading Brenley the riot act about behaving properly & attitude, etc. Then he told her that she better behave in Moncton, where we're going for Jenna's wedding this weekend.
"And I better not here any stories about you from Moncton this weekend!"
B: "how will you know?"
K: "cuz Mamaidh will tell me"
B: "hmph. YOU told ME one time that it was the cats, Piseag & Sgigean, who told YOU when I'm bad & you're not home!!!"
K: (trying to remember, lol) "Yeah, they do!"
B: "well how do they?! What do they sound like?!"
K: "they speak in cat language; and you're not old enough to hear or understand it, so That's that."

Hee hee hee.... Careful what you say there, Dadaidh! Hate to see it come back & bte you in the arse! ;)

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Thing you don't think you'll hear a 4 & 1/2 year old say on the drive home

While driving home from the Emily Osment concert (aka Lily from HannahMontana) in Halifax today we hear randomly from the backseat:
B: "Big cock"
Me: "huh?!"
B: "Big cock"
(Kyle & I are trying not to react)
Me: "what's that?,!"
B: (very annoyed) "it's a large bird....urgh"

We laughed.... A lot.... Silently

Then driving past Antigonish we hear:
B: "Oh my goodness! I forgot she had a coconut bra on!!!"
(Speaking about her Build-a-Bear, Slaney)

Lol
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Philosophy on Life & Religion 101

professor: Brenley Gillis, 4 1/2 year old
student: Kyle Gillis, 39 yr old father, husband, etc

While in the classroom (aka yard, on the swings) on a sunny holiday Monday, Brenley says to Kyle:

You know, Dadaidh, we're here, but we're not really here. We're all really in God's big belly.
And, even though, you know, when you're talking to me and pushing me on the swing, it's not really you that's talkin' to me. It's really somebody else saying the words for you.
It's not really you. But I hear you.

Okey dokey.
I don't think I wanna sign up for her 2nd year course.... might be a bit over my head.

Here's one for you...

Be careful what you say in this house!!

The other day Madden was playing with a golf club (when isn't he?!) & started running towards Brenley (when doesn't he?!). She's a smart girl & could easily figure out what was coming next, and she hollered (as she jumped on the couch for safety):

"DON'T HIT ME YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!!!"

Disclaimer 1: this was followed by many tears as she looked at Kyle knowing it was a "bad word"
Disclaimer 2: I have *no* idea where she would ever hear language like that ;)

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Primary Orientation Day!

10 more sleeps... 9 more sleeps...

How many after tonight's sleep?...

5 more sleeps....

2 more sleeps...

I can't believe I'm going to school tomorrow!

Well, that tomorrow was today!!! Brenley had looked forward to today for months!!!!! Today was primary orientation day; aka the day at BIG school!

It all started last night, though, when she got ready for bed (which she had to be dressed for a "fashion sleep"?!?! I don't know what that means, either!). Here's what she looked like, totally prepared:

(note: the placement of the backpack, totally packed with gym clothes, indoor sneakers, $5 for chocolate milk to compliment the already-packed-and-on-the-counter lunchbox, which had pancakes!??! Go figure!)


Well, all that was a slight bit hilarious, and although she went to bed at 7:30, as per usual, it was a good 9:30 before she fell asleep!


This morning, Kyle's & my alarms went off at 6am, though we could hear some shuffling in the baby monitor upstairs. So, we laid there and waited to hear. Sure enough... shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... stomp, stomp, stomp... brushing of the teeth (no using of the washroom, though!)... and step, step, step down the stairs.

At 6:05am... a bursting, fully dressed in jeans, t shirt, socks, sneakers, raincoat zipped to her chin, and back pack on the back clad little girl bounded into our room and exclaimed:

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S FINALLY THE DAY I'M GOING TO BIG SCHOOL!!!!

Trying not to laugh/smirk/etc, Kyle pipes up and says:
"Um... Brenley.... what are you doing with your raincoat on?"

Welllllllllllll. I checked out the window and it is raining out, you know!

LOL
Away to school we went an hour and a half later.

She had a wonderful day. She totally surprised me as she wasn't nearly as shy as I though she would be. She spoke up. She did well.

Sitting at her

desk for the day.

With the other primaries

Recess......                in music/Gaelic

using "bean-balls" in

gym

A great day had by all!

How come I can't go again tomorrow, Mamaidh?!?!
How many more sleeps until I can go back?!?!

Another chapter unfolds!

Boob woes

Yeah. So someone should tell Brenley that BOOBS aren't in her future. Voluptuous chest features simply aren't in the genetic make up. Sorry.

Anyway, after her bath the other night at Papa & Grammie's she was looking in the full length mirror:

"Dadaidh, look! Are my boobies getting bigger?!"
"Um, no, Brenley, I don't think so. And you don't need to be worrying about boobs for a lot of years yet!"
"But, look Dadaidh... I think they're getting bigger!"

Good lord.
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Hard day at the sitters

This was an email from Charlene, our babysitter, not too long ago... pretty cute!

Gavin doesn't like to leave Brenley's side even while she sleeps. I thought this was so cute I had to grab the camera.

She said she was really tired so I told her to climb on the couch. I told him to let her sleep a little. I couldn't believe it when he fell asleep sitting up.

It's been almost a month...

.. of nothing too noteworthy and then there's today! Holy frig. I swear that these gems were from today only. Actually they all came in about a 4 hour period:

She went to Helly's house for the afternoon to "play" with Helly & Maire from Ireland. Maire has her harp with her, so I asked Brenley what she thought of the harp, (pretty annoyed):
 "Um, I saw one of those before, you know!"
"Oh, really? Where?"
"At the Barra MacNeil's concert."
"Oh yeah! So did you tell Maire & Helly that?"
"No, I couldn't remember the name of it."
 "Well, what is it called?"
"A Barra MacNeil's play set!"


While downstairs with Dadaidh:
"Um, Dadaidh, what are we doing after this sleep?"
"I dunno"
"Well what about after that sleep?"
"You're going to Charlene's"
"Is that your birthday?"
"Yeah, I guess it is"
"Are you working that day?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, you better not come home before all the party people come here!"


After her bath, waiting for the hockey game to come on, she looked at Kyle on the couch and says with her hands on her hips & her eyes doing their thing:

Um, helll-oooooo?!?! I'm thirsty, you know! I only asked for a drink about 2 hours ago!

Are we there yet?!

We're heading to Moncton for March Break & Brenley's a little impatient. She asked when we left the driveway, "Are we there yet??" (She was thankfully joking!)

So by the Causeway we were looking for something to occupy her & shut her up, so we told her to make a tally of the deer we saw.

The pic shows her tally as of Truro ;) + a pic of Hannah Montana, of course!
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The birds & the bees, please...

While driving home from Sydney one day not too long ago, Miss Brenley decides:

Mamaidh, I think you should have another baby so I can have a little sister. Yeah, you should grow another baby in your belly & I'll name my new little baby sister, Rosie, like on Caillou.

(oh God)

Um, Brenley, you wouldn't know for sure if it was a baby brother or baby sister, though.

Well... anyway... I think you should have another baby... What do you have to do anyway? Like, eat lots of food so that your belly gets bigger and bigger?

Well... no, Brenley that's not quite the way it goes.

 (sings to the radio... loudly)

How does it work then, Mamaidh?

(explicative)

Um, Dadaidh puts a seed in Mamaidh's belly.

 (Note: I had already thought of how to address this when the time would come... and I got the idea from an article in a magazine... Today's Parent or something)

Her eyes grow BIG:

You mean, like when he's shopping for seeds for the garden he just gets a baby one... and what if he put a flower seed instead?!?! Could you grow a flower in your.....

(I switched the stereo to fiddle tunes & told her to whistle/jig along!!!)

Countdown...

You may want to know how badly this girl anticipates things. We're on constant countdowns here:

"How many more sleeps til....

1. ...Smare a makin' home videos?" -- that makes me laugh out loud whenever she says it. It's her version of saying 'America's Funniest Home Videos'
2. ... swimming?" She goes to swimming lessons every Saturday morning and has mastered swimming with the flutter board (even though she fell off it one day & nearly drowned; which she thought was cool?!?!), going down the slide, and even jumping off the diving board (I nearly die each time!).
3. ... Easter?" She was going to be able to take her stud earrings out on Easter,  but one of the backs fell off & went down the tub drain, so we've already moved on to "big girl earrings". However, the countdown is still on because then she'll be able to buy more earrings!!!
4. ... I go to school, Mamaidh?" I keep putting this one off. It's too many sleeps!!!!!!! So now we're gearing up simply for her start at Readiness to Learn, which is a 10 session half-day preschool program for rural area kids.

So, we're always counting sleeps here. In fact, she gets so excited sometimes that tonight after supper she asked,

"Is it tomorrow yet?"

Please don't wish your life away, girly!

Thought I'd post some videos...

Brenley, of course, lives to be like Hannah Montana. However, she can't be serious when she's singing, just like her father!



Here's her tribute to Gordie Sampson's "We are Young & So is the Night":


and here's one of her dancing when she was only young:


Hope you like them!

I thought I was going to pee my pants!

So, Brenley started back at the babysitter today after me being on mat leave for a whole year. She had that nervous-excitement thing going on this morning as we left, and was quite visibly annoyed (with her rolling eyes) when I asked for a hug before I left to go to the school! (IMAGINE!)

I picked them up this afternoon, and they were no worse for wear... thanks to my great babysitter! (God, her house ALWAYS smells so good and looks so clean... I have NO idea how she does it!)
So, on the drive home, I was asking her how her day was, etc.
She says,

"You know that big brother kid that's there?" (there are two other little boys there, who are brothers)
"Yes...."
"Yeah, well, he had bad breath & kept blowing in my face... like REALLY CLOSE... like this" (she demonstrates from the backseat)
[I start to laugh... well... roar, actually]
"Well, did you tell him he had bad breath, Brenley?"
"Ugh... Mamaidh... NO! That would be so, like, RUDE, you know!"

I did think I was going to pee my pants! LOL

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

And on another note...
When we came home from church & sydney yesterday, Monty was barking and barking at our truck, which annoyed the hell out of Kyle.
He complains:

"Oh, Monty?!?! Why the hell do you have to bark?"

And Missy pipes up all sarcastically from the back seat:

"Maybe because she's a dog?!?!"

HAHAHAHHAHHAHAHA. LOVE IT!
Kyle said quietly to me then, "I guess that's telling me to F-off in not so many words, eh?!?!"

I swear these are only from today!

We were outside coasting tonight & she was admiring her shadow before we came in. While she was telling me how BIG it was, I made a monster shape and growled, pretending to envelope her shadow:
"Oh MY GOD, Mamaidh! You just about scared the BeJeezus out of me!!!"


Then after her bath a little while ago, I braided her hair in preparation for swimming lessons tomorrow. Once I finished, she had to go to the bathroom to check them out in the full length mirror. While "checking them out", she stepped closer to the mirror, ran her fingers over a small section of hair & asked me:
"You don't think I'm getting any white hair there, do you?!"

Lol - that's 2 snippets of one day with Brenley ;)

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Randoms forgotten at the end of 2009

Kyle & Brenley are putting the nativity set together...

K: "Ok....Brenley, show me how this thing goes together... where do people belong in the set?"
B:"Wellllllllllllll............ ok"
K: "Like, what about the ass...."
B: "What the hell is an ass?"
K: " A donkey."
B: "Oh ok then..."

and it proceeded....

----------------------------------------------
Helly asks Brenley:

"Do you ever get sick of watching tv?"
"No... I get sick of lots of other things like breakfast & shopping,
but I never get sick of watching tv!"

the phone got passed to me... and Helly & I had a great chuckle!

-----------------------------------------

"Um, Mamaidh..."

while we're listening to some kind of music on the radio in the truck,

"If you listen closely, you can hear that that guy is NOT rockin'
out!" WTF!??!

(and there were some others to do with bathrooming... body parts, etc. but we're gonna keep those out of the public domain! LOL)

It's not always easy, but she can certainly find the silver lining... intentional or not

Well, the start of 2010 has been kind of trying for all of us.
Kyle's uncle, Wally, passed away from a short battle with cancer.
Brenley was pretty close to "Uncle Wally" -- they had a love of nature, especially berries. Every summer Wally would pick copious amounts of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries for Brenley; sometimes more than once a day!

So, although Brenley has been to wakes before, this was her first real experience with death.

Have no fear, though... her usual charm shone through!

When I got the call that Wally had died, I told Brenley right away.

"Brenley, Uncle Wally died today. He's gone to Heaven."
"What does that mean?"
Ma says, "He went to sleep forever"
Brenley: "Well, I guess Sandra is going to have to pick me berries
now!"

Later in the day, she asked me...

"Um, do you think anyone, like, checked with Wally to make sure he
wasn't going to wake up?"

Then, after the funeral, she was still trying to process things.
We explained that we were going to a "party" at the firehall after the funeral to help say goodbye to Wally.

"It's not another prayer party, is it?" (hee hee
hee)

Then, while laying in bed with me the afternoon after the funeral she asks:

"Um, Mamaidh, can I ask you something?"
"yeaah"
"Um... how the hell did they ever fit Wally in that little box?"
(he was cremated)

So then I was left trying to explain cremation to her and I tried to explain that Wally's heart & soul went to heaven, etc. She wasn't really understanding me or I wasn't making sense. So, annoyed she turns to me and says,

"Um, do you think if I asked that guy saying the prayers at the front of
the church [priest], he'd be able to tell me?!??!"

Nonetheless, the sting of Wally passing away is still here. Just tonight she popped outside without us seeing her. We only heard her come in. So, Kyle asked her what she was doing outside:

"I was feeling sad & missing Wally, so I went outside to see if I could
see any stars winking at me..." (Kyle told her that with Wally in heaven, a
blinking star would be him winking at her.)

Rest in peace, Wally.