The Family Dictionary: Pyders, Tonkings, and Tickers!

Around here, there's no need to ask for translation. We get it. All of it: "Where you wented? The quirlows were drinky so we thought it was o-tay to serve chalk-it koo koo ka doo! Then we ate cheesy balls and bingoed til we were done-done!"

We also fully understand that Tanta fills tonkings on Kitmutt. That a few of grandma's cats "talk" when they're cornered. And while pyders and monstas are best disposed of by daddy, mommy is the one who locates pajas, brings home ticker books, and makes sure no buggedies enter the house!

The Family Dictionary. Every home has one. Most often, though, its pages are stored "upstairs." But ours? Well, it's time to preserve them within a fluid volume that I hope will become a generational treasure.

Not only will our dictionary list and define alphabetically, I'll also illustrate entries with photos and anecdotes because some of our best have an unfortunately short shelf life. Like, "I'm drinky," for example. Brielle invented that one when she was three. "Thirsty?" What a weird word! What does it even mean? We like "drinky" and we're sticking with it, even though Bree, now six, has moved on!

And "koo koo ka doo?" That invisible gourmet concoction, stirred to perfection inside a play kitchen coffee cup, was described by two year old Kaylee as something to enjoy in a down moment because "it makes you happy." It's not unusual to hear any one of us sigh deeply, after a rough day, that a nice steaming cup of koo koo ka doo would sure hit the spot right now!

Austin was eighteen months old when he entered a phase that found him checking for "monstas" around every corner. When the coast was clear, he signaled with a hearty, "o-tay!" I like that word. It makes me feel safe!

Grandma Camp for our three year old little ladies this past summer was a gold mine of material for my dictionary. Ava, especially, kept me on task with reminders. I didn't dare promise cookie baking or a squirrel peanut feeding session unless I was prepared to promptly deliver. "What about those 'quirlows' you said we were going to feed?" Ha! "Q" is for quirlow! I wonder how many other family dictionaries have an entry for "Q!"?

Some descriptions were initially difficult to decipher. "Doo dah, whee!" for example. Angeline was two when she declared that her favorite destination. The rest of us scratched our heads until a light bulb went off over mommy's head. Swings and slides! Of course! Get it? You slide and you shout "WHEE!" Now, the "doo dah" part has never fully been defined. Perhaps some day, though. I look forward to paging through my dictionary with the kids long after they've forgotten the delight we found in their unique expressions and pronunciations. And who knows? They might even satisfy some long held curiosities for me. At that point, I will close the cover of this volume and sigh wistfully, "done-done!"*






*Done-done (dun-dun), adj. 1. completed 2. sufficiently filled with food and ready to be removed from high chair (Kaylee, 2014) 3. blog post written and ready for publishing (Grandma, 2017)

P.S. This is a good scrap-booking type project for those of us who enter a post "Kitmutt" slump like I do every year. Nonetheless, there are others who always have it worse. My grand-kitty, Marshall, for example. Imagine a full month of blissful snoozing beneath the softly lit, comforting branches of your very own toy-laden indoor tree - abruptly, and rudely interrupted, leaving you forlorn, unsheltered, dazed, and confused!