Helicopter & Hyena

We're just miles away from the Provo Airport and the local hospital, which means we constantly see and hear airplanes and the Life Flight helicopter pass over our home. Rebecca is really good at spotting them, and Mary-Gail runs to me saying, "hold me" as if she can only see them when she's in my arms. I point to the airplane or helicopter and sign airplane (for both) and we watch it cross the sky. Mary-Gail laughs with pleasure and then waves and says in her princess voice, "Good Bye. Good Bye." About this time Pixie & ArlaMae start to play-fight and I usually tell them to stop. But Rebecca intervened and said, "Stop it!" She's really picking up what I say.

Yesterday I was outside with the girls playing on the swings and we heard a helicopter approach. Rebecca pointed and said, "airplane" and for some reason I said, "Not that one. It's a helicopter," and signed helicopter. Both of the girls said - and I'm not kidding - "he-copter." What?! WOW! I thought I was "helping" them by not offering too many words, and here they are speaking and identifying words that they've just learned.

And today when Lovey was reading Mary-Gail her book, "Goodnight Gorilla," he said Hyena and pointed to it. (I usually point to the other animals that Mary-Gail knows: Gorilla, Giraffe, Elephant, Lion, and skip the Hyena and Armadillo). But not anymore. After Lovey showed Mary-Gail the Hyena, she pointed back and said, "hee-na." No more holding back girls!