Receiving my first angry letter...

Lizzy brought me a card tonight.  She sternly told me I needed to open it right now and she would read it to me.















Apparently it reads:

"Dear Mommy,
I am sooooo mad at you right now because you gave my tea to Nye.  That was my tea and I liked it.  You can't give it away and now I am so frustrated!!!  You need to make me another one right now."

The two people holding hands at the bottom?  They are angry angry people and want me to make Lizzy tea. 

As demanding as that letter sounds, I'm actually very impressed with how mature her response was!  She got mad, ran over to her writing desk, and quietly spent time writing me a letter that expressed her disappointment and proposed a solution. 

Just to clear my name, this was the tea she absolutely refused to drink all day yesterday and all day today.  She thought it was yucky.  Yet somehow she doesn't remember that part.    :-)

What the Kingdom of God seems like when you're 2

We were driving to Walmart and passed the time by singing songs about the kingdom of God.  We arrived and got out of the car.  When Nye saw the store facade, he got very excited, pointed towards it, and started yelling, "Kingdom of God!! The kingdom! The Kingdom!"

"That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."   I Cor. 2:9 (NLT)

Blasphemy with good intentions

Lizzy was coloring and listing the 10 commandments to herself.  These two made the list:

Do not eat idols.

Don't cheat God.

While not part of the original ten, they are still pretty good guidelines for a 3 year old.

Putting this on my kid now

Any good guesses why I would slather strong alcohol and citronella on my son?

No?  Apparently it's a great way to bring down a fever.  Here goes...

(I was going to add a pitiful picture of a sick and lethargic Nye, but when I got my camera he started jumping and laughing on the couch, then flinging himself onto the pillows the floor.  Can't keep a good man down.)

A Little Night Music in the Morning

Lizzy was running around the house with Nye's birthday money singing, "It's mine, it's mine, it's really really mine" (to the tune of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik).  Nye started throwing a fit and when Lizzy ran into the kitchen singing and saw my disapproving-give-it-back-to-your-brother face, she immediately about-faced and started tiptoeing back to Nye.  Without missing a beat, and grinning her little face off, she changed her "tune" to, "It's Nye's, it's Nye's, it's really really Nye's."

Saying goodnight...

Lizzy: "Goodnight Grandma, and remember..."
Grandma: "Candyland tomorrow?"
Lizzy: "YEAH!...uh, no... I mean remember God is always with you."

One Tired Little Girl

Apparently one musuem exhibit was so boring you could fall asleep standing up.

Heard at the Art Museum

Lizzy, talking about this statue of a priest: "He looks sad."
Me: "Why is he sad?"
Lizzy:  "His woman isn't here."

At the dinosaur museum

Lizzy:  "Mommy, when I die will my bones be in a museum?"

Oops, missed the carrot...

Grater crater anyone?  For some reason my mom doesn't see the humor in that.  Odd.

Happy

My mornings start like this...

And even though they are out of bed before they are supposed to, it's so sweet I can't find it in me to send them back.

Mommy, can I lick the bowl?

Pumpkin pie remains-apparently  you have to come up for air. 

Rough Morning

Nye threw his cucumber and screamed "don't want it."  So I gave it to lizzy.  Nye threw a royal fit, a fall down screeching on the floor, gnashing of teeth at the injustice of out all fit (all while holding another cucumber in his hand).  The following conversation then took place:

Me, under my breath: "Nye, you make me want to punch things."
Lizzy: "What?!  Nye makes you want to paint things?"
Me: "Um...it sounds like that."
Lizzy, smiling affectionately at him,"Nye, you make me want to play with play-doh."

A good reminder of kind words.

Why I don't miss owning a dog...

I commented before how similar having a dog and having a son has been.  Quick recap: 
*I often tell him to sit and stay
*I train him to use the potty with treats (which he insists on jumping up and down for when he sees them and often wants me to put it in his mouth)
*He brings me a ball every day to throw so he can go get it
*He barks

But I may have crossed a line today.  It's all his fault really.  We went shopping to buy some rugs for the cold wood floors in the playroom.  I asked for their input.  As we strolled through the pet section, Nye curled up in a dog pad.  We bought it.  It is now his favorite place. 

Lizzy likes it too.   :-)

Copy cat

Conversation upon Lee arriving home:
Lee:  So how was your day?
Lizzy:  Well, the kids whined a lot.

Monkey see, monkey do, monkey eww

My applesauce was too hot and the sour cream from taco night was still on the table so I added some.  Not bad.  Lizzy saw me, and added some to hers.  Not to be outdone, she also added some cheddar cheese and chopped lettuce.  Apparently applesauce tacos are delicious.  She devoured it just like there wasn't warm romaine floating around in the bowl.

Not to be further outdone, nye refused his applesauce and went strait for the fake tree.  I should be glad my kids like their greens I guess.

Chocolate chip lip

Out with the old

Out with the crib, in with this...

Before and During Reflooring

  

A wakeful sleep

A good bit past midnight, I fell asleep in front of the TV at the top of the 11th inning of a tied baseball game (yep, I'm that much of a fan).  Around 2 am I hear Lizzy crying.  I go upstairs and pull her out of bed to comfort her.  She's scared and her belly hurts, so I ask her to describe how it hurts.

"It hurts like a cow."

Thankfully it's dark, because I'm not sure she'd appreciate seeing me laughing.  Eventually she falls asleep on our floor and I sing rewrite disney songs in my head for the next thirty mintues before drifting off into sleep.

Later, at very dark o'clockish, Nye wakes up crying, wet, and very stuffed up.  I change him and put him in Lizzy's bed.  Everyone goes back to sleep.

Not too long after that, Nye wakes up screaming "Hup, hup!!!!  Hup, Mommy please hup!!!"  I try to figure out if that means help or up, but he just keeps screaming hup no matter what I do.  5 minutes later I figure out he's yelling "Hop!"  He wanted his bunny rabbit Hop.  That's the first he's every really wanted a stuffed animal.  He quickly settled down and went back to sleep snuggling Hop.

I go to sleep too only to be awakened by Lizzy crying about how she was scared because she had a bad dream where she jumped and went under water.  I told her that she can actually swim in her dreams!  So next time, hold her breath and swim.  I was almost asleep about 20 minutes later when she spoke again.

"Mommy, I can swim!"

We both slept in till 9:30.

Overheard...

Lizzy: "Don't worry Mommy, Nye's out of the oven now."

My powers are failing..

Lizzy:  "Mommy, why did we put carrots in our cupcakes [muffins]?"
Me:  "Because carrots taste good and are yummy [not to mention were leftovers that needed to be used]"
Lizzy: "But I don't like them in it." (She had yet to try it)
Me::laughs::  "Well that's pretty silly."
Lizzy, with a long, serious face:  "Yeah......but not too silly."

Monday is Bathrooms

I've started training the kids for bathroom cleaning.  Definitely the job I want to get rid of delegate first.  Lizzy cleaned all four bathrooms with me.  She did the sinks, counters, doorknobs, light switches, 2 showers, and 1 toliet.  She asked to get paid for it and was.  Her money was promptly spent on cookies with spinkles on them, and shared with everyone nearby! :)  Sweet girl.

Nye failed at squeezing the rags back into the bucket, but that only meant we got to mop the floors as well.  He's deadly with a spray bottle though.  Wall stains were fleeing the scene (water damage may have been showing up though). 

His real forte was toliet scrubbing.  A job he's been eyeing (and occasionally trying) for the past two months.  Actually being allowed to do it was a dream come true.  (If only all dreams were so productive!)

 

Proverbs 11:17 (NIV) Memorization

Your kindness will reward you, but your meanness (cruelty) will destory you. (I added, which one will you choose to make it a song-definitely not part of the verse, but appropriate for this age.)  Video below-excuse the full mouth.

Nye's meanness face.


"Awww!  I forgot!"

Puzzler

Of course-the day after I buy Lizzy seven 24-piece puzzles, she does a 90 piece one all by herself.  I may have underestimated her puzzling ability! 

Video of her happy dance below:

Sweetest Part of My Morning...

Hearing my 1 year old singing "Holdy, holdy, holdy.....holdy holdy holdy"  (Lord, God Almighty song) while putting together legos.  And in the distance, downstairs in our game room (putting together a puzzle I assume) is the same strain in a higher 3 year old voice.  "Holy, holy, holy..."

Let the Games Begin

I heard Lee telling Nye to throw the ball tonight.  I looked over my shoulder and jumped as the bat cracked the ball and sailed into the dining room.  After a few minutes of looking for it, the boys uncovered the ball and took their places once more.

Lee is a confident man.  He, as the batter, squared off directly in front of the TV.  See for yourself...

Newest Game in Our House

What do you get when you cross a sick-of-sitting-on-the-potty little boy with a daddy who doesn't want to clean up any more poop?

Peek-a-Pooh

While not as gross as it sounds, it's still hilarious to everyone in the house.  You (you being the potty training kiddo) sit on the potty (hidden behind a wall) and say, "Two, two, one, Peek-a-Pooh!" Then you stick your head around the corner as your dad and sister erupt in laughter.  

The game is a huge success and the little boy sits (mostly).

Homemade Slip n Slide

Recipe for fun:
Cheap Conditioner (not much)
Water (just enough to wet)
Tarp pegged into ground
Hill
Young Kids

Yield: 1 hour of playing and many years of memories

(Video Embedded)

Day 2 of Canning Week

Corn (14 dozen)

Dirt

Corn

Corn!
 

CORN! 

Dirt.

Climb.

Play.

Read.
 

Slip n Slide (more later).

Movie and Ice Cream (Little Bear and Berstein Bears)

Swing.
(Enjoying the electrical storms.)