according to Natalie...

Here is our little dumplin' on the deck on a nice October afternoon. Moments earlier, she had just lost a fine pink balloon from Lowe's Foods. She took it pretty well. She played with it all the way home from the store, and it was tied securely around her wrist. But when we got out of the car, after bobbing it a couple of times, it got away from her. She turned to me and said, "help mommy! go get my balloon!" I could not give it much chase, because I was holding Olivia, my purse, and 2 gallons of milk, which were each about to sever one of my fingers. We watched the balloon go higher and higher, and she gave the following soliloquy all the way back to the house:
"if I do not have my balloon, then I cannot have it. If, when we are birds, then we will fly to my balloon and get it, when we are birds, mommy. If I cannot have my balloon, then I am so sad that I will not have it. If I cannot have it, then I cannot have it. Mommy, when we are birds, then we will have my balloon."

It was lovely, floating away into a blue October sky.

Jelly toast.

In other news, Natalie gave an interesting briefing on bible history yesterday. She is somewhat timid of fish lately, having read about Mr. Jeremy Fisher, who was swallowed by a trout (and then spit out), and also Jonah, who was swallowed by a big fish (also spat out later). Anyway, before bed last night, she revealed some concern about being swallowed by a fish. Here was our conversation:
"...I'm afraid of the fish--they might bite me"
"Where do fish live, Natalie?"
"In the water, in the big ocean!"
"That's right! There are no fish here, because they live in the water!"
"But if they come in through the door..."
"No, fish will not come in. They must live in the water, or else they will die"
"When the fish die on the cross--"
"No, fish do not die on the cross--"
"When I die on the cross--"
"No, you will never die on a cross. Only Jesus had to die on a cross"
"and the people of Ninevah"
"No, the people of Ninevah did not die on a cross"
"Because Noah saved them, in a big boat!"

...this took a little untangling...