04/29/2019 - monday

The girls were eating eggs James made, when Mimi started saying 我要那个黑黑的东西。我觉得他很好吃。I asked her what black thing, she said that black thing. I asked her to point it out to me. She stood up on the chair, looked around, said 欸。一定是爸爸拿走了。I said I'll ask ba ba when he returns. Ba ba came back after a while, Mimi said nothing, we ate. After a while Mimi quietly asked for the black thing. James asked what shape the thing was. Mimi said 那个黑黑的东西。。。是灰色的。I asked if it was a circle? She said 它是个盒子。James realized Mimi was referring to the seseme black bean soy milk Lily gave us, in the rectangle black box.

We promised the drink after they finish their apples. Then James bounced out to fix his accidental reply all. Lao lao stepped in and accidentally offered cantaloupe before the girls finished apple. Ella ate like a trooper, chewing the cantaloupe pieces to the skin. Mimi ate slowly, and asked for 黑奶whenever we made eye contact. I repeated that they had to finish the apple skins first. After a bit, Ella said 妈妈我吃完苹果啦。She indeed finished. Mimi still had a pile of apples, even thick with meat not just skin. I asked her if she could finish. She asked 能切小一点吗。 I cut them into small pieces. Mimi still ate slowly, sucking on a piece. I took a carton of soy milk out and put it on the table. Mimi whined a little, but still made no progress on apple. I punched it open and offered to Ella. Mimi tilted her head up, let out a whine. I said it was okay, because Ella drank slow, she still had a chance to hurry up and finish the apple and she'd still have plenty to drink. Ella was taking the tiniest little sips. She took a tiny sip, then said Mimi 我会等你的。你快点吃。Mimi chucked a few pieces down her throat, and then she was barely chewing. Ella drank a few more sips, Mimi let out a little whine through her full mouth, I told her to stop whining and start chewing. She had trouble, and started whining again, and a little tear welled up. I said again to stop whining and start chewing, and she blinked back her tears, and successfully chewed down the apple. I offered her another piece, she whined again, I repeated again to not whine and eat instead, she chewed it down, the hurried and put all the remaining pieces in her mouth, and ate them all. I announced Mimi could drink and gave her a sip, Ella clapped. The girls took turns sipping the soy milk and finished it.

The girls wanted more soy milk, so I offered the more cantaloupe and want back to eating dinner. After a bit, I heard laughing and things hitting the ground. I turned saw them throwing the cantaloupe skins. So I took the tiny pieces of cookies I have prepared for them, and ask them to watch me throw them in the trash. Ella whimpered as she watched me put them in the trash. Mimi had ran away, and said 我不想看！When I called for her.

When I came back from the laundry room, Mimi looked at me, tilted her head up, open her mouth, let out an airy wail, then buried her head into the mat and wailed. I asked her if she wanted another chance at the desert. She still had her head tucked down, but no more wails. I said if they washed their hands nicely and did homework, I had more secret dessert for them. Mimi stood up, ran away burstily said 妈妈你还有什么甜点aaaan, while not even looking at me. I led Ella to the bathroom, and yelled for Mimi to come to. She came too. And the girls washed their hands nicely.

I cut up a puzzle for them. I helped Mimi and lao lao helped Ella. First it was a rainbow. The girls neatly put the four pieces on top of the example rainbow, completely incorrected, and said 做完啦。 Lao lao and I spent a while helping them positioning the pieces. They both had problem where they didn't want to flip a piece when it's upside down, and we had to match piece by piece and ask if it matched. They eventually did it, and a flower puzzle. 

Then I gave them the sheets to write the number 4. The girls both started writing only the two vertical lines. I added one horizontal line for Ella and she got it. She wrote pretty well, some turned into H, one 9, but mostly well. She got distracted drawing some borders and the 4 icecreams. But pretty soon finished. Mimi after writing some vertical lines, and ignoring my horizontal line teaching, and flipped the sheet to the back and drawing cakes and giving 假蛋糕 to everyone.  

After Ella said 我做完了。We checked together. She wrote 10 good ones. Lao lao prompted her to add a couple more horizontal lines, then she lost interest and extended more 4's into H's. She eventually had 13 good ones. I announced she did well and she could have a piece of cake, slightly smaller than intended because she's missing two, but big enough. She went to the kitchen with me. I gave her a piece of the Midori cake. She happily chewed on it. I went back to find lao lao helping Mimi, but Mimi still drawing her fake cakes. I announced she made good effort and can have a sliver of cake. She happily skipped to the kitchen. Mimi took it, then grumbled 我不要小的。我要大的。And looked at Ella slowly noming on hers. I said she could have a big one if she finished writing. She ate the cake in one bite while scooting down her chair, then ran away saying 我要写我要写。Lao lao praised her and said would watch her. Ella also stood up and gave me her bread, chomped off of all the sugar coating. She stated she didn't want it anymore. I gave her a scoop of custard from the puff, and she walked away in her strut. I happily ate the inner cake. Just I was finishing, lao lao exclaimed about how good Mimi's writing. I came over, and saw her hunkered down and writing diligently. All her 4's were perfect! She finished a row, and yelled 妈妈我写完了! 我可以吃大蛋糕么！I exclaimed her 4's were so good! And asked if she wanted to write another row for a even bigger piece of cake. She said 我不想写了我想吃蛋糕。She skipped and followed me to the kitchen. I cut her a bigger piece of cake. She ate it, then ran away yelling 我要做作业。I came over and saw her hunkered down and writing so nicely. She wrote another row and asked for cake. I asked her if she wanted to write more. And she completed all the 4's. Not all as perfect but were very good! She aquired another piece of cake.