Winter-y Giggles

Josie to Mommy: "I love you than anysling."

Sadie about supper: "Corn on a stick? I LOVE corn on a stick!"

Sadie about her Betta that has long fins: "I think I'll name my new blue fish Boo Boo Chicken."

Adelaide in her growly voice: "Blah-blab-blah-blab-blah!!!"

Josie about the giant 4 foot icicle on our back deck: "That is the biggest one of ever!"

Josie about her books of choice: "I like these... especkeley that one."

Josie to Mommy when she's supposed to be in bed: "I can't sleep, Mommy. My toes keep talking to me."

Sadie to Daddy when he mentioned getting rid of something old and worn out: "Give it to Mommy! She likes to wear old worn-out stuff!"

Josie to a (mildly offended) lady at the grocery store: "I'm proud, proud, proud to be a COW!"

Peace

Yesterday, Josie had to have some bloodwork done, and she was simply amazing at the hospital (we had to go there to the lab) - she didn't even whimper when they drew out 5 vials of blood. They asked if she wanted to look at the pretty picture on the wall so she wouldn't see the needle, but she said, "No, I want to watch!" She thought it was so cool to see the blood coming out of her arm! What a little trooper.

We spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa last night (since Jesse is still not home from Jamaica and Grammie's time at our house was up) and we all stayed together in Grandma's "beach room." Adelaide was in a little baby sleeping bag next to the bed, and Sadie and Josie were in a pallet (feet to head) at the end of the bed. As I sat there perched up on the high antique bed, surveying my "kingdom of little girls," I felt this overwhelming peace... of knowing that my children were all safe, warm, fed, and cuddled up right there in the same room with me. That's an awesome feeling - one that I truly thank God for. When I think about all the mothers in the world (Israel, in particular), who are in constant fear for their children's very lives, I can only sit in wonder and awe that God has chosen ME for this gift of peace.

Concentrate!

We re-read Hiawatha's Childhood (the actual poem) the other day and the girls sat totally enraptured the whole time. I love the fact that they will listen to, and actually pay attention to, a poem! It does my English major heart proud. Anyway, later on that day, Sadie's little mind was working away as it usually does, and she said, "So, Mommy... Nokomis was actually Wenonah's mother, so she was Hiawatha's grandmother. And Nokomis determined to take care of little Hiawatha, since he was an orphan." I didn't even know she KNEW the word "determined," much less how to use it in context!

Josie cracked me up when she was helping Grammie make a cake the other day. She wanted to lick the icing off the beaters SO MUCH that she put the back of her hand to her forehead, put a pained look on her little face, and drawled, "I fear I shall die if I do not have it!"

Sadie and Josie were in the kitchen trying to tie a ribbon around one of their stuffed animals, and they are not the best knot-makers in the world. From the laundry room, I heard Sadie yelling in an exasperated voice, "CONCENTRATE, JOSIE! YOU MUST CONCENTRATE!"

Adelaide is very close to crawling these days... for the past two days she's been rocking back and forth on her knees and yelling "Goo!!" in the new deeper voice she's developed lately. Her top two teeth are a constant source of wonder for her - she's always clicking them with her bottom ones and making faces like "What the heck is in my mouth?"

I'm With You!

The Southern drawl that usually follows us home for a few days has lingered on this time... just last night, Josie sang, "Go tell it on the mountain! Over them hills and every-ware!" and Sadie just turns hers on and off on a whim - "Hey! Look over back air behine at char! My Snoopy's over air behine at char!" Sheesh.

Today, the girls were asking me how God talked to Joshua (the subject was brought on by listening to their cousin Cameron singing "The Battle of Jericho" song). I told them that a long time ago, God spoke out loud to people sometimes, so they could hear Him with their ears. I said that today, God talks to us through the Bible and we can hear Him with our hearts instead of our ears. Josie said, "Hey! Mommy! Sometimes I can hear God in my heart! Do you know what He says? He says - Don't be scared because I'm with you!"

That totally MADE MY DAY. :)

Christmased Out

Whew. The rush is over, and I finally have time to sit down for five minutes without someone yelling "MOMMY! I NEEEEEED YOU!" at me. We had Christmas morning at our house (with just us) on Monday morning, and it was so much fun. The girls' two big gifts that they REALLY wanted were somehow hidden by mischievous elves, and after they thought they were all done, they found the others. It was SO CUTE. Jesse asked them if they had gotten everything that they wanted, and they said, "Yep.... oh, wait. Except for my treehouse (Josie) and my purse with lots of stuff to put in it (Sadie)." The look on their faces was absolutely priceless when they found their gifts hidden in the corner. I think that's going to have to become a tradition!


We had a great trip down to NC, and the weather (and traffic) both ways was a definite blessing. We had no bad weather to contend with, and traffic was clear and easy. I couldn't believe it! Anyway, we got there early Tuesday morning, so we had basically a whole week to visit, party, and do nothing. We got to spend lots of time with Papaw and Mamaw (yes, there was tractor-driving involved, and Sadie got to steer all by herself), our cousins (Adelaide and Bayleigh had a fabulous time getting to know each other, and Sadie and Josie had a great time at our Christmas Eve get-togethers - trying to pull poor Bryce apart with their other cousins and wrestling with Caleb and Cameron), and our friends (the girls made their debut at Melanie's new house for the first time and we also got to spend time at Louis and Brenda's AND Brian's house). Sadie and Josie attended their very first wrestling match with Britt and Natasha at my old high school, and you should've seen them doing their own moves on the gym floor in front of the bleachers!

Unfortunately, Jesse and I both got a yucky cold - no big surpise since I seem to get sick EVERY time I go home - and we had to cancel a few things toward the end of the week. However, I did get to see my friend Jason whom I haven't seen in almost five years, so that was good. All of the girls were EXCELLENT the whole time we were there (with the exception of a couple of minor meltdowns brought on by lack of naps). As always, Sadie and Josie had a grand old time at Great Grandma's house, even though it was a bit crowded for my (and Jesse's) taste this time around. The weather was gorgeous most of the time, and we didn't even need a coat for a few days.

Adelaide is getting her two top teeth now to go along with her two bottom ones. The girls are offically "Christmased Out," and I have purged the toy closet and toy box to make room for the giant mountain of presents they received from our Ohio family before we left plus the other giant mountain of presents we hauled back from NC!

We're glad to be home, and now we're just trying to get back into the swing of things. Thank God for our families, our friends, and the hope of a new year.