Tag: sisters

21 Entertaining Things Said (or Done) in 2010

Diana B.2 Comments

I just reviewed my Facebook status collection for 2010 and compiled this list of entertaining things said (or done) by my children in 2010. Hope it makes you chuckle, too!

1. Laurel, age 4, laments that it is just “too deep to play outside.” Never mind that the windchill is 4 degrees.

2. Laurel got up from her afternoon nap sniffling and said, “Mommy, my nose is all stuck up.”

3. Setting the table at dinner time, Laurel carefully covers each fork with a napkin. Then she announces, “Ssssh! The forks are sleeping.”

4. Laurel at the Arboretum: “Stop, Mommy, I think I have a piece of nature in my shoe.”

5. Here’s a new, summery way to mop the kitchen floor: Shut only the screen door while your 7-year-old waters the flowers on the patio. She’s never been a wild child, but give her a garden hose with a spray nozzle and WATCH OUT!

6. Linnea, age 7, was folding laundry and saw me set up the ironing board. Looking utterly shocked, she said: “Mommy, there are CLOTHES you have to iron?” I guess she thought we only had an ironing board to accommodate her fuse bead craft projects!

7. While we were babysitting 5-month-old John at our house yesterday evening, Laurel asked, “Do we have to give him back?”

8. Shortly after I put gel in my hair this morning, Laurel comes in and exclaims: “Mommy! You smell good. You smell like Benadryl!” Yep, that was so the fragrance I was going for today.

9. Laurel’s table manners must have drowned in the pool this afternoon. At supper after swimming lessons, she kept wiping the jelly on her fingers on her clothes, in her hair, and seemingly everywhere else but her napkin. Ick! “Don’t wipe it on your dress!” Michael yelled. Big sister Linnea chimes in, on Laurel’s behalf, “It’s actually a skirt, Daddy.”

10. I tried to be discreet when I tossed the decapitated potty-training baby doll into the trash can. But as the garbage man drove off this morning, Laurel came running inside, sobbing uncontrollably. “The broken baby doll is going to get all burned up at the dump!” Thank you, Toy Story 3. Sigh.

11. Laurel, while eating goldfish crackers for an afternoon snack, says: “Mommy! I need some water to drink so my fishes can go swimming!” So the chocolate shake and the iced tea I had already given her didn’t do the trick?

12. Michael just came home with half a dozen ears of fresh sweet corn, and now the girls are begging to help him “shuffle” it.

13. After quiet time yesterday afternoon I found Laurel in her bed, obviously just waking up, and I asked how her nap was. She replied: “I didn’t take a nap. I was too busy resting.”

14. Praying at lunchtime, Laurel says: “…And thank You, God, for creating the animals so that we can have animal crackers to eat…”

15. Laurel read her first sentence today: “See me eat.” She was so proud of herself she sprung off the couch and bolted into the next room to tell Linnea the exciting news.

16. How clever is Laurel? At the drug store this morning, she stops in the candy aisle and says very seriously, “Oh! We HAVE to get some raspberry chocolate candy for Sassy.” Sassy is her teddy bear.

17. Our breakfast conversation this morning — Laurel: “I just don’t like cannonballs.” Me: “Huh? What do you mean? Jawbreakers?” Laurel: “No, you know, cannonballs — people who eat other people. Why DO they do that?”

18. This morning as Michael was scrambling eggs and pulling the tortillas out of the refrigerator, Linnea asks, “Daddy, are you fixing a breakfast pinata?”

19. While I was helping Linnea fix her hair this morning, she sniffed and said, “Mommy, you smell good. Like jellybeans!” I guess that’s an improvement over Laurel’s thinking I smelled like Benadryl a few months ago…

20. Thinking about Advent at the dinner table this evening, Linnea says, “So, tomorrow is…” And Laurel quickly chimes in, “the last day of not getting any presents!”

21. In the middle of a Costco shopping trip this afternoon, Linnea wonders, “Mommy, what is ‘scratch?'” After I reply with a bewildered, “Huh?” she clarifies, “You know, scratch. You always say that you make pies and things from scratch. What is it?”

A Quiet, Simple Christmas Eve

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It’s Christmas Eve and I have time to blog because we have no family visiting this Christmas, and no relatives nearby expecting us for dinner.

Of course family isn’t really what we celebrate at Christmas anyway, as much as we dearly love all those grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins who have decided against braving a frightfully White Christmas in Minnesota.

No, Christmas is about Jesus, celebrating Him and worshiping Him. Sometimes it’s easier to remember that when Christmas is simpler, quieter, and settled comfortably in a picturesque, snowy white background.

Every year our little family of four worships at our church’s 4 p.m. Christmas Eve candlelight service. The girls love getting all dressed up for the evening. Most years my husband participates in the worship band, playing guitar and sometimes singing. This year he also played the mandolin. The music was beautiful. Reverently the service closed, as is tradition, with everyone singing “Silent Night” by candlelight. Seeing my children’s hopeful faces glowing in the candlelight, that’s my favorite gift.

Back at home, with the pot roast still simmering in the slow cooker, the girls endure posing for a few photos.

 And then they ask — for the 100th time today — if they can open presents. They typically exchange gifts with each other on Christmas Eve. Perhaps someday when they are grown and have families of their own, this tradition will continue.

At dinner we light all five of the Advent candles, and the girls eagerly lead our discussion the story of Jesus’s birth. Linnea wonders about all the many details the Bible doesn’t tell us in this ancient story. A deep thought for an 8-year-old.

Once the dinner dishes are cleared, I mix up some bread dough and tuck it under a towel, letting it rise. The girls like to think of the dough as sleeping when it is rising, so they tell it “goodnight” and blow it kisses. I tell the girls it’s almost time for me to tuck them into bed, too. Already sporting their matching striped pink pajamas, they beg for a story. Of course, I was already planning to read one. 

Tonight we read Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck. Written in 1956, the book was a gift given to us last year by my dear friend Kate. And what a lovely story it is about a son who gives his father, a dairy farmer, a gift they both treasure for years to come. Be sure to read this heartwarming tale!

Next my husband reads the story of Jesus’s birth from Luke 2 and Matthew 1. We talk about favorite Christmas memories and the best gifts ever given or received. Then we ponder together what it would have been like to see Jesus as a baby. My husband decides he’d want to see the angels that appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the Lord that shone around them. Five-year-old Laurel is still pretty sure she doesn’t want to have anything to do with angels. (Click here to read about her recent angel trauma.) Will we ever convince her that real angels help protect her?

After prayers comes bedtime for little girls, and then comes stocking stuffing, cinnamon roll rolling and gift arranging for us grown-ups. As the evening closes, the tree boasts way too many gifts beneath its boughs, and all through the house the smell of cinnamon rolls lingers. 

This is our quiet, simple Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas!

Displaying His Splendor

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One resort north of here is advertising that they have more colors than your crayon box.

And it’s true. The trees are gloriously ablaze in especially vivid colors this year.

As Minnesotans, we tend to savor every drop of color — knowing the stark whites and greys of winter will soon blanket everything.

The leaves may be dying, but they are going out with a bang. They are displaying the splendor of the One who created them.

Fall is a reminder that we are all dying, too. Our bodies will eventually fail in one way or another. And while we are in the “fall” of life, aren’t we, too, called to display God’s splendor?

My baby is turning 5 this week. And soon we will be reuniting with relatives who live far away, and already I can hear them exclaim how tall my girls are growing.

Growing, yes. But not like weeds. Like trees.

“…They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” -Isaiah 61:3

Fighting for Dad Part 2

Diana B.1 Comment

One week after this battle on land, the girls marched off to fight Dad on a new battlefield.

The strategy: a surprise water attack by boat.

“If you didn’t want to get wet, you shouldn’t have come to the lake.”

Of course, Dad was ready to defend himself and his vessel.

But when shot, he dramatically fell off the boat and sunk underwater…

… only to implement a surprise attack of his own.

Fortunately, he takes really good care of his captives.

June Pink

Diana B.1 Comment

Call Crayola. I’m pretty sure God created a new color.

June pink is the sky at 5 a.m.

June pink is the peony that grew in my backyard.

June pink is the peony that grew at the Arboretum.

June pink is the sisterly duo in the backyard, learning about caterpillars.

June pink is the softness of bunny ears.

June pink is that spot upon my hubby’s head that doesn’t grow hair anymore.

And June pink is a spot on the wet nose of a Holstein having breakfast.

Seen any June pink in your neck of the woods?

Sweet Summer

Diana B.2 Comments

It’s

undeniably

joyous

yet

quite

alarming.

A sound we seem to hear once every weekend in the summertime.

A sound that sends shivers of unpredictable, happy panic up the spines of certain family members.

A sound that sends half of the family dashing for loose change while the other half dashes barefoot into the street.

Oh, the charming and merry sound of the ice cream truck coming down the street! When you’re 4 years old, there’s no better sound in the world.

“He had a freezer full of bomb pops
Push ups, drum sticks and dreamcicles
And a paint chipped change box
Full of sticky quarters, dimes and nickles
It was automatic when we heard that song
Run home and get your money before he’s gone”

-Diamond Rio “Sweet Summer”

Forget the bomb pops, push ups, drum sticks and dreamcicles. Laurel has her heart set on Tweetie Bird.

Linnea, meanwhile, focuses in on the chocolate-chip-cookie ice cream sandwich.

She’s been extensively trained to take anything with chocolate this seriously.

Ice cream + babysitters = two four giddy little girls.

Lovely and Pure

Diana B.4 Comments

“Praise His name with dancing.” -Psalm 149:3

Doesn’t she look as delicate and lovely as a flower?

Here she “sits tall like a dancer” to show off the flowers on the back of her costume.

Linnea’s Ballet 1 class danced to Jack Johnson’s “We Are Going to Be Friends,” from the Curious George movie soundtrack.

Laurel’s Creative Movement class performed skips, twirls and leaps, which were all choreographed by God, as her instructor put it.

She was completely overjoyed with wearing her costume and dancing on the big stage. We weren’t permitted to take pictures during the performance, but here’s a shot from the dress rehearsal.

Aren’t they precious?

A Tale of Two Houses

Diana B.3 Comments

Once upon a time, there were two lovely little girls.

Since it was a warm, sunny day, they took a lovely nature walk through the trees.

Presently, they came upon two lovely little houses: one in the shade, and one in the sun.

The first little girl took the lovely house in the shade, under the trees.

It was just right, so she decided to stay in the cozy, cool house.

Meanwhile, the second little girl dashed to the lovely house in the sun.

It was just right, too, so she decided to stay.

But then the second little girl either got too hot or too lonely in her sunny house. So she left to visit the little girl who lived in the shady house. 

Knock , knock. Anybody home?

They played together happily ever after, exploring nature in the warm afternoon sun.

Happily, that is, until the second little girl got “a piece of nature” in her shoe.

Oh my! That’s not so lovely!

“I Knew She’d Love it!”

Diana B.1 Comment

Linnea knew she’d love it!

The middle of January is drawing near, and I am supposed to be writing my Christmas thank-you notes. Actually, by now I think I am supposed to have already mailed my thank-you notes. 

To be exact, I’ve only put off writing my thank yous on paper until now. I’ve written them in my head over and over! I keep pondering the lovely, heartfelt gifts my family and I received this Christmas, and I feel so loved. Of course, I don’t usually write a note for every single gift I receive, especially if I’ve already thanked the gift-giver in person. But you know how it is. Some gifts are given with such love, thoughtfulness and effort, that you simply must express your gratitude thoroughly in writing! 

Anyone who knows me well knows that gift giving is one of my love languages. It’s how I show loved ones that I know them and care for them and treasure them dearly. 

I knew she'd love it!

 

I knew she'd love it!

 

I knew she'd love it!
I knew she'd love it!

 So I suppose the reverse is true to some degree; receiving good gifts is one way I feel loved because it shows that I am known and someone cares for and treasures me, too.

My oldest daughter, Linnea, shares this love language as well. She is constantly giving gifts to me, her father, her sister, and nearly anyone else within reach. She loves to give! And she often gives good gifts: a baby toy for a friend with a new baby, a toy cell phone for her little sister who loves talk and pretend, and a sweet song for her daddy who loves anything musical.  

This Christmas Linnea gave me a beautiful silver bracelet with three shiny silver charms; one says “joy,” which is Linnea’s middle name, another says “hope,” which is Laurel’s middle name, and the third one says, “Mom.” She picked out the charms all by herself, and according to my husband, the store clerk nearly broke down and bawled when Linnea told her the significance of the charms she selected. What a sweetie! 

Also, in her Friday art class, Linnea made me the cutest, most colorful little “pinch pot” with a lid. 

Linnea knew I'd love it!

 

What a treasure! I store my bracelet and earrings in it every night. 

Did you know that giving good gifts is related to the Golden Rule? In fact, Matthew 7:9-12 says, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 

Ultimately, the greatest Gift-Giver is God. As James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift if from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” 

So in light of that verse, this is my thank-you note to God for some of the good, perfect and memorable gifts He has graciously given me and for which I am ever so thankful. 

Thank You, Father, for these gifts You knew I’d love. Thank You for… 

1. a smile that reveals what she didn’t for Christmas – teeth 

thank You

 

2. Christmas doodling by a 4-year-old who just rediscovered markers 

thank You

 

3. hot tea in a tiny teacup prepared just for me by a very lady-like 7-year-old 

thank You

 

4. groggy hugs just after naptime from a cuddly 4-year-old 

5. cozy storytimes together with a favorite book and two favorite bears 

thank You

 

6. warm, delicious home-cooked meals and uplifting conversations shared with very dear friends in Minnesota and in Iowa 

7. gleeful cries near the Advent Calendar day after day 

8. the feel and fragrance of a carefully selected Balsam Fir 

thank You

 

9. delicate little fingers plinking out “Away in a Manager” on the piano 

thank You

 

1o. little secrets that slip innocently from the lips of a 4-year-old overjoyed about buying a gift for her daddy 

11. little secrets that are broadcast loudly, yet innocently, from the observant lips of a 4-year-old who likes when packages arrive at the door 

thank You

 

12. carefully crafted gifts from the creative hands of a 7-year-old 

thank You

 

13. a deeply heartfelt “Oh, thank you, Mommy!” from a 4-year-old receiving her own copy of a treasured book 

14. the sweet little exchange of gifts between to very loving sisters on Christmas Eve 

thank You

 

15. the giddy, child-like excitement in a grown man receiving the latest accessory for his guitar  

16. the giddy, child-like excitement of a grown man heading off to pull an ice house onto a frozen lake 

17. the sweet creamy taste of homemade chocolate fudge 

18. the glow of Christmas lights crusted over with snow 

thank You

 

19. finding and catching up with very dear old friends who live far, far away 

20. and snow falling on snow falling on snow falling on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and many days thereafter 

thank You

 

I think I hear God saying, “I knew she’d love it!”