Mara recently discovered the fun of playing magnetic doll on the refrigerator and the dishwasher. As you can tell, she has also enjoyed “decorating” her magnetic doll with her marker!
Here are two princesses going shopping for more clothes. Mara used “fans” for their faces since the actual “face” is on the magnetic doll itself.
I talked recently with my friend Donna about building sets and toys that boys will play with for hours: toys that teach them to figure things out and learn how things work together.
One toy she recommended was “Gears! Gears! Gears!” and I was so glad we had just talked about it. . . When I went to the thrift store, I found a set (with most of the pieces are there, it seems) for $4! Just $4!
Micah loves it!–and the options are endless. We still haven’t figured out how to work that purple jagged piece in the middle. . . but seriously: if we could figure it out that quickly, how long would the fun really last?!
This was “my” song for half the summer.
It was written by Laura Story, whose husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor after they were married a few short years (he still has not fully recovered) and yet Laura Story sings of God’s “Blessings” on a deeper level than most of us typically consider. . .
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plead
And long that we’d have faith to believe
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home!
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise
With Thanksgiving approaching, as we recall what we are “thankful” for, consider that quite often the “trials of this life are His mercies in disguise,” and often our “greatest disappointments and the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy.” And in His grace and love, He gives us the greatest gift–the greatest blessing of all–in Himself.
If you used to read my blog, you probably stopped. . . about the time I stopped blogging. It hasn’t been intentional–just one of those stages (bedrest, baby #4 in 4-1/2 years. . .) when you’re too busy living to find time to blog about it.
I’m a writer though–one of those who can’t NOT write!–so eventually I will find time.
Tuesday was Carissa’s second “Beasts” class at the The Little Gym. I can’t say for sure which of us enjoys the class most!
I ended up taking David with us too. I wasn’t sure how that would go–but thankfully he sat in his carseat almost the entire time, watching everyone play and sucking his fingers. During the last five minutes I noticed he was going to start fussing any minute, but once I put him in the Baby Bjorn, he was fine. Other moms said what a great baby he was–and sooo easygoing! Yes–see, Daniel? 😉
Just like last time, Carissa took a minute to warm up, but wow, she was even more excited this week than last–to jump, to walk the balance beam (with me holding her hands), to crawl through the tunnel. . . The kids played “basketball” and Carissa would grab two balls–one in each arm–and push them through the hoop. She chased the orange ball the entire time, calling, “On-gee [orange]! On-gee!” as she ran toward it.
When Miss Kristen held Carissa’s hands trying to get her to walk backwards on the balance beam, Carissa got pretty nervous and tried to jump off into my arms. She did great though when Miss Kristen helped her do backwards-somersaults, and that time she came running back to get in line (or more accurately, she tried to cut in line!) again.
We had a great time together! I only wish it could last longer. . . so much fun!
I was proud of her, when it was time to pick up toys, she was a very good helper. The only hard part was that she would run to a toy, right as a bigger kid ran past her and picked it up. I imagine she deals with that at home too.
Carissa loved the stamps and again she couldn’t stop talking about them! In the van, I kept hearing this little voice saying, “Demp! Demp! [stamp] Th-tar! Th-tar! [star]” and I’d look in the rear-view mirror and see her holding out her little hands.
I picked up the older two, and they kept talking about the leaves and Micah said, “Can we go to park with benches?”
I had noticed rain was forecast for the next few days and thought ‘if they don’t play in the leaves today, they might not have a chance the rest of this fall.’ Once it rains for several days, the leaves get nasty.
So we got chicken nuggets for lunch and they ate while I nursed David. They we went to Park with Benches, where we made piles of leaves and jumped in them and threw handfuls of leaves in the air and laughed and squealed and giggled. . . one of my favorite parts of fall.
A mom I met previously (with a toddler-age daughter and a 6-month-old boy) was there again today. I haven’t seen her for months–I think it was the week David was due, when I was walking to bring on labor. Ha! She remembered me: “You had the baby!!!” she exclaimed. “How old is he now? . . . How is he doing?”
We played in the leaves especially with one 15-month-old boy and his mom, who was Eastern European and told us, “I can understand–I can’t speak.” But they followed us throughout the park, and when we went to leave, they came and stood outside the van and waved good-by.
The kids would have played in the leaves all afternoon, but I had laundry and housework back home. So we came home and the girls napped. . .
After I put the kids to bed for the night, Mara got up to go potty.
“I’m coming to tell you that I’m flushing the potty,” she declared from halfway up the stairs.
“You don’t have to tell me, you can just do it,” I said.
Mara replied: “Wellllll, pretty soon I’ll just do it. . . [she paused as if debating whether or not to finish and then stammered a little] be-because you know that there’s not ghosts in real life.”
That’s right, sweetheart. No ghosts. Now back to bed!
Wednesday morning I had the girls try on the Christmas dresses that I got them on clearance in the after-Christmas sales last year. When I’m looking for two specific sizes in matching dresses, sometimes I have to select sizes that are not perfect, but the best possible choice under the circumstances: Mara dress size is 48 mos and Carissa’s is 24 mos. So I knew both of those sizes could be off when I bought them, but thankfully they do fit! Dress sizes are more “forgiving” than pants’.
Mara and Carissa both loved the dresses and begin dancing down the hall. “Look! Daddy!” Mara squealed. “See our Christmas dresses?!” she called dancing and twirling down the hall as Daniel was getting ready for work.
And then little Riss waltzed up to him too, exclaiming, “Muss-muss dreth-es! [Christmas dresses]!” She kept spinning around in a halting toddler way that wanted to dance, but couldn’t quite. . .
It made my heart dance. I hope I can always remember that moment.
We were just trying them on–so the fun didn’t last very long. Carissa dissolved in tears over having to take off her Christmas dress. Mara, trying to be helpful says, “Princesses don’t cry when they can’t wear their Christmas dress. I’ve never hearrrrd of a princess crying because she couldn’t wear her Christmas dress!”
At breakfast, surprisingly Micah was last to finish. Micah, still eating waffles, watched his sisters run & play in the living room, then burst into spontaneous laughter: “They’re really cute, aren’t they?!” he asked.
After breakfast, the puppets I ordered on Amazon arrived. I envisioned myself doing the puppet show for the kids. Not necessary. They asked right away if we could go to Smith Play Place and bring the puppets with us to the puppet stage! When I said ‘not now, maybe some other time,’ they created a stage in Micah’s room by draping blankets over a chair stretched between Mara’s doll high chair and a kids’ chair.
Today’s first show, courtesy of Micah–always I’m struck by the level of expression in his voice: “Onc-th upon a time there was a hungry tiger, waiting for a giraffe to come along. . . And he did! . . . And he ate it! an he ate it! an he ATE IT!! [laughing as each time he said ‘ate it,’ the tiger bonked the giraffe on the head]. . . It’s going to be a funny story!”
Mara’s face looked devastated: “I don’t think it sounds funny, I think it sounds sad!”
Back to the puppet stage, I always laughed when Mara introduced the show in her booming voice, “Ladieeeeees and gentelemannnn. . .” and each story ended with “and they lived happily ever after.”
Which I would like to try here. . .
And they lived happily ever after!
I have always had a huge allergy to real Christmas trees. When I walk in and smell the tree, my eyes tear up, I start sneezing, and if I stay too long or get too close, I break out in rashes, and get sinus-related migraines! Which makes me sad for my dear husband–because one thing he loves about Christmas (and one thing he’s had to sacrifice for our relationship!) is the fun of the annual Christmas tree selection and the pleasure of walking into the house throughout the holiday season, smelling the Christmas tree!
Several in my family are allergic to Christmas trees, so while I was growing up, we always had an artificial tree.
My senior year of college I bought a smallish (6-ft) Christmas tree during the after-Christmas sales. I had a job lined up as an auditor with a regional CPA firm, and I knew that next year when I came home to my little apartment all by myself–600 miles away from my family, I would want a Christmas tree! I wish I could remember how much I spent. It was 75% off after Christmas, and I want to say it was $5 or $10!
For the past 12 years, it has been my tree–and now, for the past eight years it has been our tree! Daniel always calls it my “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.”
I love it and the kids, and I have had so much fun decorating it together! When I purchased that tree long ago, never in my wildest dreams did I think we would keep setting it up until we had four small children!
Every year we thought of buying a new nicer tree after Christmas. But of course, the ones we were now looking at were not in the $5-$10 range–even at 75% off. And every year, by the time Christmas was over, we were not really feeling like we should be purchasing anything extra. So it was that the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree continued to enjoy its place in our home and in our hearts . . .
Well, it looks like we might finally be moving up. Someone had a beautiful, pre-lit, artificial tree. However, the “pre-lit” feature is malfunctioning, and since the tree was still under warranty, they called the manufacturer and received a replacement. Because of this, it looks like we will be the happy recipients of the partially-pre-lit tree! It is a beautiful tree, and for that price?—well, it was a deal too good to be true!
I’m not quite sure how to part with the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree though. It seems that a ceremony is in order. . .
————————
Now that our family is complete (Oops, just for that comment, we will probably be pregnant again by Christmas!), I decided to buy Christmas stockings for each of our kids that they could use throughout their childhood.
We let Mara choose whether her stocking should say simply “Mara” or her first and middle names, “Mara Joy.” She chose “Mara Joy.”
Pottery Barn had a stocking sale (with free monogramming and free shipping–woo-HOO!) and when you imagine the cost out over 18 years, it really comes to pennies per year. . . well, maybe quarters. . . or actually I think it might be a couple dollars. . . but it is mere quarters if you calculate per child per year . . . I have to justify this somehow. I’m an accountant.
Anyway, I got the message that they shipped today–and I started getting excited about decorating for Christmas!