not just a memory verse

to our sweet teachers, 

thank you... thank you... thank you. you may be teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic... but there is so much more. i cannot imagine how long some days must be, but there is purpose. daily you are planting seeds in the lives of our precious little ones. seeds that are already beginning to bear fruit... seeds that will continue to bear fruit... you are impacting generations.

these may be a couple of gracie's memory verses from january, but i see so much more.

i see a declaration. 

i see a declaration Gods' promises. 

i see those promises of His words in her own sweet handwriting. 

in that handwriting i see the words of her Heavenly Father being declared over her own life.

and, it is priceless.

tea for two

over the weekend lily asked if she could have a tea party outside. 

sure! fantastic! great idea! 

we packed up the plastic tea set and she headed out to the garage while the other kids and daddy were playing basketball.

i stepped out into the garage to find this... and i decided to hang around with the camera to see how it turned out... 

she instructed him on the "proper" way to drink his tea... "pinkies out!"

so he drank and she refilled...

and they laughed... 

and talked about tea parties and what it's like to be four... 

and then he told her she could never get married... ever.

and she told him she was never going away to college cause "who'd snuggle with mommy?" ummmmm, well...

then he asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up to be a big girl. she answered and told him that she wanted to take care of animals. he told her he thought that being a veterinarian was a fantastic idea! this was her reaction to being told someday she could be a vet...

yesp... sweetest thing... ever.

it's the little things...

it's the little things... 

like an escalator ride down and back up...

that make me stop and think... 

Lord, help me to see my world through Your eyes. Help me to take time for the little things, find joy in the little moments, and enjoy every minute of each precious day You've given me with Your children. 

treasures in the birdhouse

this is the sweet little birdhouse lily painted while spending the weekend with andie sophia.

this is the glimpse of "um... that's-not-a-bird" i caught while attempting to tuck her into bed.

this is what the fourteen dollars i've been hunting for looks like after lily unsuccessfully "hid" it into the birdhouse... notice the $10 bill torn in half... "cause it just wouldn't fit!!!"

  ... and the barbie necklace she was hiding from grace.

oh... that... girl.

the little blue bean

 most conversations these days regarding lily start with "oh, that girl..." this is certainly no exception.

she was sitting in my lap at my office telling me all about her day. in true dramatic lily form, she tossed her head back during a particular part of her story and i caught a hint of blue in one of her nostrils. hmmm... she must have a runny nose i thought. but as she tossed that head again, i realized that was not the case. no, not at all. something was blue. pearly blue.

me: "lily, is there something in your nose?"

lily: "yep."

me: "um... what is it? did you put something in your nose."
(panic begins rising at this moment)

lily (as cool as a cucumber): "it's a blue bean. i put it there during P.E."

me: "what?!?!?!?! why????"

squirrel alert: why i ever ask "why" is beyond me. most of the time the response is a shrugging of the shoulders, and a realization that the truth is they don't know. there is no consideration of any consequences. there is (at this point) only a curiosity that drives them to do act. sorry... back to lily's story...

lily: "i don't know."

and the truth was she didn't know, she just did it. and she was very matter-of-fact about it.

i made a beeline for miss karla's office. in her ever calm manner, karla offered to help get it out. i'll spare you all the dramatic details, but i will say that there were four of us holding her down and one with the suction. it didn't work. finally mid-screaming, she was able to blow it out. yuck-o... yes. i don't think lily will do that again. oh, i hope she doesn't do it again...
  

"little blue bean"

you're welcome for the visual.

i can assure you there will be a sequel... just hoping it doesn't involve anything in the nose next time.

so long...

wigglesworth... out!