Childlike Faith

Every evening just before bedtime and prayers, we read out of our children's first Bible or a book of devotions. The Daddy often tells the girls where the Bible verses come from each night: Old Testament or New Testament. Sometimes he makes them guess.

Sometimes they are right on the first try.

Sometimes on the second :) .

This morning HJ came up to me in the kitchen with the most serious and earnest look on her face, and this was her question,

"Mama, is Jack in the Old Testament or New Testament?"

God Bless her soul!

Questions and Randoms

Lil' darlin' got into my purse:

Colorstay lip gloss: it's not for kids!

Sweet HJ wanted to know:

-Mama, can the baby laugh?

-Can I tickle him?

-Why aren't you laughing?

-Laugh, Mama, laugh!

On a particularly trying day of potty training HJ, I began to cry.

HJ's response to my tears:

-Mama, you can't cry! That's only for us kids.

So proud of her tooth brushing skills:

AE is full-on obsessed with Jessie the Cowgirl since seeing Toy Story 3. We rustled up this outfit for a cowgirl dress up. The pants are actually from an Indian costume. The boots were mine in high school/college. The shirt is from her closet and the hat came from Nana and Papa's house. It's really a Canadian Mountie hat!

Shhhhhhhhhh! Don't tell her! I had to draw a picture of a horse for AE. She's been caught letting Jessie "ride" it. Basically she holds the doll up to the piece of paper and runs with them both, neighing all the way around the house.

I've been finding clumps of this wig all over the house. She's taken to brushing her long, blond hair.

And to sum up the renovation adventure, we are still delayed. The counter tops are supposed to go in tomorrow. Last week the closet did get done:

ILOVEIT! ILOVEIT! ILOVEIT! ILOVEIT! ILOVEIT! ILOVEIT! ILOVEIT! ILOVEIT!

I haven't been feeling well since Monday when I realized school didn't start for TWO more weeks instead of ONE like I thought. We've spent time at the splash pad, library and in the front yard sprinkler. We've been coloring and watching movies.

I've been napping. They have not.

Because there's not a good way to wrap up this randomness, I'll just leave you with AE's favorite question lately:

-Mama, I'm worried. How is the baby boy going to get out of your belly?

If I Don't Write This Down NOW...

I'll surely forget by this evening.

Our after-lunch conversation:

Mama: Make sure you don't drop any of those M&Ms on the floor. Bailey can't have chocolate.

HJ: Why, Mama?

Mama: Dogs are allergic to chocolate. It's not good for them.

AE: 'Lergic? He's 'lergic to CHOCOLATE? (inflection with disbelief)

Mama: Yes, honey. It would make him sick. HJ, do you know why Bailey can't eat any chocolate?

HJ: Yes, Mama. BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY HANDS.

Can We Play Dress Up?

It's the question I hear every morning,

and I never know what they'll come up with!

I do believe she said, prior to donning the lamb's mask, "It's raining and we have to make my hat beautiful to stay dry."

I love the leg warmers/rain boots/bag-as-skirt combination.

That's the bonus room behind her, our current catch-all room until construction begins to make it our new master suite.

Two sisters. Too cute. Too creative.

Recipe Collections

Day #18: Gather Holiday Recipe Favorites

When I opened up the bag of treats AE was sent home with yesterday, I panicked when I saw this:

I thought, "Oh, NO! I never sent in a recipe. They must have asked for these before we enrolled AE. Surely, I did NOT miss a note sent home asking for a recipe."

Then I turned the page and read the first recipe by the other little girl in AE's class:

Evidently, her mother feeds her healthy foods. Fourteen hours IS a little long to "warm" your turkey sandwich, though.

Here is AE's "recipe":

I thought she did really well. She even knew the oven should be set to the very precise "so hot" setting.

Then I turned the page to read this little boy's entry:

It especially delighted me to see him refer to Wal-Mart as "WalMarts"!

This project was so cute, and if I ever get pushed into being a ROOM MOM, I'll remember this activity as a great send home idea. Remember when our church did something similar about God's Rules? Same kind of hilarity.

Love it.

Prayers

Dear God, 

Thank you for you, God. Thank you for your Spirit. Thank you for loving me. I love you. Can we take the Mix and Match Princess Book to Nana's house?

In Jesus' Name-

Amen

There's Mama!

Over the last year or so, the girls have shown me how much they love me through hugs, kisses and the looks of joy in their eyes when they see me. 

Nothing can compare to the ego-boost I get when we see THIS:

and AE says, "Look, there's YOU, Mama! It's YOU!"

If you live in Atlanta, I KNOW you've seen this billboard and I KNOW you've seen the commercials on TV!

It's happened on MORE THAN ONE occasion. 

This evening as we made our way home, I almost gave The Daddy a heart attack when I squealed and made him pull over so I could take a picture. 

I think he would have a real heart attack if he rolled over in the morning and saw this:

Sweet dreams, honey!

God's Rules

I mentioned a few reasons why I love the exercise classes at our church a while back. One reason is the art projects and Bible lessons. This Monday, AE's class evidently talked about the 10 Commandments. 

The teachers asked each child, "What are some rules at your house?" 

And these were AE's answers:

O.K. Both stemming from the arguing and fighting over toys in our house!

Here is a sampling of other "rules" from a few friends' children. No names were used to avoid any further embarrassment. All and any moms implicated in this list should not feel ASHAMED or ANGRY with me for sharing the hilarity!

• Pick up your toys
• Mommy says to love God
• Be fair
• Mommy says to watch cartoons
• Mommy says to eat lunch at Chick-fil-A with my friends

What would your children say?

31

A little three-year-old steps onto the white square with the flashing numbers. She waits patiently for a verdict. 

31. 

I proudly announce her current status.

"Woooooooo-whoooooooo!"

Just like she had won the lottery.

Don't you wish you felt like this every time you stepped off the scale?

Dinner Conversation

Right now, AE is giving HJ a lecture on eyebrows.

AE: Mommy, HJ doesn't have any eyebrows!

Me: Yes, she does. They are just hard to see because they are blond.

AE: Oh, HJ, you have to grow some eyebrows!  Mommy has them. Daddy has them. You have to grow up and get eyebrows. When you're bigger, you can have eyebrows. Just keep eating.

Crazy girl.

Mommy, Are You Jesus?

Over the weekend, AE talked a lot about Jesus. A LOT.

She even got to the point when she asked me whispering, "Mommy, are you Jesus?"

"No honey, I'm not, but I've got Him in my heart."

Another evening I read to her from her "First Bible" three stories which related the events of the Last Supper, Judas' betrayal and the Roman soldiers coming to take Jesus away.  In hindsight, it would have been better to end with Jesus' resurrection but...I'm not perfect; only Jesus is.

As AE got into bed, she sounded very sad when she said she couldn't have Jesus or God in her heart. I asked her,"Why not?"

"Because Jesus is dead. God is dead." 

"Oh no, honey! Don't you know what happens next?"

"What?"

"God brings Jesus back to life! Jesus is alive!"

"Really? REALLY, REALLY!"

And a smile ensued as big as I've ever seen on her sweet face.

No honey, I'm not Jesus, but I'll gladly introduce you.

Our New President

Today, AE saw the screen saver on our computer and shouted, "Hey, it's the president! I see the president!" Reminds me to really guard her from what we see on t.v. She saw a few images of him and we told her that he was our new president. Once. What an impressionable mind!

HJ, on the other hand, has taken to AE's new roller skates. Today, HJ even managed putting them on and standing up in them all by herself. She really likes them and calls them "cupcakes".  

***UPDATE***

I don't mean that she needs to be guarded from Barack Obama.  I mean, if she sees anything once, she'll remember it!

We're Dorks!

***UPDATE***

Truly in dork fashion, The Daddy informed me that I misquoted ourselves: It is, "Brrrrrrr! It's cold in here.  There must be some Toros in the atmosphere!"  Thank you very much.

Something on t.v. tonight prompted the following exchange between The Daddy and me:

On t.v.:  It's cold in here.

Mama: It's cold.  It's cold in here.

The Daddy: There must be some Toros in the atmosphere.

Baby, it's cold and we are old!

If you know what movie we were quoting, you can't make fun of us.  If you don't know, count yourselves lucky.

I Saw Something!

Quite frequently, while we are in the car, I hear from the backseat, "Mother, I see something."

And yes, I'm still Mother.

I usually ask, "What color is it?" to narrow down the endless possibilities.

Tonight as we drove home at dusk, A.E. shouted, "I see something!"

I immediately knew to what she was referring. The Daddy asked her what it was.

To that she relpied, "It's antlers! It's antlers! I see antlers!"

She saw this:



"No, honey. That's a menorah."

"...No, I see antlers"

Isn't She Sweet?

As I was getting ready Monday evening for a night out at an ornament exchange, A.E. chatted with me about my "routine." I usually try to get ready before the girls get up in the morning, so she typically doesn't see the whole "routine" I go through to look so beautiful. HA!

Feeling adventurous, I bought some new eyeshadow and set out to try a smoky eye. She asked me what this was:

To which I replied, "It's make-up."

"For a clown face?"

I promptly washed my face and started over.

Bethlehem

Tonight as I read to A.E. from the Bible:

A.E.- "Jesus was born in Bethlehem."

Mama- "Yes honey, that's right!"

A.E.- "I want to go to Bethlehem."

Mama- "Bethlehem is really far away."

A.E.- "No, Bethlehem is in my belly."

Classics- bits and pieces

-This evening, A.E.'s "friend" Brobee got a piggy-back ride. He's a character from the weird show, Yo Gabba Gabba, and evidently her new imaginary friend. Brobee also had to go potty. He was also a baby taking a nap so he could, "Grow up."

-I also found out that a friend of A.E.'s has an imaginary friend named, of all names, "A." I thought it was just the sweetest thing.

-Last Friday on Halloween, we took an unexpected trip to the Urgent Care facilities at 5:00 in the afternoon. All right about the time we wanted to start getting dressed to go trick-or-treating. A.E. ended up having conjunctivitis (pink eye). She did get to go nab some candy, but her escorts did all the grabbing for her.

-Today, H.J. had her 18-month well-check. Not so well. She actually had infections in BOTH of her ears. MOM-OF-THE-MONTH Award! Also, she hasn't gained weight since her last check in September.

The stats:
Weight- 21 lbs. 3 oz.
Height- 31 in.
Disposition- Cheery

I am scheduling an appointment with an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat doctor) to discuss her tongue. If you've met H.J., you MIGHT have noticed her tongue. It's a little big. From the day she was born, we have asked all the doctors, "Is this normal?" Finally, we are going to get a specialist's opinion. Possibly, her abnormally large tongue is preventing her from using her teeth to chew her food. We'll see.

We also have on deck an ultrasound to look at her abdominal area to check and see if there is any problem there. The doctor is still concerned about her weight gain. She was comforted by the fact that H.J. CAN close her mouth and is not having any speech development issues so far.

Here's a trip down memory lane with H.J. Note the tongue! She's still so cute, but where did that tongue come from???



Still in the hospital-check out how dark her hair WAS!



Sitting pretty in the swing we used twice



One of the few portraits we bought with "the tongue" captured for posterity



This Easter

Mother, I Have to go POTTY!

You may know (or not) that I am NOT Phillips Phamily Mama at home. I am MOTHER. A.E. has pretty much transformed me into a 50's housewife. I only have Disney to blame: Peter Pan and Bambi, to be exact. Every once in a while, it's Mommy, but more and more, I'm MOTHER. She does sound proper, even if it's in the context of, "Mother, maybe one more Little Bear/I just tooted/I want more!"

H.J., on the other end of the spectrum, is all about "MOMMY!" In her world, Mommy has a couple of different meanings:

1. "Mommy"- Hey, I need your attention.
2. "MoMEEEEEE!"- Oh, I haven't seen you in a while.
3. "MoMEEEEEE! MoMEEEEEE! MoMEEEEEE! MoMEEEEEE!"- I want something.
This option can be directed to anyone and is not limited to me.

On the potty subject, A.E. is becoming increasingly aware of her bodily functions. She has gone three times today IN THE POTTY. No ACCIDENTS, yet...

(UPDATE: Six pee-pees in the potty, one accident during naptime, and zero poopies.)

Last week, I may have mentioned (or not) that there is nothing worse than a tantrum in a bathtub full of water. Yesterday, I found out what IS worse.

A tantrum whilst peeing on the potty. Five minutes before departure for church. Yuck and even more yuck on how I reacted.

Do you ever get sick and tired of dealing with the same sin in your life like I do? I get so frustrated with myself for continuing to make THE SAME MISTAKES over and over. I pray through the situation. I am patient through the situation. Okay, I'm making a change and then, ONE MORE LITTLE THING sets me back to the sinful self. Yuck.

So this afternoon, I wanted a little more insight into my sin "problem" or "relapse" if you will. I found several scriptures from Romans that helped me feel better about myself.

I won't be perfect; however, I am dead to sin.

"By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:2)

I am born into a sinful nature; man is sinful, but Christ is my remedy.

"Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:20)

As long as I call on my own will to keep from sinning, I will not succeed. But if I call on God's will, His grace will be present and increase.

"The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more." (Romans 5:20)

The easy answer always seems to be, "Grow closer to God and your path will be straight." Why isn't it easy? Why is it so hard? Because we so often rely on ourselves and even trick ourselves into thinking, "I've given that to God" when in reality, we are still clinging to that which grips us. My sin keeps getting in the way of my growing closer to Him.

Every once in a while, though, I am in the midst of dealing with a challenging situation and I can take a step back and just laugh. Sometimes I have to laugh with my hands over my mouth like tonight when A.E. threw a tantrum because I ate a piece of food off of her plate. She was under the table. Kicking legs. Slobber everywhere. Yes, I have a child who slobbers in a tantrum-like state. She kept on saying, "Just spit it out!"

"I'm sorry honey, I swallowed it already."

"BUT it was my perfect food!"

Crazy to hear from the child who won't eat. She would rather sit on the potty now than eat. Thankfully, we moved on. Unfortunately, the crazy dog jumped up on the table and ate the rest of the food on her plate. NO JOKE. I thought he might suffer A.E.'s wrath and she might cry, kick and slobber on him, but crisis averted.

Thank you to the Popcorn Ball from our party favor bag. Yesterday, we went to a birthday for sweet Shepherd who accompanied us to the Farmer's Market last week. Fun was had by all and the Popcorn Ball saved the day until...

The crazy dog ate it, too.

That poor sinner...

Been Waiting All Week for This

It's Thursday and I thought it was Friday all day. Good thing it's not Friday because if so, then I would have missed the BEST NIGHT OF TELEVISION!

Speaking of television, my 3-year-old never fell asleep during naptime, but stayed in her room for 2 hours after I left her screaming. After 30 minutes, she resolved herself to "play".

When I walked in to relieve her from her "prison" she was sitting on the new bedside table we bought for her birthday with her feet propped up on the bed. "Bunny" and "Blankie" were sitting on her pillow staring back at her. I asked her what she was doing, alluding to the fact that she was sitting on her new nightstand.

She replied, "Watchin' T.B."

"Oh, really? What's on? The Bunny and Blankie show?"

"No, they're falling asleep. Shhhhhhhhhh."

"Oh. My bad."

So TOMORROW is Friday. Okay. See you then.

Never Stop Praying!

A new tactic to avoid going to bed/nap in our home is extended prayer time. A.E.'s getting pretty good at her prayers. She thanks God for everyone she knows. I mean, EVERYONE. She's praying for YOU, did you feel it? I think she and Daddy prayed for 30 minutes tonight.

Paul did say, "pray without ceasing"! (1 Thessalonians 5:17).