Learning a second language

Seven years of French, you'd think I'd be fluent, right? Hardly! I can speak une petite peu (a little bit) and can read a une peu plus (a little more,) but I would stick out like a sore thumb on the streets of Paris. Just recently, though, I have become fluent in a language spoken solely within the confines of our little family - we refer to it fondly as Preston-ese. It is a language that requires frequent translation and I am often the one called upon to perform such a task. So to help those who might find themselves in need of a Preston-ese translation, I thought I would give a sample dictionary for future reference. I hope you find it useful.

English =Prestonese

look = wook
chocolate milk = me-nook
chocolate cookie = be-book
popcorn = norn
blanket = bink
snowman = nooooooo
dinosaur = nooooooo (this can be very confusing -
and must be referenced in context)
there = dare
come here = mere
come on = mon
that = dat
TV/DVD = deedee
Scooby-Doo = do
Spiderman = man
museum = neum
car = dar
guitar = dar(again, can really throw you)
pirate = bar
this = dis
please = pree
thank you tanks
mine = mine (well, that's obvious)
elephant = brrrr (he tries to make an elephant noise)
fish=oof
horse = ye-ha
cow = dow
coat = dote
all shoes = boots
socks = dock
coat=dote
Grinch = nurnch
Santa = Nenuts

This is just a sample dictionary. Prestonese includes many more words, but they sound very similar, if not identical to the English language, and require no translation. I always heard that second children speak later than first, so we are enjoying our bilingual home, if even for a short time.