Avoiding bed or really hungry?

It is always hard to tell on Wednesday night after church if the kids are really hungry when we get home or just trying to avoid going to bed. We usually eat before church since it starts at 7:30. Tonight the girls were whining that they were still hungry so I said,"you can have corn, green beans, or garbanzo beans (which were the first three vegetables I found in the pantry) if you are hungry." They picked green beans and have nearly devoured the whole can. They must really have been hungry tonight. Usually when faced with canned veggies or any other options they take the other option. Either way it is still a win win for me because at least they ate vegetables.

Gator boys

So the kids and I are all a little sickly today. I think it is just a cold, but we all have slight fevers and aches. In an effort to keep the kids calm and not wanting to watch anymore Thomas the Trains I turned on Gator Boys. The show is about guys who go around and catch alligators that are bothering people. One guy uses PVC pipe and a rope to catch gators in the water. The problem is now the kids are playing gator and chasing each other around with a paint stick they're using as a catch pole. Abigail had now learned to "train" Isaac the alligator by feeding him cheerios as gator snacks. Fun times at our house.

I know He loves You

So Isaac has been doing some reading comprehension and drawing conclusions in his schoolwork. He'll have a little sentence or story to read then a few options to pick from for what will happen next. This is usually followed by some lines to write about what clues in the story led to the conclusion you chose. Tonight we were out at a restaurant and I said, "Hey, Isaac, I love you." Isaac said, "I love you too." Then I said, "I love your Daddy." And Isaac said, "I know he loves you too. The clues I used to figure that out are...Well, when he kisses you that reminds me that he loves you." So there you have it it really is in the kiss. Hmm...there's a song in there somewhere.

Pictures of the Kids

Every year I try to at least take the kids to have one professional picture made. After yesterday's session I was again reminded why I only do this once a year. I got off work at 1:30 and my session was scheduled for 3:30. So I got the girls in the bath to wash their hair since Indiana had been styling it earlier with yogurt or some other sticky substance. After making it through all the splashing and soaping, shampooing, conditioning and a few tears I finally got them out of the tub and dried and lotioned. Then I got them dressed in their outfits, located their dress shoes, and tried to keep them out of the yogurt while Isaac changed into his suit. Finally we loaded up in the van and actually left the house around 3:00. It was worth it though they all pretty much cooperated and the pictures turned out well. I ordered pose 2 for our package because I thought it captured their personalities pretty well while still looking orderly. Pose 25 and 26 are really what most of our pictures turn out like at home though. Enjoy!

http://www.myonlineportraits.com/ViewSharedAlbum.aspx?ShareID=e6abe0c0-3483-4f15-b726-69493aef413e

Isaac Quote of the Day

Today I was listening to Exodus chapter 26 while Isaac and Abigail were doing school work. Isaac was doing his school work when he suddenly looked up and said, "Did he say Wonka?" We like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I had to look back to see what Isaac really had heard. Want to guess? The verse says, "The length of one curtain..." One curtain, does kind of sound like Wonka if you are just listening a little.

Abigail quote of the day

I was cold so I put on a long sleeved shirt and long sleeved pants. Indiana wasn't cold so she has on a short sleeved shirt and long sleeved pants.

Is that our church?

We have been enjoying our gospel meeting this week with the church. Brother James Rogers has been presenting lessons on following in the footprints of Jesus. Last night he spoke about the steps of Jesus leading to His church and that it isn't "our" church but that the church belongs to Christ. I have been impressed with how well the children have been behaving each night and this morning I found out they are listening as well.
I have several devotional songs that I've been trying to learn and have found that congregations post videos to YouTube of the congregation singing. This morning I was playing a new song and Isaac came up and looked at the ipod and said, "Is that our church?" So I took the opportunity and asked him, "Whose church is it?" and he said, "God's." So then I asked him, "Who bought the church?" and he said, "Jesus." So far he'd been following brother James' outline so I followed up with, "How did Jesus pay for the church?" and Isaac said, "He had to die. That's sad." So then we talked a little more and Isaac came to the conclusion, "Jesus died so we could be members of His church and go to heaven."
We recently had a youth day and I had the opportunity to speak to the young ladies about being ready to give and answer from 1 Pet 3:15. In that lesson I talked a little about earning money verses being given money to spend. I've noticed with my kids if they want something and I tell them they can do chores to earn the money to buy it that once they've earned the money sometimes they decide to save it instead of spending it at the dollar store. As adults I think we are the same way, doesn't that bonus money usually go faster than our weekly paycheck? Do we tend to order more food when someone else is taking us out to eat verses what we would order if we were paying for it ourselves? What if we had to donate blood to earn money? What if stores had blood bank lines and when you took your new shoes up to the counter instead of getting out your wallet you sat in a chair, a nurse put a needle in your arm, and you had to give a pint of blood, or a quart, or a gallon? How long would most of us wait to get new shoes? Jesus didn't just give a little blood for the church though, He gave all of it! So when people say they love Jesus but not His church I find that highly contradictory. If we love Jesus we'll love the things He loves, and what could He love more than the one thing He gave His life for? He gave his life for the assembly, the congregation, the called out people, the church!

Life Goals

We have always tried to teach our kids that their number one goal in life is to get to heaven and their second goal is to help as many people get to heaven with them as they can. Tonight while showering Abigail I was asking her how we get to heaven and she said,"By doing what God says." So I asked her how we know what God says and she said,"We read the Bible." Then I asked her how we help other people get to heaven and she looked at me with a classic Abigail quizzical look and said,"uh, we pay money?" Not sure where that came from but we went on to discuss it and concluded that teaching them the Bible was a better answer to that question.

Indiana's vocabulary

Indiana has started talking a lot more lately. She usually still says "hold you" when she means "hold me." Today she was sitting at the table with Abigail and said, "Abagab, you. I, me."

Vocabulary Issues

So Indiana has a bad habit of just walking up to Jake or me and making a noise of some type so we'll look at her. Then she usually walks away or wants to be picked up. Well this afternoon she walked up to Jake and said, "Eek." He looked down at her and she didn't indicate that she wanted to be picked up so he said, "Oh, did you just want me to acknowledge your presence?" And she said, "Presents!" and followed after him saying, "Present? Present?" Oops, now we have to try to explain to a two year old that no there isn't a present for her.

Tomboy

I think Abigail may be a tomboy. Today she is wearing some striped overalls and pretending she is an engineer. This in and of itself may not establish the fact that she is taking after her brother. When she is playing with her fruit stand lego set, and instead of making a marketplace she makes a caulking gun, that pretty much says it all. So now she is shooting her caulking gun with pretend bullets and hitting targets. I don't think she understands what caulk actually is, but she has seen her Daddy use a caulk gun before and she was very interested in it. So she is now happily shooting pretend bullets at mice from her caulking gun and is very entertained. As long as she's happy and not making a mess it's okay with me.

Things overheard on a monitor

Today Indiana is supposed to be laying down for a nap. Usually I lay her down and just let her do her own thing until she falls asleep. Sometimes I find her asleep in the rocking chair after she has rocked herself to sleep. Other days she has pulled her pillow and blanket to the doorway and is sound asleep there. So far today she is still going strong but I have been able to pick out her singing "I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery, flying, I'm in the lords army. Yes! Sir!
And she said a prayer. And now she is quiet so maybe she is going to sleep. It is neat to hear her doing her nighttime routine of family bible time and singing and prayer all on her own before a nap.

Memory Verse Hunt

We are always looking for more ways to keep the Bible in our daily lives and those of our children. A few months ago I printed out all the verses from our Hannah's Hundreds Cds and a few of our other memory verses (about 450 in all) and made them into double sided postcard size pages that I then laminated. One of our new favorite games is that I hide the memory verse cards around the house and we have a memory verse hunt in the mornings and throughout the day. As they find cards we stop and read them together then when they aren't looking I hide them someplace new. It is so fun to watch the kids get all excited about finding a memory verse card. Even Indiana gets in on the fun now and will find ones I've hidden down low.

Chasing Lights

We've all seen cats chasing flashlights and laser pointers, but it is equally entertaining with kids.

Willy the Word Worm

It is hard to find good educational programs for children, especially ones that deal with scientific matters. We came across Digger Doug a few years ago and the dvd's were on near constant play in our house the first few weeks after we got them. Now that we can stream the Gospel Broadcasting Network (GBN) we have access to Digger Doug anytime we have internet access. Isaac's favorite part of Digger Doug is Willy the Word Worm who is the reporter and brings us the Word of the Day and Late Breaking News. How can I tell Isaac's a big fan, just listen in...(Pardon Indiana's crying in the first one, she wanted to hold the camera)

Word of the Day

Breaking News

I think it's cute that he even hold the "microphone" in his toes to be just like Willy.

Never heard or seen GBN or Digger Doug? Don't miss out, they have an app for your smartphone and you can stream it online at http://www.gbntv.org/

Bedtime

We have always had issues with Isaac going to bed. I think it's because he was our first and we were never as firm with him about bedtime as we should have been. We also made mistakes with letting him sleep on our floor when he was sick and now he is always trying to sleep on our floor. He's also gone through periods of being scared of the dark. With the girls we knew better and they are great sleepers. After an initial period of a few weeks where Indiana was testing to see if she could get out of bed and play without getting punished she has conceded defeat and stays in her bed all night long just like Abigail.
We also have another issue now because Isaac is getting to the point where he doesn't need to go to bed as early as the girls, but I think we have come up with a pretty effective solution. Now that Isaac can both read and tell time he knows that everyone goes to bed at the same time, but he gets to read an extra hour or so before he has to turn off his reading light and go to sleep. I love going in to check on him and finding him asleep on a book with his headlamp on. I wish I could take a picture without waking him up. This has been a great solution for us though because he's quiet, he is working on his reading skills, and he is practicing telling time. The only big problem is when he falls asleep with his nose in a book I have to wake him up a little to get the book put away.

Potty Time

One of the most exciting times in the parenting journey is potty training. There's nothing like anticipating the last diaper change, no longer buying diapers and wipes, and being able to do away with the stinky pail in the garage. Personally in the five and a half years since my personal parenting journey started I have not experienced a day that I have not had at least one in diapers. Now with Indiana starting to show and interest and having sporadic success with using the toilet I can see a glimmer of light at the end of this diapering tunnel.
I had forgotten about the early days of potty training. I'm not sure when Isaac and Abigail were officially potty trained, but I know it was around two because I worked hard on potty training once I had a new baby in diapers too. But I do recall the cheering and clapping and excitement the first time they went on the potty. Today they all gathered round as Indiana went to the bathroom for the first time. Very exciting and Indiana loved the audience.
All this excitement of pottying made me think of one of my favorite teaching moments. I teach the 1st - 3rd grade class on Wednesday nights. I have a good group of kids, but they always enjoy the studies with a little gore or something gross. So one day while we were reviewing David's life I mentioned the time when David and his men were hiding in a cave and Saul came in to use the bathroom.  Of course, the kids then insisted I show them exactly where they could find this in the Bible.

1 Samuel 24:1 KJV - And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.
1 Samuel 24:2 KJV - Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
1 Samuel 24:3 KJV - And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
1 Samuel 24:4 KJV - And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.
1 Samuel 24:5 KJV - And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.
1 Samuel 24:6 KJV - And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

They were so thrilled with this new knowledge that I went on to tell them that there was at least one other case I knew of when someone was thought to be going to the bathroom. In truth in this case he was actually murdered, but his servants thought he was using the bathroom. In Eglon's case, he was also called extremely fat, which only made the story more appealing to the students.

Judges 3:17 KJV - And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
Judges 3:18 KJV - And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.
Judges 3:19 KJV - But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
Judges 3:20 KJV - And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
Judges 3:21 KJV - And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
Judges 3:22 KJV - And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
Judges 3:23 KJV - Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.
Judges 3:24 KJV - When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
Judges 3:25 KJV - And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

Mommy or Wife?

Abigail: Mommy when I'm big as you I'm going to grow up and have my own kids. And when my kids get out of bed I'm going to go whack them.
Me: Why? Because it is a mommy's job to...
Abigail: Train up the child. And when I get big I'm going to have to get a Daddy.
Me: No, you will need a husband.
Abigail: No, my husband is going to be Bryan.
Me: Oh, okay.
Abigail: Is Daddy your husband?
Me: Yes, when you get married the boy is called the husband.
Abigail: Oh, what are you?
Me: I'm Daddy's wife. The girl who gets married is the wife and the boy is the husband. When they have kids then they are a Mommy and Daddy too.

Catapult

This past Saturday I went a Ladies' Day in Tennessee. While I was gone it was Daddy day. And the kids had projects to do with Daddy. Abigail painted a birdhouse, and Isaac built a catapult. This morning he was explaining the "Catapult Rules" to Indiana.
Okay Indiana, here are the rules:  Always watch where you're aiming. Never aim at places where people are at. And always aim at targets.

Here is his video explanation.

The cleaning crew

One of the many things I learned after having Isaac was that I should have made him pick up his own toys way earlier than I did. It was just so much faster if I did it myself, but it taught him a bad lesson. The girls have always been much better about picking up and with their help Isaac has gotten better too. Always looking for new ways to encourage picking up, Jake played a clean up game with the kids while I was sick recently. The great thing was that they loved it and wanted to pick up all the time, the downside was that they made messes specifically so they could later play the pick up game.
Indiana is by far the most concerned with cleaning though. Since she could walk she has had to pick up her room before she could come out to play after her naps. She picks up all her toys and blankets and puts them back on her bed. The other day she was downstairs gathering all the plastic cups and bowls and throwing them into the sink for me. One thing though that she has started now that she can reach the drawers in the kitchen, is that she puts the silverware back in the drawer. The problem is she takes them off the table after they've been used and puts them away. I now have to remember to check the drawer at night when I clean up the kitchen and pull all the dirty silverware out of the drawer.

The Secret to Eating Veggies

I usually make a big serving of stir fried vegetable that we eat for two or three meals. I've tried a variety of vegetables, switching out the unpopular vegetables in search of the right combination. So far we know they'll eat green beans, onions, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and squash. Turnips and parsnips are definitely out. Even with the most popular vegetables it's a struggle to get them to eat a small serving each. Today I decided to break out the mandolin slicer and julienne all the veggies. They ate everything! The more homogenous mixture and smaller vegetable size seems to have made all the difference. Of course this could just be a fluke, but I'm looking forward to further testing.

Kids and Creation

Overheard while the kids were supposed to be doing their schoolwork; a discussion on creation.

Abigail: He created sticks and flowers and mud. And He created grass in our backyard.
Isaac: No, He didn't create mud. He made the rain fall and when dirt gets wet it turns into mud.
Abigail: But Isaac, sometimes when it's not wet it turns into mud.
Isaac: No.
Abigail: Oh, no. (followed by laughing) Did God create hats and belts?
Isaac: No, but bunnies are created by God.
A: Dinosaurs?
I: Yep, they sure were.
(Hysterical laughing)
A: Are eyes created?
I: Yes
A: Are chins created?
I: Yes
A: Are tummies created?
I: Yes
A: Are backs created?
I: Yes
A: Ears created?
I: Yes
A: Necks Created?
I: Yes, okay Abigail that's enough silliness.

This Hurts Me More than it Hurts You

As Jake was holding Abigail and I was digging a huge splinter out of her hand tonight, I couldn't help but think of the phrase "This hurts me more than it hurts you." As she was screaming, "This isn't making it better, it's making blood" I knew I just had to keep going to get all the pieces out. And afterwards she was thrilled to get a bandage and said that it was all better now. I think I was still shaking for ten minutes afterwards.
This also got me thinking about discipline. I never really understood the magnitude of the task set before us as parents until Isaac was nearing two years old and I really started with discipline. Of course now that I know better we start spankings and time-outs and loss of privileges much earlier than that 18-24 month mark. It just really hit me hard at that time in Isaac's life that God had blessed me with this child. And he has a soul that as his parents we have to prepare and set his foot on the path to heaven. I think discipline is one of the hardest things for a parent to do. Especially when you start to read too many parenting books and with the advent of online parenting groups the discussions on disciplining are endless. As for me I've decided I'm just going to stick with God and His book. I know He'll never lead me astray. So for all those reading now and for my kids who will hopefully be reading this blog in the future, here is just a small amount of what the Bible has to say on discipline and rearing children.
Proverbs 4:1-4 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth the rod hateth his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:13-14 withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Hebrews 12: 5-11 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, where of all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yeildeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Measuring

I love it when Isaac wants to learn something. Today he wanted to measure with his measuring tape. First though he asked, "Mommy, which side is the calimeters and which side is inches?" He always forgets the word "centimeter" for some reason. Now though he is a measuring fool. The table is 42 cm long, the TV is 74 cm. Indiana is 80 cm.

Abigail is 40 inches. Not sure why he switched units on me, but I just typed them as he read them out and given the size of that tape measure it looks like his error rate is about +/- 4 inches.

The Things Kids Play

My children have very active imaginations. They are always coming up with something. Sunday night as we were going into church Aunt Laura told Abigail she had to tie her horse up outside because horses weren't allowed in church. We then had to rush out after services to make sure no one had stolen the imaginary horse while we were in church.
This afternoon I came upstairs and the kids were having a birthday party for their toys. Shark was turning 21.
Now they are all three in Isaac's room playing church. Isaac is leading Footprints of Jesus and Abigail and Indiana are both singing along. And his sermon was on being good and obeying, because that's what God wants.
And Indiana is working on her memory verse. She's getting there. I'll say, "In the beginning" and she says, "God" then I'll say "created the heavens and the earth. Genesis" and Indiana chimes in "one one."

Bible Class Recap

I always try to ask the kids when they get out of Bible class on Wednesday nights about what they learned. Tonight Mrs. Danette had the difficult job of teaching 4 and 5 year olds about Joseph and Potipher's Wife. I think she did a great job. Here was Isaac's synopsis of the lesson: Joseph got thrown into prison because Potipher was mad at him, but his wife told a lie. See Potipher took a wife, but she wanted to pretend that she was Joseph's wife. And Joseph wouldn't do it and he didn't kiss her, then she lied to Potipher about it.

Good job Mrs. Danette, he got it. I'm so glad we have good Bible teachers and that we have the ability to teach our children the truth of God's word/.

How Mad are You?

Isaac had a tee ball game last night. On the way home Indiana started crying. She wouldn't stop and after a few minutes Isaac said, "Indiana you're making me mad." A few minutes later he said, "Indiana now I'm three feet mad." Then he just started counting, "Now I'm four feet mad. Now I'm five feet mad...Now I'm 21 feet mad." I guess "feet" is his new unit for mad.

Kids' Views on Scripture

Isaac was talking to me in the car the other day. And he said, "Mommy can a fruit tree have olives? Can vine have figs? No, that's so silly."
We were listening to Hannah's Hundreds IV covering the book of James. It is always nice to know they're listening.

Jam 3:10 NKJV - Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Jam 3:11 NKJV - Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
Jam 3:12 NKJV - Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
Jam 3:13 NKJV - Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
Jam 3:14 NKJV - But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
Jam 3:15 NKJV - This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.
Jam 3:16 NKJV - For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
Jam 3:17 NKJV - But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Jam 3:18 NKJV - Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Yesterday we were working on our New Testament books with some flashcards I made, and Isaac had laid out: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and then just stopped. So I asked him, "What are you looking for?" and he said, "Letters." So I asked, "What comes after that?" and he said "To the Romans." I guess there are 28 books in his New Testament.
On the way to church last night Abigail said to me, "My shoelaces are snakes, they're trying to trick me into eating fruit. Mommy I won't ever eat fruit. Eating fruit is bad." We will have to go over the garden of Eden again I guess.

Even Indiana thinks every book is a Bible. It's nice to know she has the most important book down. But anything that isn't a board book is a Bible. Last night in church she was saying "Bible" and Jake handed her her Bible, she smacked it away and said, "No, Bible!" pointing vigorously at the song book. It was time to sing and she knew she needed that "Bible" to do it.

Potty Training

So Indiana is working on potty training. Not really seriously, but she likes to sit on the potty a few times a day. Well today I had her on the potty, then somehow I got her off and she ran off without a diaper on. It was probably 45 min later when I noticed that she was completely naked on the bottom. At least I haven't found any spots where she had an accident. But she was not happy to get caught going commando. She did not want a diaper back on. Guess she'll have to figure it out soon if she doesn't want to wear diapers anymore.

She's also a fashionista :-)

Oh, Thank You

Last night Isaac didn't finish all his spaghetti, so when we got back from our walk around the neighborhood and Abigail got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich he didn't get one. I made two sandwiches though and put his in a bag. This morning when he came and asked for food I said, "Your sandwich is up there in a bag." He was very excited and said, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, I just love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

Let Me Tell You About Stuff

Let me tell you about stuff was Isaac's opening line as we got in the van to go to church tonight. The rest of the ride went something like this. Well, see those, those are pine trees they're different from other trees. Other trees have leaves and when the leaves lose their chlorophyll the leaves fall off. And there is something else about trees.The main part of a tree is called the trunk, and off of the trunk there are branches and on the branches there are leaves. Now let me tell you about weeds, weeds have something called a stem and on that there are things. Now I'm going to tell you about lights, lights use electricity. When you turn the switch the light gets electricity on it's wires and lights up. The wires are called a filament and when the filament breaks your light won't work even if it has electricity. And lights get hot. Now let me tell you about trains, trains run on tracks. And the tracks have rails that are nailed to the ties, which are wood. Trees are made of wood. And trains have engines that can pull other cars and they are coupled together with really strong chains so the engine can pull the cars.
And this is about the time we arrived at church. He then gave us another summary of lights and trees on the way home. I love that boy, and he cracks me up when he decides to teach his sisters stuff.

Abigail's Breakfast Poem

Five little pancakes sat on a wall
Five little pancakes had a great fall
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put the pancakes together again.

Guess what we had for breakfast :-)

What gets prayers?

We always say a prayer before eating our meals. Generally Isaac says the prayer for us, but sometimes Abigail is eating food on her own and she'll say it. Today Abigail wanted to have a snack between breakfast and lunch. She chose yogurt. I opened it and as she was getting her spoon to eat she looked up at me and said, "Does yogurt get prayers?" I told her that we pray for things we're thankful for and she started listing all the things for which she is thankful. "Yogurt, and milk, and water, and craisins, and chips, and cereal, and strawberries" so I guess all food needs prayers.

Abigail's new dress

I have been wanting to sew a dress for abigail for a while and today I finally did it. To make it extra special I let her make her own shrinky dink buttons to go on it. She decided to go with the hippo buttons.

Birthday Lunch

Jake has started the tradition of coming home to get the kids and taking them out for lunch, just the two of them, for their birthdays. Today is Isaac's birthday lunch and Jake just called to say he was on his way. Isaac was so excited that he wanted to sit out on the front porch to watch for him. While he was out there he started yelling for Abigail. When she went to the window he apparently told her to go upstairs to his room to lookout for Daddy. So she's up there watching out the window and is going to sound the Daddy alarm. I just thought is was so funny that Isaac thought about having a lookout, and that Abigail actually agreed to do it for him.

He was talking to Me

This morning Jake went straight to work instead of his usual early morning gym routine. As a result he got to see Isaac and Indiana before he left. As he was leaving he kissed Isaac, who was snuggling in bed with me at the time, and Jake told him, "I love you." Well I said, "I love you too" and Isaac rolled over and looked at me then said, "Mommy, he was talking to me." When Indiana woke up this morning she rememberd that Daddy had been home too and started asking for him. I am so glad the kids love their daddy.

Isaac's fear

For those who know my son, most would attest that he is pretty fearless. But he is wary of a few things, like meeting a lot of new people and eating lasagna. He is truly afraid of only one thing that we have discovered so far and that is heights. Anything over about six feet off the ground and you can pretty much count him out. He wouldn't even climb our back deck stairs for a long time. Well the other night as Jake was putting him to bed Jake asked Isaac if he wanted to go to heaven, and was more than a little surprised when he said no. So upon further questioning, Isaac admitted that he didn't want to go to heaven because it was too high. Tonight as I put him to bed he asked me how high is heaven. I told him that heaven is where God is and we won't be scared if we're with God.
This got me in deep thought mode. Isn't is scary to think about being apart from God? I pray that my family will all be faithful and we can be in heaven together, no matter how high, or far, or how difficult it may be to get there because where God is is where I want to be and where I want them to be.

When I grow up

While reading the girls their Bible lesson the other night we were reading Prov. chapter 31 and Abigail looked at me and said, "I'm going to be a doctor." I said, "Oh, what kind?" and she replied, "The kind you go to, to have babies. I want to born the babies. I want to born the mommies and daddies and brothers and sisters."

Last night we asked Isaac what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said, "I think I'll be a firefighter." And Abigail said, "Oh, you're going to put out fires and fight? So you aren't going to be a doctor like me."

This morning though Isaac decided to play parent I guess. I cooked a pan of rolls for breakfast and put them out on the table for the kids. As I was getting my computer set up for work, I overheard Isaac tell Indiana, "Now Indiana, that thing you were just doing to us was teasing. Don't tease."

Time to Potty Train?

So when your 18 month old follows her siblings into the bathroom and says, "pee-pee" every time she sees a potty, it's probably time to think about potty training. But when she learns to pull her diaper down and waddle to the potty she's leaving me no choice. This girly is definitely interested in going on the potty. Now, to just get her to figure out how to do it...A few more trips to the bathroom after two cups of milk and perhaps we'll have success. Yay for my girly growing up.

Birthday Advent Calendar

Isaac is very excited about his birthday this year. This morning he told me he wanted to put the things in the thing to count the days until his birthday. I was a little confused until he said, "Like we do to count the days until christmas." Guess I need to make him one or at least get him a calendar.

Abigail and Isaac have also been having fun with their imaginations lately. This morning Abigail was playing Scar from Lion king. Isaac then said, "You can't be Scar, Scar is a boy lion." Then Abigail said, "I am pretending I'm a boy and that I'm a lion." Isaac just couldn't accept that she can pretend to be a boy. Pretending she's a lion, or a bird, or any of the other things she pretends to be, is fine with Isaac as long as she doesn't pretend to be a boy any of those things.

Binoculars

Yesterday I thought I saw a cat on the roof of a neighbors house about six houses down. I wasn't sure so I got out my binoculars to check it out. And it was a cat on the roof, just warm shingles not hot or tin. But Isaac spotted me and now he is obsessed with binoculars. He has been using them to look out the window, and around the house. This afternoon he came up behind me and said, "Wow! Mommy, your bottom is really really big." At least he was using the binoculars when he said it.

Singing Practice

Jake is a member of the Big Chicken Chorus in Marietta, GA. Isaac sometimes goes to practice with him. Last night was Isaac's first big practice. So this morning I asked him what he did last night and he said, "Well, I built a big tower out of blocks, then I snuck into the snack room and got a big, big, big plate of peanuts and fruit. And Mommy you were right there were a bunch of guys there." Never once did he mention singing.

There is also a smaller group that practices in Cartersville at "Mr. Bill's house." Isaac and Abigail went to one of these practices with Jake. During the day I told the kids that if they were good they could go to the practice, and Isaac, having been there before told Abigail, "We play up in their playroom. You go up the stairs, past the singing room, and turn left out of the exercise room and into the playroom!" Again, never a mention of singing.

At least they have a fun time singing in the car on the way to practice with their Daddy. And they do enjoy singing:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=745393708398&saved

Super isaac

Isaac got a Cape for Christmas and today he was...a Hero! Abigail said, "Isaac you look just like super Grover!" then she told him that when he went outside the wind would blow him and make him fly. And he looked at her and rolling his eyes said,"no, abigail the wind doesn't blow people and make them fly because our bones and the food we eat just make us big so the wind won't blow us away." then he said that since he is a hero he will always listen to his mommy because "that's what heroes do."

Now they are playing mr. Lee and mrs. Sarah and Indiana is either baby jack or Reese. They can't decide. Oh and what are "mr. Lee and mrs. Sarah" doing? they are chasing each other around the house. and mr. Lee has a sword to kill snakes. Hmmmm, we sure have interesting neighbors:-)

Who needs clothes

When Indiana takes a nap I usually hear her on the monitor when she wakes up. If she is happy and playing I just leave her until she fusses. Yesterday she was happy and playing when all of a sudden she started screaming, I ran up the stairs to see what had happened. She was upset because she'd gotten her pajamas off except one foot was stuck and she was mad that she couldn't get it all the way off. Today she was in the living room playing and when she came out from behind the couch she was carrying her pants. Now she's working on getting her sweatshirt off. I guess it's too hot in the house. I'll turn the heat down to 65 :-)

Kids and crafts

We have had a lot of excitement around our house lately. It has been raining a lot and the kids have been cooped up inside. So that leaves me straining my poor non crafty brain to come up with activities to keep them busy and the house relatively clean. After we got our new bed delivered last week we have a lot of styrofoam and cardboard. And I thought to myself that we need to do something neat with these materials. After looking around a bit I found a pile of pictures I was just going to stick in a photo album and inspiration hit.
Tada! Picture wall art. And the kids were very excited to "help." Though they mostly just threw the pictures around until I said, "Hand me one" so that I could hot glue it to the styrofoam. One perk though these are super light and I mounted the little ones using painters tape, so when I get sick of it or when the kids are 30 and yelling at me to take their baby pictures down it should be an easy job.

My Little Artist

This is Isaac's latest masterpiece.  Here is the story that goes along with it: This is Isaac fighting a monster. He is throwing orange juice on the monster because monsters don't like orange juice. So he throws the orange juice on the monster and the monster runs away.

This is Daddy going to singing practice. He goes at night so it is dark and so that is why there is dark by his head.

This is Daddy when he gets to Mr. Bill's house for singing practice.

This is Abigail showing off some of the packing material from our new bed. She gave it two thumbs up after snuggling this morning.

I came back in the room and this morning and this is what I found. Isaac and Indiana snuggled up to watch Super Why together.

Lots of cute sayings

We just had "third christmas." We had christmas at thanksgiving with the Simpson family. Then we had christmas at home on chrismas day. And we had christmas at new years with the Malnati family so the kids were very excited for "third chrismas." On the way up to my parent's house Abigail exclaimed, "Oh no, we already took our christmas tree down, we need to go home and put it back up and decorate it!" She calmed down when we assured her the Mima would have a tree at her house.

On Saturday morning Uncle Peter asked Isaac if he wanted to watch cartoons and Isaac said, "Yeah, except Uncle Pete we call it Cars 2."

My new year's resolution was to start cooking healthier meals and pack Jake a good lunch for work everyday. Sunday I made roasted carrots, parsnips, turnips and brussel sprouts. Indiana ate some, Abigail ate the carrots, and Isaac liked the turnips. The leftovers got put into spaghetti sauce for dinner last night and went over pretty well. Jake showed Isaac how to cut up the parsnips and get a piece of pasta with the parsnip. The dinner mantra last night was "Taste the pasta not the parsnip."

This morning Indiana was very upset. She was playing with Niko's toy and Niko kept chasing her. Poor kitty just wanted her toy and poor Indiana just wanted to play with it too. I think this was the first non sibling related fight Indiana has gotten into. Outcome: Niko won and Indiana is down for a nap.