Horses

This is the little boy who is afraid to cross tall bridges at playgrounds, who doesn’t like to ride on Daddy’s shoulders because he’s too tall, who shies away from dogs and bees.  This is the same little boy who volunteered to be first to ride the draft horse this week on our preschool field trip and wanted a second turn. 

This is my proud little boy!

This is the little girl who scales tall ladders, braves the highest of slides, and chases after puppies and kitties. 

So small and fearless!

My little girl!

What a fun day for preschool! 

Thanks to Jenny for the pictures!

Sophia’s ABCs

Sophia’s version of the ABCs.

While I’m bragging about my kids, I might as well include a video of Sophia singing her version of the ABCs. 

Fortune

This was inside Sophia’s fortune cookie this past weekend.  Thankfully it did not come true!

Naptime partying is more her forte. 

Sidewalk Chalk

My educational strategy textbooks in college didn’t have any sections titled “Sidewalk Chalk.”  Maybe they should add one.  I think even my high school seniors would have loved a day to play with sidewalk chalk in the middle of reading The Great Gatsby.  Now to find a way to make it educational…

Some of the numbers are faded from a mid-week sprinkle, but Caleb was very proud of making it to 100.  Now he serenades us on car rides, “1, 2, 3…98, 99, 100!”  Obviously he didn’t write all the numbers, but he did tell me which number to write next and how to “spell” it. 

From 2 years ago:

Look for my new book, Motivational Teaching Strategies: Sidewalk Chalk, Play-Doh, and String, in a few decades!

Parenting: It’s Never An Interruption

Loved this article.  Here’s a short excerpt:

“What you do know is that Scripture gives you the wisdom that you need and your always-present Messiah gives you the grace that you need to be ready to respond to the moments of opportunity he will give you….  In his grace and love, he will manufacture moments that expose the needy hearts of our children to us. He will faithfully employ the little moments of everyday life to expose to us and our children their need of rescuing and forgiving grace. And he will not do this only at the moments which you feel are appropriate and when you feel most prepared.”

It reminded me to change how I view…

• moments of the greedy gimmies in the store.  I already know my kids are greedy.  Why am I surprised when they ask for things in the store?  My job is not to get frustrated by it, but teach my kids to be generous and wise as they shop instead of greedy and undisciplined. 
• times when I lose it and yell at my kids in anger.  Instead of justifying my anger or explaining it away, can I humbly ask forgiveness and learn to respond in love?
• fighting over possession of toys.  It doesn’t matter who had it first, who it belongs to, or how long they’ve had it.  The condition of their heart matters.  Are they being selfish? greedy?  respectful?  unkind?  Or are they being generous, giving, humble, and kind?

By the way, I don’t necessarily agree with the Berenstain Bears’ solution for the greedy gimmies, but the book did give us a good name to identify whiny, selfish behavior!

Sophia turns 2!

We are blessed to have Sophia in our lives! I can’t imagine our family without her.  She’s great at giving hugs and kisses. She has the cutest toddler run. I think her arms move faster than her legs! She has an independent streak and likes to do things on her own; watch where you leave the toothpaste!  She takes great care of her stuffed animals and baby dolls.  If she had her way, her bed would be full of babies and animals and there wouldn’t be any room for her.  She loves to be silly and loves to make Caleb laugh.

As you turn two, Sophia, I pray that you continue to develop your forgiving nature.  May God give you wisdom to forgive and seek forgiveness quickly.  I pray also that you would know how much God loves you and how beautifully you are made.  God did a good job when he made you!

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And for the birthday details, read on.

I love how simple, but special birthday celebrations can be!  I think the highlight of Sophia’s day was having Luke, Caleb, and I sing “Happy Birthday” to her when she was still in her crib first thing in the morning. 

When I asked if she wanted pancakes or muffins for breakfast, Sophia answered, “Cake!”  I made muffins, thinking they were sweet enough to be considered cake anyway…  Sophia definitely has her mommy’s sweet tooth.

The birthday girl’s menu included her favorites: cheese, pears, goldfish crackers, and cake with purple frosting and butterflies. We added a few other things to the menu for everyone else’s benefit.

Again, the simplest, but most played with toy she received for her birthday: a little notebook all her own and a new box of colored pencils.  She was also enthralled with the pretty dress from Grandpa and Grandma and (slightly) disappointed when she found out she couldn’t wear it to bed. 

Happy Birthday, Sophia!

Easter 2012

We started with the same Resurrection Eggs that we did last year.  (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)  They’ve been a hit again this year. 

Washing feet was one of the earlier days (and probably one of the most memorable).

We managed to make a salt dough mountain/tomb and decorate it with markers.  Peter must be looking for Jesus right now….

Jesus is alive!

And at the last minute, I decided to do un-Easter baskets.  (I came across the idea here.)  On Saturday we filled up our bags with rocks that we had written some of our sins on.  Then we covered over our bags with a red cloth symbolizing Jesus’ blood. 

The next day there was an extra bag.  Jesus had taken all our sins in his bag and given us so many good things.  Caleb’s bag contained a harmonica, The Merchant and the Thief by Ravi Zacharias, and a bag of candy.  Sophia’s contained a couple of egg shakers, a stuffed lamb, an arch book, and a bag of candy.  My little girl has a sweet tooth!

These led to some really good conversations with Caleb.  Mostly he wanted to keep his rocks, so I suggested he switch with Jesus again.  Would you rather have rocks or the harmonica?

How many times do I ask the same question?  Can I just be lazy and selfish today, God?  Can I give back the blessings you’ve given me for something that looks appealing to me now (but that is completely worthless)?