Happy Belated Easter

Tid-Bits

Mommy: What's your favorite color?
Addie: Ummmm... Sparkles!

Ellie: When my horse says "Neigh Neigh" it means he's happy. Neigh Neigh. Sometimes when he says "Neigh" it means he's hungry. He says Neigh a lot.
Mommy: Addie, what does your horse say?
Addie: He says "carrots" lotsa times!

I love it how Addie says her foot is "cinkly" when it falls asleep. Ellie says her foot is "wrinkly." Too cute.

Ellie: I'm cold. Can I please have some socks?
Daddy: I'll go get you some socks.
Ellie: Stinky socks, please! They keep my feet warmer!

I love that whenever Addie realizes she's following me down a hallway, she starts roaring "Rarr!" and clawing with her hands as though she's a monster chasing me.

I giggle at the fact that Ellie now knows about my blog. If one of the girls does something that makes me laugh, she says "Are you going to write that one down?" I wonder what age she'll start saying "Oh, please don't right that down!" instead.

Ellie: Mommy, did you know that you listen to me better than anyone else?

Recall Addie's obsession with "I go to da field today!"...
Ellie: Addie, do you know why I'm mad at you right now?
Addie: Because you did not go to da field today?

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful

These last couple of weeks have been strange to me. On one hand they've been difficult with the combination of the girls being sick and what can only be explained as my sweet Addie proving to me that she is indeed 2 years old. On the other hand, it seems that I have been bombarded with other stories and events that just make me stop and realize how lucky I really am.

I am thankful to not have to be the mother of a 5 year old struggling with cancer.

I am thankful to not be the mother of a healthy baby one day but a victim of shaken baby syndrome the next.

I am thankful to not be the mother of a child suffering from injuries in a freak accident.

I am thankful to not have to watch my child's abilities and personality slowly deteriorate over time.

Heck, I'm thankful to have children at all. Some people don't.

I am thankful that my marriage is healthy and I am still very much in love with a wonderful man who is a wonderful daddy.

I am thankful that, though we're not rich, money is not a daily concern of survival.

I am thankful to not be the one who just lost her soul mate in a bad car accident.

I am thankful that my sister and I are really close.

I am thankful that I have an outlet for my time and creativity that puts a smile on people's faces every day.

I am thankful that my hobby allows me to help those in need in an easier fashion than ever before.

I am thankful to live in a beautiful place, yet I haven't had to worry about tornadoes or wildfires sweeping away my house.

I am thankful that though we've been bombarded with house maintanence bills, we are able to pay them.

I am thankful for my few good friends, near and far.

I am thankful that my husband and I do not have debt to pay off.

I am thankful to not have any tramatic childhood events to recover from.

I am thankful that even though my children challenge me, they are well behaved beautifully polite young girls who go out of their way to try to cheer people up.

Today I am thankful. It may be a bit out-of-season, but something needed to be said.

Rapunzel

I love it when my girls put on a nice scarf and insist that they're Rapunzel.

One can never have too many pretty scarves because fighting over the purple one take away from the magic of the moment, don't you think? Nothing a good hug can't fix. Or a good nap.

Ellie's 1st Puppet Show

At the Children's Museum, Ellie decided to treat us to a puppet show. It was her first, so please excuse the technical difficulties of getting the puppet on the right side of the curtain. Maybe he's just a little shy? Or maybe he's dying.

After the pig has recovered from his stage freight, I'm not sure I can claim the show was much better. Just exactly WHAT is that horse and pig doing???

Ahh... finally... after much practice (and giving up on the curtain all together), we now bring to you the new and improved acting cast! They may still be drunk but at least they're not horny like those silly barnyard animals!

Happy Birthday

I've been wanting to get this on video for a while now because of having a similar one from Ellie. Addie just wouldn't work with me... but FINALLY I have one! Addie is about 3 months older than Ellie's version, but it still makes me smile.



No, it wasn't anyone's birthday. We're just practicing.

Wordless Wednesday

Decorating Gramma's Walls

A couple weekends ago we visited my mom in Santa Fe. One of the surprising favorites of the weekend was simply sitting around drawing pictures. My mom had a large pad of paper and it didn't take long for Ellie and Addie to start working on decorating Gramma's plain walls.

I love seeing this type of picture. Why? The first time Ellie asked me to show her how to draw a penguin she got frustrated because she couldn't do it either. For the next week I found versions of penguins littering her cubby at school. Now she draws them like a pro and is so proud of herself. The same is true for puppy tails. The dragon and unicorn simply make me laugh, but I love to see all the things that Ellie is most proud to draw... all in one pretty picture of happiness.

Of course Ellie had to draw a picture of Gramma and her granddaughters. I asked what the squiggles were... Well, duh. They're wind of course. Why else would Gramma's hair be so crazy? Oh. I also get a kick out of her signing her name "LV" as though she's a true artist. Hehehe.

Another pretty picture for Gramma, complete with a letter and labels for who is who. You know, just in case Gramma forgets.

Gramma pointed out that Ellie forgot Daddy in the previous picture. Ellie defended herself by saying that was what she was going to draw next. Hehehe.

This weekend even Addie decided to pick up a crayon and be proud of her creations. She would ask "Whas sa want me draw?" I would suggest things like flowers or suns and she would always respond with "How 'bout polka dots?" I suppose I can't argue with that. She was pretty proud of her ability to do those and do them well. Ellie showed her how to draw circles and eventually those turned into fruits.

But Addie's polka dots prevailed. She kept drawing them and every time she was finished, she would decide where to hang her masterpiece.

Addie chose to hang her pictures in different places, but Ellie liked hanging hers all on one wall.

And of course, I saved the best for last... a special request from Mommy. Well worth the money.

Ellie Writes to Jesus

You may or may not know about our love for churches. I think it might have started when we saw the National Cathedral, and we've had wondrous adventures searching for colored windows, so when we saw Saint Francis Cathedral at the end of the square in Santa Fe, there was no doubt in our minds that we wanted to go see it. We took our time heading up the square, but every time we came out of a shop and Ellie saw the church ahead of us, she would smile and squeeze my hand. Then she'd have a little happy skip or two.

I have to admit that there is something magical about walking up to a new church. Size doesn't matter, but I don't think it's possible to avoid smiling as you get closer and closer, wondering what treasures will be found on the inside. This Niffer may not be religious but she LOVES herself a good church and I'm so thrilled that my girls are following suit.

I don't have any photos of the inside because we didn't have a camera with us that day (these were taken the next day... more on that soon). Once inside I loved how my girls instinctively knew that there was something special about this place. Without being told, they were whispering with their oohs and awws.

We started with the norm. I would point to stained glass windows and tell my girls what I liked about each one. They would in turn show me the things that they thought were pretty. This is what I love about showing my girls beautiful churches.

What I wasn't prepared for was, in hindsight, the logical next step. This was the first time that Ellie actually paid attention to some of the OTHER artifacts and paintings in the church. And though we've always felt that we want to teach our girls to make their own decisions when it comes to relgions, we were not prepared for having to deal with it at the tender age just shy of 5.

Ellie: (staring at Jesus) Mommy, why is he crying red?
Mommy: (gulp) He's not. That's blood.
Ellie: Why?
Mommy: He has a crown of thorns on and the thorns poked into his head.
Ellie: Why is he bleeding on his tummy?
Mommy: That's where a mean guy stabbed him and made him bleed.
Ellie: Why is he bleeding on his hands and feet?
Mommy: Because they nailed him to a cross.
Ellie: Why?
Mommy: Do you know who that man is?
Ellie: No. Who is he?
Mommy: That man is Jesus. Do you know who Jesus is?
Ellie: Like Baby Jesus at Christmas time?
Mommy: Yep, this is Jesus when he is all grown up. He was one of the nicest people anyone has ever known.
Ellie: But why did he get into trouble?
Mommy: Umm... Well he was trying to show everyone around him how to be nice to each other, but some people didn't understand him and got mad at him. So they put up on a cross.
Ellie: And he died?
Mommy: Yep.
Ellie: They poked holes in his hands and feet because he got into trouble because they didn't like him?
Mommy: Yep.
Ellie: Is that what will happen to me if I get into trouble.
Mommy: Oh, no sweetie. They don't do that anymore. After Jesus died they realized it wasn't very nice of them to do so now people try to be much nicer to each other. They build beautiful churches like this one to remind people that being nice is a good thing. They make beautiful churches with pretty windows because they want Jesus to know that they love him.
Ellie: Jesus likes the pretty windows?
Mommy: I'm sure he does.
Ellie: What's happening in this picture?
Mommy: They're taking Jesus off the cross.
Ellie: Is that his mommy?
Mommy: Yes, and other people who loved him very much.
Ellie: What are they doing?
Mommy: They're putting his body into a grave.
Ellie: And this one? Is he alive again?
Mommy: Well this one shows his mommy and friends coming to check on his body to make sure it's ok, but it wasn't there.
Ellie: Why is he flying?
Mommy: Because he went up to Heaven to be with his Daddy.
Ellie: So he's alive again?
Mommy: Ummm... I don't know. Some people think he is, but others don't.
Ellie: But is he happy again?
Mommy: I hope so.
Ellie: I hope so too. I'm sad for him.
Mommy: I can tell. I'm sure Jesus wouldn't want you to be sad. I'm sure he wants you to remember what these people learned about how important it is to be nice to each other.

I was touched by how much she seemed to be affected by Jesus. She needed some cuddles and I tried to answer all her questions in a manner that a 5 year old would relate to. I didn't know what to say and I might not have said the right things, but it was apparent to me that Ellie cared. And that alone made my heart want to reach out and embrace her. So I did. I held her and gave her hugs and tried to give her the respect and attention that I felt her questions deserved.

I might have been shocked by her sadness and relieved that she cheered up when we went to play in the labrynth outside... but it wasn't until the next morning that she really took me by surprise.

Ellie: Gramma?
Gramma: Yeah?
Ellie: I want to write a letter to that man.
Gramma: What man?
Ellie: The one who they poked in the hands and feet.
Gramma: Do you mean Jesus.
Ellie: Yeah. Can I write a letter to Jesus?
Gramma: Uh... Go ask your mommy.
Ellie: Mommy? Can I write a letter to Jesus?
Mommy: Uh... Really? Why do you want to do that?
Ellie: Because I am sad for him. I want him to be happy.
Mommy: Is this something that is very important to you?
Ellie: Yes. Can I please?
Mommy: I think Jesus would really like that. How about you draw him a pretty picture with all the things that make you happy and I'm sure it would make him happy to see.

OH. MY. GOD. Ellie wants to write to Jesus because she feels so bad for him and wants him to be happy???? Breathe, Mommy. Breathe.

After helping Ellie write the words she wanted to write, here is the result: "To Jesus, love Ellie. I'm sorry. I hope you are happy. From, Ellie. I love you." She drew a picture of her and Jesus and all the things she loves and is proud to be able to draw, including the sun and moon, a puppy, penguin, dragon, unicorn, one big snowball, a couple snowflakes and a bunch of hearts. Personally I think she did a fab job on writing a letter to Jesus.

Mommy: What do you want to do with it now?
Ellie: Give it to Jesus.
Mommy: (duh... of course!) Hmm... I'm not sure how to give it to him.
Ellie: But Mommy, it's very important to me.
Mommy: I have an idea. How about we go back to the church and find someone who works there? He will know how to give it to Jesus. Is that what you want to do?
Ellie: (her whole face lights up, as though she is so thankful that I'm taking this seriously) Yeah! Can we do that? Please!

So back to the church we went. Unfortunately it was now Sunday and thus church services were happening. I did not want to be disrespectful so I was trying to find the balance between giving Ellie what she needed without interrupting the services. I warned her ahead of time that we wouldn't be able to walk around the church like we did before because people would be sitting in a service and we couldn't interrupt. Once inside the lobby, we found a good place to put the picture - on the podium for the guest log book. Ellie seemed to agree that it was a good place for someone "in the know" to find and know what to do with the picture. She, of course, wanted to stay for the entire service, but after a couple of songs, I convinced her it was a good idea to go.

She seemed so relieved to know that Jesus will be sure to get her letter because we left it in the church for his friends to find.

Sigh... Did I say the right thing? One of the things that takes me by surprise as a parent are these conversations that you never expect to happen NOW. I don't know if I used the right words or said the right things. I admit I was not comfortable with it. Daddy even admitted that though he didn't have any suggestions or comments on how to handle it differently, and though he couldn't quite put his finger on WHY, he was not comfortable with the situation, especially when I agreed to go back to the church to deliver Ellie's letter. I'm sure he didn't want to disrespect the cathedral and the real religion, and I hope I didn't do so.

I hope I did the situation justice. I hope Ellie appreciated that I took her request seriously because it meant a lot to her. I hope she knows that I think she's amazing for feeling so bad about what happened to Jesus. She wants him to be happy. Sigh... what a big heart she has! I also hope that I didn't disrespect anyone by leaving a child's drawing in the middle of an official guest log book. My guess is no, but you never know for sure, do you?


Note: The first photo in this post was taken from this website. I wanted a photo that showed a bit of how it looked approaching the church.