Silly Lilly

Silly Stories and Pictures of Lilly!

I have been attending a Bible study called Motherwise.  One of the mothering tips in the book was about making sure that your child knows they can tell you anything.  There was an example of a child coming home from school upset because something happened at school and the teacher said not to tell parents.  What?!  So, I was talking to Lilly at the dinner table and telling her that she could tell her Mommy and Daddy anything.  She responds, very quickly, with, "Except no!"  lol

Background: The Tues morning Bible study class that I attend is for women only.  My daughter has been asking why Daddy doesn't come, so I told her that this church is for women and their children only, no Daddys.  Also, just recently she had just learned what the word "human" meant.
Story: The other day we were taking her to this same church for Awana and Mommy and Daddy were both in the car.  She says, "This church is a human church, so why is Daddy going"  Wow!  Isn't it amazing how they can get words and concepts a little confused. :)

Last story (a little off):  We were at the park and my little girl passed out leaves to everybody.  One for Mommy, Daddy and herself.  Then she says, "Now everybody wind each other"  Mommy and Daddy look questioningly at each other.  She starts fanning me with the leaf, "Wind me Mommy"  Oh!  I get it, she wants us to fan each other with the leaves.  My husband proceeds to tell her the word is "fan" not "wind."  She pauses for a while and then after a few minutes, turns to me and says, "Mommy, blow me!"

Hair dos

Recently, I have seen a lot of interesting hair styles on some of the blogs I follow.  I want to do alot of these in my own hair because it is a fancier way of pulling it back than just your good, old, trusty ponytail (which is what I end up doing a lot of time).  So, I went to the store to purchase some bobby pins, since I had none.  I tried doing one of the styles in my hair, but it was a bust.  :( 

Next, I thought, maybe I could try them in my daughter's hair first and get a feel for using bobby pins.  Here is a picture of my first attempt on her hair. 

It looked ok, but as soon as she jumped a few times, the bun fell out. 

Oh well, I'll just have to keep trying. :)

Learning the ABC's

Lilly knows her ABC's, but like most 3 year olds, she has a few mix ups when she sings it.  Today, during our "school" time, we were able to clear those up a little bit.  Here are the ABC's how my daughter says it:

ABCDEFGHIJKLNOPQRSTUVWXYNZ

During our lesson, I would dot out each letter on the white board and she would trace the dots.  Then, she would sing the alphabet song to tell me which letter came next.  I wish I had a camera for the time when she got to N and I said no, "M".  It was priceless, I guess she thought I was teasing her or something because she paused for a long time.  I finally wrote at the bottom of the white board L M N O P and every time she sang the song to figure out which letter came next, I would point to the letters during that part. 

We got to the end of the alphabet and after Y she said N was next.  Then, she thought and said, "We already did N."  I had to explain to her that it wasn't N it was "and".  To which she replied, "what letter is "and"?"  So, I went through a long explanation telling her that "and" was a word and not a letter. 

In the end, I think she got it, but I do believe she has been saying it that way for so long that it will take some time to retrain her brain. :)

Adoption?

If you don't know, my husband have been trying to have another baby for almost 3 years now.  You can read more about that here.  Before I came to a place where I laid all my frustrations and struggles with this issue at HIS FEET, I had thought maybe we should adopt.  After, I laid all my burdens down before Him and went about seeking God's will for me, I realized that this was just me trying to control the situation and get a baby. 


Recently, I have been following some pretty inspiring blogs about adoption.  Like this one and this one.  And, being curious I have been searching through the pictures of the children up for adoption in my area.  I found out that many of them have medical needs that I don't know if I could handle - I don't do well with blood and medical stuff.  Then, I came across a little girl that I have had interaction with and she does have a few medical issues.  I could picture her in our family.  It makes a difference when you look at the pictures as children who need homes and are children and not just a face with a medical issue.


In my prayer time, I asked God if this is something He would have our family do?  He has begun to move on my heart, but I know it isn't the right time because The Lord hasn't moved on my husbands heart yet.  I know that if it is something God wants us to do, He will place it on both of our hearts and make a way for it.  I just want God to know that I am willing to be used however He sees best.

Enrichment Day at the Zoo

Lilly and I headed to the zoo this morning for Enrichment Day.  A day where they let us observe the animals as they give them new foods, scents, toys, etc.  It was very informative and I learned a lot and I think Lil did too.  Here are some pics from the event:

The children were allowed to paint like one of the animals.  This is Lilly painting like an elephant.  We saw the actual painting that one of the elephants here did paint and it was amazing.

Part of an obstacle course - crawling through tunnels, jumping over hurdles, weaving in and out between sticks and then digging in the dirt to find "food."

The eland waiting to see what they their "enrichment" was going to be.

Pumpkins filled with seeds and other foods.

Warthogs were in the same area as the elands, so they explored the pumpkins as well.

Silly Lilly watching the warthogs.

I know it is hard to tell, but this is a tortoise and they had a sprinkler going in their exhibit.

At the end of the sea lion show, they threw in a huge block of ice with fish in it for them to enjoy!

We had lunch in the park after we left the zoo - this is Lilly enjoying her "enrichment" by dancing in the park. :)

Our view.

Laughing at people in paddle boats getting wet by the fountain.

Running away from the camera.

Art Lesson

I'm not a big "art" person.  What I mean is, when I see a painting or a piece of art, I see it for what it is - I am very literal and I have a hard time determining what the artist was thinking and what they wanted the viewer to feel while looking at it - you know all those questions they ask you in college art appreciation class.  It is just hard for me. 

Well, the other day I took my daughter to a new restaruant that we had never been to before.  It was a place with very colorful decorations and from the moment we got out of the car, she was pointing out various things.  There were birds hanging outside made from tires, so we stopped and felt them and looked at the colors on their wings.  Inside there were colorful tiles on the floor and pretty lights hanging over each table and a colorful string of fish on the ceiling - she was pointing out all of these things and getting so excited about each and every thing.  I couldn't help but begin to stop and notice what was around us. 

On the walls there were paintings ladies hanging - all very different, some of the ladies were old, some young, some were outisde, some just portraits, etc.  So, I began to ask Lilly what she thought about each one - What was the lady looking at in that one?  What was she thinking in this one?  Did that lady look nice or mean?  We did this for each of the paintings around us.

We both had a great time and not because of the food or the service (not that those were bad), but because she caused me to stop and look around and enjoy the art around us.  So, to my little girl, I say, Thank you for the art lesson. :)

Love it!

I absolutely LOVE how God uses people that we think couldn't possibly be used by God to do amazing things.  For example,  Rahab, a harlot - he uses her to protect the spies that Joshua sent and then she becomes the mother of Boaz who is a great, great, great, etc.. grandfather of Jesus Christ. 

I absolutely LOVE how God redeems situations without us ever intervening - that's how He lets us know that we can trust Him fully!  For example, my marriage - at the beginning it was very rocky - neither of us were saved and we were just living for ourselves.  Then, God brings us halfway around the world to Misawa, Japan to allow us to know Him and to begin to realize we need to serve the One who made us.  Amazingly, my husband and I were both saved at the same time w/o realizing it until afterwards.  Now, our marriage is awesome - all glory goes to God! 

Another is an example of a relative of mine who was in a situation that I thought wasn't the best - I prayed and prayed that The Lord would fix the situation - provide a way for this person to get out of the situation or provide a change of heart, something.  And, just recently, the situation has been fixed - all glory to HIM!  

 A third example is a time when I was in a Bible study where I didn't think the leader was acting in a godly way.  I thought I might have been the only one feeling this way so I didn't say anything to anybody else in the group.  I prayed that I might have wisdom to know whether to continue the study or to change to a different group.  Then, I get an e-mail saying that the leader had decided to step down from the position for personal reasons.  This was a Thank You, Jesus moment!  He had it covered.

A lot of times I don't know why I have to go through certain tough situations - not being able to have a baby when I want, being w/o my husband for a month at a time, etc - but I have to remember that God is in control and the plans He has for me are for good and not evil.  I have to remember to be content because what I have right now are amazing blessings and they come from the One who knows best.

Daddy Time

Here are some pictures of my husband with Lilly.  These are from his first month home after starting his new rotation at work.  She absolutely loved having her Daddy home so much.  One of the sweetest sounds to my ears is to hear them playing together - her laughing with him is so great and the smile on his face when she enjoys spending time with his is awesome!

Playing Ants in the Pants with Daddy and Joe.

Getting ready for the 4D movie at the Houston Zoo.

Fun at Jumpalooza with Daddy and friends.

Mark was the popular adult at the place, all the little kids wanted to be where he was.

Jumping with Daddy!

No Pictures, Please!

Recently, I haven't gotten any really good pictures of my daughter because she turns and runs as soon as she sees the camera.  This is really strange since not too long ago, she would beg to have her picture taken. :)  I guess it is a phase, or at least I hope so.

Examples:

Wearing a new shirt that Nana sent, I wanted to show how cute she looked in it.

Yes, she still sits in a car seat, this was her playing in the car while waiting to go downtown to feed the homeless.  She can't wait until she is old enough to buckle up like a big girl. :)

Hiding in Daddy's closet so I couldn't take her picture in her Awana's vest.

I did finally get her to let me take her picture, but as you can see it didn't turn out that great.

We had lunch with Uncle Ben Ben and Lauren - here is Vinnie trying to get her to look at the camera for a good picture.

And again. :)

Remember

I remember exactly where I was 10 years ago today. 

I was engaged to Mark and he was deployed with the US Navy to Italy. 

I was teaching at a school in Jacksonville, FL.  Our secretary came into my classroom, in the middle of a lesson and said, "I guess your fiance' will be going to war now."  Since, I hadn't seen or heard anything being in a class full of 1st graders, this statement had me totally confused.  She then went on to explain what had happened. 

My intial reaction was one of fear and shock - like many others. 

Today, I want to remember all those who were involved - praying for families who lost loved ones and praying even for those involved. 

But, the thing I want to remember most is that the God I serve is in control - no matter how bad things may seem or how confusing things are or how much they don't make sense - He's got the whole world in His Hands!  I want to remember to trust in Jesus - my Savior, my Redeemer, my Rock!

E is for Egg

In our schooling, we are on letter E this week.  Our lessons have included information about estimating, EMT's, eyes, ears, elephants, Ezra, and eggs.


Today painted eggs.  It was so much fun for both of us, but definately a lesson in following directions and being patient for her. 

It was one of those activities where she thought she knew exactly what to do (because we have decorated eggs before), but I wanted her to follow the instructions that I was giving her for setting up the different color dyes. 

Then, once the decorating began I let her loose as far as how to decorate the eggs, but I wanted her to do one at a time...she wanted to paint them all at the same time. :) 

She is definately the little artist and she made some beautiful eggs.

I'm Flamingo, Not Lilly

The other day we had an unusual bought with Lilly's imagination.  My daughter is very creative and has imaginary sisters, brothers, places, etc. 

It started off with her saying that Lilly had left and gotten on an airplane.  The airplane had gone into a scary storm and she didn't know when Lilly would return.  I replied with, "Who are you, then?"  She said, "I'm Flamingo, not Lilly."  This comment was heard many times throughout the day.  I said we needed to go and find Lilly because I wanted my Lilly back.  Flamingo offered to come and help me search for her.  So, we went on a walk through the trails around our house and we called out for Lilly, but no Lilly. 

Then, dinner time came and Flamingo didn't want to pray before she ate.  My husband said, "I don't know what you do in your house, Flamingo, but in this house we thank God for our food"  Flamingo didn't want to do a lot of the things that Lilly does.  When we called Nana that day, she even told her that she wasn't Lilly she was Flamingo.

After dinner, Flamingo decided she would go on another search for Lilly.  I allowed her to go outside to look for her, thinking that she would just stay in the yard, come back and our Lilly would be home.  No such luck, she went out and started walking down the street toward the trails to look for Lilly.  I had to stop her and that is when the "game" had to end.  She cried and cried. 

I hate to squash my child's imagination, but sometimes the fun has to end.  This time is was because of safety reasons and also for the sanity of her parents.

My Reminder

I do things that God says are wrong - we all do, they are called sins.  God created us and God sets the rules. 
I can say I don't like them

or I can try to justify that the reason I do this sin makes it okay

or I can say society says it is okay so that makes it okay...

The fact is, it is still wrong by God's standards and His are the only ones that matter. 

I don't like to make God sad by doing things that are wrong, but there are some reasons why I am glad that I am a sinner:

*It reminds me why I need Jesus, if I didn't fall down then I wouldn't need Him to pick me up.  Each time I do something I know I shouldn't - I call on Him for forgiveness and I call on Jesus to help me get back on track because I can do nothing without Him.

* It reminds me why we can never, ever judge somebody else's heart and think we know where they stand or where they are going.  Some sins are more obvious and we see them and think that person must not love Jesus if they can do that - let us be reminded of all the sins that aren't so out and open and let us be reminded that we ALL fall short of the glory of God (if you think you don't, then you need to pray for God to reveal your faults to you). 

*It reminds me that Jesus came to save the lost - if I can't get it right then I am still lost and I need Him to save me each and every day!

Thank you, Jesus!

She Knows How to Dress Herself

This post is mainly for the grandparents and relatives:

Lilly is growing into a very independent young girl.  Here are the things she has done in the last few days that have brought her "growing up" to my attention:

*she poured her own drink (got out the cup and the juice from the refrigerator by herself)

* poured cereal into her own bowl

* she spread peanut butter and jelly on her bread and made herself a sandwich

* came downstairs 2 mornings in a row all dressed with her hair brushed and in her opinion - fixed!

*  and today she was supposed to be having quiet time in her room - she decided that she was tired and needed to take a nap instead of play, so she put on a pull-up (we're still not potty trained while sleeping) and a t-shirt and put herself to sleep.

All this to say - she is growing up and I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad about that.

She Doesn't Like Men with Beards

My daughter's likes and dislikes intrigue me sometimes.  
For example, she loves clowns but I showed her a picture of me dressed up (before my convictions about Halloween came about) with black and white paint on my face and she is scared to death of it.  She made me hide it so she wouldn't have to ever look at it again.

She loves all things medicinal - she loves going to the doctor and the dentist.  She wasn't afraid when she had to have an x-ray of her chest taken one time, she just asked questions about it.  Playing doctor or dentist is an ongoing thing around our house. :)  We've gone to visit people we know in the hospital before and she asks all kinds of questions, doesn't bother her one bit to watch them take blood or whatever - she doesn't get this from me.  But, when I was put in the hospital one time for an upset stomach it made her very nervous and she didn't like that I was hooked up to the IV. 

She loves her Uncle BenBen, but just recently we took him to have his wisdom teeth removed.  I told her that after his surgery he would probably act a little funny because of the medicine.  We talked about this upcoming surgery for about a week and what was going to happen to her beloved uncle.  Here are 2 pictures of her right before the surgery - playing and happy as could be to be next to him (like usual).

After the surgery, she would hardly look at him because he had the gauze in his mouth and he looked a little funny.  He wanted her to give him a hug and she looked like she was going to run.

For as long as I can remember she hasn't liked men with beards.  When she was just barely 2, I remember a friendly man in the grocery store waving to her and saying how beautiful she was.  The man had a long, white beard and she huddled next to me and would not even look at him.  A few summers back we went to a family reunion in SC and my brother and my dad both had beards.  She would cry every time they got close.  My brother ended up shaving his off that week to  appease her. 

Now, I'm not one to make my child feel uncomfortable.  I know sometimes you get an uneasy feeling about people, a feeling like it isn't safe, but we have had an ongoing conversation about how you can't judge somebody by the way they look.  Now that she is a little older, she loves my brother and she enjoys my dad's company when he is around.

So, she knows that just because they have beards doesn't mean they are scary.  However, she still says she thinks men with beards are scary - oh well - I guess the conversation will keep on going and one day (prayerfully) she will get it. :)

Today is the Day!

Today is the day my wonderful, hardworking husband comes home after us being apart for 40 days.  Yes, that is right, 40 days -same number of days it rained when God flooded the earth.  It isn't the longest we have been apart from each other, but it is the longest my daughter has been away from her daddy.

I know many people whose husbands are away alot for work - either military or other.  From what I hear from everybody, we all go through the same things - you miss having them around, you get nervous about how things will change when they get home, you have to prepare your children for the changes (them going or coming home), and some days it is just plain hard.

Thankfully, with lots of help from our Lord and Savior, we have made it to the end of this time apart.

Here are some of the things we have done during his time away:
1)  We made a chain link of the # of days until his homecoming and each morning we have torn off one link and counted the ones left.
2)  We have talked to him every other day or so on Skype - so thankful for this technology where you can see the person and hear their voice and it is FREE! :)
3)  We made a journal and have written in it about the important events of each day - Lilly tells me what to write and she draws a picture to go with the words.  This has been part of her school work each day.

Here are some of the things we have done to make his homecoming more special:
1)  We made little signs telling him how special we thought he was and we hid them all around the house - garage, on shirts, on his pillow, etc.
2)  We got dressed up this morning and straightened our hair, put on good smelling perfume, etc.
3)  We are planning a special meal of brisket, corn on the cob and potatoes for his dinner. 

We are so excited to meet him at the airport and smother him with kisses and hugs (and tickles - from Lilly). :)

School Time

For the past 3 weeks now, I have been doing "school time" with Lilly for about an hour a day.  I have gotten ideas from various websites and books and she seems to be really enjoying this time each day.  In this post, I will share with you some of the websites I use and our schedule.

Right now we are doing a letter a week, so everything we study in each of the subjects begins with the letter we are learning about.  For example, this week has been the letter C so we talked about courageous Queen Esther when we did our Bible story, compared groups of objects to decide which had more or less, counted objects, looked at the calendar, and created pictures.  Also, we read books about counting and cats.

Schedule:
Bible story and memory verses

Journal to Daddy when he is away - she tells me what to write and then she adds a picture to go with the words

Calendar - date, days of the week, months of year, weather, seasons

Monday - talk about letter of the week, sound it makes, what it looks like, what things begin with the letter, finding things that start with the letter, finding the letter in the house, etc 
Learn a nursery rhyme - we've been checking various books out with lots of nursery rhymes in them and so we try to learn one a week.  We have also been reading a fable or fairy tale a week.

Tuesday - math day, numbers, practice recognition of them, couting, one-to-one correspondance, patterns, adding, sorting, etc

Wednesday - Science day, experiements, observations, reading books on various topics

Thursday - S.S. day, reading books on various topics and library day

Friday - We usually have one day where we go out in the morning so we don't get to our school work - Friday is our day to "catch up"

Here are some sites I have been using:
https://docs.google.com/View?docID=dwstdgn_447mphsmf8&revision=_latest&pli=1
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/index.html
http://www.workboxsystem.com/
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/
http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM
http://cullensabcs.com/
http://simplycharlottemason.com/
For memory verses, I have been using this system from the Charlotte Mason site:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/memorysys/

If You Know Me...

If you know me even a little bit, you know that I am a schedule-oriented person.  You also know that I usually do things the same way every time.  I have a certain way I go through the grocery store, a certain way I drive to church, and certain days I like to do certain chores.  Needless to say I have a schedule and it might not be posted but it is in my head.

Wake up
Breakfast
Clean-up - lately I have been setting out oven timer for 1 hour and Lilly and I get to cleaning:
          Mon - wash clothes and general straighten up from the weekend (Lilly sorts clothes and is my gopher girl running things back to the room they belong in)
          Tues - bathrooms (Lilly "stirs" the toilets and wipes the mirrors) and collecting all the trash to go out
          Wed - dusting, wiping down (we do this together)  This is also the day we usually have play dates or outings so I don't stress if the dusting doesn't get done
          Thurs - light laundry, floors (one day I will get a smaller mop so Lil can help me with this)
          Fri - general straighten up and any outside general clean-up like cleaning out cars or sweeping the sidewalk, etc.

School Time - I'll post more on this later
Planned Playtime w/ Mommy - pool, play doh, park, making a craft, cooking, etc
Lunch
Rest Time - some days we have a nap and some days not, but on the no nap days, Lilly has to play quietly in her room for an hour
Organizing or finish cleaning/ Lil has "free" play time
Prepare dinner
Dinner
Family time - games, movie, play, etc
Bedtime routine for Lil - bath, books, prayers, songs, sleep
Evening time varies depending on whether my husband is home or away

This is the schedule I use for Mon - Fri.  Weekends are a little different, but usually there is a "schedule" of some sort in my head before they day begins.  What I need to remember to do is to let God lead the day and not stress if something doesn't get done or if something "interrupts" the routine.  I'm getting better at this, but only by His help. :)

Why I'm Thinking Homeschool

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what I will do when Lilly is "school" age.  I am very seriously considering homeschooling her and I have already started a preschool schedule with her - which she loves.  There are many reasons for this decision, here are a few:
1)  I really only have 18 years to be an influence in my daughter's life and if she goes to school for 6-8 hours a day, then I lose a lot of that and her teachers and peers become more of an influence.
2)  I don't want to "protect" her in a sense that I don't want her to hear about certain topics, but I want her to hear about those topics from me - evolution, sex, etc.
3) I have realized that she is a kinesthetic learner and she likes to figure things out on her own (if at all possible), so sitting in a classroom having to be quiet and doing worksheets may not be the best way for her to learn.
4)  In real life, we do not only interact with people our own age.  I think my daughter needs to learn how to treat others all the way around - older and younger.
5)  In real life, we do not go from spelling to math to reading, etc.  I think learning in themes where everything is related makes much more sense to me.  Yes, some things probably need to be taught in isolation, but not to the extent they are in schools.
6)  I have the training and I don't necessarily want to go back into the classroom, so why not use the knowledge and skills God has allowed me to have in bringing up and educating my own daughter - the most precious gift the Lord has given me. 

I know there have already been a few people to say, "Well, what about socialization?"  I know Lilly is an only child, but she interacts with others quite often.  In fact, for a while we were going so many places that we had a take a step back and reevaluate which ones were really important.  She goes to various church programs about 3 times a week where she interacts with others around her same age, she has play dates with friends about once a week, and she always finds a buddy to play with when we go to the park, pool, or wherever.

Like I said, it isn't definite decision yet but it is one that my husband and I are very strongly considering. 

Feeding the Ducks

We went to a nearby park to feed ducks today.  I mostly chose this outing because I have been saving the last little bits of bread for months now and it was starting to take over my freezer.  So, out we went to experience God's creation. 

On the way, I needed to stop and get gas.  I say to my daughter, "I sure hope there is a gas station on the way because we really need gas."  She responds with, "Well, there might not be one for your car, but there might be one for your body."  "What do you mean, one for your body?"  I ask.  She says, "You know your tummy has gas too."  lol

While feeding the ducks, she wants all the ducks to have equal shares.  When we are finished handing out all the bread, she notices a duck that didn't get any.  "Get in the water, Duck, then you can have some bread.  See, get in over there where the bread is..go on." These are her comments to the little duck that wants some bread, but he doesn't seem to listen. :)

Lilly remembers this park from previous trips and recalls that there is a gazebo there, so she asks to go over to it.  When we get to the gazebo, we notice a grandfather and his grandson fishing.  What a wonderful thing for her to see - she was enthralled by all of it - the fish, the worms, the action of the grandfather catching the fish and letting her touch them, the action of the little boy falling into the water while trying to put water in a container, the fish flopping on the gazebo floor because he escaped from the water, and the little boy being scared to touch any of the fish.  It was all very entertaining for her and she didn't want to leave.

Memories were made and things were learned just by a simple little outing that was meant only to empty some space in my freezer.  This was definitely what they call a "teachable moment" and I'm glad I took advantage of it.

Am I Cheating?

My family belongs to a great baptist church here in Texas.  I would say it is a medium sized church - not too big, but not really small either.  We live about 30 minutes away from the church which makes it a little difficult when it comes to being involved.  Being a stay at home makes me a minority at my church - there aren't a lot of them. 

Because of its size, our distance from the church and the lack of stay at home moms there aren't a lot of programs at our church that are geared towards me, so for the past year or so I have been attending programs at a bigger, closer church.  They have a Tuesday morning women's Bible study class which I have been looking forward to all summer long.  The past 2 studies I have been a part of have been wonderful - I have learned a lot and plus they have a great class for my daughter to go to while I'm in the study.  Also, they have a program once a quarter where moms of older children (mentor moms) get together with moms or younger children and discuss things that are going on.  It is great to get advice from wiser moms, but also to hear that I am not alone in my struggles. 

My "problem" with attending these things at another church is that I feel like I am cheating on my church.  I don't hear of other people at my church going to other programs hosted by another church and I feel as though I have to keep in quiet.  My motives aren't wrong in going to these things because I am growing and getting fed and getting together with other ladies, so why do I feel as though I am doing something wrong?

Drought

Here in Texas, we haven't gotten much rain in the last 6 or 7 months.  People around here get excited when just a sprinkle comes down. I read in the paper the other day that we may have to go into phase 2 of the water conservation plan which would allow us to only water our yards on certain days and between certain times.  Makes sense...I appreciate that there are people out there who calculate this stuff and let us know when it is time to take some serious measures.

In the paper this morning, I read about a drought in Somalia where people were evacuating to other areas because the lack of water was so bad.  The article told about one mom who made the decision to leave her young son behind to die - she tried to get help from other travelers passing by, but nobody was willing.  Can you imagine?  Having to choose between waiting there with your son and most likely your whole family perishes or leaving him behind?  Talk about heart breaking. 

I guess it gives a whole new meaning to the word drought and what we are experiencing here in Texas.

Daddy's Little Girl

For the next week, we are taking care of our neighbor's pets and house while they are away on vacation.  They have 2 boys so as you can probably imagine their toys are a little different than ours - lots of cars, trucks, balls, etc.  Today we went over there to let the dog out and do our duties, I go about seeing that everything gets done and I don't see or hear my duaghter.  When I finally venture upstairs to their playroom, I realize she is sitting there at the pretend tool bench with all the tools out and she is fixing "something".  "Are you ready to go home?" I ask her.  She says, "Not yet, I"m still fixing this."  So, I wait.  About 20 minutes goes by and finally she says, "Okay, I'm finished, we can go." 

Her daddy would be so proud! :)

Is God That Statue?

Recently, my daughter has learned that God is everywhere.  As we are driving in the car, she asks, "Is God the road?" or "Is God that sign?"  To which I reply, "He isn't everything, He is everywhere!"  So, now she asks, as she is pointing in the air, "Is God there and there and there?"  I reply, "yes, God is everywhere, always!" 

The other day we were reading about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the book of Daniel.  We were talking about how King Nebachadnezzer wanted people to bow down and worship a golden statue and the 3 men wouldn't because God is the only True God!  Lilly says, with a big smile, "That is so silly, God isn't that statue"  Then, she thinks about it some more and laughs, "That statue can't help you!" 

I smile and thank God for allowing her to understand this concept. 

Tea Party

My mom started it, when we went to visit her in January, we had a tea party.  She really went all out.  It was a wonderful event with special teas and decorated cupcakes.

Then, on our visit in July, it happened again.  Another tea party, this one more fancy than the last. :)  We had name plates and honey sticks. 

When we got home, I wanted to have one with Lilly and her friends.  I wanted to make use of the tea set that our neighbor had given us after Lilly was born - I think she thought it was plastic, but it was porcelain.  Also, I wanted to practice manners and putting others before yourself.  So, today we had a tea party and Lilly invited one of her friends over.  Before her friend arrived, we talked about how we would offer everything to our guest first before taking anything for ourself. 

There were several things I need to do before my tea parties will match up to my mom's beautiful events - practice making the butter cream frosting for the cupcakes fluffy instead of soupy and getting a tea set that is actually functional instead of for show and lastly making name plates and other beautiful decorations.  All in all it was a great little party and I think the girls had a great time.

FYI - The cupcakes were a recipe my cousin taught us - you use a small package of instant pudding mix and make it like the directions say.  Then, add a box cake mix.  Stir and bake as the cake box says.  They turn out really moist and yummy!