Can't Believe It

We took a new step in parenting the other day when four-year-old Helen showed me this:I could even see the adult tooth barging its way into her mouth, the pushy thing!She toyed with her tooth for over a week, and finally when it was hanging off her gumline, I convinced her to pull it. Her timid, feathery attempts were cute and short-lived, and then she turned the job over to me. So proud!I often tell my kids to stop growing. They know I'm joking with them. It's both sad and wonderful that they're getting older, bigger and more complex.

For the record, Owen has had two wiggly bottom front teeth for the past several months, and it surprised my socks off to have Helen lose one first!

300th Post!!

Blogger Dashboard tells me this is a monumental post, so I'm sharing some recent kid-quotes to help me celebrate.

Jack:

"Mom, I told the tea not to hop out." (He had been exploring the fridge and its contents.)

After passing gas, "My buns popped!"

"I don't like mouse's tracks." (After getting his hand caught in a mouse trap.)

"My shie's untooed!!" (A double knot doesn't always keep that shoe lace neat.)

Favorite song: "The House is a Rocket," or "Cows in a Rocket," by Stevie Ray Vaughn. ("The House is Rockin'")

Favorite music artist: Blinkin' Rooster (Lincoln Brewster)

Favorite Bible story: Peter and the Rooster


Helen:

On her Sunday School lesson: "God told...uh....somebody...to bang on a rock with his cricket, and he did, and water fell out of it, and there was enough water for everybody."

parcort = carport

Princesscola = Pensacola

spoom = spoon

At night: "I hear a mower." Daddy--"A MOWER?!" Helen--"I'm making a mower sound with my snot!"

"Mommy, when I grow up and get married and have a baby, my baby is gonna not die."

With a true sparkle in her eye: "When I grow up, I am going to marry James, because he is NOT my cousin." (Watch out, Ava!!)

"Mom, I like my dad. And I like my mom."


Owen:

"Mom, we don't say 'Oh my God.'
We don't say 'Oh my gosh.'
Well, we could name a boy 'Josh,' and then, could we say 'Oh my Josh'?
No. That would sound funny."

After getting into candy that was off-limits and enduring the discipline: Mom--"What were you thinking when you saw the gumdrops?" Owen--"YUMMY!!!!"

"Mom, are you sad about Quinn?" Me--"Yes. Are you?" O--"No! I am happy!" Me--"Why?" O--"Because she is in Heaven!!"

precious kiss = Hershey's Kiss

After a quiz session on Kindergarten content, "Am I catching up to you?"

Hearing the story of Peter's denial of Jesus, "Was the rooster Peter's spanking?"

"You're a nice mom. I like you."

Gifts for My Newest Nephew

I love living in the South, but I sure miss my family back in the Midwest, especially when new babies arrive! Fortunately, I got to greet my brand new little nephew Deacon Liam over Christmas. He sure was a sweetie, and I think he still his, although he probably needs some Aunt Joyce kisses to keep him in line.

This was my welcome gift to him:


And a follow-up gift in the mail, because things got too crazy around Christmas to finish it then:

The Growing Awareness of Others, Kindergarten Version

Our six-year-old, Owen, has loved every day of Kindergarten. Most schools around here require uniforms, and his school is no exception. I love uniforms! We bought three pairs of pants and three shirts at the beginning of the year, and we'll make it through to the end, too, with only an inch or two of sock showing.
When the order form for school spirit clothing came home in Owen's backpack, the very first thing I noticed was the extremely high price of expressing spirit. In fact, I may have snorted my coffee through my nose or something like that. I couldn't get past my feelings over the cost, but I wanted Owen to be able to have a mascot shirt. I did what any other crafty mama would have done; I stenciled my own version of the ACS Ram on a plain blue t-shirt I just happened to have hanging in my sewing room. It more than satisfied Owen. He was very pleased.

And then, he started noticing all the other kids who wore Atmore Christian hoodies, and we began to hear a new theme around our house. Owen wanted his own, very specific hoodie. We knew what he wanted it to say. We knew what picture it was supposed to have on the front. We knew it needed to have a string *right here* like the big kids. And then, the naming of the cousins who had Atmore Christian hoodies began. With that came more questions of why their parents had chosen to buy hoodies.

Finally I borrowed a card from my sister in law, and told him he could have one if he paid for half out of his chore money. Oh, the joy in that kid's heart! I had some excitement too, because it was golden motivation for completing his work.

He saved his money, and the big day finally came, just in time for a too-warm-for-a-hoodie spring. His daddy took him into the school office. The secretary had a few on hand, and Owen came home looking like the cat that ate the cream. Here's another picture of that proud boy. He had changed for P.E. and put that hoodie right back on!

Slightly unrelated, but every once in a great while, Owen will fall asleep during his Saturday afternoon rest. I couldn't resist taking his picture.
His little sister Helen was amused at how solidly he was sleeping.