Toddler Oddities

The kids laying on a Spec House!

My dad and husband are building a "Spec House." While I'm not sure where the term comes from, I know it refers to a large building project where a carpenter/contractor builds a home with the hopes of selling it off for a large profit. It is not being built for anyone in particular, just as a business prospect.



Somewhere along the line Ali picked up this phrase (maybe from dinner conversations) and one day she shocked me by crying and pouting over her blanket and saying she wanted, "a Spec house." After much discussion, I figured out that she meant the blanket needs to be laid out perfectly, without a wrinkle or crease, flat on the bed or ground. So, for several months, she's insisted on a "Spec House" every time she takes a nap and sometimes when she goes to bed. Her grandpa gets a big kick out of this!



He also gets the biggest kick out of Jer, who has learned to say "elk" thanks to Grandpa. Jer says it often for Grandpa since it makes Grandpa smile proudly. One night, my dad was trying to get Jer to say it for one of his friends who was eating supper with us. There are two huge elk heads, and a moose head hanging in my parent's dining room. My dad must have tried to get him to say it 10 different times, but he wouldn't perform on the spot since he was busy eating pizza. Right after supper we all went to a school play at my mom's school. During the performance, when Jer should have been being quiet, he starting yelling, "ELK!" over and over and looking smugly at Grandpa. Kids!