There’s one particular aisle in our grocery store that has a lot of plastic toys (Barbies, toys applicable to whatever season we are currently in or the next season that is fast approaching, action figures, toy trucks, plastic balls and bats). When we were in this aisle today…..

Gigi (gesturing largely to all the toys displayed on the upper shelves of the frozen food aisle): I’ll take one of everything for my birthday.

Cassie: (silence, ignoring)

Gigi: (more loudly) Did you hear me?! ALL this stuff (again with the expansive gestures) please.

Cassie: Shhh! Indoor voice. Yea. I heard you. One of everything. That’s a lot of stuff, Genevieve. Anyway, your birthday’s not until November.

Gigi: You need to get all the ideas for my presents NOW, cuz how many months is it until my birthday?

Cassie: About three and a half months.

Gigi: You need to get started during all the weekends to organize it…and the gifts….all the gifts.

Cassie: Oh really?

Gigi: Yep.

Cassie: Well I’m not buying all that stuff. I don;t think you’d even like playing with all those toys.

Gigi: Kids like to play with all toys, Mom. Don;t you know that?

Cassie: It would take like ten grocery carts to haul it all out…probably more.

Gigi: Bring Max. He’ll help you. But I can’t come because it needs to be a surprise for me.

Cassie: Way too much stuff.

Gigi: No, it isn’t. The “Fifth” is a BIG birthday. One, two, three, four, FIVE! It’s real big and so I should get five times five times five presents, which makes a lot of gifts for ME! And I’ll need to wear makeup for the party.

Cassie: (sighing) Oy! I’m so bored of this conversation.

Gigi: Birthdays are not boring, Mommy! They are totally special and like a festival. Can you stop being exasterpated (a combination of constipated and exasperated?) and get to the right mood about my birthday?

Cassie: I’ll try.

Some Random Father (with his three kids behind us in the aisle, laughing): That kid’s a real pip!

(Don’t I know it!)