Reading Above the Lines

My 7 year old is in 2nd grade.  She's been reading above her grade level, and her age since Kindergarten.  We have come to realize that she, somehow, beyond anything we had done,  chose to be exceptional.  She clearly wanted to read, and- per her strong willed personality, she did.  The end.  That's our Butterfly.  That's how amazing she is.

She loves information.  Any and ALL information.  That's why she reads.  That's why she LOVES to read.  Her hunger for knowledge drove her to our bookshelf, time and time, and time again.

And then, there's our Happy Girl. She's 5.  She's in Kindergarten.  She is equally as strong willed.  Equally as determined.  Equally exceptional.  Equally as amazing as her big sister.

 She loves to be involved.  She wants to do what her big sister is doing.  She wants to do what her little sister is doing.  She wants to be able to do what she sees anyone else doing.

At the start of the year, our Happy Grl was one group under the top reading group in her class.  Her teacher saw how capable she was, and requested to move her up to the top group.  This group sped through the Kindergarten reading curriculum and finished it up by the time we reached the half way mark of the school year.  By the end of their Kindergarten career, the group has already jumped into the 1st grade reading curriculum.

Happy Girl wants to succeed!  She wants to do her best, and be her best, and try her best.... IF  (and that's a BIG "IF") it's something that SHE wants to do.  She doesn't want to succeed to impress anyone else.  She doesn't want to be better for anyone else.  It's her own, personal ambition that pushes her to be her best.

We are closing out the school year for 2010/2011.  I met with Happy Girl's teacher today, and was astonished to hear her teacher explain where she had been placed on the "DRA Level" chart.

"By the end of the year, our county students are expected to be at a "4" on this chart.  The students at this school should be at a "6" due to the nature our curriculum.  Happy Girl is at level '20'.

(I scramble pick my jaw up off the floor, and keep my bottom on my seat as she continues to explain the system.)

"Now?   20 is the cap.  It's the highest that we are allowed to place her. She may, actually, score higher than that. But we aren't allowed to test further to see exactly where she's at."


Rewind to the middle of the year.  I had a similar conversation with Butterfly's teacher.  She needed to be at level 20, and she was at level 42.  I did a little dance to my mini-van after I heard this news.  I did a little jig to my car after I heard the news of Happy Girl's accomplishments today.

I found myself questioning how it is that we have these exceptional readers in our house.  I found myself wondering what the KEY to their growth in this specific area stemmed from!?

It's not because I read with them.  I did, a little bit, but not much.  I had plenty of BOOKS available to them, for them to look at, but we didn't do the "every night before bed story time".

Ya wanna know what I concluded?  What I assume is the key?   I'll tell ya about it next time.

Tell Me I'm Amazing

"Look at me!  Lookatmeeeeee!!!!  Look what I can do!  See?! See!?!  See!"  as my 5 year old, curly blonde haired, gorgeous and stunning blue eyed sweetness  twirls around the living room.

Remember doing that when you were a kid?

I do.

I remember doing the lamest and goofiest, non-awesomest things when I was younger, all the while squealing at the top of my middle-child lungs "Look!!! LooK!!!!!" hoping for a glance from my parents and an "Amazing!!  You're amazing!!" word of encouragement from their lips.  Rare to be found, those words.  I was in competition between an artistic older brother, and an angelic vocalist younger sister.  (I had nada).

I'd try and try to find my place in the talent that seemed to fill my family tree by dancing like a ballerina and pretending that I knew how to play the piano- but instead of getting happy back pats from my parents, I seemed to annoy them more than anything else.

I didn't know where I belonged, and I wasn't sure what I needed to do to be the kid that got the praises that I so wanted to get.  I heard a lot of "you're so pretty" and "nice try", but not much of that strong, sincere "Whoo HOO, Good JOB!".

I've been wondering if maybe I project much of my childhood miss's on my children?
For example: My oldest is super artistic and an outstanding reader.  We praise her ability and tell her how amazing she is- and include character compliments and gratitude for her willingness to be such a great helper to her mommy and daddy.

My youngest is just CUTE and sweet and super adorable.  She's fun (and exhausting) and silly;  We tell her by the attention that we give her just how great  we think she is.

And then there's our middle child.    Anyone that's EVER been a middle child is already putting your hearts pity toward our precious 5 year old.  You know what it feels like, don't you?  The Middle Child.
Not old enough to get the priveledges, and not young enough to get away with ANYTHING!

Without filling her with fluff (because I refuse to lie to my children about WHO THEY are) I try extra hard to find ways to tell our middle that she's awesome.  Yes- she's a great reader and a great artist, too- but those are the thing she's heard her parents say to her sister (they don't seem to 'belong' to her).  And she is SO cute and silly and fun (and exhausting), but again- she hears those things about her little sister.

Our middle needs to find her individuality, the same way that I wanted to find my own- and it's a big job for this Mommy to stand beside her, cheering her on, while she finds it.

 It's true that her older sister can easily "outshine" her and her younger sister can quickly pull attention "away" from her-  so she most definitenly needs extra doses of encouaging words and one-on-one focus from mommy and daddy.

When we are consistent in telling our 5 year old how GREAT she is, I see a difference in her joy.  When our 5 year old is driving us CRAZY with disobedient behavior and a bad attitude- thus causing her to get in more 'trouble' than normal, I see a SERIOUS difference in her joy.

All she wants is to hear "You. Are. Awesome."  She lives for pleasing and pleasant and loving words from her parents, her peers, and her authority figures.  Is that a middle child thing? A girl thing? A personality thing?

I don't know- but I just realized that I can relate to my little girl very well.

I want to hear that I am amazing from my husband, and my peers and my authority figures.  NOT only do I want that encouragement, but I wanna know ALL ABOUT why it is that somebody thinks I'm amazing- details, details, details.

Who doesn't want to hear an edification?  Especially "us" Mommy's.  We are HUNGRY for that affirmation.  Some of us may have husbands that are super at complimenting the 'good works' we've done, and there are some of us that have to pull the eye teeth from our spouses to get them to recognize that they might possibly need to be a little bit more giving with their affirming words.

Either way- I've come to the conclusion that whether it be a girl thing, or a middle child thing- a mommy thing or a personality thing- we ALL want somebody to tell us that We Are Amazing.

I'm so glad that God thinks I'm amazing, and that my children believe that I am, too.  And (when he remembers to voice it) that my husband does, as well.

Now? I have to be willing to Tell "ME" that I'm amazing (and believe it).

... And Then We Were Speechless

We were in our family van, like any normal Saturday evening.  On our way home from a long bout of errand running.  The grown ups were done.  So were the kids.  Chicken Fried- over cooked- DONE. DONE. BURNT WELL DONE!

We had a fun time out; purposefully shopping for snow mittens (didn't find any), warm hats (found 2), and so forth on the things we needed for the upcoming snow storm.  (In Georgia.  Ya.  They didn't have any milk or bread anywhere either.)

Perspective: Shopping with 3 young girls (ages 3, 5, and 7). More than 3 hours. 

Not serene.  Slightly painful.

The grown ups said,  "Ok.  There is NO talking in this car.  None.  No. One. Is. Talking! Shhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Our eardrums hurt.  3 girls.  I probably don't have to explain myself as to why we forced quiet time.

This never works. Quiet time.  It's a good theory.  Good idea.  But? It never works.

 Eventually, somebody (a witty one) says something cute or silly, and then it's okay for them to talk, because... well...... they're NOT whining or screaming, or fussing or fighting or being mean to one another.  

It doesn't hurt our ears to hear cuteness. 

We like cuteness.

On this occasion, our eldest (Kyla) spoke first:

  "We really  need to save our money for kids in other countries that have bad teeth.  It's only $250 and we really, really, really need to do it."

Our middle (Zoe) piped in: 

"YES! We do!  And they look really weird and they need to have their teeth fixed really really bad!!."

Kyla said 

"I want to start saving all of my money that I get until I get $250 so I can help them."

(prior to, she had been saving all of her money for an iPod touch.)

"Well? We should actually carefully consider saving money for your teeth just in case you need braces, baby." (Sigh..... )

Kyla replied:

"No, Mommy.  I don't want to just think of myself.  I want to help those kids.  They really need our help, Mommy."

(My head is hanging lower and higher all at the same time as I write this.  

Ashamed that I was so selfish.  Proud that she was firmly selfless.)

"So, what exactly are you talking about? They need their teeth fixed? What do you mean?"

Both girls explained that it was in a magazine I had laying on our couch (you can call it a sofa if you want) and they'd show us the picture when we got home.

Several months ago I bought a Good Housekeeping magazine.

I never read it.  

Forgot that I had it.

Maybe I had stuck in the bathroom? 

They found the magazine and skimmed it over.  

Toward the back they saw a picture that looked something like this:

HOW OFTEN TO YOU GET A CHANCE 

TO SAVE A CHILD'S LIFE FOR $250? 

  

We got home and they enthusiastically showed us their treasure, as if pointing out a new toy that they so desperately wanted; their eyes were filled with anticipation and hope: Can we, Can we, Can we PLEASE!?

And then we were speechless. 

 Us grownups.  Us know-it-alls.  

Us "quiet in the car there is NO talking".

We were blown away.  We were in awe and humiliated. 

Alright.  Forget the past tense- I am still blown away.  

We are STILL speechless. Still in a state of "Wow?"

Our kids? Our girls? These are ours?  

Nope.  They're not.  Well? They are. But- no. And yes. It's yes and no.  The are- but not fully.

We did this whole "Dear God, these are YOUR kids on loan to us. They belong to You.  Use them.  Teach them.  Mold them.  Get us out of the way if need be. Thank You for allowing us the pleasure of raising them.... ." and- stuff- like- that- kind- of- prayer.   

IT wasn't a one time prayer.  It's one of those 'without ceasing' prayers.  

Especially when we're really roughing it: "Lord!?  These are YOUR children... tell. us. what. to. do.  We are FAILING. We gave them to YOU, remember?! Helllllllppppp. US!!!!!!!!!!"

Ya. It makes more sense to me now that I'm writing it all down.  God took us up on our offer.  We opened our hands and let them go- over to Better Hands where they belong.  And HE is using THEM to minister to US!

Are YOU speechless? 

I Am.

So we have a jar.  

And I'm so stoked to follow my children on their journey of giving.  I'm gonna take some notes.  

I'm sure they're gonna teach me a thing or two.....

Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!

We spoke of how much we wanted it.  (He more than I.)
"Well? It'd be a lot of work...." "I know!!! But it'd be really nice to have...."
Ya.  We talked about. But no plans were made.

I decided to just go ahead and do it!!!   It would be a surprise.
(I'm giddy... excited to surprise him.).

After school I let my 7 and 5 year old in on the secret.
"Shhhhh.  Make sure you keep quiet.  Don't say anything about it, okay?!"
"OK MOMMY!!!  WE WON'T SAY A THING!!!!"
We worked hard on our special surprise; I more than they.
It was sweeter to have helping hands in my way so that it could be "from them", "for him".

He was going to be late getting home.
We hid every-single-possible-ounce of evidence as to what his surprise might be.

The girls were instructed "We can't show him until AFTER dinner.  Right? Don't say anything til' after OK?"
"OK MOMMY!!  WE WON'T SAY A THING!!!!!!"

To make it even sneakier, each girl colored a picture for their Daddy, so that when he came home we could announce "We have a surprise!  FOR YOU!!!" and then gift him with their uniquely creative art.

"SHHhhhhh.  Zoe, quit talking about what his surprise is.  When he comes home, we're going to give him his pictures, but DON'T FORGET we aren't going to tell him what his surprise is until after dinner."

"OK MOMMY!!!  I WON'T SAY A THING!!!  I promise.  I won't tell him.  Ok?!  Don't WORRY."

He was later than we thought- so we started eating before he came home.
It was very late for little girls that needed to be snuggled in bed an hour after.
Secret smiles were passed back and forth; fingers to lips when we saw the truck pulling into our drive way.  "Shhhhh.  Don't tell....."

Squeals and excitement when he opened the door,
"DADD-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!"
Kyla is a fantastic secret keeper.  She loves surprises.  She had her picture ready to hand over, and a secret smile pursed onto her oh-so-precious lips.

And Zoe.  She had already lost her picture.
She was the first to greet him at the door.......
"WE-HAVE-A-SURPRISE-FOR-YOU-AND-IT'S-CAKE, DADDY!! WE-MADE-IT-FORYOU."

(Sigh.)

She was too bouncy and smiley and excited and overjoyed for us to convince him otherwise.
We tried.
Kyla had drawn him a beautiful picture of cake.
"Oh. Ya. See!  Look.  Kyla colored you a picture of cake...."

His grin made it apparent that he wasn't buying it.

But it was, indeed, a special home-made cake.  For him (ahem... and them, the girls).
And we made it together for him.
And we knew exactly what his very favorite cake was.
Chocolate. With chocolate. And a lot more chocolate.

Zoe cut open the mix.
Kyla cracked the eggs.
Zoe measured the water.
Kyla retold yesterdays joke as she was whisking the eggs and oil and water together:
"What does a chef do when he's angry?"  "He beats the eggs and WHIPS the cream."
I laughed again.  She's so witty.

I made the icing.
No recipe, and a lot of "Dear Jesus please make this the yummiest icing we've ever tasted."

The girls licked the spoons and confirmed that God hears us when we pray; big or small.

And it was sweet.  The time we spent together....  The surprise that we made just for him....

Oh!!!  The Cake, too.  It was sweet. Yummy.  And Delicious.

Zoe.

My Zoe.  I can't believe she's already a big 5 year old.  And she'll be in Kindergarten in 2 days!!!!

Who could prepare for the fastness of life, when "all of the sudden", the babies are growing into big girls?  I can't.  Kyla is 7, now Zoe is 5, and Leah?- she'll be 3 soon enough.  There are no more babies in this Anderson House.  Just "big girls" and "little girls".  (Where's that tissue box?!?)

It was a sweet day, August 5, 2005, and August 5- this year.  Thankfully, it was a Thursday.  Mother's Morning Out  (Miss Kelly's school, as Leah affectionately calls it).  I took Kyla and Leah to Miss Kelly, so that  Zoe and I could have a little date.

First stop: A Big Girl hair cut.
We went to a place in Gainesville that (I thought?!) offered kids cuts for 'the age' of the kid. (Nah. They don't.)  I called ahead and double checked (hmmm? the answer was "yes" they still do this) and scheduled Zoe's cut in a perfect time frame- right after I dropped off the other girls to MMO.

Suh-weet!!!

So? Zoe got her hair trimmed, and ready for school.

I'm thinking each stylist prices their hair cuts differently at this place.  Zoe's cut was $7-  ..... but later we went back, and Kyla's cut was $15?  It was confusing and I was embarrassed to have gotten caught off guard by the big difference in the price vs. the price we were told... but- Kyla's cut is supremely gorgeous.  All in all, after the cuts and tips- the girls hair cuts cost $30.  Kinda painful for a not-planned-for expense (when we called, my understanding was that it would only be a grand total of $12 plus tip).

But having a new "do" for school is worth it.  And did I mention that they got GREAT cuts?

So, after Zoe's hair cut, I played follow the leader- and let Zoe tell me where she wanted to go.
"Let's walk down here....." (to a boutique sort of place).  I told her that we could pick out a few special gifts while we were on our date; but each little item she picked up, she said something like "This can be for Kyla!!  Can we get this for Daddy? OH! Look!!!!! This can be for LEAH!"  We left having not picked out a single item for Zoe.

 We went to a few more places.  The Children's Place recently opened a little store in town, and that's where Zoe found her treasures (x2).  Her "soul sister" Eliana turns 5 this week.  She wanted Eliana's birthday present to match her birthday present.

A (too cute) bathing suit; complete with matching headband, and flip-flops.  Thankfully!!!! The Children's Place was having an outstanding sale and this x2 didn't end our shopping trip.

What was hilarious though- is that after a few minutes in the store Zoe would say "I'm ready to get out of here now.  Can we leave?" and then she would wander over to something that captured her interest, and a few minutes later say again "Can we get out of this store now?" and so on and so on..... 15 minutes later- we finally left.  Silly girl.

Against my better (economical) judgment, Zoe found 2 little hair bows that she sweetly requested. I had to bite my tongue- they were just little hair-ties, one with a princess crown attached to it, the other with a heart attached to it.  Hair ties!  That's it.  $3.50 each???  It was her birthday... and I sucked it up.  And honestly, I was glad I did.  She was super proud of her "special hair bows" to wear to Kindergarten.  (I couldn't tell you where they were right now, though.  Sigh!)

We went to another store and found a  new pair of shoes, and another set of hair ties (she had to get them- the tag said "Zoe Zoe"- literally.)

It was time to eat- and where did Sweet Girl wanna go?

Ahhh.  A child after my own heart.  Yay!!!
We shared Fajita Nachos (with shrimp!) and Sopapilla (since they were all out of Fried Ice Cream!) and talked and hung out at El Som for about an hour.

After lunch it was time to pick up the girls from Mother's Morning Out, and we left to get Kyla's hair cut before heading home- to get ready for OPEN HOUSE!!!!

Open House will be another blog, on another day (this IS about Zoe, ya know!) But to say that we're so thankful for how great it all went would be an UNDERSTATEMENT!  We are more than pleased with our teachers (so far).

After Open House, Zoe picked Chick Fil A for dinner.  And we had our usual's.  Joshua's dad (Pa) joined us, and the girls had a good time visiting with him.

Through out the day, our family sent voice mail happy birthday songs to Zoe, and text messages wishing her a Happy Birthday.  It was adorable to see her face light up with giddyness after each message or voice mail.

Zoe's the kind of kid that responds so well from a simple SMile.  I can be irritated and have a sour face- and it have nothing to do with her- but she'll still ask "Mommy? Are you mad at me?" and all I have to do, to reassure her that I am happy with her? Smile.  Smile big- and say "Noooo, Zoe- I'm not mad at you at all."  And her little shoulders go up and she smiles a joyous smile all through out her face, and says "Ohhh- I'm glad. I. LOVE. YOU. MOMMY!!!!"

My precious Zoe.  I do love her. She brings so much joy to our house.

School. Decision MADE.

  The girls are going to public school this year (and possibly next year).   

The hardest decision I've had to make- sending them into the public school system (one- for the first time, and the other for the 2nd time- after a 1st times AWFUL experience.)  Did ya catch all that?

Anyone who's read this here blog-spot of mine KNOWS how tough this decision has been.   And- though I'm confident that God has a plan, and He's in control- I can't deny that I'm still broken hearted that my sweet baby-girls are being sent into the world, all alone..... from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM.... to be cared for by people I know NOTHING about. (I've considered stalking the kindergarten and 2nd grade teachers..... )  To be surrounded by children that may or may not be mean or nice, or hateful, or friendly.  To be told to walk in a straight line, and no talking, and no silliness (Wait? We have that rule for the grocery store. Am I being hypocritical here?)

Maybe the saddest part is being away (ok- wide open- the flood gates are pouring) from my girls for such a long period in the day time- 5 days a week- and not knowing how to meet their needs in those FEW hours I'll get to spend with them in the evenings. (Especially if I'm to be a working-woman in my near future).

God is good.  He knows my equipment is failing in the home school department, and I need some major repairs before I can take on that task again.  He loves my daughters WAY more than I do (and how that's possible will forever baffle me!).  His plans are for their GOOD; and that rocks.

So? I believe God whispered a tender little "You know who you should get in touch with?" in my ear- and prompted me to send the school counselor an email.  This school counselor and I- we're "Facebook friends"- cause we went to the same church; how great is that??? The few times I've talked to her I felt like she was a genuine person.  So? We emailed.  And I don't know how she did it- I've read the emails several times; there's nothing super profound in what she said- but this sweet lady made me feel a welcomed relief in the fact that we could totally make this school year a good one.  We're going to meet this coming week- and I'm so thankful to have an empathetic ear available to listen to our concerns, and our hopes, and our needs.

I'm praying for THE PERFECT teacher for each of our girls.  I'm praying that the transition from being late-morning-risers (8:00-9:00 AM) will be easy-enough, and that we'll have a cool routine in the mornings that will allow us time to PRAY together, and eat together, and CHILL-ax for an easy morning ride into a busy school day.

I'm praying that I can quit crying long enough to get a grasp on how important it is that I TRUST GOD in this time.... understanding that HE is awesomeness, and I am NOT- and He sees what's ahead; and knows what is best for us- in this time- here and now.

Spider Squisher

Who cares- if it's with in eye sight- I squish whatever bug I can.

I'm not that girly- but bugs- eeeeeK.  I don't like 'em.

My 4 year old has named any, and all black ants "Esa" (eee-suh).  The little red fire ants?  They are "Esa's babies."  Last year (age 3) she decided (through trial and bug-bitten error) that "Esa's babies are MEAN!".

My 2 year old is a copy-cat.  If she hears it, she says it, and claims it as her own.  She now calls black ants "Esa".

Today, in our foyer, "Esa" was crawling around.  She was watching him/her and said "It's Esa.  It's Esa.  See it?  See it, Mommy?"  And- with out thinking, I squished Esa.  (Yay me for winning Crappy Mom of the Year award.)  Thankfully- Leah is cool.  Had it been Zoe, it would have been a SCANDAL for me to have (innocently) squished Esa.  Leah?  She just walked away, started walking up the stairs, turned back to me, and said "Esa?  He's on your shoe?"  (I lower my head slightly- ashamed) "Yes.  Esa is on my shoe."

Her response?  "Okay."

Phew!  I need to me more careful with my squishing.

Houston? We have...... LAUGHTER!

Zoe. The girl that brings most of the hilarious laughter that takes place in our home. Her name means "Life" or "The Life of God". And everyone that knows her proclaims, "She lives up to her name." And that, she does. Kyla, however, adds her fair share of comic-relief to our household, and Leah is no exception. Each girl can bring joy and rib-aching giggles in their own, unique way. And I love it!!

8/18/09
Tonight, the girls' were playing "Hide and Seek" with their Daddy. Finally- it is his turn to hide, and he picked the 'best spot'. They couldn't find him! I had to help.... and when we discovered that he was hiding behind the couch (which is against a wall) the girls squealed/screamed with excitement.

Zoe announced, her tone was rushed and quick "OK! It's my turn to hide. Daddy. You have to find me.", .... as she was squeezing in the crevice behind our couch! Her Daddy said "Zoe. You can't hide there. I'll know where to find you."

And she looked at him so seriously, and said "Hey. Well. Close your eyes, then!"

........................................................................

After a trip to Mayfield Dairy, Kyla explained to her Daddy: (it must be noted that her expression was as so--- eyebrows raised. finger in the air. head nodding---.) "Mayfield Milk is in the yellow container. It's the best. It has vitamin D. Did you know that?!?!"

........................................................................

In an effort to make our Digiorno quick dinner somewhat nutritionally sound, I walked down to our garden in hopes of finding a few ripe tomatoes and green peppers. To my (and Zoe's) dismay, there were only green tomatoes. I decided a green tomato on a pizza was better than none- so picked 2 and a green pepper and went back to the kitchen.

Zoe was disappointed and announced it by making the "BLEGHK!!!" sound. I told her that it was still really good, and that it was just a little sour. She tasted it and said "Ya. It's really good! Taste it Kyla. IT's so good. It taste like Yummy.... Yummy.... um? Well! It taste like YUMMY GOODNESS!!!"

............................................................................

The Talking Rock

I have  a rock in my pocket.  It's a jagged piece of gravel.   There's nothing interesting or significant about it's appearance.  This rock, however, though it is a very simple piece of the road, has been speaking to me all day!  

It said it's first words to me when my 4 year old "Life of God" picked it up out of the parking lot and said "LOOK, Mommy!  I have a present for you.  Do you like it??"

The rock said   "It's not the quality of the gift she's giving you.  It's the fact that her heart wanted to give you something."

I asked her to hold it for me so I wouldn't lose it- and she tucked it away in her 'toy box' compartment beside her seat in the van- directly beside the other rock she had chosen from the ground.

We later met up with my husband for dinner.  "Daddy!"  Zoe put both rocks in her pocket, and when we went into the restaurant to wait on Daddy, she told me that she was going to give a rock to him.
 "Wait?" I said. "I though one of those rocks were for me...." and I pretended to be slightly concerned.  "Oh it is, Mommy.  But one is for Daddy, too.  I'm going to let him pick one!!"  

And the rock told me again "It's not which GIFT you get- it's that you were chosen to get one in the first place."

After "Daddy" sat down with us, he picked his rock.  And I was handed mine.  I put it in my pocket, and I forgot about it.  We parted ways from "Daddy" and I had a bit of solo time to run an errand.  The rock remained in my pocket.  Each time I put my hand inside my pocket- in a effort to figure out what it was that was weighing down my jeans- I was reminded of how sweet- and how innocent my children are.  An adult would never pick up a random stone from the ground and say "Here!! I want you to have this!"  But a 4 year old won't question it.  A 4 year old will have a desire to 'give' and find something- anything- to pick up and GIVE.   My 4 year old just happened to have access to a road full of rocks.

On my way home- I felt the weight of the rock in my pocket, still.  My heart got heavy.  I had a flood of thoughts swarm through my mind.  One- in particular wouldn't leave me alone.  The thought of The Prostitute- caught in the act of her sin- who was brought before the crowd so that she could be stoned (to death).
We've all heard the story.  Jesus was there.  He said nothing for quite some time.  He was still.  The crowd questioned Him as He wrote in the sand.  And then He spoke.   "HE who is with out sin should cast the first stone."  All of the stones fell to the ground and Jesus said to the harlot  "Go.  And sin no more."  And she went.....

And the rock in my pocket said to me "You can throw me .....  But I'd rather stay in your pocket."

And here I sit.  With a rock.  In my pocket.  I think I'm going to listen to My Rock.

I'm going to try to:

• Look further, and deeper into the heart of my children.  
• Accept the (spiritual) gifts that have been given to me- whether they are of use to me right now or not-without complaint or heartache. 
• Judge not.... even if the crowd is pushing for full penalty.  (I'm going to keep the stone in my pocket!) 

Breeding Grounds

It's a little before 7:00 AM.  My husband comes into our room to tell me goodbye- he's off to work- he loves me- smooches- see ya later.  I'm groggy, staying asleep sounds like a much better option than putting my feet on our cold wood floor.  I convince myself to get out of bed, and as I find my vertical balance, I hear chitter chatter from the girls' room.

This winter- all 3 girls are set up to sleep in one bedroom.  Our house, not having central heat, stays cozy enough with our fireplace, but it's easier to keep the upstairs super toasty if we can close off one of the bedrooms.  Leah is standing up in her bed, and Kyla and Zoe are sitting on the top bunk watching Daddy's truck leave.

"Oh man." I think to myself. "It's too early."  And to the girls I say "Ok.  It's still dark, you all need  to go back to sleep."

 Leah is happy.  She says, with her paci still in her mouth "Sippy.  Sippy, please.  On.  The.   Tay-pull."  Yep.  She wants a drink of water- and she's telling me her sippy is on the table..... downstairs.

Sweet!  Easy enough. The guess work has been eliminated and Leah is communicating what she wants with out frustration.  Love it!

I get her sippy.  I get Zoe and Kyla each a drink of water.  All is well.  It should be a quiet morning.

Should be.

And then- I go to the bathroom.   Our girls have yet to learn the art of flushing. I flush for them- (how many times did they potty last night??)- and meet up with an Over-Flowed-Toilet.   Good thing for me, I'm still slightly drugged from last night's Sleepy Time Tea.  I just shake my head- plunge the toilet, and plunge.... and plunge.... and PLUNGE (is this thing EVER going to quit over flowing???).  Got it.    Mess is slightly cleaned up (bleach to come later in the day).

Downstairs I go. Coffee. Mmmmm.  I pour a cup, and  check on the fire before I sit down to a cozy quiet.

"Ugh!" I just stepped onto a 3ft x 2ft  pile of wood chips, dirt, ashes, and bark.  This is a typical mess when bringing in fire wood, building a fire, and/or adding wood to the fire.  Everything to do with our fire place leads to a big 'O mess!  Typical mess as it is..... it's supposed to be swept up by whomever made the mess.   The mess maker of the morning was running late.  He didn't get to it.   It's mine.

I sweep and sweep and sweep..... and sweep. (are these wood chips just multiplying???).  And, finally- the dust pan is maxed out, and I'm done.    While I'm at it- you know- NOT being cozy- I go into the coldest place in our house to retrieve the model number for our broken dryer.  Brrrrr!!!!!  It's like walking outside!!  I get the number, text it to my husband, and move toward the recliner.  I've got the heating pad all warmed up too.

Cold coffee.  Eh?  I'm used to it.  No problem.  I sit down- begin this blog, and what do I hear???  A Screaming Leah.  And a Shushing Kyla. (apparently Leah requires her quiet time in the morning to actually be quiet- and being disturbed does not sit well with her.  This! I understand.)  

So- here I am.  Yep.  This morning is a breeding ground for a super chaotic day.  It's all prepped.  Overflowed Toilet.  Wood chips in my feet.  Screaming 2 year old.  Disobedient 6 year old.  Groggy mommy.  All with in 30 minutes of putting my feet on the floor.

But, guess what??  This is really not an unusual morning.  Sure.  Our toilet doesn't over flow every day- but first thing- every morning, it's mostly crazy.  Before I even fully wake up, I've got 10 things pulling at me.  Kyla. Zoe. Leah. Kitchen. Breakfast. Fireplace. Diaper. Dog. Coffee.  (Ok, maybe it's just 9.)

My life- my 3 girls, home school, unbalanced, unscheduled,  overwhelmed life-  is, in and of itself, a breeding ground for chaos.  

Do they make birth control for that?

Draft from Aug 2, 2005

I discovered this in my "Drafts" from our email address.  WHOA!!  4 + years ago, an email I never sent out.  Very cool.  I'm glad to have found it.  Zoe can now look back at a tidbit of information about what was going on with 'Mommy' before she was born.

Hello Everyone.

Well, today (Tuesday Aug 2) marks my due date.  No baby.  At my appointment this afternoon, my midwife told me that I was not progressing towards labor.  My cervix has not started to thin, and the babies head is very high up.  I haven't dialated at all, and they don't anticipate me going into labor on my own. 

Since I had a C-Section with Kyla due to being induced and not progressing, I have scheduled a second C-Section for this Friday, Aug 5 at 2:00 pm.  I had been praying that I could have a natural delivery this time around, and that may still happen between now and Friday.  But, for my peace of mind, I went ahead and scheduled the C-section.  My blood pressure is getting way too high, and I am swelling up bigger and bigger.  I've gained too much weight in a short period of time, and that isn't good either (for my health or my complex).

We STILL haven't settled on a name.  PRAY FOR US@!!!!!!!!!!  Joshua won't settle on a name.  Since we found out we were pregnant, we had been keeping and index card with names on it.  The "boy" card is filed away, but the girl card is laying here with several choices.  They are:

Zoe :  (life; life of God) 

Bethany:  (life)            

Naomi:  (delightful; pleasant;) 

Elysia:  (God's oath) 

Ariella:  (lion of God) 

Eliora:  (my God is light) 

Gabriella:  (Hero of God)

Jael:  (prominent) 

Lael:  (of God)  

Zemira:  (joyous melody; song of praise) 

Keely:  (grace)

These are names that either Joshua, myself, or perhaps both of us have liked at one point or another through out thepregnancy.  Through all of those names, you'd think we'd come to some conclusion, but..... NO.  Some of the names on the list will be concidered for middle name only (Joshua's pick is Jael and my pick is Zoe for a first name)  I really like Zemira.  It's so pretty, but I'm not sure that we'll choose it. 

Swiss Army

This morning- my adventurous Zoe decided to grab the (super sharp) Swiss Army Knife off my night stand.  To be exact- she grabbed it OUT of the bag that it was hidden in, which was on my night stand.  She opened it.  And she SLICED her middle and ring finger.

Blood.  Lot's of Blood.  And a whole LOT of blood curdling screams!

I wanted to be compassionate and loving, but I was more irritated than anything.  I was thinking "Ya- Mommy and Daddy have told you NOT to go into our room... and CERTAINLY not to take things out of our room."

I kept my mouth shut- I washed and bandaged her wounds.  And now- I'm working on trying to figure out how to go about re-child-proofing our bedroom.  I thought it was fairly safe.  I guess not.

I love my Zoe.  She is a precious gift.  A strong-willed-high-strung gift, but precious  none-the-less.

I want to be more compassionate than frustrated when she gets herself into situations when she knows 'better'.

The Social Networking Cleanse

I've decided that Facebook consumes too much of my time. It's an easy trap for stay at home mom's, because it can be a source, if you will, to the outside world. Adult conversation. Grown-up-ness. In one respect- it's a tool that has allowed me to continue with some sort of socialization during these years I'm in- raising small children, at home.......

In another respect- it can trap you into a sort of... I don't know? What is it? Hard to explain.

Basically- I was spending my 'free' time "Facebooking". I'm doing a cleanse. A detox. Whatever you wanna call it. I'm trying to figure out a way to better spend my time.

It needs to be productive. I'm blogging during my 'Facebook Detox' in an effort to still feel like I'm talking to somebody- even though it's just myself- which in and of itself could be a pretty bad thing- 'talking to myself'... but- WAIT! I'm blogging. That means it's for other people to read. OR! It's like a journal for me to refer to. Ok. I feel better. I'm not TOTALLY and ONLY talking to myself.

Anyway. Right now- it's 3:00. (almost) I spent most of the afternoon outside. With my girls. I built a HUGE fire in the fire pit, and tried to do some yard clean up. I killed an ant pile. The girls soaked in some Vitamin D while they made a 'stew' of dirt, water, leaves, sticks, and ???? I don't think I want to know what else.

It's sitting outside- as I type- waiting on Kyla to go back out and finish 'making' it.

OH!! I almost forgot this! I put a rug out on the grass (in the DIRECT sunlight- sooo warm!) and we sat out there with a book (Mrs. Pigglewiggle) It's a 'chapter' book of Kyla's. And every other day or so- I read them a chapter. It's fun, actually- because it's a great book!!!! We sat, on the rug- with dried apricots and Cape Cod Parmesan and Garlic Chips (weirdo combination, I know!!!) I read- and turned the little girl (Mary's) name into ZOE's name. It was school time- quality time- play time- outside time.

I'm learning how to be a mom. I'm learning how to NOT depend on Facebook for my daily doses of 'grown up' time. I'm sure I can figure it out (eventually)

I think, after I get through this whole process- I'm going to try to learn how to sew. You know. In my spare time.

P.S. It is now 3:09 PM and from whatever time this blog says I posted it, til now- that' show LONG it took me to type out these few paragraphs. Mommy's World is Cah-Razy!!

I just took an orange slice out of Leah's hand- and she made 'orange juice' on the floor for me when she squeezed onto it for DEAR LIFE because she wanted to 'keep it'. Not eat it. Just. Keep it.

The Prayers of a Little Child

Zoe. Oh Zoe.

Today- I was plagued with a monstrous headache. I mean- it was long lasting- exhausting- painful- just plain ol' BAD headache!

At the YMCA is where it initially started. The girls' are doing "Homeschool P.E." and I was trying to get in some work out time. Nope. I couldn't do it. It was a sweet (So Sweet) blessing to get to LAY DOWN outside the pool area there, in the bright sunshine, and take a short nap- in an effort to get the pain to at least dwindle down to bearable.

I put in my ear buds- had nice queue of quiet worship playing, and felt rested when I went back inside to get the girls out of their "class". And God allowed my headache to sufficiently dwindle down so that I could, in fact, bear the pain.

I made an attempt at a caffeine remedy via Starbucks on the way home, but it didn't actually help at all. All 3 of my amazingly awesome girls took a nap once we got home.... and after about 30 minutes of their napping, I caved and decided to go up to my bed for another rest. (P.S. I also took tylenol- no help)

JUST as I was making my way up the stairs, I saw the curly curls of a certain 4 year old at the top of our 1970's green paisley carpeted stairwell. "HEY MOMMY!!!! Can i come downstairs now??!!!"

"Oh.... hey Zoe-Zoe....... Hmmm??. You know what!?!? Will you come lay down in my bed with me for juuuust a few minutes? Mommy's head hurts really bad- so I should take a little rest." (Mommy and Daddy's bed is typically OFF limits. Joshua has made it a rule- no kids in the bed- so it's a very rare instance that either of us would invite them to lay down with us)

"OH SURE, Mommy!!! I'll come lay down with you" (I wish you all could hear the spunk and joy in our Zoe's voice.)

I layed down on 'Daddy's' side of the bed, and she did a hoppity plop onto my side of the bed. She lays down.... for about 3 seconds. And hops right back up- and looks over at me with huge, inquisitive sparkly blue eyes.

"Mommy? Your head hurts really bad?"

"Ya, Zoe. It hurts really bad. I just need to lay down and be very quiet for a little tiny bit"

"Okay.... Don't give your headache to ME Mommy! Ok?!?" (genuine joy poured out with those words)

A few seconds later:

"Does your head still hurt?"

"Yeah. It does."

"Awwwww. Ok Mommy (insert VERY excited voice) I'll PRAY FOR YOU!!!! 'Dear Jesus please help mommy's head not hurt-amen'. Does it still hurt, Mommy?" (and she lays her sweet hand on my head)

At this point, I'm faced with somewhat of a dilema. My head DOES still hurt. In fact, it hurts terribly! BUT- I've just been prayed for by the enormous faith of a little child! I know that my head will quit hurting soon- so my answer was this:

"Yeah, Zoe. My head hurts right now- but you just prayed for it to NOT hurt, so I'm going to lay here very patiently, and very quietly and wait for it to quit hurting. It will quit hurting. I just have to be patient."

In a loud whisper, she says "Ok Mommy...... We'll be patient!"

I offered her a sincere Thank You for praying for me. And she layed her little hand on my head again and gave me a "you're welcome" in return.

She continued to hop and plop and bounce and talk while I layed there. Patiently. As quiet as I could be. As still as one could get with a lively 4 year old laying beside them.

I asked Zoe to sing me a song about Jesus while we waited. (No. I'm not that "super spiritual"- I was selfishly trying to get her to stop asking me questions and to stop bouncing so I could rest)

And so she asked!....... "Is the ABC song about Jesus?" (no? not really) "Is Twinkle Little Star about Jesus? (um? kind of.) "OH! I KNOW! JESUS LOVES ME! Is that about Jesus?" (yes. it is... and I couldn't help it- I started giggling. She is so innocent. So genuine.)

"OK. GOOD! I'll sing THAT song."

But she didn't sing the traditional "Jesus Loves Me This I Know...."

She sang "Jesus Loves Me. He loves me. He loves you. Jesus loves me. He's so strong. He's so goooooood."

(not at all to the tune of the traditional song, either. it was to the tune of "Zoe's voice"- the sweet happy joyful playful jubilant tune of Zoe)

While she was singing, I was praying "God. Please let me remember everything she's singing- so I can write it down. Please don't let me forget. Please let me remember this time I get with Zoe"

After her song- she jumped on and off the bed in search of books to 'read' to me. I dozed a little. And she bounced back on the bed- put her little hand on my head (again) and said "HEY! Your headache is gone. I just felt it. It's gone."

She waited. Patiently. For my headache to be gone. And she was just as, if not more, excited as I was when it had no longer held me down.

And here's what I got out of that time with Zoe.

A) God will heal us. We just have to wait. Patiently. Quietly. We have to wait. We may not be 'healed' in the way WE thought we'd be healed. But we will ,indeed- be healed.

B) As frustrating and seriously painful as that headache was- as certain as I am that Satan had an agenda for that headache- GOD turned it into a beautiful, priceless time spent with Zoe- I'll endure many more headaches and more and more pain if need be to gain that quality time with all of my girls. I don't want to HAVE TO endure the pain- but I will.

There's no way to explain how important it is for me to stop and be still long enough to savor the years of my daughters' youth.

Kyla- The Lord layed out some awesome conviction today where my incredible 6 year old is concerned. I'll have to fill in the blanks at a later time- but as a reminder to myself- it has to do with an evening out with a friend to listen to Christine Cain teach tonight at Free Chapel. To her daughter she spoke "You are beautiful and intellegent. You are the head, and not the tail. You are a leader and not a follower. You are above and not beneath........" That's my conviction. To speak life into my daughters'! Why haven't I been doing that all along!!?!

Leah- She is a cuddle-bug through and through- and she's been missing out on cuddles and lovin' time with her Mommy. Her behavior reflects that she, too, is missing out on quality time that she needs and deserves. Why oh why have I been BLIND to the needs and desires of my girls'? Or was it not that I was blind, but very, very selfish with my time? Probably the latter. I am so selfish where time management is concerned, especially!

And Zoe.... I'm so thankful that today was a Zoe day. Zoe. The Life of God. The prayers of a little child- certainly heard, and beautifully delivered. Thank you Jesus!

Monkey Joes or Trader Joes

Warning: Read only if you DO NOT mind a little 'bathroom' humor. Seriously.

So- today I decided to go to Trader Joes. I was prepared. READY. I had a list. A plan! Joshua and I would enjoy our girls, get a few yummy organic/whole grocery items. Enjoy time together in the van during the 1 hour trip there..... and then snack on something scrumptious for the hour ride back. I had it alllll planned out.

But. Joshua wasn't feelin' up to it. Leah was tired..... eh... I'd just go with Kyla and Zoe. No big deal. It was still going to be fun.

Here's the thing about Trader Joes, though. It's in Roswell. That city confuses me, I ALWAYS GET LOST. Always! There are 2 Trader Joes in Roswell. I can never remember 'which is where'. BUT! I had directions. I read them. I KNEW where I was going THIS TIME (ha. ha. ha HAH! Um. No I didn't)

I'm driving down 400. I see a friend on the road. I call her. We start chatting. I miss my exit. No biggie. I'll turn around. (psh!) I got off the 'right' exit, drove and drove, didn't see Trader Joes. Turned around. Drove a LOT more... and ended up NOT in Roswell... but in Gwinett County (????) Turned around again. At this point- I had to pee. BAD! I mean, I had to pee so bad it really hurt.

Kyla kept announcing "We're driving in circles ya know. Does anybody else realize that we ARE DRIVING in a circle?!!" I yell at Kyla, "Be.Quiet! I'm trying to figure out where we're going".

Zoe asked what we were looking for. I explain "A store that has a T at the first part of it's name. Trader Joes."

We pass Monkey Joes. She says "Hey. There's a MONKEY Joes...."

I'm in so much pain. My bladder is feeling like it may rupture. But. I had no clue where to stop for a potty break. I was annoyed that I had now been lost for an entire hour. (Seriously, driving up and down the same stinkin' road!)

Finally I cave. I pull into a Quick Trip. A. They usually have clean bathrooms. B. Even if they didn't, I have mastered the art of the 'squat'. I have power-house thighs due to the many times I've had to squat over a bathroom toilet. No joke.

I all but yank both girls out of the car in an effort to NOT pee on myself. Yay me... there's a cop parked RIGHT next to us. I was praying I didn't look like a crazy person as I held both girls hands saying "Hurry up. We have to go quick!!!"

They sweetly hurry, and I go straight to 'the big' stall at QT. Thank YOU JESUS it's clean. Whooo. And I sit. Painfully. It reallly hurts. You know how sometimes you have to just pee soooo bad that it takes a minute for you to actually 'let loose'? No?

I'm sitting there, the girls are looking at me like "Ok. We'll just wait." And Zoe glances over at a sign on the stall door. She says. "Hey. There's a T." (in reference to the "T" we were looking for on Trader Joes) And then she perks up. And runs over to me (as I'm sitting. On the toilet. Peeing.) "MOMMY! I have a plan! We can go to MONKEY JOES instead of Trader JOES!!!! Isn't that a great idea??"

What a mind. Her spunky little 4 year old brain decided to make the best of our day. We couldn't find Trader Joes.... but we DID know where Monkey Joes was.

Awesome.

Crocodile Eggs

While in the kitchen, I heard Zoe declare "Ok. Now I have 3 Crocodile Eggs." I looked down into the playroom, and noticed that Zoe was sitting on the potty. She explained that her eggs had to stay in the potty until they were ready to be crocodiles, and when she got up from the potty, she looked into the toilet and said "Stay there." She finished up her bathroom routine, and stood in the door way, looking at me "Mommy. My crocodile eggs are going to stay in there until they hatch, ok?" And then she turned off the bathroom light and closed the door. "They are going to sleep now."

Yes. Zoe's 3 little crocodile eggs are exaclty what you're assuming..... 3 little Zoe poopies. They rested in the potty until Zoe was too busy to notice that I flushed her 'Crocodile Eggs', lest her baby sister reached into the toilet and tried to examine them.

Sweet Zoe.

Convenient Store Goodies

Tonight, on my way home, I stopped by the local Chevron for a fill up. I had to prepay because I was using cash; and while I was waiting in line, I noticed a man and his 3 boys. The man was maybe mid 30's? His sons were around 5, 7, and 10? Just a guess. And these boys were quiet, and well mannered as they scoured the aisles in search of the treat that their Daddy had apparently promised them. The Dad was just hanging out, casually looking around like he didn't have anywhere to be at 9:30 pm on a Thursday night. He was waiting patiently, lovingly, tenderly; he was allowing his children to take their time. And when they had each picked out their prize, he calmly paid $9 for their treats, and walked them out to his older model van.

It reminded me of the times I spent with my Dad on the weekends. My dad was like this man. My dad's thermostat was always set on 'chill'. He could have cared less that my sister and I spent so long trying to figure out what treat we wanted. Would it be candy? A coke? Oh! Chips!?!?! It took us forever.... because we never got treats when we were with our mom. Our mom woudn't even let us out of the car to so much as look at all the treats inside the store. I have to admit I resented her for it. She wasn't patient like my Daddy. She wasn't tender like the man at the store tonight. Grace wasn't really a word she understood, giving wasn't really an act she was accustom to.

The most heart breaking part of this journal is that I realized tonight, inside that gas station, that I suck at being a mom! I have not yet learned the err of my mother's ways, because I was being just like her! If I needed to pay for gas, it was absolutely out of the question to bring all 3 girls inside that store with me just so I could hand the cashier a $20 bill and grab my receipt. And I most certainly did not have the time, and oh! not even the least bit of energy to wait around while a 3 and a 5 year old spend minute after minute making a decision about a junk food choice that would cost way more than our budget to afford. No.... uh-uh... this Mommy has places to be, children to feed, laundry to wash, dishes to clean, floors to sweep..... oh (SIGH). I understand now why my mom handled us in such a harsh manner. I get it now. But I didn't get it then! And back then is when it mattered the most to me.



I know I'm busy, and sure!, I know that 'one day when they are older and have kids of their own' my girls will understand why I was so tense, and impatient, and unwilling to let them pick out a treat from the gas station, or even the grocery store. But NOW is when it matters to them. Now is when they need me to be so sweet, and tender, and loving, and patient. Now is when they need to think that they are special enough to walk into a convenient store and pick out an insanely over priced item as their prize. Not because they were good enough or obedient, but because it just happened to be a Friday afternoon, and I happened to need gas, and they happened to be in the car with me when I filled up.

Because that's what I really wanted my mom to do... and she didn't take the time to show me how much she loved me, whether it was a special treat, or a bit of quality 'mommy daughter' time, or even a snuggle beside her while we watched a movie. There wasn't a whole lot of love being shown, though I understand that she did truly love me. I want my girls to know, with out any part of their minds doubting it, that I adore them, and cherish them! And I would gladly give up a measly 10 minutes of my stressed out, overwhelmed life to make them feel important, even if it's something as simple as a walk down the candy aisle at Chevron.

My 3 Personal Trainers

We were having a typical chaotic morning;

*Breakfast.... always messy and time consuming.
*Home School.... "pay attention" is a phrase Kyla hears 20 times a session
*Leah's morning routine, which is nutty for me in itself
*Getting all of us dressed, "Zoe! I see your hiney... all pink and shiney...... put your clothes on!!!"

We were late getting out the door. Surprise. Surprise. It would be 12:30 before we actually get to the gym! Childwatch closes at 1:00, so this means I only get 30 minutes to work out. Typically, we would have just skipped it. BUT! I am determined to keep my routine this week, so off we went!

I decided that after my 30 minutes on the 'floor', I'd take the girls into the gymnasium (which is like HUGE) and we'd throw around some basketballs, play a little soccer, and just goof off. There was a chance that Leah would not be happy running around a massive floor plan chasing a ball; but I didn't count on it.

First, we started off 'learning' how to dribble. Kyla didn't believe me when I told her to dribble with her finger tips instead of the palm of her hand until I showed her that I could "dribble with just one finger". She thought that was COOL! So we tossed the ball back and forth and got a little comfortable with catching it and bouncing it. I impressed her when I actually got the ball into the net (ahem... after about 3 or 4 failed attempts). And Zoe just rolled around on her basketball and the floor in her happy little Zoe world.

Leah had the soccer ball, and her fun consisted of throwing the ball and following it as it rolled away from her, and then picking it up, throwing it again, and following it as it rolled away. It was like 18 month old heaven! Nobody bothered her. It was just Leah, a ball, and a gazillion square feet of toddling room.

After Kyla's basketball "session", it was Zoe's turn and she just totally didn't get it. However, she thought it was awesome that we were tossing and bouncing the ball together, so we called it basketball anyway. Kyla traded her basketball for the soccer ball, and Leah was happy to share! Her facial expression said "Oh! A new kind of ball. Whoo-Hoo, thanks!!"

Kyla and I played soccer around the gym (THIS is where the Cardio came in.... ). One wall was her net, and the other wall was my net. She is a natural athlete, and will be an amazing soccer player! She held her own, and did a great job keeping the ball in her space, and STEALING it from me! Kyla ended up sticking with soccer, Zoe kept her basketball, and Leah... throw, follow, pick up... repeat! So I went back and forth between Kyla and Zoe's "ball game" for a pretty long time.

I enjoyed playing basketball again, even if a 5 year old and a 3 year old were my "competitors". I never played for a team, but recreationally have always enjoyed it! (But I'm no good!). Kyla chased me around the gym trying to steal the basketball away as I dribbled around her and the court. She couldn't get the ball away from me, so she thought she'd be slick and toss the soccer ball into my b-ball, and knock it out of my dribble. It worked and she was like "Ha! Ha!!!".

After a few attempts at volleyball (a net was set up on the other side of the gym), we decided to move onto something new. SO! We went to the aerobics room and layed out a few mats. Together (while Leah tried to find something to get in to) we did a few abdominal excercises, and Kyla and Zoe did a few pushups (pilates style off of one of the big balls) and we stretched, and practiced balance on the Bosu. When we were finishing up Kyla said, "Ok! Now it's time for Yoga, Mommy. Yoga is soooo easy, and it's really fun!!!". I'm not sure why she is interested in Yoga, because she's never participated in it, but she loves the idea of it.

Our day was awesome! I had a blast playing with my girls, and got in an amazing cardio session! Now, that's what I call multi-tasking!!! We are absolutely doing it again this week!

Living the Life

Zoe. She's living in Zoe World most of the time. It's her little curly headed bouncy place that only she visits; because we haven't figured out how to get there, yet. She bounces from one activity to the other, and conversates in spurts of random thoughts that she has in her cute little head. She makes everyone that she has ever met laugh; just by being HERSELF! And she innocently ask us, "Hey. Why are you laughing? What's funny?"

Because her thoughts fly around, she is often in trouble for disobeying. We have to be careful, though, because we're pretty sure that most of the time, she has just forgotten to obey. But she is so forgiving, and quick to recover from any discipline she receives. She can literally tumble down the stairs and announce "I'm ok! I'm ok!" as she's bouncing back to her feet and running off to who-knows-where.

And she's establishing a sweet compassion that I adore. I love my little bouncy ball of LIFE. She amazes me.

it's those little things

I saw this thing on this show about keeping a Journal of Thanks. And the author suggest that a person keep a journal, and through out the day, they MUST find 5 things with in that particular day to be thankful for. For example, you can't say "I'm thankful I have a house, a job, blah blah blah". It's about being thankful and pointing out the positive aspects of each day.

And, so... here I am. I have to log on to this blogger thing daily and name my 5 thanks for the day, but I added an extra bonus to this task, and I also have to name 5 reasons I am thankful for my husband each day. Here we go:

My day:
Leah helped me take the laundry out of the dryer and put it in the laundry basked. It was sweet, and adorable. She would pick up a sock, look at me, and then put it in the laundry basket, look back at me, and find something else to pick up. Once all the clothes were in the basket, she started pulling them OUT of the basket. Just one little piece at a time. I'm so thankful for the time I had to sit back and enjoy my 15 month old baby girl.

* On our white end table, to the left, there is a small black and white photo of Kyla at age 3 and Zoe age 1 framed in a square, cherry finished 8x8 frame, aside the frame, slightly centered on the table is a few long pieces of fresh eucalyptis in a slender vase that looks like a wine carafe, and on the right side of that is a tall, silver finished lamp with a bright satin white lamp shade. The table sits in front of a window that is treated with white wooden blinds and a plain white cotton tabbed curtain. The window sits on a smokey sort of charcoil blue wall, and it is framed with a bright white painted trim. For some reason, that table just looks so beautiful to me. Like it's a piece of art or something. I love it! I'm thankful that the Krogar floral department had that eucalyptis on sale for $2. Everything else on that table- we had already.

*On our kitchen table, in the center, there is a basket full of white napkins. Beside that basket, a large solid red cup, and in that cup, a bouquet of yellow and orange flowers. I am thankful that we have a big table to sit at when we eat dinner together as a family, and that today, that table looks so comfortable.

*After dinner this evening, Kyla began complaining. She continued to whine and complain when prompted to clean her mess from the table, saying that it wasn't fair that she had "chores" to do. (Cleaning her mess is a chore?) As a sort of reminder that she actually didn't have much to do, we told her she needed to clean up by herself. She walked away, sort of pouting, and started to look for the broom. Zoe followed Kyla and said "What's the matter, Kyla? Why are you sad?" Kyla responded with a grumpy "I have to clean the house", and Zoe said in a super cheery voice "Oh, OK, I - will - help - you- CLEAN -then!!!". I am so thankful that Zoe has a sweet love for her sister. It is actually often that Zoe is concerned for Kyla. Kyla refused Zoe's offer at first, because she thought she had to clean by herself, but we explained to Kyla that it was so sweet for her sister to want to help her, and that it would be perfectly fine. RIGHT after that, Kyla's demeanor changed. She was chipper, and thankful, and polite. I'm thankful that Kyla was able to see the importance of THANKS.

*The day was certainly long, and since I've been trying to get our house organized for the past few months, today was no exception. Actually, today was more of a "job" because I had to incorporate lots of cleaning to that organizing, since we'll be hosting our small group Bible Study this Sunday. All that to say- I was just ready for a break! I found a tanning salon close by that stayed open until 9:30pm, so I went for a 15 minute sunshine break, and it was awesome. I had my MP3 queued to some great worship music, and just soaked up some peace. I'm thankful for 15 minutes!