Because of what you see in this picture, I have makeup on this morning.
Sophia was the engineer; Mckayla was cleanup control; and Gracie (not pictured) was the foreman, generally complaining and telling everyone what they were doing wrong. = )
Girlies
Celebration Preparation
I want the girls to understand that Easter is our biggest celebration day of the year. It will take awhile (probably years) to figure out how to make this happen completely, but for now, we’re going to do what we can.
It struck me on Sunday that I should probably take this whole week to prepare/celebrate. Last minute plans and efforts make for stressful situations and divided hearts.
So I decided to do what I could, with a week.
I’ve looked at Easter crafts and lessons online and am largely unsatisfied with what I’ve found. The typical resurrection eggs, cookies, wreaths made out of eggs, and bunnies just don’t appeal to me. They might have a place later on, but for now, I want the girls to be really sure that we’re celebrating Jesus, specifically his victory over death.
Here’s how our first craft attempt went:
The girls have been begging me to paint forever; I found some paper and drew a picture of a cave with the stone door rolled off to the side and wrote at the top “Alleluia!” I figured they could paint it however they wanted. It was an in-the-moment idea, but it ended up pretty well.
We were not planning on Gracie joining us. I inwardly groaned when I heard her waking up, but she turned out to be a happy addition. (At first she said that she didn’t want to paint because she was scared. I told her she could just sit with me and… it didn’t take her long to dive in. = )
Here are pictures of the girls in progress.
Here they are displaying their master skills and unique styles. = )
Our work space; set-ups like this make me happy.
And, because I couldn’t resist. Mom has to have a little fun, too, right?
Ha! I love it!
And yes, they are wearing Mommy’s t-shirts turned inside out to protect their clothes.
So fun! I’m really glad we did it. I have a few more ideas for the rest of the week… we’ll see what happens.
Happy Celebrating!
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Hello all! I have a bunch of pictures for you this week. The girls are currently building a fort in the middle of the living room while I am sitting on the couch working on this. We’ll see how it goes. = )
To start with, I know you’ve seen pictures like this before, but I just love them so much, that I had to share again.
Another one of Mckayla’s sweet smiles. She likes having her picture taken.
Gracie once again expanded her style this week, experimenting with mixing stripes and polka dots. Has she been looking at Pinterest?
This is the same outfit from before, just with a blue jacket added. = ) And is she trying to be Patch the Pirate?
Caught stealing my black beans while I put Mckayla down for a nap. The jacket was gross; definitely made a visit to the washing machine!
There is no better playground than Daddy laying on the floor. I love Paul; sometimes when he comes in the door, I think he can tell that the girls just need to play; so he lays down and they just crawl, climb, jump, and walk all over him. He huffs in protest, but the girls and I know he loves it. = )
And it’s been all about the brackets around here! (More on this tomorrow)
And two more fun pics from my phone: Sophia showing me that she could lift this giant branch,
and Mommy and Mckayla having some fun after bath time.
Love to all! (and it worked ~ hooray = )
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I think the most significant event of this past week was the time change. I just could not switch over. Thankfully, the girls were very flexible; waking up later, but still going to bed when they should. Maybe we’ll get it this week??
Hope and Sophia finished this after detailed instructions from Dad on the proper way to put together a puzzle. They had a lot of fun working on it with him, and I even did a little bit, too. (Though I’ve never put a puzzle together properly in my life = ) Sophia never even got frusteratered, which was a great improvement from last time. = )
Gracie decided to expand her style a little bit and go for more layers.
Mckayla fed herself pudding!
Gracie and Mckayla sitting on the kitchen floor reading one of Sophia’s birthday cards. Gracie still wears her coat and hood every chance she get. This picture is particularly fun because she’s also carrying a pig in a carseat on her back (another one of her favorite activities) = )
As I said before, the time change was not kind to us this week. During a late dinner on Tuesday night, I noticed Gracie and Sophia starting to put their heads on the table. As I took some dirty dishes into the kitchen, I jokingly said, “All right, everybody just go to sleep on the table,” then turned around to see this…
And Daddy’s newest little cuddle bug; she hurries to him every time he comes home for lunch.
Word of the week (used by Hope and Sophia): Apparently.
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What the fly on the wall heard, week 3
“Mommy! I haven’t wiggled at all yet!” (Sophia whispered loudly three-quarters of the way through Sunday’s sermon)
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All the girls learned to say “Yeah” as their first positive response; and we were thrilled with that… when they were babies. However, lately I’ve been realizing that that is still their initial response and wanted to bring it from a “yeah” or “yep” to a “yes” or “yes, ma’am.” So I told the older three girls what I expected and then we played a little game where I would ask them a yes or no question, and they would have to reply correctly. Of course Hope answered with precision. Gracie got mixed up between sir and ma’am, and Sophia…
“Sophia, are you two?”
“No, ma’am!”
“Sophia, are you four?”
“Yes, ma’am!!!”
“Sophia, do you like pickles?”
“Yes, mammy-sir!!!!!”
“Sophia, is it dark outside?”
“No, mammy-sir-ee-b0b!!!!!!!!”
And then we stopped.
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(Gracie to me) “What’s your name?”
“Mommy.”
“But you call yourself Christie.”
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(Mckayla, every time Paul walks in the door) “Daaaaaa-deeeeee!”
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A Giant in the House
They creep through the house, quiet and trembling. I watch from my place at the sink as they hurry into their room and close the door. After a few minutes, the door swings open and four little girls come running out, screaming, “A giant! The giant’s here!” Laughing, giggling, and talking over each other, they come to me and try to explain their game.
A few weeks ago, we found an adorable old book at Salvation Army called The Giant’s Shoe. The girls know it so well that they go around quoting it.
Also a few weeks ago, my husband decided in the middle of dinner to demonstrate the height of Goliath with a tape measurer. (Goliath had been the topic of many of their conversations that week)
Maybe these explain all the giant talk in our house lately???
One giant game I’m particularly fond of is the one that requires they hide between the piano and the wall, covered in blankets and completely quiet. They stay there a long time!! It’s amazing what kids do to entertain themselves.
Hope and Sophia think it’s great fun, but every now and then Gracie runs into the kitchen because she’s truly frightened herself. Mckayla just follows them wherever they go and laughs.
One day Gracie was talking about how much they eat and so I asked her, “Gracie, what do giants eat?”
The answer: “Lions!” In her most dramatic voice.
That night I asked her again to see if she would say it again, but this time she replied, “Five pizzas!” Again, dramatic voice.
Another time I asked her, “Gracie are you scared of giants?”
“No, they’re not sca-wy. Giant’s are nice, just big.”
Well, the giant in the book ran away in a torrent of tears, but from the sounds in the hallway, I’m pretty sure ours is still sticking around. = )
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Hello to all, and to all a hello!
We have had a wonderful week; especially because Daddy’s been home every night. Yay!!!
First of all, the few pictures I got from Sophia’s birthday ~ she’s four now!
Then, I am sort of disappointed because I took other pictures for this on another memory card and forgot that my computer doesn’t recognize that card. Ugh. I will try to work on that and get them up soon. = )
These pictures are from my phone at the park today. We had a blast! Such a good time that we all came home and slept… except for… you guessed it… Sophia!!! At least she colored quietly until I got up, and then bounced on her trampoline until the others got up. = )
And last, but not least, we have yet another milestone for Gracie.
And how sweet is this.
Quote of the week: “I get to sleep in a big girl bed! I can get up in my bed! Yay Duke! Go Duke! Mommy, what is Duke?” (Right now, Duke gets a cheer every time something exciting happens in Gracie’s life.)
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What the fly on the wall heard, week 2
This just in from Sophia
“We’re hiding from poisonous snakes. They have guns.”
(I say) “Poisonous snakes don’t have guns.”
“These ones do,” she insists, “They’re right in their brain!” (pointing to right eye)
She continues, “And when they want to shoot, they just raise up their tail, and it hits the gun, and shoots! Even if you’re far away.”
Wow.
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(Gracie) “Mommy, what is ba-ba-jo-ja?”
“I have no idea.” (Mommy)
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The toilet paper stage
According to my estimation, there are three stages of your life with regards to toilet paper.
1. When you have no clue what it is.
2. When you think it’s a toy or a snack.
3. When you have (hopefully) moved beyond stage 2 and use it for it’s intended purpose.
All four of my girls have now progressed through stage two, save one who shall remain nameless in this sentence. And every time they reach that point, I’m reminded again of how annoying it is.
Okay, at first it’s cute. They come waddling down the hallway with a long train of their new found treasure; and it is kind of cute. Or least the huge smile on their face is.
But then, after you pick up 479 pieces of ripped up toilet paper a day; it’s not cute anymore, and you finally say “Enough!”
Mckayla, I love you; and I promise to remember this stage with some measure of fondness… once it’s long gone!
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What the fly on the wall heard
For a long time I have wanted to have a place where I could write down all the ridiculous things that are said in our house on any given day. My sister gets a great kick out of some of the things she overhears during our phone conversations. We’ll see if I can remember to record them as they come.
For today, here is your first edition of What the fly on the wall heard:
“Can you please get me that can of chickpeas that you put up on the piano, Sophia?” (Christie)
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(Hope, teaching kindergarten to Sophia and Gracie; just after she taught them how to spell “owl”) “And the way you spell ‘ouch’ is O-W-L-T-H.”
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(Gracie, on the way home from getting vaccines) “I’m going to tell Daddy the doctuhs huht me!”
Hope you enjoy! Have a lovely weekend.
small steps, big picture 