on maturity

Overnight I am stunned by how the kids are growing, maturing and becoming more independent. I can't even count how many times I think to myself, especially about Ella, "Are you really only 7 and a 1/2? Really??" It's not only the way she talks, but it's her natural interest in contributing and being a part of things.

As I mentioned in my previous post, bedtime with Josie can be a long process and last night, I had some phone calls to tend to and wasn't able to be as involved as usual. So Ella stepped in willingly to save the day. She said to her daddy as he tried to console Josie, "I can lie down with her. I WANT to!" So he gave it a whirl and we didn't hear a peep from her the rest of the night! Yesssss!

And this morning when we woke up, Ella got up with Josie and changed her diaper before I even got out of bed. Whaaat? I wasn't that self sacrificing and responsible in my early twenties. For reals.

On Sunday, Ella wrote on her communication card that she wanted to serve in the toddler room. She ended her request with an all caps "PLEASE?" I think it's a really grand idea and she'd be so helpful as an extra playmate for the littles.

All this growing up spurred me to ask the question of the kids today, "What do you want to be when you grow up." Ella said, "There are a bunch of things I want to be. Can I be more than one thing?" To which I replied, "Of course!" Then she listed off all of the possibilities, "A salon girl, an artist" and that got her onto a tangent daydreaming about where that could take her. She said, "I want my art to hang in Hollywood or something!" I think she's under the impression that anything famous must come out of Hollywood. I asked, "You mean, you want it to hang in a gallery somewhere so people can buy it from you?" "Yes! I would sell each painting for five dollars!" Well, I thought I needed to let her know she could aim higher. "You know, Ella, lots of artists sell their paintings for much more than that, maybe hundreds or thousands of dollars because they put a lot of time into each one." That got her dreaming..."Ok. Well, maybe I'll sell one of mine for 6 billion dollars and then every person in the world could put one dollar in." But that idea presented a quandary. She paused and reasoned, "No. That wouldn't really work because who would actually get to take the painting home?"

At bedtime, I asked Simon what he wanted to be when he grew up. He didn't hesitate and answered, "A pastor." "Really?" I asked. "Why do you want to be a pastor?" to which he replied, "It sounds fun." "What would be the most fun about being a pastor, Simon?" His answer was simple. "Telling people about Jesus." Yes. So I prayed for him that God would give him the passion to tell others about how much Jesus loves them. And he snuggled down to sleep. That's my boy.

Seriously. These kids blow my mind. They bug each other and fight and do all the things kids do, but then they show their hearts and I marvel. God, make their lives great for you!

taking credit

Whenever we go on a trip of any kind, Ella is known to "pack a bag." Even on a trip to Target or to the grocery store, she has to have some kind of little something to entertain herself like a book or activity of some sort. Sometimes it's a pain because the unpacking doesn't always happen AFTER the trip so there are often shoulder bags full of books, crayons and toys at various spots in the house.

Late this afternoon, Bryan decided it would be a fun treat to take the kids on a spontaneous camping trip just for tonight. Ella was thrilled and immediately commenced to packing her bag. I packed for Simon and gathered all the linens and as the time to depart neared, I racked my brain for things we may be forgetting.

Me: Ella, did you get your boots?
E: Yes, and Simon's too.
Me: What about socks...I think you'll need socks with those because it will get quite a bit colder this evening.
E: Yes! I got TWO PAIRS!
Me: Wow Ella, you thought of everything! You don't even need a mom!
E: Yes I do. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have learned any of this stuff.

Credit is nice, though, I think she's done just fine on her own. She's a great kid.

 In the tent

first day of summer break

Today was the first Monday of summer break. It was so wonderful to all sleep in late and  not have to do the school rush! Unfortunately, Daddy was in bed sick so he couldn't enjoy it with us.

But, things went surprisingly well! I expected to have to break up lots of fights and minor irritations between the kids since they're not used to being in each other's space as much these days. But it really wasn't bad!

We did the normal stuff to pass the time like color and play with toys, but we also shook things up a little. We took some quiet time to crack open a new devotional book we bought for the kids over the weekend. Ella was super excited to get into it (she just loves being engaged with questions and learning opportunities). Simon was less enthused as it was his tired time of day since we skipped nap. He had the wiggles and kept wanting to change the subject. I believe he broke into a couple of holy moments with some strategically timed toots as well. Pffft. It's a good thing God has a sense of humor! Josie cried the whole time, but all in all, I think it was a successful ten minutes. I'm excited about the book and about sharing a more focused time to talk about God together. It's always interesting to pick the kids' brains.

Other fun things we crammed into the day were refilling the huge bubble wands and making gigantic bubbles outside in the insane heat and playing with sidewalk chalk. We watered the flowers and then came in muddy and chalky so everyone got a bath. Then after dinner, we did a science experiment per Ella's suggestion, where we soaked dirty pennies in vinegar and then sprinkled salt on them and cleaned them till they gleamed. That was a pretty cool trick I never knew about! And I got to explain to the kids what a chemical reaction is. (Ella's guess at the definition was it was "working together" which was pretty darn close!)

We ended the night with reading and prayers and lots of cuddles. I spent a little extra time chatting with Ella since Simon tuckered out pretty quickly. She is all excited about a new venture she has to make some crafts (bookmarks, scented sachet pillows, painted rocks, tissue paper pom poms, animal masks, the list goes on....) and then sell them to raise money for either some homeless mothers and children or for Joplin tornado relief. We stayed up and made lists together of all the things she plans to make and how much she wants to charge for each item. She is so excited to start, she couldn't fall asleep!

It was a good day...now...what to do tomorrow??

wedding blues

This weekend, our dear Michael and Amie got married! For those unfamiliar with these two wonderful people whom we dearly love and majorly adore, Michael is Bryan's youngest brother. Amie has been a friend of our family for years but in the last couple of years, has become one of my closest friends and, before she moved down to Atlanta to be with her now husband, was a weekly babysitter of our kids. Needless to say, she was already family to us, before she and Mike even decided to date. So, we've been counting down the days till their wedding, first and foremost just so we could SEE them again (Atlanta feels so far away sometimes!) but also because it's a really exciting occasion to celebrate their marriage!

Ella is somewhat of a romantic at her ripe age of six and a half. So she LOOOOVES weddings. And Bryan had taken Simon shopping this week to pick out some fancy clothes to wear. He was so excited about his new dress pants, shirt, vest and tie and had been asking me all week if he could wear it. I kept saying, "Wait till the wedding on Saturday! Then you can wear it!!"

Wednesday, the coughing began. Thursday, the runny nose took off. Overnight on Thursday, raging fever ensued. And Friday, I began to get a little panicky that the kids and I were going to have to sit this one out and miss the wedding we've so anticipated.

Friday night was the rehearsal and Bryan and I tag teamed it so he could do the officiating and I could see family and friends for a bit. But Saturday was still up in the air. I monitored the kids closely all day Saturday and the virus seemed to progress. Ella barely got off the couch all day which you KNOW is a bad sign. It was a guarantee that the kids wouldn't be well enough to attend, and with most of our friends and all of our St. Louis family attending the wedding, all hope seemed lost that I would be able to attend as well.

But then, HOPE! I have a wonderful friend named Sarah who I met at the kids' preschool (I'm sure there will be posts to come about their family as our kids love playing together and we so enjoy Sarah and her husband Kyle) whose kids had the same virus the week before. I texted her questions wondering how high and how long their fevers persisted. In the midst of our texting, she offered to come stay with the kids so I could go to the wedding.

Elation! But major GUILT in having to leave the kids behind. Ella was teary and bleary eyed and didn't seem to understand WHY she couldn't just go for a little bit. She had her heart set on seeing them and especially dancing with them. And in all the rush to get ready, Simon didn't seem to get all the information that he wasn't going to be able to go either. (His fever was equally as high as Ella's but he was still bouncing off the wall all day.) As I got my heels on to walk out the door I heard him calling out from upstairs, "MOOOOMMM! MOM!!! I need  you!" Which is usually code for, "I'm on the toilet and could you please come wipe me." But this time, I reached the second floor to find him in his room trying to put on his new clothes. He said, "Mom, I need you to help me with my tie!" My heart shattered. Totally destroyed. "Oh Simo. You're sick buddy and you're not going to be able to go." Oh the horror. The guilt. The tears.

After the ceremony, which was so lovely, moving, beautiful, joyous, etc, I came right home. There was a reception a few hours later which Sarah offered to come back to watch the kids for. But after visiting with the kids, especially Ella, I didn't think I could bear the guilt of leaving them behind. Ella asked me lots of questions about Michael and Amie's plans and if she'd get to see them soon. I told her they'd be going on their honeymoon really early the next morning and they would fly home to Atlanta after that. She began to tear up again and said, "I don't want them to go on their honeymoon, Mom. I miss them so much!" 

But again, HOPE! Bryan made a few phone calls and was able to reach Michael and, joy of joys, Michael and Amie were able to drop by our house on their way to the reception in order to give Simon and Ella a little squeeze. I can't express how special this short 20 minute stop off was to us all, especially Ella. It seemed to take the sting out.

Uncle Michael

Beautiful Aunt Amie and poor sickly Ella.

This made everything right in the world.

 

So now, it's the day after the wedding and the kids are beginning to mend. Fevers are down to low grade and the coughing has let up a bit. And so I'll close this post with some comic relief. Do you notice the severe chapping of Ella's nose in the middle photo? That poor girl chaps like nobody's business when she gets a cold. Her hands go crazy dry and cracked in the wintertime too. For this reason, there is a huge tub of Eucerin in her room. Since she's been sick, she often globs a big mustache of Eucerin on her upper lip but it hasn't seemed to help all that much. So we switched to Aquafor which has soothed and healed a bit more effectively. After we read books and got tucked in bed, I set her up with a fresh box of tissues and her Aquafor within reach for nighttime use. She slathered her nose with it and said quite seriously, "Aquarfor rules. Eucerine drools." And then we both laughed for a solid three minutes. Ahhh....we needed that.

we got schooled

We played "school" tonight after baths. At first, it was just me and the girls while Simon bathed and the game started out as "Mom, sister and baby". Ella was the mom, I was the sister and Josie was the baby, obviously. But then Ella morphed the game into school. She was still the mom though so we were homeschooled. But there was a principal (played by Josie) so I guess it was some kind of crossover between the two. I sat on the floor with my "backpack" (an H&M bag with a pouch of pencils, small notebook, storybook and erasers) while Ella sat in a chair with a quilt on her legs. She instructed me to get out my notebook and write the sentences she gave me. It was so fun to pretend to be like Ella for a moment. I kept raising my hand to ask for spelling help which she tired of quickly and said, "Let's just pretend you're in the first grade so you know everything, ok?" 

When Simon and Dad entered, the game morphed further. Simon wanted to be the dad who came to pick me up in the car, so he was awarded that role. Daddy played another student in my class. Ella decided we all needed make believe names. I was Susie, Daddy was Freddy, Ella was Miss Isabella and Simon was Johnny. Josie was still the principal.

Again, I kept raising my hand; this time it was mostly to tattle on Freddy. "Miss Isabella?!" I said, "Freddy keeps touching meeee!" She put down her book and got up from her chair. "I guess I need to write down the rules and go over them with you." She said in a stern voice, looking at "Freddy" with a sideways glare and clenching to hold back a smile. She posted rules on the wall that said: 1. No touching, 2. No yelling, 3. No looking at other people's papers.

Then it was time for a test. The test was to draw a picture of our house. "Freddy" was lying down in the bed and seemed to doze off. When it was time to turn in our test to see what grade we got, I got a 4 (which is an A in Ella's real school). "Freddy" didn't draw anything on his paper. He got a 1 (which is a D). As we wrapped up our game, Ella handed back "Freddy's" homework. On it she had written next to his sub par score, "Next time, do what we do."

Then we all loaded up in Johnny's car (two miniature chairs, a step stool and a bouncy seat to act as Josie's car seat) and Johnny (dad) buckled us in. As we "drove" home, he told me, "When we get home I am putting you straight to bed and I'm going to change over the laundry."

It was a very educational evening. :)

poor ella

Ella developed a bad cough over the weekend. Saturday night she came into our room and asked if she could sleep with us. I felt so sad to tell her no but Josie is often in our bed at different points throughout the night and I didn't want her to get sick. So I sent Ella back to her bed and instructed her to prop up her pillows so her head was a bit more elevated so maybe she would have less drainage issues. Such a champ she is. She went right back to bed. A few minutes later, I hear her call out with alarm, "MOOOMMM!!" I bolted out of bed and found her sitting up in the top bunk. She said, "I threw up in my bed." Poor little thing. Sleeping on the top bunk makes it hard to get to the toilet in time for a puke. (As a side note, our older two are pros at puking. They don't cry. They don't moan. They just head to the toilet, lay their arms and heads over the bowl, and let 'er rip. I'm a proud Momma.) Anyway, it was the description that followed that got me. She said, "I was coughing and coughing and then all of a sudden, I like, exploded." After I stripped her bed, got her freshened up and back in the (bottom) bunk, she said, "I hope I don't explode again Mom." Poor Ella. She did make it through without another explosion.

the baby whisperer

On the way home from swim lesson, Ella was making Josie laugh by making silly sounds, like "EE! OOO! AH!" As we got further down the road, Ella started reading her book (she's reading Little House in the Big Woods right now) and Josie got fussy. Ella called out "GOO GOO! GA!" and Josie quieted down. Excitedly, Ella said, "Mom! Did you hear me talking to Josie? She was crying and I spoke to her in baby language and she understood! Know what I said?" Smiling, I replied, "No, Ella, what did you say?" "I said, 'No more crying in the car!' and she obeyed! Did you know I could do that kind of a trick?"

Pretty awesome skills!

like my coffee with sugar and cream

This morning Bryan asked Ella if she'd like a cup of coffee. She wrinkled her nose and said, "I'd drink Mom's coffee, but I'd never drink yours."

Bryan takes his coffee black. Guess the kids will be froo-froo coffee drinkers like me!

a big holy moment

In the car ride on the way home from Trader Joe's this week (I swear, the best conversations happen in the car!) Ella expressed to me some confusion she had about the Holy Spirit. Heavy duty for a five year old, eh? I prayed that God would give me the wisdom and words to communicate His love to her without adding any further confusion and I asked her if she would like me to explain to her more about the Holy Spirit. She agreed and I went on to explain something like this:

After Jesus died and came back to life, he told his followers that someone even better than he would come to them. That was the Holy Spirit. Because when Jesus was a man on earth, he couldn't be with everyone who wanted and needed him at the same time. And when the Holy Spirit came, he could be with everyone who asked for Him all at the same time. So that was even better. People who want to know God more can know him through the Holy Spirit being with them.

Then I went on to explain the Pentecost in a very simplified way. Basically I told her that when the Holy Spirit came down to the disciples, they experienced things like joy and courage and even did some crazy things like speaking in other languages that they didn't understand. But more than anything, I explained to her that having the Holy Spirit meant feeling the closeness of God and His love in a real way in our hearts. She then said, "Mom, I don't have that." to which I replied, "First we have to tell Jesus we want to follow him and obey him and then he promises to give us his Holy Spirit to know him more and to lead us. Do you want to pray and ask Jesus?" With a smile, she said, "Yes." I relayed to her a basic prayer that she could pray, but when she closed her eyes and tried to repeat it, it was too much information to remember. She opened her eyes and I could tell she felt insecure. I said, "Ella, don't worry about getting all the words right. It's ok...just close your eyes and say whatever comes into your heart." And this was a moment that I will never forget. We were sitting at a red light and I watched her in the rear view mirror. She closed her eyes and opened her little hands and prayed something like this: "Jesus, I believe in you and I trust you. I want to obey you. Will you be with me and give me the Holy Spirit so I can know you better?" Then she opened her eyes and her lip started to quiver and she said, "I think I'm gonna cry!" But it was a happy cry. I reached back and squeezed her little leg and told her how happy I was for her. Then I prayed for her.

Afterward, I explained to her that when she feels God's love and has peace and safety in her heart, that God's Holy Spirit is with her.

I know that Ella is young and immature and that this experience will take some real walking out. But I can't deny the sincerity of it in her young heart. I remember myself as a little girl having desires for God in the same way, and I knew enough of His character and love to recognize him as a young adult when I was truly ready to surrender my life to Him. For Ella, I will continue to pray that her heart stays soft to receive Him in all her years!

making wishes

Often, rides in the car make room for the best conversations. Yesterday, we were on a short drive to a friend's house when Ella started thinking out loud. We talked a lot about Grandma Florence and how she is with Jesus. And how we are very glad she is with him. Also that her hair is probably not white anymore, but golden or auburn like it was when she was younger. And then, Ella began to talk about "wishing stars."

Ella: Mom, I've never gotten to see a wishing star!
(I then explained how falling stars are actually meteorites that just look like a star falling.)
Me: If you saw a wishing star, Ella, what would you wish?
Ella: I would wish that I could see angels or God.
Me: That kind of a wish is something you could pray and ask God for, sweetie.
Ella: I HAVE prayed for that one at night before, Mom, but it didn't work.
Me: Sometimes we have to pray for the same thing over and over, Ella, and even then, it doesn't mean we'll always get what we want right away. God knows what's best for us ALL the time and that doesn't mean we get what we want just when we want it. But I know God will speak to you if you ask Him to.
Ella: But I've never heard God's voice.
Me: God's voice doesn't sound like a regular voice. It's kind of like hearing a thought in your own head. But then at the same time, you feel it in your heart.

Ella: Ohhh...I think God just said something to me right now.

Me: Really? What was it?

Ella: (Smiling) He said, 'I love you, Ella.'

Me: Yeah, I think that sounds like Him.

adjusting to life with Josie + when i grow up + hard head

It's been nearly two weeks since Josie was born. We're getting into a pretty good rhythm, though it's hard to say what "real life" looks like yet since Josie is still in a newborn sleepy state. She literally has only been alert for a few hours total in her first two weeks of life outside the womb. She nurses well every 1-1/2 to 2 hours (or every 2-3 hours in the night) and promptly drifts back off to dreamland. Bryan took a few days off work to stay home with us and it has helped us all to be together again to get acclimated to the new pace of life. The older two are adjusting great. Ella has insisted on being my little helper around the house, making her own bed and dusting every surface. She seems as if she has grown up considerably in the last few weeks. She loves her sister and says things like, "Hello, sweetheart!" and kisses her on the forehead. Simon seems completely adjusted to her arrival and not at all threatened by her new status as "the baby." He's quite happy to be her older brother and checks on her and asks about her when he doesn't see her in the same room. His only complaint is that my belly is no longer a good pillow. Before her birth, he loved to snuggle up next to my belly at bedtime and sing songs together. Now he seems to miss his special resting spot.

Fortunately, with Josie's sleepy schedule, I've still been able to help out with the bedtime routine for the older kids. I love this time since it usually makes for the most interesting and intimate conversations with them. Last night, I asked Ella some questions in the darkness of her room.

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Ella: A ballerina princess with makeup.
Me: Oh! That sounds lovely!
Ella: But MOM! What if I forget?
Me: What do you mean Ella? Why would you forget?
Ella: What if I grow up and then I don't remember anymore?

I didn't have the heart to tell her that being a princess isn't really a vocation you can get a degree for...but I suppose that lesson just teaches itself. In the meantime, she can aspire to be the prettiest ballerina princess ever and I won't ruin the dream with reality checks.

In further, less rosey news, I was playing rough with Simon this morning and, having missed being able to horseplay with my children while pregnant, I might have overdone it. I picked him up by his hands to swing him as he giggled with joy and aimed to toss him on his soft cushy bed. Instead, he bounced and knocked his noggin right on the wall behind him. To my horror, it made a dent in the plaster and he began crying! I rushed to comfort him and pulled him to my lap, kissing his face and checking to see if there was a bump. The kid must have hit the hardest part of his head just right on the wall because there was no evidence of injury or pain. As I cuddled with him and apologized profusely, he said, "I love you Momma." At which I nearly crumbled feeling like the worst mom in the whole world! Just one of those moments to keep me humble I suppose...

bedtime moments

Last night's bedtime was eventful. Firstly, Ella read to ME. And this time, it wasn't just her trying to recollect the story or making her own story up to go along with the pictures, she actually READ to me. And she is doing really well with her reading! It is one of those things that seemed to happen overnight and she is enjoying it. I am too...it makes me proud to hear her putting sounds together so confidently.

In further bedtime news, after stories were read, Ella and I spent some time cozying up in her bed. She wanted me to tell her some stories from when I was a kid (she always likes these types of stories) so I came up with a few. The second memory/story I told her was something like this:

Every summer, I stayed with my Grandma Florence and because she worked so hard in her beauty shop, my cousin Katie and I had to come up with things to entertain ourselves. Grandma bought us a membership to the local swimming pool and we spent most afternoons swimming and sunbathing. Most of the time, we didn't take any money or snacks with us so by the time Grandma came to pick us up, we were famished from swimming and running around all afternoon. On one particular day, she collected us from the pool but had to go right back to work. When we got to the house, she had some hamburger cooking on the stove, crumbled up with onions like she was making spaghetti sauce. The smell was heavenly and Katie and I were STARVING! So, even though we knew this hamburger was meant to be part of the family meal, we devoured it just between the two of us. And then we proceeded to make root beer floats. When Grandma came back to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner, she discovered the meat was all gone. My grandpa was livid. Halfway through my root beer float, I set the glass down and declared that if I ate another bite, I would surely be sick. Frustrated by our gluttony and selfishness, he replied, "You served yourself all that food, you better finish it." I protested. "But I'll throw up if I eat any more!" He stood his ground. I finished the root beer float and then ran to the bathroom just in time to throw it all up! YUCK!

When I finished this story, Ella burst into tears! (What terrible judgment on my part to share such a memory!) She said, "Mommy, I wish I could have been there to tell him not to do that! He shouldn't have made you eat all that!" She was genuinely sad and disturbed and full of empathy for me. I tried to soften the blow by telling her I felt better afterward and that Grandpa was really a nice man, he just wanted to show me how selfish I had been. Somehow, I distracted her from the horrors of the story and we moved on. But I was left feeling moved by her care for me and compassion.

Ella truly does get sweeter every day and I love our times before bed when all is quiet and the light is dim. Our new baby will be here in a few weeks and we're all looking forward to meeting her and seeing her face and doting over her. But for now, I am relishing the times with the older two and know that in the next few months, our night times will look different. Every moment is precious and I am drinking them in now more than ever.

cherished goodbye

A few weeks ago, the kids and I traveled up to northeast Missouri to visit my mom for a few days. While we were there, we stopped in to visit my Grandma Florence in the nursing home since we haven't seen her in nearly a year. Her health had been deteriorating and I was a bit stunned to see how much she had changed since the last time I had seen her. I was a little nervous to take the kids to see her as I wasn't sure if they would be frightened because she was so thin and not speaking. But they amazed me. Grandma was in a wheelchair and tried to speak, but was hard to hear or understand, but she kept reaching her hand out to touch Ella, almost like she was a dream. Instead of keeping her distance or being intimidated, Ella stayed near to her, held her hand, and showed her love and care. I couldn't help but cry. I was so proud of both the kids. Grandma has been so important to me and they have not had the chance to see her well. But they were unafraid. This time with her was irreplaceable. She passed away two weeks later on November 27, 2009.

I didn't take the kids with me to the funeral as I was concerned that they weren't old enough to process the idea that they could see someone they love one day and two weeks later they are gone. The funeral was a really lovely service and family gathered and celebrated her life. There was much love and honor given to her memory. When I got back home, I waited for the right time to tell Ella that Grandma Florence had gone to heaven to be with Jesus. I told her and she said, "Right now?! Already??" She seemed alarmed but I explained that Grandma had been sick for a long time and now that she was with Jesus, she was all healed and didn't have to be in a wheelchair and that she could talk all she wanted and even dance if she wanted to. Ella seemed relieved and said, "Ok." After a while, she added, "Mom, I can't wait till I'm really sick and Jesus can heal me." I wasn't quite sure how to respond, so I just let it be. She took the news rather well and I'm proud of her. I will never forget that last visit to the nursing home. As we walked out of the doors she held my hand and said, "Mommy, I love Grandma Florence and she loves me." It's true. I miss her already.

sweet lullaby

I overheard Ella singing a sweet song to God tonight. As I quietly approached her bedside as to not interrupt the sweet lullaby, I heard something like this:

You are real.
You are real.
And you will heal me.
You are big and you are strong.
You made the flowers
and you make me happy.
You are real and I love you.
When I go to heaven
I will be happy to stay with you.
You are my friend
and I love you.

There was such a sweetness in this short moment, that I had to be still and drink it in. I know that God's heart was touched by her worship of Him and my heart overflows because she recognizes His goodness toward her! I pray that she will grow to love him more every day. Ella, you are such a light to me!

for what ails you

Ella woke up pretty sick this morning...high fever, cough, stomach ache, headache...the whole shebang. I brought her into our bed to cuddle and take her temperature and as I stroked her hair, she croaked, "Mom, if you want to get me some flowers or something to make me feel better, that would be good." I said ok and exchanged a smile with her daddy. A few minutes later, she reiterated the idea in the same strained voice, "Mom, I NEED flowers to heal me."

Precious daughter.

adorable adjectives

In the last twelve hours, I have heard Ella using the cutest adjectives. The first came after our ride home from our friends' house where she and the other kids watched a movie about Tinkerbell.

Ella: Momma, I love the Tinkerbell movie...it's so....MAGICAL!

The second notable quote was after rest time when she had been dressing up her animals.

Ella: Mom! I have to show you my dolls! I made my kangaroo and bunny so FASHIONABLE!

I am so curious where these little tidbits of learning originate!

forgetful & funny

Ella has been beyond naps since she was four, but she still has an hour and a half of "rest time" in her room where she plays quietly with toys and books and things while Simon sleeps and I get some quiet time. After rest time is over, Ella is supposed to make sure her room is picked up before we move on to the next thing. Today, it was that time of day and we had moved downstairs to get a snack when I remembered I hadn't checked with her to make sure she'd picked up. So I asked, "Ella, did you straighten up your room after rest time?" to which she replied, "Hmm...Yeah....but I'll go check to make sure." As she ascended the stairs, I heard her say to herself: "I can't remember... Sometimes I have short term memory loss."

childlike faith

Bryan and I have been so encouraged and challenged lately by Ella's amazing faith in God and His goodness, faithfulness, and power. When she has aches or pains, she asks for prayer without reservation or fear that God may not show up to help. In particular, she had a small wart on her temple that she was somewhat embarrassed about and didn't like anyone to see. One night, as I was putting her to bed, she asked if I would pray for her that God would make the wart go away. So I did. We covered it with a band aid and as I tucked her in, she said, "We'll have to check on it in the morning to see if God made it disappear!" Sure enough, the next morning, we removed the band aid, and the darn thing fell right off! She was so thrilled! And I was amazed!

Even when she doesn't receive healing right away, her faith isn't dampened. She has a small cut near the top of her ear that has caused her some pain. I have prayed with her about it a handful of times. One day in particular, she approached me with lip quivering and eyes full of tears because the sore hurt and said, "Mommy, will you pray for me?" I am so proud of her that she doesn't stop believing, even though God didn't take the pain away the first, second or even third time we prayed.

At the dinner table a few nights ago, Ella looked up at me with a huge grin on her face and with a bit of a shy demeanor, and said, "Mommy...I'm a Christian." I was taken aback at first, not expecting her to even know the word so I asked her, "Ella, what does that word mean?" She replied, "It means I love Jesus." And I know she does.

What we find most challenging and inspiring about her faith is how pure it is. It's unhindered by disappointment or questions about whether God really is good. There is no question in her mind that He will take care of things and that He will act out of love toward her. I have found it personally convicting that when Bryan or I will complain of some ailment or weariness, we will search high and low for the ibuprofen or complain to one another, and she will offer to pray for us. We'll both look at each other perplexed, like, "Why didn't we think of that?!" It just proves to me that, even though I believe God to be good, accessible and willing to help, I still look to myself for the answer by default. I am blessed by her every day and love that I can learn so much from her, even as I try to impart as much wisdom as I can to her. It brings to life so many of Jesus' references to little children, how precious they are, how he treasures them and how we are to be more like a child as we relate to our heavenly Father.

Matthew 19:13–14 ¹³Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

signs of summer

A fond memory of my own childhood is catching fireflies (or lightening bugs, whichever suits your fancy). I've loved introducing this magical wonder to our kids and we've had fun pretending to be kids again ourselves jumping around in the grass trying to catch the bugs in the dwindling sunlight. Ella has kept them in her room in a jar (the first firefly we caught early in the week passed away several days ago and his carcass still sits motionless in the jar.) Last night at the kid's grandparents' place, we caught quite a load and put them all in a sippy cup which sits next to Ella's bed with the other dead one to remind them of what's to come. Tonight as we put the kids to bed, I heard Bryan say, "Poor bugs." to which I had to chuckle, knowing that he must have inflicted much worse torture on various creatures over the course of his childhood.

Later, after books were read and I spent some time quietly chatting to Ella in her bed, she posed the question, "what if I were to drink down all those lightening bugs and then they were all in my belly?" She giggled to herself, knowing it was a silly question, but we had quite a time coming up with all the possible outcomes to this scenario like:

1. Her eyes would glow so that she could never fall asleep because it was too bright.
2. Her belly button would blink like a stoplight.
3. Her teeth would glow in the dark.
4. Strands of light would shoot out of the tips of her hair.
5. (Ella's favorite) If she tooted, light would shine out of her butt!

We had quite a laugh tonight.

knock knock...what the HECK?

Ella loves telling knock knock jokes. I don't quite know where she picked it up from, but for her, the ultimate fun is telling a good knock knock joke. And now that Simon is really speaking more clearly, he has now started telling jokes too. Today's lunchtime was a solid fifteen minutes of knock knock joking.

Ella's jokes sound like this:
E: Knock knock.
Me: Who's there?
E: Refrigerator.
Me: Refrigerator who?
E: Cup. Cup.Cup.

Simon's are the same every time:
S: Not not.
Me: Who's there?
S: Boo.
Me: Boo who?
S: sshwhwshshsww whwhshshs..... (with a big grin and a giggle.)

In further news, we were playing in the back yard after dinner and Simon and Ella were happily digging in the sandbox together. It was a serene moment where they were engaged in a game together without fighting and I was contemplating the value of that sandbox and it's simple entertainment. All of a sudden I hear Ella say, "What the HECK??!" She sniffs her hands. "This sand smells like POOP!!"

I ran over to inspect the conditions, and, yes it's true, some foul animal has been using our sandbox as a litter box. And the worst thing about it is, I'll bet it's a possum. Ughhhhhh....Our serene moment came to a screeching halt and we all sanitized ourselves in the kitchen sink and promptly headed for a bath. A very gross way to end the evening.