Toddlerish

 

 Every once in a while I have to do a post like this because there's this thing called the Baby Book that I totally don't do. Blogging is so much easier, and I've convinced myself I'll someday print off all of Newbie's monthly letters and put them  in a book that will end up being a billion times better than the Baby Book anyway.  Someday.  

For now it's all on the blog, and I'm just praying the Internet doesn't explode anytime soon.

Newbie's been talking like crazy the past month or so.  A lot of its conversation that comes out like jibberish, but he has several words that he uses on a daily basis. I've been meaning to catch him on camera, but I'm telling you, the guy does not like showing off for the Sony.  He either clams up entirely or he runs away.  I have plans to work a Jack Bauer undercover operation to catch him on a chatty day, but in the meantime, I wanted to capture some of his words as they are right now.  He's growing and changing SO much, that I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep track of all the words he knows! 

 (Image created by the amazing Trudy Holtz at http://www.trudyholtzphotography.com. Check her out- she does phenomenal work!)

 Without further ado, and just in case you ever need to know how to speak Toddler, I present:

Newbie's Dictionary

"PEEE!".....Opie

"gah".....golf

"da da da da da!".....Daddy

   (Image created by http://www.trudyholtzphotography.com)

"DAAAA-DIO".....Daddio

"Ma-ma".....Momma

  (Image created by http://www.trudyholtzphotography.com)

"peas".....please

"mo mo mo".....more

"E-e-e-e"....eat

"yoush".....juice

"shooorge".....George (as in, the curious one)

"BAP-pull".....apple (the "pull" is in a whisper you can just baaarely hear)

 (Image created by http://www.trudyholtzphotography.com)

"GO GO GO GO GOOO!".....go!

"duh-DOWN!".....TOUCHDOWN!

"tee-teef"....teeth

"Melmo"......Elmo

"Gan-Dah"....Grandad

"BEEP!"....Jeep

"GAH-go!".....bad dog


"sigh sigh!".....outside

  (Image created by http://www.trudyholtzphotography.com)

"yea".....yes

"yesh"....yes

"no"....no

"boooom".....vroom (a car)

"caw-caw".....caw! caw! (a bird)

"hooo-hooo!"....hoo hoo (an owl)

"OooOOOooooW!"....howl (a dog howling...thank you, Clifford)

"puppee"...puppies

"buh-ball"......football

"ba-ball".....basketball

  (Image created by http://www.trudyholtzphotography.com)

  "aye".....eye

"boo's".....blueberries

"nanna/nanni".....banana

"cheeeez".....cheese

"ah ah".....hot (which he always follows with blowing on whatever is hot: the Hubs came home from a workout, gave Newbie a hug and said he was really hot...Newbie started blowing air on his daddy's face)

"nigh-nigh"....night-night

"mmmwaah!"....I love you (blows a kiss)

....and then there's several other allusive words that he's only said once or twice directly after we've said them, but we don't count it for the dictionary until he says them consistently on his own (You know, just regular dictionary protocol).

 

  (Image created by http://www.trudyholtzphotography.com)

 (Why does bad hair day always have to fall on picture day?)

We've got a busy weekend planned.  I'm not sure how all our weekends end up busy, but they do.  Tonight is girls'/guys' night and tomorrow we're going to a Harvest Festival.  We'll probably be MIA on the blog this weekend, but I'll be back Monday with a recap!

We also have TWO showings on our house this weekend.  We've had several showings, but nothing solid as far as offers go.  We have yet to hear back from someone who came to see the house earlier this week, and we've got two potential buyers coming tomorrow (commence House For Sale Fire Drill and my nervous breakdown). In other words: Lots of opportunity for a miracle this weekend!

We would so appreciate prayer that this house would sell to some buyers soon if its God's will.  We are anxious to know where we're going to be this fall/winter with the holidays and the snow just around the corner.  I have been going a little bonkers living in transition and having half our stuff packed away so our house shows well.  My nesting/holiday decor bone is twitching, and I am just itching to douse this place in chalkboard paint if we're going to be here for a while.  Any prayers that we'd sell soon so we can get into a house and start using chalkboard paint all over everything would be so very much appreciated!  Thank you, friends! I would love to pray for you too, so please feel at home leaving any prayer requests in the comments or email me at: sprinklesandwrinkles@gmail.com.

Thank you thank you, and have a Happy Weekend!!!

Once Upon the Hubs' Dream Come True

Once upon a time, I was watching a little girl and her little sister while their parents were out.  After I had tucked the littlest of the two blondies in and wished her goodnight, I went to the oldest and tucked her into bed.  She looked up at me from her purple pillow, a mountain of stuffed animals and dolls rising up from the other side of the bed behind her, and smiled.  We sang a couple songs, then I asked her if she would like to pray.  "Oh, yes, I do!" was her reply.   "Alright," I said, "what would you like to ask Jesus for before you go to sleep tonight?"  In the sweetest, most casual voice she answered, "Oh, just that all my toys would come to life and all my dreams would come true."

No big deal.

I had to stifle a giggle, because her request was so cute, and I think I altered her prayer a little bit so she wouldn't feel slighted if Jesus didn't make her toys come to life overnight. =)

Later that evening, I went home and told the Hubs about her prayer request. To this day anytime one of us wants something a little over the top, we quote her.  For example:

She says: "Honey, for Christmas I want a big sewing table and my own room to put it in.  In a new house.  In the country.  With no loud neighbor dogs. And also, I wouldn't mind a trip to the beach." 

He says: "Oh, ok.  So just that all your toys would come to life and all your dreams would come true?"

And then we laugh.  Every time.  Because we love the innocence in her answer and because who doesn't want all their toys to come to life and all their dreams to come true?

The moral of the story:  Last Saturday night, all the Hubs' toys came to life and all his dreams came true.

He has never wanted anything more than to have his whole family meet up for a throw-down tailgate party before going to a football game at our alma-mater.  He's dreamed of it for ever.  With everyone's schedules and a less-than-fabulous weather forecast, it didn't look like it was going to happen.  It certainly wouldn't be easy.  It kinda felt like maybe he was asking Jesus to make all his toys come to life.  It was just a stretch.  HOWEVER, in a stroke of pure awesome, Saturday night his dreams came true.

 (We missed you, Aunt Corndog and Uncle J!!!)

Neither rain, nor sleet nor snow could stop that guy.  It was Family Day at the game, and though there was storms in the forecast, we decided to tough it out- rain or shine. 

The Hubs had Newbie saying, "Home Team FIRST DOWN!" from his carseat in the back while road-tripped out to the game, and he was grinning from ear to ear the whole way despite the lightening and black storm clouds on the horizon.

When we got to campus it started to spit at us a bit, but then the clouds blew over and cleared off, making for a great night of football.  The Hubs led us on a full tour of campus, and it was really fun being back at the place where we spent four years straight out of high school.  So many memories of piles of homework, studying ferociously on benches outside of various classes before exams, paying 10 dollars for vitamin booster smoothies, pulling a 2 foot shower rat out of my freshman dorm room shower drain (some memories were more fond than others) and lots of fun dates with my man.  We had a blast reminiscing and showing everybody our old stomping ground, and the fall colors reflected in the trees across campus were just the icing on the cake.

 

(Why, hello, gorgeous!)

The Hubs even took us through some of the halls in the academic buildings where we spent the better part of the mid 2000's.  Newbie brought his wagon.  It was awesome.

 

(Many, MANY a study cram occurred on this bench just outside of my Spanish class freshman year.  Shout-out to my Spanish 201 amiga, Kat, who shared that bench with me on many occasions!)

After the tour, we opened the tailgate for a state-of-the-art football feast.  The best part?  We parked right across from an RV promoting campus housing that was giving away endless free hotdogs, gum, and candy.  Total SCORE, baby. We had a quite a spread in the back of the car: Buffalo Wild Wings, homemade caramel apples, jalapeno poppers, and mini blueberry muffins just the right size for Newbie.  YUM.

 

(Mom, these were the BEST!!!)

After tailgating, we made our way over to the stadium, where we drank in as much football hoopla as we could.

 

 

(Never let anybody tell you this little guy is not a stud.  He took that practice sled on like nobodies business.)

We had a fabulous night.  Newbie was still bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 9, when I decided it was time to hitch 'em up and head 'em out lest we miss church the next day due to a few sleepyheads.  The Hubs stayed behind and caught the rest of the game with my MIL and FIL while me and Newbie rode back with G-Mama and Grandad.

The Hubs was sorry to report over coffee the next morning that our team didn't win, but I think the caramel apples and Tour-de-Campus plus the freebie hotdogs made up for the loss.  It was a win for this family circus, that's for sure!

(Full circle moment #4647 for me this football season: introducing Newbie to our school mascot (who my dad lured into my freshman dorm room for a photo-opp on move-in day:that's another story altogether)  and Newbie going in for a solo-high five just as the camera snapped! hehe)

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Tuesday's Favorite Things

 These two are my favorite:

Also on my Favorite Things List today:

Pumpkin pancakes

A clean house

A showing on said house tomorrow

Biggest Loser

My Mama

...just to name a few.

I hope your Tuesday is filled with a few of your favorite things!

Walking

Hi friends!  I'm branching out a little bit today and joining in on the Bloom Book Club over at (in)courage.com. I've been a fan of the site since it started, and I'm currently reading What Women Fear by Angie Smith.  I'm loving everything about the book (as a world-class worrier, I can relate to more than every sentence she's written...=]), and I adore Angie as an author, so I was thrilled to see that she is hosting a book club over at (in)courage because it combines two of my favorite things!  An (in)courage Book Club on What Women Fear is better than an Oreo Blizzard on the beach- and if you know me at all, you know that's really saying something. =)

Today Angie has asked that Bloom readers blog about one of their fears and then link up to the Bloom Book Club over at (in)courage so the community of women engaging in the book club will have a chance to explore the links and gain encouragement in knowing they are not alone. 

I didn't hesitate when I read the challenge because I've been battling a consistent fear for several months, and if there's one journey I know I'm not walking alone, its my journey through miscarriage.  If you're not familiar with my story, you can get all caught up by clicking the photo below:

Before July of this year, I would have written about how I feared I would have a miscarriage, and after July of this year, I will still write about how I fear I will have a miscarriage.  As we approach the three month mark since we lost Eden, I'm grappling with fear stemming from my hope for another pregnancy and, in turn, the possibility of another heartache. 

God did some incredible things through my daughter's story, and I know He can write a magnificent story of grace and love through the tears.  He walked with me so closely, and taught me so much about how I can trust Him because He is always, always good despite the circumstance. I learned that I'm not in control, but that's OK because His love runs so, so deep, and He is so, so good and He has a story bigger than my own that never, ever ends.

Even having experienced His love and presence first hand only a few short months ago, if I'm being really honest with myself, as a momma who has walked the road of losing a baby, I'm scared to pieces that God is going to ask me to walk that road again. In the secret places, I fear that I will become pregnant again only to have my baby's life end before it begins.

We're talking sweaty palms/shaky hands/squeezing heart kind of scared to pieces.

Though the fear is constantly on the surface these days as the Hubs and I dream of a growing family, every time I feel that fear creeping in, that what if He asks me to journey through losing my baby again?- the one threatens to take away my very breath-every time I feel the intensity of that fear, there is a still, small voice inside of me that says no matter what happens, it will be okay because His love endures forever, and He is faithful- He won't make me walk the road alone.

Gently, He reminds me of my daughter Eden's story- that what happened with Eden was not all loss.  That my baby girl's story didn't end with the end of my pregnancy, but that it was only the beginning- and a glorious beginning at that.  He gives me eternal eyes to see the bigger picture- to see that the aching and the pain of this life is not His work coming to a dead end, or Him forsaking us in times of need, but rather a door from which His love can come rushing in- an opportunity for us to experience His faithfulness and love firsthand as He walks beside us through the tears.

While that fear of having to experience the pain all over again taunts me as the Hubs and I start praying that the Lord would allow our family to grow, there is a soft, warm and still voice resonating from the depths of me whispering, "Beloved, it is well.  My love endures forever, and My story does not end.  You are a part of my story: I have plans for you- plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future.  Remember my faithfulness.  Remember and trust. Won't you walk with me?" 

Won't you walk with me?

It's an invitation.  An invitation He extends each time the fear of loss creeps up inside of me.

And my answer? 

My answer is yes, Lord.  Through the sweaty palms and the shortness of breath and the desperate plea of my heart for peace and a healthy new baby one day soon, I whisper back: Yes.  Yes, Lord. No matter what. I will walk with you, and I will trust you. Yes, yes, and YES.

Rather than listen to the voice of fear, I'm choosing to take His hand and walk with Him. I choose to trust not that He will spare me from loosing another child, or from any other pain or heartbreak in this life, but that He will walk with me through the tears, that He will make beautiful things out of the mess.  He has done it once, and I know He will do it again.  And again, and again.  Because He is faithful. Because His love endures forever.  I know I can trust Him because though I've walked a road soaked in tears, He never left me to walk it alone.  

Knowing I don't have to walk alone is enough.  It's enough to calm the fear and fill me with the courage and the strength to keep walking, to keep moving, to press on beyond the sweaty palms and the racing heartbeat and the shaking hands.  It's a choice I have to make daily, multiple times a day, because the fear is so real and so relevant to my current journey; but walk I will, because I am not alone. 

And the best part? 

Neither are you.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:9-11

Wishing you all a week with lots of walking. =)

-Brittany

Oh, the Places We Go

This weekend has been busy busy busy.  But its the good kind of busy that involves friends and family and road trips and makes you love the weekend.  Not the bad kind of busy like mountains of laundry or eleven page English 301 reports or a to-do list full of stuff you like to pretend isn't on the to-do list.

This weekend has been all good kinds of busy.  I'm hopping on this afternoon to get a jump start on our weekend recap- the plan is to tell you about some of it now and some of it later.

(No kidding: that last sentence gave me a Now and Later craving strong enough to propel me into the kitchen digging through the candy stash for a piece of tooth-shattering, grape-flavored corn syrup goodness before continuing with my post.  I wish I could tell you it is because I am pregnant, but lo, I am not pregnant: rather, I am just that influenced by artificially flavored sugar. Help, my thighs are crying.)

Friday night we hit up the city for a tour of the art contest that sprinkles the town this time of year.  We met up with Miss L and her family for the third year in a row there, which we decided officially marks it as a tradition.  Three years of doing anything with the same people makes for a legitimate tradition. 

 

(Coffee shop stop while touring the town...it makes me so happy to see me and L with our little families together (the Hubs is behind the camera).  We always dreamed they'd all be friends, and Look! Its happening!)

Downtown we saw lots of cool stuff, lots of weird stuff, and we ran up and down a hill because when you've got kids, you automatically inherit a get-out-of-that-chick-is-crazy-jail-free type of pass called the Cool Card. (The Hubs will hands-down LOVE the Monopoly game reference there, which is why I'm keeping it even though I'm seriously questioning the clarity of the previous sentence.) The Cool Card makes things like running up and down a random hill in the city totally cool.  Said card also makes it cool to sing in line at the grocery store or to watch Disney movies anytime you want.  It coolifies dancing to The Wiggles and hollering out football plays in the middle of a family photo shoot. In other words, the Cool Card is awesome, and being a mom totally rocks.  

Newbie loved being out and about.  He was happy running around when we gave him the chance, and he was happy riding in his stroller checking out all the art too.  When we went last year, Newbie was just a little bitty guy, so it was really fun watching him take it all in this year.  He really liked the grizzly bears and the big praying (preying?) mantis.  This boy is all about animals.  Animals are right up there with football and Ranch dressing as far as he's concerned.

 

 

 

(Those eyes!  Melt my heart.)

 

(Its important to take time to smell the recycled plastic flowers.)

(This pic makes me laugh- they are not the biggest fans of waiting for Momma to take "just one more" picture! hehe)

Following our night out on the town, Saturday morning started with me begging the Hubs to run to McDonald's for two cups of coffee (we were out) and then ended with me ruining the coveted McDonald's coffee with a WEALTH of chunky half and half. When I say "chunky" I mean CHUN-KEY. Full blown chunks of milk pouring into my coffee cup.  SICK.  I was convinced after ruining a perfectly perfect cup of hot coffee after a night of sleep deprivation that things could only get better from there.  And the good news is: things did.  We had a fabulously fun day Saturday- I'll fill you in the next time I post. Lots of fun pictures to share! =)

For now, I have to jitter bug my hiney out of here because we've got an event at church tonight where we'll meet our small group for the first time.  The Hubs and I are jazzed about being in a small group again, and we have to make sure we get there on time so our small groupies don't think they've got themselves a pair of lamesauce members.  We'll save the running behind for our second impression.  Also, I'm saving my crazy for the second impression too. Its always good to keep your crazy in your purse the first time you meet someone.   I've tried it the other way around before by just throwing it all out there with a Hello, my name is Brittany, and I'm a woman who is ALL OVER THE PLACE with random factoids and tidbits of TMI, and I'm telling you right now, I have learned to TAKE IT EAAASY, sister.  Note to self: Rein it in. Check. 

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday evening and a great start to a new week tomorrow!

PS- Totally unrelated to anything, but I can't sign off without sharing this: Lately Newbie has been OBSESSED with brushing his teeth with his "Melmo" (Elmo) toothbrush. He is all about dental hygiene these days.  I'm not sure if its the Elmo brush or the Little Bear berry flavored toothpaste, but he is a FAN of tooth-brushing and, consequently, teeth in general. (As kids, Corndog and I had bubble gum flavored Muppets toothpaste at Mutte's house that we loved- like, ate it out of the tube loved- so I can understand his appreciation for fun flavored paste. Just sayin'.)

The past three mornings we've gotten Newbie out of bed, the first thing he does is stand up in his crib and say "teef!"  then point to his mouth.  I ask him, "Oh wow!  Did you grow a tooth last night?" and he looks at me for a bit, then smiles, nods, and says "yeah."  It is the funniest morning routine we've seen out of him.  The best part is, we think he's serious because he's only got 6 teeth so far and seems to have been teething lately.  It just tickles us to no end that he's so obsessed with teeth now and likes to tell us about the teeth he's been growing overnight each morning! 

Happy Sunday, and don't forget to brush!

must...find....coffee.....

Y'all.

Its six o'clock in the morning, and I've been up since four with some sort of can't turn off my brain situation because yesterday was rough.  And by rough I mean Opie ate one of Newbie's socks, and we had to make him hack it up, lest we find ourselves in the doggie ER in three days.  I've never been more excited to see puke or a slobber coated "BASKETBALL ALL STAR!" sock in all my life.

 Also, we have family pictures with my FIL and MIL in four hours, and I don't know what I'm gonna wear and we all know how FRAZZLING that kind of a situation can be.  When a version of yourself is destined to be hung on the wall for decades to come, the stakes are HIGH.  My saving grace is that Trudy is taking our pictures and the bottom line is: it doesn't matter what you're wearing, sister can make you look good.  Amen and hallelujah.

At this point I don't know if its the dog drama hangover (he's 100% fine- stomach of steel, that one) or the picture day dilemma or the fact that I can't decide whether its worth going to bed for another hour before I have to be up again anyway that's keeping me from being able to fall asleep but I'm helplessly AWAKE.

I've spent the last two hours browsing "Children of the 90's" websites and laughing/reminiscing all alone.

Help.

The only reason I'm even posting at all at this horrendous hour on a Saturday morning is because I have two pressing questions and there's no one in this house awake enough to answer them: Where is the coffee and is it too early for an Oreo Blizzard?

Since its Friday we totally don't have to get out of our pj's, right?

Once upon a time, Newbie was this big:

(Fall 2010)

And now?  

Now he's a giant.

 

An adorable, fun-loving, sweet, goofy, belly laughing, 17 month old, football obsessed giant.

We had a family over for dinner at the beginning of this week, and I pulled out Newbie's old bouncer for their 2 month old.  He found it the following morning and has been lounging in it in the playroom ever since.

Opie is clearly a fan of lounging as well.

 You know who else is a fan of lounging?  This chick. I'm off to lounge with my boys.  

Happy Friday!

One from the archives  I just couldn't resist posting this morning:

(Newbie says: Have an awesome weekend!)

Start 'em Off: Take 3

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Good morning, friends!

Today I'm featuring another Start 'em Off post where I share some ideas about how I'm starting Newbie off right and teaching him what it means to love God and love others.  When I started this series, I was hopeful other mommas and teachers and fans of kiddos would jump in with some of their own Start 'em Off ideas so we can get a good collection of fun ways to engage our children in learning about Jesus and serving others.  At the end of this post, there will be an opportunity for you to share your ideas and check out other ideas that have been shared.  I hope you'll jump in!

I'm excited for today's Start 'em Off post because Newbie and I spent some time scrambling this morning to get it ready.  I've fallen behind my fall craft wagon, and this morning we made up for some lost time in the creating department. 

One of the things the Hubs and I really want to nurture in Newbie is a heart of gratitude.  We want to live lives of gratitude towards God, and we want that to overflow into gratitude towards others as well.  

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. -1 Chronicles 16:24

I believe the habit of gratitude can transform challenging circumstances into opportunities to see God's faithfulness, His goodness, and His love.  When we lost our daughter Eden this summer, we turned our broken hearts to God in gratitude for His plan and the blessing that was our first 10 weeks with Eden, and in turn we saw His faithfulness, goodness, and love unfold in ways we could never have imagined.

We want Newbie to know what it looks like to be thankful in all circumstances- to choose joy, and I believe that starts with modeling a life of gratitude each day. 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18

To help us engage in giving thanks for all things each day, we made a Thankful Tree!

 

 

This project was a piece of cake.  We went out to the backyard and found a branch with lots of tiny branches jutting off of it, then brought it inside and stuck it in a mason jar.  

 

Newbie helped me cut out leaves from construction paper, punch a hole in each, and tie a small piece of thread through the holes. 

I asked Newbie what he was thankful for, and I wrote it down on each leaf.  

He wanted to help, so I let him write out some of the things he wanted to thank Jesus for today.  Today Newbie is grateful for Daddy and dogs.  Which I thought was funny because those are totally two of his favorite things.

 

(I felt a little left out when he didn't say "Momma", so I went ahead and made a "momma" leaf for him.  I think he'll be thankful for me when I tell him we're having cheesy spaghetti for lunch today.)

When he fizzled out on the markers, I added a few more things I am thankful for, then stashed a pile of empty leaves and a few markers near the tree.  

Each day we'll pick at least one leaf and write something we're thankful for, then hang it up on the tree.  As we hang the leaf, we'll thank God for whatever we wrote down: "Thank you, Jesus, for Daddy.  And dogs."  Ha!  I think it must delight the heart of God so very much to hear the thank you's of little hearts.  

My guess is that tomorrow Newbie will be thankful for his bath toys and Curious George.  Its just a guess. =)  But hey, God is the giver of all good things, and around here bath toys and Curious George are on the good list.  So I think it works!

Another thing we do around here to Start Newbie Off right?  Pumpkin pancakes, baby. 

Just kidding.  Not really.  I don't want my boy growing up and thinking he can go through autumn without scarfing down some pumpkin pancakes...that would be nuts! 

Today I'm thankful for my pumpkin pancake-lovin' baby boy.  =)

 

Join in the fun and share some ideas by writing your own Start 'em Off post! Link back to Sprinkles and Wrinkles in your post, and then come back here to link up your blog below.  I want to know what you do, have done, or hope to do with your kiddos to introduce them to and walk them through the beauty of loving God and loving others. No idea is too small or too big or too simple or too fun!  A craft, a prayer, a verse, a song, a book, anything.What do you do/do you hope to do/have you done to Start 'em Off???

A Party on the River and "Start 'em Off" on the Horizon

I've officially declared today a pajama day for our family.  Its dreary and rainy outside and there's a chill coming through the open window.  Laundry to wash, dishes to sort, and books to read.  Definitely a jammie day at our house.

A couple weeks ago we had a not-so-jammie Friday when we went to a festival downtown.  Newbie was so much fun to watch because he was thrilled with the live music.  We sat in a open field on the river listening to a not-so-great band, but Newbie had a ball.  He ran out into the field and screamed, clapping his hands and cheering for the music.

Then he got really silly and started to spin around in circles and tumble to the ground.  I've never seen him so slap-happy, and the Hubs and I spent a good half hour just laughing as we watched Newbie take it all in.

 

 (Creepiest shirt.  Ever. But Newbie loves it, and I can't deny him the fun of playing with those puggy googley eyes.)

 

 

 

Then we ate an elephant ear and called it a night.

 

(This is Newbie's "shake it off", used when eating sugary treats and when toughing it out after a stumble or fall.  He rubs both hands together and dusts off all his problems. He's a stud.)

 

It was a fun evening in the city, which we don't do a whole lot because we're country folks at heart.  But throw in a beautiful skyline and an elephant ear and we are there, baby.

(Can I just take a minute and tell you how much Jetta, from the Clifford The Big Red Dog cartoons, annoys me?  She's always got a high-pitched frog in her throat and she whines alllll the time. We're talking whinier than Caillou folks, and that's really saying something.  If you're not familiar with Jetta or Caillou, just envision spending an hour of your morning listening to an ambulance siren drowning in a bathtub and you're pretty much there.  She's definitely not my favorite.  I'm pretty partial to Cleo, the neon purple colored poodle, though.  I appreciate her sense of humor and she rocks a bit of husky in her voice that I can only achieve when I've got a bad cold. However, even with the redeeming attributes of Cleo, I'm still left to wonder whatever happened to David the Gnome or Duck Tales? Cartoons just aren't what they used to be.

Am I really blogging about cartoon characters?  Whoa.

What I meant to say was I'm doing another "Start 'em Off" post this week!  I'm shooting for Wednesday, and I'm going to take another whack at getting a linky hooked up so you can make your own post about a great "Start 'em Off" idea and link back here. If we get a few linkers, we'll have a big fun collection of different ways to help our kiddos grow to know and follow hard after Jesus. If we don't, we'll have a small fun collection of different ways to help our kiddos grow to know and follow hard after Jesus.  Either way, it should be a good time. =)  If you're not familiar with my Start 'em Off posts, you can click here or here to check out the last few.  I hope you'll join us!

Here's wishing you all a marvelous Monday!