Funny Say-ings Vol. 3

And so the kid humor continues. (For previous volumes click Here and Here.) This time we pick up at mid-summer 2012 through June 2013:

In order to distract Madelynn (3) with the painful everyday process of combing her hair I (Mommy) ask her a few questions: "Madelynn, what's your favorite color?"

Madelynn: "Pink."

Mommy: "What's your second favorite color?"

Madelynn: "Green."

Mommy: "What's your third favorite color?"

Madelynn turns around and gives me a loving pat: "Mommy!"

***

Before naptime/downtime each afternoon Mommy reads a story or two to the kids and prays with them. After doing this one particular afternoon Madelynn asks: "Mommy, did Joshua pray?"

Mommy: "Yes, he prayed in his heart, just like you."

Madelynn: "I didn't pray in my heart, I prayed in my tummy!"

***

Madelynn (demonstrating with her legs, facial expressions and tone of voice): "When my leg is up, I am happy! When my leg is down, I am mad."

***

Rachel: "I will pray that Jesus will not be selfish."

***

Rachel writes a note to Daddy:

DEAR DADDY,!

I LOVE YOU.

LOVE, RACHEL! 

  Rachel: "I put a loud mark after your name!"

***

Nina and Rachel go for a walk. Thunderclouds gather in the sky, especially over the lake. Nina points out the rain falling from the sky over the lake.
Rachel: "Oh! A waterfall!"
They also notice some boats in the harbor.
Several minutes later, Rachel asks if she can pray. Nina says yes. Rachel sits down on the sidewalk, folds her hands, shuts her eyes tightly and emphatically prays:
"Dear Jesus, thank you for the waterfall. But please keep those boats safe from the storm. Amen."

***

Scene: Watching a thunderstorm over the lake from our deck.
A lightning bolt crosses the sky.
Joshua: "Wow that looked like a fork!"
Rachel: "Yea! A fork going through a pancake!"

***

Joshua showing Madelynn how to suck her grape juice through an onion straw.

 ***

Rachel holds her fork up to her eye: "Mommy, you're in jail!"
Mommy holds her fork up to her eye: "So are you!"
Joshua holds his spoon to his eye: "I'm in a pot."

***

Joshua flying.

Flying...again.

Rachel learning to fly.

* * *

Madelynn: "Mommy, I'm hungry."

Mommy: "Do you want some green pepper?"

Madelynn: "Yes."

Mommy: "Do you like them?"

Madelynn: "No."

* * *

Scene: Car ride home from a camping trip with the family- supposedly "quiet-time" at the moment. Hudson is babbling. Daddy is trying to sleep (Mommy was driving).
Daddy: "Hudson! Shh. Be quiet, ok?"
More babbling.
Daddy: "Sshh..Hudson..shhh.."
This goes on for awhile.
Finally we pop a short movie in. When it's over, Hudson continues to babble.
Hudson: "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
Mommy: "Joel, Hudson is talking to you."
Daddy turns and says: "Hi Hudson."
Hudson, putting his finger to his lips: "Sshhhh!"

***

Rachel: "This is a very strange family. We have pictures all over the wall. Mommy teaches us Thai and about the orchestra and history and we eat lots of vegetables."

***

Mommy was giving 'raspberries' upon her children's tummies much to their delight and her amusement. The next day Hudson lifts his shirt up and says, "Strawberry jam."
The day after that, Hudson lifts his shirt, points to his belly and says: "Apple butter."

***

To be continued...

Please pray for those in Southern Alberta who have evacuated their homes due to massive flooding.

Meet...

our pet hedgehog! 

She is very pleased to meet you.

Penelope

Rachel's Tomato plant:

Tom-alina and Rachel

And our new pet bunnies! (for real)

Four week old Mini Rexes (both female!):

Madelynn holding Buttercup

Buttercup and the girls

Hudson learning to pet Bluebell

Joshua holding Bluebell

Lots of pets around here! Very exciting! 

I won't bother introducing you to all the kale, pepper and other tomato plants that the kids have named...!!

Feeling Old?

After all, what is the chief sign of growing old? Is it not the feeling that we know all there is to be known? It is not years which make people old; it is ruts, and a limitation of interests. When we no longer care about anything except our own interests, we are then old, it matters not whether our years be twenty or eighty.

-Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock, pg.4

Father's Day

Father's Day is about as bad as Mother's Day. There are the obvious reasons of course but there's also another: Sunday June 15th, 2008 Father's Day; we buried our third child, our second daughter.

I remember stumbling around the graveyard with Joel, just days after Emily's death, trying to find the "perfect" plot to bury my daughter. To bury. My daughter.

Finally, I chose a spot underneath a spruce tree, away from the other graves, in a quiet corner of the cemetery.

The next day, Saturday, Joel insisted on digging the hole himself. With the help of friends and a small backhoe he did it. He made the hole for our baby girl.

I'm not sure when we actually noticed it, but sometime around there we saw that her grave had 4-5 Juneberry trees on the east and west sides. Juneberry trees for our little June bug.

Sunday. The funeral. The memorial service. What a blessing it was despite the darkness of the reality. The worship time was phenomenal. I was able to praise my Creator with lifted hands and a grateful heart. The sharing time was precious. Friends and family shared different stories and thoughts and encouraging words. I'm so thankful we have this service on video (Thanks JoAnne!), because that day was a blur. I don't remember what the weather was like, whether the sun was shining or if it was chilly. I do remember the drive up to the graveyard. Close friends and family followed the hearse. At the gravesite we sang a song: And when my heart is overwhelmed, please lead me to the rock that is higher than I, that is higher than I. 

And the casket was lowered. My son Joshua, now 8 years old, remembers this. He was three.

And Daddy grieved, with the shovel in his hand. He throws the first bit of dirt and the sound of rock on our baby girl's casket is forever etched in my memory. I remember closing my eyes, not able to bear the weight of it all.

Finally, the hole was filled. My arms full of Rachel, 16 mo old, yet my heart was torn and empty.

I don't remember much after that. The rest of the day is blank, invisible, empty.

All I know is, though her body is in the ground, Emily's soul soars in heaven.

We press forward, we press on, looking forward to the day when we will join her and our loving Father.