Ok, I know most of you think I’m creative, but I get my creative ideas from all kinds of great blogs.  I spend too much time on the internet (gasp!  the first step to recovery is admitting it…), but I’m trying to redeem that by putting into action the cool things I find (which at the moment, are collected into a HUGE list of bookmarks in FireFox).   So here are a few good moments from this past week…

It’s January, so of course, it’s a good time to be celebrating (or dreaming about!) snowmen.  So I made Analise and Josiah these cute and yummy snowmen milkshakes.  I just realized mine weren’t quite the same as the blog, but here’s where I claim creative liberty.   And yes, Analise is dressed as Cinderella 🙂

Lauren and Anna came over to play on Thursday.  I made snacktime and mealtime more interesting with a muffin tin.  They LOVED it!  I might serve more meals in muffin tins.  I even gave the kids fun little fruit picks for spearing their food and dipping.

Snacktime with strawberries, grapes, graham snacks, yogurt and whipped cream for dipping.

Lunchtime with hotdogs, grilled cheese, chips, ketchup, carrots and ranch dip.

As a mom, you’re always needed.  From the moment the little one is born, they need you for everything.  It’s endearing at first, but then it’s exhausting.  I’ve been very needed for over 4 years.  Breastfeeding was a wonderful experience, but talk about being needed!  I’m needed to pour juice, button buttons, reach things on the top of the dresser.  I’m needed when I’m in bed, when I’m washing dishes or cutting meat, when I’m in the shower.  I’m feeling awfully tired of being needed.

But just today, I remembered that I’m not always going to be needed like this.  Each day, Analise and Josiah are more independent.  More FIERCELY independent, I should say 🙂  Analise wants to make her own chocolate milk, pick her own clothes, do the craft project HERSELF.  Josiah has to walk down the stairs and climb in the car and into his carseat on his own.  And each day they are closer to being on their own, taking care of themselves.  I’ll always be mom, and they’ll always need me to be there for them, but they won’t really need me for much longer.

So I’m going to try to remember that and appreciate all the little itty bitty things they need me to do each day, over and over again.  Snuggle my little boy close when I’m putting his shoes, on, sneak a hug as a thank you when I’m done making Analise’s lunch.  And most importantly, I’ll try to remember that even “the Son of God did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). 

Great thoughts go best with common duties.  Whatever therefore may be your office, regard it as a fragment in an immeasurable ministry of love.  –Bishop Brooke Foss Westcott

He was proud to trot into Grandma’s house this morning saying, “Gwama, I boated!”

I was all stocked with 4 kinds of snacks, books, MagnaDoodle for scribbling, and even my iPod with a new Little Einsteins video on it in case I’d have to wait a while.  But the hardest part for us was navigating the busy parking lot to get in and out!  It only took us 10 minutes to get checked in, fill out our ballot and have it scanned.  He’d hardly even gotten through his first snack.  Then we proudly wore our “I voted” stickers back to the car.  When I told Josiah we were going to vote this morning, and he thought we were going to a BOAT.  So it was a little bit of a disappointing experience for him.  Thankfully, Krispy Kreme redeemed the experience with the free star spangled chocolate donut that we picked up on the way to Grandma’s.

I didn’t get any pictures, but here’s a glimpse back in time to Brian’s experience with Analise 4 years ago…

We’ve never been one for naming the pacifier.  It’s always been a pacifier around our house, except that Analise used to call it his “fire” back when Josiah was littler.  Since he’s learned to talk, that’s been what Josiah calls it, too.  “Where’s my ‘fier?” he’ll call at bedtime.

We try to put the ‘fier back into his crib when we get him out of bed so it’s easy to find at naptime and bedtime.  Well, actually both ‘fiers, since he likes to keep 2 with him at nighttime.  If he ever gets 3 at bedtime, he’s purely giddy with excitement.   He’s done pretty well to not use his pacifier except when he sleeps, but sometimes he’ll go find it when he’s tired.  He has learned lately to reach through the crib slats and even move the bed away from the wall to get to it on the floor.

So after naptime today, the kids were still a bit sleepy, and I was checking my email.  Josiah came up to me, snuggled his head into my lap, and said, “Where’s my ‘fier?”

“Josiah, you don’t need it now.  It’s not naptime anymore.”  His response about melted me.

“I just wanna snuggle wif you on da couch, Mama.  I need my ‘fier.”  Needless to say, I snagged his pacifier for him, and we curled up on the couch with Analise for a cuddly few minutes.  I won’t ever pass that opportunity up, pacifier or not.

When one-syllable words become two-syllable words… then you know you’re raising a Southerner.  Josiah’s picking up a sweet Southern drawl in his words.  Da-own, ha-elp!, ya-es.  And just this morning, I heard him say, “A-owch, you hur mah ha-ed!”  (Ouch, you hurt my head!)

Honestly, though, both Analise and Josiah have stronger Southern accents than Brian and I.  Not sure why or how that happened, but I do have to occassionally toss out my word of correction in… “No dear, it’s town.  Not ta-own.  TOWN.  Say it with me!”

It was a lovely, rainy, cool fall day here.  Though it’s mid-October, our past couple weeks have been HOT, like mid 80’s.  Analise has had “fashion” problems every morning, and I’m not sure how we’re going to make it through the winter.  She doesn’t want to wear anything but dresses.  She had plenty of summer dresses, and most of the twirled.  But I’ve put away most of the summer clothes, because it’s supposed to be fall, along with the fact that she’s had a growth spurt and most of them are too short.  So we quickly wear out our short supply of appropriate warm-weather dresses before they’re clean again, and then we have problems.

She picks out the winter dresses, like corduroy, denim and long sleeves.  And though it’s fine in the coolish-mornings, by the time she goes out to the playground at noon and it’s 85, she’ll be overheated.  When I pick her up at 1:30, she’s always red-faced and sweaty anyway.  Not going to work.  So I point her towards her drawer of skirts and tops, or I pick out a cute shirt and pants.  No way.  She’s been so upset these past few mornings at her lack of options, it’s hard to believe clothing is causing such a fuss.  Ug.  Maybe fall will come soon so she can start wearing the other dresses hanging in her closet.  And maybe I shouldn’t bother getting her anything that ISN’T a dress for the spring and size 5T.  Unless, of course, she determines she doesn’t want to wear dresses any more.  Then we’d be in trouble!

my sleeping babies.  Each night I peek in on both Analise and Josiah before I go to bed.  I check to see that they’re covered, which is silly, because both of them toss and turn so much the covers are probably off minutes after I leave.  Josiah is always on his belly, often with his knees tucked up under him and his butt in the air.  Too cute.  Analise usually looks like she’s been fighting something, arms and legs sprawled out, hanging over the edge of the bed.

But really, the reason I peek in is to see their sweet sleeping selves.  There is nothing sweeter to me.  My heart nearly bursts with gratitude for what God’s given me.  I find a quiet moment to whisper a prayer over them, and to thank God for blessing me with such a joyous responsibility.  And I remember how very very much I love them, in spite of all the messes and grumping of the day.

I had big plans today to get a lot accomplished.  But I, of course, got distracted with picking up the house.  Then I had a friend over for lunch and a Bible Study (thanks, Taylor!!  looking forward to next week!).

This afternoon got away from me, too, but that was because we had some much needed kid-messy-crafting time this afternoon. Man, they love to paint, and I just don’t let them often enough. They were engrossed in it for an HOUR.  Of course with close supervision as I hovered over to keep them from handprinting the couch or my plantation shutters (interesting that I work so hard to get handprints on plates and stuff, but I don’t want them elsewhere in the house.  Hm.  And yes, I could move them away from both the couch and the shutters, but that would be too easy.  And I’d get bored if I didn’t have to hover.  I’m rambling.  Can you tell I’m doing this post late at night? 🙂  )

Anyway, a couple cute photos of my serious little artists.  Josiah sticks his tongue out when he’s really concentrating, but I couldn’t quite get a picture of those moments.  Maybe because they were the moments I needed my hands free to keep him from decorating the wall? 🙂

Analise was very cute as she narrated her picture with each new item she added.  “This is the dragonfly (stamp) going to a party (balloon stamp) in the middle of a rainstorm (lightning stamp) but the sun is going to come out soon… (sunshine stamp).”  Of course, Josiah was narrating, too.  “Wapon da time, da butterfwy… I make a J, Mama!  I make a circle!  Wook!”

I’m very glad Josiah’s learning to blow his nose.  It’s so cute when he pulls a Kleenex from the box and puts it over his nose and mouth and makes his little nose-blowing noise.  We’ve succeeded in learning some hygiene around here!  Now, if only he wouldn’t put them back in the box…

Tuesday the kids were driving me crazy.  They were full of energy, running around the house, yanking on each other’s clothes.  Analise got put in time out twice because she kept not listening to me ask them to calm down.  They were crazy!

As we sat eating dinner, Analise was chatting and told me that they were pretending to be the ugly stepsisters tearing Cinderella’s dress.  Oh!  That makes sense 🙂  Why she didn’t tell me that earlier, I don’t know, but I might have been a lot less grumpy to know they weren’t just trying to drag each other around by the necks of their shirts!

Dinner continued, and Analise took a drink out of her Cinderella cup.

“I be Cinderewwa,” Josiah said. I fought back a laugh at my princess-loving boy.

“I’ll be Belle!” Analise chimed in.

It was Josiah’s turn again.  “I be A-we-wel.”  (that’s Ariel.)

“And I’ll be Aurora!” Analise said.  I couldn’t help laughing out loud now.  Josiah is going to be a good daddy to a little girl some day!