This morning as we were having a delicious breakfast Daddy made of scrambled eggs with cheese and ham, Big Sis had some words of wisdom. Let me preface by saying she was very excited her Aunt Debbie had gotten her and Little Sis some new bubble bath and bath tub markers for their birthday recently, so she'd been thinking about "Aunties."
In between bites of scrambled eggs, Big Sis says "Mama, Aunties are bigger than GGs but GGs are MUCH MUCH older." (GG is what we call her Great Grandma, who will turn 90 next month...not to be confused with Little Sis calling Big Sis "GG" as a nickname). Big Sis went on to say "And God lets GGs go to heaven first, before the Aunties."
At first I didn't understand where she got the "bigger" from. But, she's right, as people age, specifically women, we do "shrink" a bit. Anyhow, I thought it was just a cute thing I needed to jot down, along with about a million other stories I keep meaning to record but time is my biggest enemy right now.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
For the love of tutus!
As we were laying the girls' clothes out for tomorrow...making sure not to forget it is Valentine's Day (and honestly one of my favorite holidays to dress them for...hurray for a day you get to celebrate pink), Big Sis says abruptly "Mama, wait." Oh boy, I thought...what is it THIS time? Is she going to request to find a dress like a "pilgrim" like a few weeks ago before church when there was a huge melt down because we don't own anything that looked pilgrim-ish? Does she want to wear a white Easter dress like she insisted last week? Or will she turn her swimsuit coverup into an entire ensemble like last night when she and Daddy had a pizza date night. I'm always curious at what the kid will come up with next.
"Mama, Carson at school wants me to wear my rainbow puffy tutu tomorrow" was her response. "Your school friends have outfit requests?" I asked, about to die of laughter at such an odd concept. "She just really loves that tutu and asked if I could wear it again on Valentine's Day" G said, matter-of-factly.
I thought it was hysterical that my kid's outfits are so crazy that she's now taking requests from her school friends! Last week, she wore a ginormous tutu (I believe the one Carson was requesting)...not the kind you wear over jeans that is a bit on the puffy side, but the huge clowny kind of tutu that I don't even let her wear to ballet. I think they call them "pettiskirts" because this is truly a tutu breed of it's own. Really, we bought the thing for dress up and she did get to wear it to one friend's Fancy Nancy party.
But...G thought that pettiskirt was just too gorgeous to be left at home, tossed in the dress up pile. She came home from school the day she wore the pettiskirt a little puzzled and sort of "hurt feelings-ed" (we actually use that word as a verb in this house) over why some of her school friends were asking her why her skirt was so big and laughing.
I, of course, start getting twitchy when her differences are looked at as a bad thing so we had a long talk about how being different is okay and how she should let her light shine (in all it's pouffy glory nonetheless).
"Mama, Carson at school wants me to wear my rainbow puffy tutu tomorrow" was her response. "Your school friends have outfit requests?" I asked, about to die of laughter at such an odd concept. "She just really loves that tutu and asked if I could wear it again on Valentine's Day" G said, matter-of-factly.
I thought it was hysterical that my kid's outfits are so crazy that she's now taking requests from her school friends! Last week, she wore a ginormous tutu (I believe the one Carson was requesting)...not the kind you wear over jeans that is a bit on the puffy side, but the huge clowny kind of tutu that I don't even let her wear to ballet. I think they call them "pettiskirts" because this is truly a tutu breed of it's own. Really, we bought the thing for dress up and she did get to wear it to one friend's Fancy Nancy party.
But...G thought that pettiskirt was just too gorgeous to be left at home, tossed in the dress up pile. She came home from school the day she wore the pettiskirt a little puzzled and sort of "hurt feelings-ed" (we actually use that word as a verb in this house) over why some of her school friends were asking her why her skirt was so big and laughing.
I, of course, start getting twitchy when her differences are looked at as a bad thing so we had a long talk about how being different is okay and how she should let her light shine (in all it's pouffy glory nonetheless).
Just an ordinary day
Trying to not take this blogging thing so serious. Just because I'm a writer by profession, doesn't mean each and every blog entry needs to have a story line, be organized perfectly, have nice transitions, etc. I guess I'm still getting into the laxidaziness (yes I invent words) of blogging:)
Today was a pretty "ordinary" but productive type of day. It is the small things though that make me smile lately. The two small things today that put a grin on my face were a) sun was shining and it was 45 degrees (didn't even need my winter coat...wooohooo!) and b) we had a family cleaning session. I realize the second thing I mentioned doesn't sound fun. And it was quite impromptu. But after church and lunch, with Lil Sis napping, Daddy and I went to work washing windows, mirrors, doing laundry, scrubbing bathrooms and countertops, polishing the furniture, cleaning the fans, etc. Big Sis asked right away if she could join in and the little angel cleaned all our kitchen and bathroom doors and cabinets! It was cute because tonight, at the dinner table, Daddy said to her "G, I'm so proud of you. You were so helpful in cleaning with Mommy and I today." Big Sis' response was (adult-like as she can be) "Oh Daddy it was NOTHING at all...you don't even need to thank me...it's my job to clean with the family." (I believe this may have been one of the times she was pretending to be a super-polite British character by the accent and how "proper" she was attempting to be. Reminded me of the movie Mom and I saw this weekend "Just Go With It"...super dramatic little girl with British accent LOL:)
Big Sis also tried Zumba ]today at our local gym (it is a class just for kids). She loved it! it was cute to see her dancing and having fun! They had one part where they were dancing to that "Baby" Justin Beiber song (oh I really don't like him at all) and kids could raise their hand to go in the middle of the circle and do a cool dance move that everyone could copy. G did not raise her hand and I asked her after class if she was just shy. Her response was "Mama, I just thought the polite thing to do was to let all the other kids have a chance, and I can wait until next time."
On the way home from Zumba, G had (of course) more God questions/comments. It always takes place in our van, I tell ya! "Mama, I think I have figured out why the sky is there." Me: "Oh yeah...why's that?" G "God needs a place to stand, and it would just look silly (through chuckled) to have a sidewalk in the sky." Hmmm....interesting indeed Grasshopper.
Today was a pretty "ordinary" but productive type of day. It is the small things though that make me smile lately. The two small things today that put a grin on my face were a) sun was shining and it was 45 degrees (didn't even need my winter coat...wooohooo!) and b) we had a family cleaning session. I realize the second thing I mentioned doesn't sound fun. And it was quite impromptu. But after church and lunch, with Lil Sis napping, Daddy and I went to work washing windows, mirrors, doing laundry, scrubbing bathrooms and countertops, polishing the furniture, cleaning the fans, etc. Big Sis asked right away if she could join in and the little angel cleaned all our kitchen and bathroom doors and cabinets! It was cute because tonight, at the dinner table, Daddy said to her "G, I'm so proud of you. You were so helpful in cleaning with Mommy and I today." Big Sis' response was (adult-like as she can be) "Oh Daddy it was NOTHING at all...you don't even need to thank me...it's my job to clean with the family." (I believe this may have been one of the times she was pretending to be a super-polite British character by the accent and how "proper" she was attempting to be. Reminded me of the movie Mom and I saw this weekend "Just Go With It"...super dramatic little girl with British accent LOL:)
Big Sis also tried Zumba ]today at our local gym (it is a class just for kids). She loved it! it was cute to see her dancing and having fun! They had one part where they were dancing to that "Baby" Justin Beiber song (oh I really don't like him at all) and kids could raise their hand to go in the middle of the circle and do a cool dance move that everyone could copy. G did not raise her hand and I asked her after class if she was just shy. Her response was "Mama, I just thought the polite thing to do was to let all the other kids have a chance, and I can wait until next time."
On the way home from Zumba, G had (of course) more God questions/comments. It always takes place in our van, I tell ya! "Mama, I think I have figured out why the sky is there." Me: "Oh yeah...why's that?" G "God needs a place to stand, and it would just look silly (through chuckled) to have a sidewalk in the sky." Hmmm....interesting indeed Grasshopper.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
A Big Personality
Little Sis rarely gets any blog love. We love both girls uniquely but Little Sis doesn't have as many words in her repertoire, which means not as many stories. For sure, she has a great big ol' personality though! It is just sometimes tricky to describe her mannerisms and the things that make her so funny!
First of all, she is STILL having a love affair with her bellybutton, more commonly referred to as "Bebo." The other day Big Sis drew her a picture of a stick figure person, and after handing it to her, Little Sis had started to draw a circle. Then, insisted that her sitter help her draw a "bebo" on the person. Daddy and I nicknamed her "Bebo-sker" a long time ago due to this love and obsession with Bebo.
She is also starting to get very specific already (oh PLEASE not another one of those types of kids) with her outfits. She keeps saying "dress, dress" oftentimes when I put her in pants. Hmm...I think she's having some influence by another child in this house. I think we are beyond being able to put her in the outfits that button at the crotch (onesies) because it infuriates her that she can't have easy access to "bebo."
Little Sis also has a huge love for food. Thankfully, mainly healthy food. A few favorites are blueberries and avacados. (As a sidenote, blueberries and cloth diapering DO NOT GO TOGETHER. I never realized blueberries didn't fully digest until seeing a cloth diaper full of them!). This morning for breakfast, the little piggie ate:
1) whole grain blueberry eggo (one of her funny words is "Eggo" but she pronounces it "E-GO" which is pretty cute).
2) a turkey sausage link
3) almost all of daddy's breakfast sandwich with cheese, egg and sausage on a sandwich thin
In addition, Little Sis is a huge stinker and very ornery! She will do something naughty (such as today was ramming her Cozy Coupe police car into our wall) and then when she knows she's been caught she smiles real big and runs like mad!
She also has a very love/hate relationship with our 65-lb mutt, Summer. Summer, who is almost 8 years old, still has the energy of a puppy. Her tail is always wagging, especially when we first walk in the door, and she still likes to lick the girls' faces (ewwww...dog breath)! Anyhow each day when we walk in the door, Summer wags her tail, always knocking Little Sis down and Little Sis in turn wails on the dog and then puts her in her kennel and locks it! It can be pretty comical at times, and other times I want to find a nice farm to ship Summer off to. When Lil Sis tries to climb the stairs, Summer races as fast as she can, again trying to knock her down like a bowling pin. For some reason Summer took to Big Sis from the get go, and has always been really protective of her. Big Sis can lay right by her and cuddle her. If Little Sis gets anywhere close, Summer's lip goes up and she starts to growl. She'd never bite her granted, but sends her the signal that "this is not okay--get out of my personal space." In Summer's defense, I have seen Little Sis lifting up her ear and playing with her doctor kit on her several times. Who knows the abuse this poor dog entails with our little bruiser toddler!
I will forecast that I'm sure we'll get to go to the emergency room a few times for stitches with Lil Sis as she is fearless. I will forecast that she will not be shy and one of those kids that says stuff at the grocery store to complete strangers, that makes you want to curl in a ball and disappear. But, we shall see as that firecracker personality continues to unfold:) Regardless...she's got a sense of humor and is always cracking us up!
First of all, she is STILL having a love affair with her bellybutton, more commonly referred to as "Bebo." The other day Big Sis drew her a picture of a stick figure person, and after handing it to her, Little Sis had started to draw a circle. Then, insisted that her sitter help her draw a "bebo" on the person. Daddy and I nicknamed her "Bebo-sker" a long time ago due to this love and obsession with Bebo.
She is also starting to get very specific already (oh PLEASE not another one of those types of kids) with her outfits. She keeps saying "dress, dress" oftentimes when I put her in pants. Hmm...I think she's having some influence by another child in this house. I think we are beyond being able to put her in the outfits that button at the crotch (onesies) because it infuriates her that she can't have easy access to "bebo."
Little Sis also has a huge love for food. Thankfully, mainly healthy food. A few favorites are blueberries and avacados. (As a sidenote, blueberries and cloth diapering DO NOT GO TOGETHER. I never realized blueberries didn't fully digest until seeing a cloth diaper full of them!). This morning for breakfast, the little piggie ate:
1) whole grain blueberry eggo (one of her funny words is "Eggo" but she pronounces it "E-GO" which is pretty cute).
2) a turkey sausage link
3) almost all of daddy's breakfast sandwich with cheese, egg and sausage on a sandwich thin
In addition, Little Sis is a huge stinker and very ornery! She will do something naughty (such as today was ramming her Cozy Coupe police car into our wall) and then when she knows she's been caught she smiles real big and runs like mad!
She also has a very love/hate relationship with our 65-lb mutt, Summer. Summer, who is almost 8 years old, still has the energy of a puppy. Her tail is always wagging, especially when we first walk in the door, and she still likes to lick the girls' faces (ewwww...dog breath)! Anyhow each day when we walk in the door, Summer wags her tail, always knocking Little Sis down and Little Sis in turn wails on the dog and then puts her in her kennel and locks it! It can be pretty comical at times, and other times I want to find a nice farm to ship Summer off to. When Lil Sis tries to climb the stairs, Summer races as fast as she can, again trying to knock her down like a bowling pin. For some reason Summer took to Big Sis from the get go, and has always been really protective of her. Big Sis can lay right by her and cuddle her. If Little Sis gets anywhere close, Summer's lip goes up and she starts to growl. She'd never bite her granted, but sends her the signal that "this is not okay--get out of my personal space." In Summer's defense, I have seen Little Sis lifting up her ear and playing with her doctor kit on her several times. Who knows the abuse this poor dog entails with our little bruiser toddler!
I will forecast that I'm sure we'll get to go to the emergency room a few times for stitches with Lil Sis as she is fearless. I will forecast that she will not be shy and one of those kids that says stuff at the grocery store to complete strangers, that makes you want to curl in a ball and disappear. But, we shall see as that firecracker personality continues to unfold:) Regardless...she's got a sense of humor and is always cracking us up!
A Tiny Prayer
Lil Sis has taken to prayer just as she as Big Sis. She INSISTS at mealtime and nighttime "God, God" (and envision the "d" is a very hard d like "duh"). What is so sweet is that she bows her head, closes her eyes and always starts with "God" and then lists all the people she's thankful for or she wants God to watch over (I'm guessing a bit here but there's certainly a list of people). At the top of the list is ALWAYS "GG" as she's been calling her sis for a while. This past week she prayed several times for "BOB"...who is her sitter's husband and she thinks he is hilarious!
The other day, on the way to Kindermusik, I reminded the girls that this was a special treat that they were getting to use their birthday money for, and it would be a good idea to thank God that we have the ability to do activities like this. Afterall, there are so many kids that struggle to have full bellies and a place to lay their heads. Since we were in the van, and the girls strapped to their carseats, they grabbed hands and right away both bowed their heads. Little Sis wanted to pray first (we know this because she said "no, MY God"). She started by "God....(mumble, mumble, her own little language and then) GG...MEN (when means "amen").
Big Sis opened her eyes and said "Oh Sissy...that warms my heart so much I could just cry! You prayed for me! You really love me a lot, don't you?"
Be still my heart!!! I realize they fight like any siblings do, and it will get worse as teenagers. But still, their bond is strong and very sweet and I love that they appreciate each other.
The other day, on the way to Kindermusik, I reminded the girls that this was a special treat that they were getting to use their birthday money for, and it would be a good idea to thank God that we have the ability to do activities like this. Afterall, there are so many kids that struggle to have full bellies and a place to lay their heads. Since we were in the van, and the girls strapped to their carseats, they grabbed hands and right away both bowed their heads. Little Sis wanted to pray first (we know this because she said "no, MY God"). She started by "God....(mumble, mumble, her own little language and then) GG...MEN (when means "amen").
Big Sis opened her eyes and said "Oh Sissy...that warms my heart so much I could just cry! You prayed for me! You really love me a lot, don't you?"
Be still my heart!!! I realize they fight like any siblings do, and it will get worse as teenagers. But still, their bond is strong and very sweet and I love that they appreciate each other.
The God Cloud
Big Sis is a spiritual little
being. She's a philosopher by nature, always having some deep thought with a
worldly or spiritual theme. She has lots of thoughts and questions about heaven
regularly.
One day last summer, there was a beautiful sunset with a pretty orangeish/pink sky. The kind that lights up the horizon and makes you sigh and think "all is right with the world." We were outside playing and I showed her "Look Sis!!! How pretty is that sky? I'm certain that is where heaven is. I'm sure Grandpa Jack lives there."
Big Sis, having an elephant memory (like her mama), of course remembered that moment. As we were in the van, driving to the sitter's house last week, Big Sis pointed to the gloomy gray-colored winter clouds and said sadly "Mama, the God cloud....IT'S GONE!!!" At first, I didn't remember what she was talking about, but then she explained. I then told her that the God cloud was still there, but just changes color at different times of the day or year.
That answer seemed to suffice. But you could almost see the wheels in her head still turning. As she watched some poor, way-to-cold birds flying (who most certainly missed their cue to fly south for the winter a few months ago), she said, "Mama, birds are so lucky." I responded, "Why is that?" Big Sis answered, "Because they fly up to heaven every day and see all the heaven people, and then fly down to earth and see all the earth people."
Hmm....I could see how she'd arrive at that conclusion since she literally thinks that on top of all the fluffy clouds is a village of people, playing harps and eating ice cream all day. She also thinks that when people in heaven go to sleep each night, their feet stick out of the "God cloud."
Sometimes I'm honestly not sure how to respond to her deep thoughts, since obviously I don't know the specifics about heaven yet from personal experience. "You could be right G" was all I managed to come up with this time.
But she still was not satisfied. "Mama, dogs and cats go to heaven when they die, right?" She was specifically thinking of her Nana's sweet 60-pound mutt, Kimmie, who had to be put down last summer. I told her that I definitely think dogs and other pets have a special place in heaven.
Then, Big Sis smiled and her eyes lit up. "Mama, wouldn't it be so cool if we were looking up at the God cloud and saw Kimmie's little head poking out, saying 'hi' to us?" In my head I was surely thinking "um...no...that would actually be the creepiest thing to ever take place," however responded with a warm, "yes sweetie, that would be really cool."
I love the way her mind works. Love it. I love her gentle spirit and how insightful she is. I am thrilled that she knows heaven exists and is excited to one day meet Jesus there. It is such a privilege to see the world through the eyes of a child.
One day last summer, there was a beautiful sunset with a pretty orangeish/pink sky. The kind that lights up the horizon and makes you sigh and think "all is right with the world." We were outside playing and I showed her "Look Sis!!! How pretty is that sky? I'm certain that is where heaven is. I'm sure Grandpa Jack lives there."
Big Sis, having an elephant memory (like her mama), of course remembered that moment. As we were in the van, driving to the sitter's house last week, Big Sis pointed to the gloomy gray-colored winter clouds and said sadly "Mama, the God cloud....IT'S GONE!!!" At first, I didn't remember what she was talking about, but then she explained. I then told her that the God cloud was still there, but just changes color at different times of the day or year.
That answer seemed to suffice. But you could almost see the wheels in her head still turning. As she watched some poor, way-to-cold birds flying (who most certainly missed their cue to fly south for the winter a few months ago), she said, "Mama, birds are so lucky." I responded, "Why is that?" Big Sis answered, "Because they fly up to heaven every day and see all the heaven people, and then fly down to earth and see all the earth people."
Hmm....I could see how she'd arrive at that conclusion since she literally thinks that on top of all the fluffy clouds is a village of people, playing harps and eating ice cream all day. She also thinks that when people in heaven go to sleep each night, their feet stick out of the "God cloud."
Sometimes I'm honestly not sure how to respond to her deep thoughts, since obviously I don't know the specifics about heaven yet from personal experience. "You could be right G" was all I managed to come up with this time.
But she still was not satisfied. "Mama, dogs and cats go to heaven when they die, right?" She was specifically thinking of her Nana's sweet 60-pound mutt, Kimmie, who had to be put down last summer. I told her that I definitely think dogs and other pets have a special place in heaven.
Then, Big Sis smiled and her eyes lit up. "Mama, wouldn't it be so cool if we were looking up at the God cloud and saw Kimmie's little head poking out, saying 'hi' to us?" In my head I was surely thinking "um...no...that would actually be the creepiest thing to ever take place," however responded with a warm, "yes sweetie, that would be really cool."
I love the way her mind works. Love it. I love her gentle spirit and how insightful she is. I am thrilled that she knows heaven exists and is excited to one day meet Jesus there. It is such a privilege to see the world through the eyes of a child.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Christmas simplicity
In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I've again become the blogging slacker woman! However, some Christmas simplicity set in a few nights ago. Gabrielle was praying before dinner and at the end of her long-winded prayer, took a breath, and then said "And Jesus, thank you for being born and dying on the cross for our sins." Silence followed. Thad and I were a bit stunned at what she had just said, and both of us sort of hung our heads in shame at the innocent perspective she had put on Christmas.
Why is it that adults get so consumed in things that truly don't matter, all year long and especially during the holidays, when kids seem to have it down pat? Does it really matter if you didn't order NEARLY enough Christmas cards this year and had to cut your list short? Does it matter that you have not wrapped any gifts yet and Christmas is a few days away? Does it REALLY matter that we have forgotten to do our Advent calendar about every other day this year. Oh and that our Christmas lights have decided to stop working entirely and we still haven't finished putting our decorations up?
Everywhere I look, everyone seems to have their act together. Their perfectly cleaned and organized homes, their regular "schedules" they follow, their homemade healthy meals prepared, their kiddos who they never seem to lose their tempers with. Everyone that is, but me. I somehow feel like I'm always out of breath, and always playing "catch up." I'm the mommy who forgets my kid's backpack at least once a week, and has to run back and get it. I'm the one who somehow "missed" the December preschool newsletter so realized at the last moment there was going to be a gift exchange. So my perfectionism goes into overdrive during the holidays to try and overcompensate for always feeling like there's "one more thing to accomplish."
I'm not sure if Gabrielle "fully" understood what she was praying about that night. I'm not sure she really knows what "sin" is yet (although when asked, she explains it pretty succinctly). But her prayer touched our hearts deeply because she KNEW that Christmas wasn't about us, or the presents, or the lights, or the treats. It was about Baby Jesus.
Another little precious moment that happened last night at dinner was when it was about time to eat, Corinne said "G" and looked at sissy, bowed her little hands and head, closed her eyes and started whispering. Little Corinne was ready for sissy to pray for the meal! At 23 months old, we thought it was pretty sweet.
This holiday, my biggest prayer and "wish" is simplicity and peace. This includes finding ways to simplify and continue to help those less fortunate. It also includes making time to continually reflect on all the positives we have in our lives, and how truly fortunate we are. I need to fully internalize the fact that I can't control everything, and that God knows what he's doing.
Why is it that adults get so consumed in things that truly don't matter, all year long and especially during the holidays, when kids seem to have it down pat? Does it really matter if you didn't order NEARLY enough Christmas cards this year and had to cut your list short? Does it matter that you have not wrapped any gifts yet and Christmas is a few days away? Does it REALLY matter that we have forgotten to do our Advent calendar about every other day this year. Oh and that our Christmas lights have decided to stop working entirely and we still haven't finished putting our decorations up?
Everywhere I look, everyone seems to have their act together. Their perfectly cleaned and organized homes, their regular "schedules" they follow, their homemade healthy meals prepared, their kiddos who they never seem to lose their tempers with. Everyone that is, but me. I somehow feel like I'm always out of breath, and always playing "catch up." I'm the mommy who forgets my kid's backpack at least once a week, and has to run back and get it. I'm the one who somehow "missed" the December preschool newsletter so realized at the last moment there was going to be a gift exchange. So my perfectionism goes into overdrive during the holidays to try and overcompensate for always feeling like there's "one more thing to accomplish."
I'm not sure if Gabrielle "fully" understood what she was praying about that night. I'm not sure she really knows what "sin" is yet (although when asked, she explains it pretty succinctly). But her prayer touched our hearts deeply because she KNEW that Christmas wasn't about us, or the presents, or the lights, or the treats. It was about Baby Jesus.
Another little precious moment that happened last night at dinner was when it was about time to eat, Corinne said "G" and looked at sissy, bowed her little hands and head, closed her eyes and started whispering. Little Corinne was ready for sissy to pray for the meal! At 23 months old, we thought it was pretty sweet.
This holiday, my biggest prayer and "wish" is simplicity and peace. This includes finding ways to simplify and continue to help those less fortunate. It also includes making time to continually reflect on all the positives we have in our lives, and how truly fortunate we are. I need to fully internalize the fact that I can't control everything, and that God knows what he's doing.
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