"baby" brilliance: warning--bragging blog

one of my favorite thanksgiving pictures that didn't make it to the christmas card!

i always knew my babies were brilliant, but i would like to share, in most recent occurrences, my proof.
princess pea was helping chris build a dresser today. she held up a small piece and said, "daddy? what's this for?"
daddy: "i don't know!"
princess pea: "it's for the dresser!"
daddy: "you're right! it IS for the dresser."

wordgirl is 4. in a few months she will be 5. she has had NO formal preschool training at all. i am doing a little homeschool preschool right now with her and princess pea, but mostly we are working on her letters and making a craft each day--3 days a week for like a 1/2 hour. (i have my limits: i work for a full day on thursdays and friday mornings are just fun and easy; sometimes library, sometimes errands, sometimes pj day).
that's as formal as we have gotten. so today i told her it was reading time and asked her to go get a book. she came back with morris goes to school. she then proceeded to read me the entire 64 page book with the exception of 2 pages that she couldn't remember how it flowed together.
according to my husband who was in college just LAST year changing his teaching license, she is TOTALLY reading. she may not be reading the words, but she is reading the pictures and the pictures are her symbols to tell her the story. and on some pages, she got complete sentences exact!
oh, and i forgot she knows 1 john 4:7-8 COMPLETELY: "dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. he who does not love, does not know God because God is LOVE!" (emphasis wordgirl's)

dash: if he sees a bare belly, he stretches his arms out, wiggles his fingers, and goes after it sniggering all the way. and oftentimes wordgirl is the barebellied girl and giggling hysterically which then gets him going even more. it's so FUNNY and always a highlight of my day!

isaiah 1-5

image courtesy of http://oneyearbibleimages.com/isaiah43_2.jpg

here is my quick synaposis of isaiah 1-5.

i decided to do this to see how they fit together. i have to say that i don't this very well. i do much better at digging through trying to find details yet keeping it in context and not taking out whatever i want to take away. (if you could follow that!)

anyway, this is what i noticed.

18 verses about YHWH caring for his people.

26 verses about humbling man (or letting him humble himself)--there are probably more

4 verse about YHWH alonge being exalted

4 verses promise about preserved number

These are 4 statements that i think summarize these 5 chapters.

1. our lives are thrown together. YHWH has taken all effort and care for us.

2. YHWH wants his people to return to him--all the woes, judgements, punishments, consequences are designed to bring his people back to him.

3. only 4 times is it mentioned that YHWH alone will be exalted. it is throughout the 5 chapters, but YHWH doesn't force you to exalt him. if you don't, you will suffer because that is the nature of YWHW and how he made this world.

4. even in the midst of the destruction, YHWH gives hope in the promise of preservation.

no applicable stories from my life this week. it's been crazy crazy CRAZY this week. not much time to reflect. however, in the little time i have had, i think these chapters show much more of a heartsick YHWH than i first thought when i started reading isaiah. i like that. YHWH cares about his people, and ultimately it makes him so SAD when we don't live the way he created us to live.

but enough of what i think. what do YOU think about YHWH?

weekend thoughts: thankful as an adult

crystal at life at the circus hosts this carnival. i'm not sure if she is doing it this week or not, but i thought i would still give it a whirl.
i have always been thankful for my parents. i grew up knowing the truth about God and being allowed to share my emotions and developing ways of problem-solving with a very supportive family.
but you know that sometimes as a child/growing up person, your parents drive you crazy. (i have shared this with my parents. i'm free to share this with the world) even as an adult they can STILL irritate you. i just had a discussion with my friend, dacia, and her mom, irene, about how mothers irritate you and that is just the nature of having a mother. every mother irritates their daughter.
irene told me to be careful of what i said because dacia was there with her mom. yes, but at the same time, if you want to live in reality: that's reality.
i have 2 girls, i am going to need to be aware of this fact.
but as my children grow and our family grows, i become more and more aware of how much i LOVE my parents and how much i need them.
as a mom, i am depended upon for everything. but not by my folks. i still get to depend on THEM. not 100% of the time like i used to when i was a child, but a LOT.
it's so nice to be able to go to their house and just let my superstars be my superstars and let my parents have at them.
there is an understanding between us that i can trust my parents to play with the superstars and WANT to play with my superstars. they just let me rest. it's this unspoken connection we have.
sure there are times when i get irritated about something, but that's because this unspoken connection we have doesn't always get verbalized (hence unspoken) so something happens (be it big or little--usually little) that bugs one of us, or it's just that mother/daughter irritation that can still happen. but i will take that for the sense of rest i find with my parents.
it's weird. and i am so grateful and thankful for it.
i love ya, mom and dad!

friday fave five: black friday

thanksgiving pics are going to have to wait as i am in wi with my parents.

chris had to work black friday and so i figured it would just be easier on everyone if i stayed here with my superstars!

so once again i am joining the friday fave five fun with susanne.



the top five quotes of thanksgiving and black friday (so far):

1. princess pea: i want a shake [for lunch].

giannamama: i told you you get one. do you want chicken fingers or a cheeseburger with it?

princess pea: i want .....hmmmmm......a shake.

giannamama: i know! you get to have one! do you want chicken or a cheeseburger?

princess pea: hmmmmm....chicken. no! cheeseburger........and a shake.



2. wordgirl: i want to color in your garage, grandma!

grandma: glow in the dark crayons doesn't mean that you color in the dark. it means that you color it and then you can see it in the dark.



3. wordgirl: i want a glass, mom.

giannamama: okay, do you want a yellow one? [apparently i was much mistaken in understanding the word "glass."]

wordgirl: *sigh* [and with exaggerated hand gestures] i want one that can BREAK!



4. giannamama to her brother [so i guess, then, i would just be gianna]: it's during winter both figuratively and literally when it seems like everything is frozen and everything is in a bad spot when actually underneath so much is changing and growing. we just can't SEE it. (i know, i just quoted myself, but i really took that to heart. and technically, i think i heard someone else say it, i just don't know where it was. if anyone else has heard that, please let me know where it came from)



5. princess pea: when 'wordgirl' is done, then it's MY turn.

a humiliating story on this thanksgiving day

pay no attention to the pumpkins, but look closely at the girls. yes, you have seen this picture before, but it's perfect for what i am about to tell you.

i can't believe i am telling you this story. it is so EMBARRASSING for me. but it's also SO funny that i have to share.

one night, i was tucking in wordgirl in to bed. i hadn't been feeling very good all night. and as i sat on her bed, talking to her about keeping still in her bed with her covers, my tummy said, "you've gotta release this gas, NOW!"

i didn't really have a choice.

talking to wordgirl, i tried to wave the bad air away. wordgirl asked what i was doing so i told her that it was smelly.

i, then, proceeded to stand up and retuck princess pea into bed.

in a forced whisper, i heard, "oh, MOM! it's stinky!"

i couldn't disagree, so i told her that i would go get something.

"yeah, you GOTTA spray something! it's stinky!"

so i came back with the oust and shot it into their room. after i brought it back to the bathroom, i heard through their door once again in a forced whisper, "oh, MOM! it didn't WORK! it didn't WORK! it's STILL stinky! it doesn't work!"

kids keep you humble. there's no doubt about that!

i just LOVE

when i get help with the dishes.

and then there is a lake all over the kitchen floor.

oh, i try so HARD not to get frustrated as my superstars discover and learn as they get soaked and then fall down as they slip and slide off and on the step stool.

join angie at 7 clown circus for more wordful wednesday!

season of time

image courtesy of http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/clock.gif

everything has it's time.

time to play with the superstars.

time to do the dishes.

time to cuddle with chris.

time to ignore the phone.

time to exercise.

time to take a shower.

time to read my Bible.

time to work.

but there are moments when it is NOT time.

like today.

at work.

it was NOT time to check a blog and hope to get a brief moment of God's word while i was supposed to be working.

you see this morning, i chose to take a shower instead of reading and studying my Bible.

when my shower was done, dash was letting me know in no uncertain terms that it was time to get up NOW!

so when i got him up, i was able to get him situated with his breakfast. i thought, "great! i can have 10 minutes to read." no sooner had i said this to myself, than wordgirl came out of her room.

okay, so i tried, but i didn't even get through the first word search i was doing in isaiah 1-5. i think i got to isaiah 3.

anyway, so i had a pretty bad morning. i was grumpy all morning. and it was my own fault.

then, at work this afternoon, i had 5 minutes (okay, no, that's not right! in all honesty it was 30 seconds--not long enough), so i thought i would read karen's blog.

i then prayed that God would speak to me through the psalm she had posted (she asked us to do that). no sooner had i asked that, then my supervisor stopped in to talk to me.

i was caught.

God is NOT going to honor that prayer. yes, he wants to speak to our hearts, but not when we are supposed to be doing something else. i am getting paid NOT to spend time on the internet. even if it is to learn more about God.

Colossians 3:23 states, "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if you are working for the Lord and not for man."

what am i going to do now? first, i need to talk to my supervisor and apologize. that's my first step. then, i'm not sure!

falling asleep

chris and i actually got to watch a movie tonight.
a few glitches:
1. our dvd player is super touchy so we had to try the other one upstairs so we had to stop the movie in the middle to physically move.
2. for the first 20 minutes, dash screamed uncontrollably. so we had to stop it so that i could try to help him.
3. princess pea got up twice from her bed and we had to put HER back to bed.
4. now i'm ready to crash. actually by the end of the movie, i was thinking, "keep my eyes open! keep my eyes open!"
5. now chris is watching the extras and i need to post for nablopomo or whatever its called!
6. i ate too many chocolate snacks.
7. i waited too long and left you with this lame post.
tomorrow should be better.

selfish

image courtesy of http://oneyearbibleimages.com/isaiah43_2.jpg

we are all selfish.

chris and i went to the christmas carol today at the guthrie theatre in downtown minneapolis (thank you soooo much melody who gave us the free tickets and the free babysitting. seriously? how did we get so blessed).

once again i was reminded how selfish we are. yes, scrooge is ridiculously selfish, but who, in their minds, hasn't had at least one thought like he had before his night of reckoning?

isaiah 5 talks about how much YHWH has given his people. he tended carefully and meticulously to his people, and he had a plan for them. but when he looked for good fruit, all he saw was bad. then, isaiah reads how YHWH stopped tending to his people and even worked hard AGAINST his people.

it's like me wanting wordgirl to obey me and not do whatever SHE thinks is best. it's because i know what's best for her. just because she wants to do something doesn't mean that's the best choice for her. if she disobeys, there will be natural consequences AND consequences regarding our relationship, too.

then, after that the rest of the chapter goes into this huge section of woes and judgments. i did NOT get this at all.

so one day, i asked YHWH to help me figure this out because i didn't get it.

then, he told me.

selfishness.

it's totally about selfishness.

cause: building and working for self

effect: emptiness and loneliness

cause: no regard for YHWH's deeds, no honor for His work

effect: man humbled, YHWH exalted

cause: encourage sin, questioning YHWH, call good evil and evil good, wise in own eyes, live only for a good time, deny justice

effect: will decay, beauty will blow away, YHWH's anger will burn!

so how do i regard YHWH? does my life strive to be in line with his will or am i seeking after my own selfish gain?

weekend thoughts: unbelievable

i know that in the long run this doesn't ultimately matter. i know that God is big and i am small. i know that right now i am being very self-centered. i know that i need to focus more on the Lord, BUT with that said, this is what is going on in my head.
i. feel. ugly.
i feel fat. i feel like it doesn't matter what i eat or how much i exercise, i am fat and huge.
yesterday, i looked in the mirror at myself and totally freaked out.
in may and june i was SO excited about the results of me focusing less on myself and more on God AND the effects of caring for my body with exercise and less treats.
then, i got pregnant and was feeling so defeated because all my hard work was abruptly ending.
as soon as i started feeling better from my morning sickness, i started to exercise again (not run, but really work on getting my heart rate up and doing some strength exercises) and stopped eating ONLY carbs.
i was feeling kind of good.
then, yesterday came, i looked in the mirror, and i decided that it wasn't worth it. all the weight was in my face already/again.
i tried so hard not to cry (and i didn't) or throw a tantrum (and i didn't).
i need to start focusing back on the Lord and not on me.
but as of right now, i am struggling.
i am NOT looking for a "you look fine, yada yada." i don't want to hear it/read it. i just want to feel this way and be understood.
and i hope i'm not alone.

even a mama needs to learn

wordgirl was crying yesterday morning because princess pea wanted to have half of her bagel and i told her that princess pea COULD have it (since it wasn't hers anyway). wordgirl started to throw a fit (what is it with fits?) when i said, "okay, you don't need any of it."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"okay, then you don't get any of it."
silence
we continued to get ready that morning when suddenly i heard, "okay,'princess pea,' you can have part of the bagel."

in the midst of the silence, wordgirl's heart was changing.
i know it was mostly becuase she wanted the bagel, BUT if my heart could change that fast, wouldn't the world be a better place?

i can't figure myself out

image provided by http://jennifermccolm.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/vinegar-_baking-soda.jpg

i'm weird.

i'm very weird.

i admit it all the time.

but i am admitting it again because i have the weirdest thing ever to disclose to you.

i have begun cleaning our house with baking soda, vinegar, and norwex microfiber cloths. mostly because we are saving a lot of money and i don't have to worry about the kids getting into it. AND i don't have to pull out 5 different cleaners to clean the house. just my 3 basic ingredients.

actually, the norwex cloths are not cheap but i love them and we have 2 of them (technically 4, but i don't want to explain the difference as i don't really even know what it is EXACTLY), and they should last a long long time.

anyway, after catching princess pea spraying my vinegar/water mixture across the room and wiping it up (me that is), i caught myself the other day, taking a deep breath and thinking, "aaaah! it's clean! what a great smell."

of vinegar!?!

who does that?

see? i told you i was weird!

wordful wednesday: wordgirl's masterpieces

join angie from seven clown circus for more picture fun!
we've had these magnadoodles since christmas, and the girls would kind of like them and then forget about them.
forget about them for a long time.
especially wordgirl.
princess pea really really liked it, but even SHE would forget about it occassionally.
then, suddenly one day, wordgirl drew this!
"look, mommy! it's a duck!"

impressive!

then just a month or 2 later, this is what she drew!

can you see it?
she told me what it was and i said, "sure."
then, i put it down and didn't look at it for a while.
then, from across the room, i looked at it again.
and i saw it!
a dragon breathing fire and smoke!
very impressive, huh?

blog hop: a favorite read

it's blog hop time which is awesome because right now, i got nothing!
this week, we are encouraged to talk about a favorite book.
oh, my word.
i LOVE to read. i have read and read and read since i learned how.
i remember my mom BEGGING my brother and i to go outside and play because all we ever wanted to do was stay in our rooms and read.
usually our punishment was we were banished outside for a 1/2 hour or so.
so choosing is quite difficult.
i like to read the unabridged versions of books. and i don't usually put a book down. i read the unabridged version of les miserables, and it took me 9 months. and at times i HATED it! but by the end, i was crying so hard, i could barely read it.
there is only one book that i can think of that i put down never to pick up again.
the last of the mohicans.
let me tell you! the movie is AWESOME! chris and i LOVE that movie. the book: well, the book may be better than the movie EXCEPT that it takes you a 1/2 hour to read one sentence because he writes such long sentences, you COMPLETELY forget what you read at the beginning of the sentence by the time you get to the end. so you have to read it again. and again. and again. i am NOT kidding. and even then you probably are only guessing what was written.

with that said, i had a hard time picking one of my favorites. but this was one of the first books that popped into my head so i think i will have to go with the trilogy of emily of new moon. l.m. montgomery is infamous for anne of green gables, and in a lot of ways emily is a lot like anne. but even better. the conflict is even MORE vibrant. the character is MORE meek, yet strong in her quietness and so when she does speak out for herself all you want to do is say, "YES! YES!" and it is wrapped up in 3 novels instead of 12 or whatever it is (which i think i've only read like 2 or 3 of the anne series anyway).

image courtesy of http://images.amazon.com/images/P/055323370X.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

don't get me started on jane austen's pride and prejudice, yet another favorite, emma, mansfield park, sense and sensibility or charlotte bronte's jane eyre. wow! or a contemporary author of lynn austin or francine rivers (especially her mark of the lion series).

i really could go on and on. but i'll stop. i hope you will join in the fun and if not, leave me a comment about YOUR favorite book.

not me monday: mckmama's back

being that mckmama's back in my state with her miracle boy, i think it's time that i 'fess up to some things that may concern HER!

1. sunday night (2 days BEFORE stellan was supposed have his surgery, the day he was supposed to have a normal admission, but instead had to go to the er because his svt would NOT let up), i spoke on the phone with our mutual friend, b.w. i did NOT tell her that i was so excited the mckmama mentioned her because now she's kinda famous. (well, you know what i mean)

2. monday morning, i did NOT get a call from b.w. crying because we needed to contact everyone who could possible pray for stellan that WE knew of. i did NOT insist loudly that my girls go to their room so that i could hear what b.w. had to say and so that they wouldn't see me crying. b.w. and i did NOT cry because stellan had coded on the table and i did NOT lose hope!

3. i did NOT postpone starting preschool with the girls so that i could call our church's prayer chain, my sunday school class's prayer chain, my friends from work who have been following stellan and praying with me about him, some of my best friends in life (and those who went to college with mckmama and me), d.o., m.o., and a.m. (i tried calling j.a., too, but for some reason getting a message to someone on a cruise is NOT easy).

4. i did NOT drive to work sobbing and praying all the way. i did NOT see a license plate that read PRVB356--which i did NOT know meant, "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths."

5. i did NOT avoid reading mckmama's blog for hours because i was scared to see what it said.

6. i did NOT finally read it and misunderstand that he had already had his surgery and send an email out to our ENTIRE sunday school class that he was okay when he hadn't even had the surgery yet. (i only realized this after we got an email BACK from b.w. saying, "he hasn't had his surgery yet!" oops!)

7. i did NOT send the card that wordgirl had made stellan to BOSTON on the day he came home. i had no IDEA that he would get out that fast! i thought for SURE he would be in the hospital a couple of more days. i also did NOT send a picture of our family that read, "come back to 'the frozen tundra.'" well, it did say the name of the state, but for mckmama's sake, i will refrain from mentioning it. NOT that i have that many followers that would stalk her. well, maybe j.a. (just kidding!)

oh, and i forgot: 8. i did NOT see the news story of stellan coming home and sob and sob all over again.

hopefully, your not me's aren't so humiliating and involving someone else who doesn't even realize it!

chosen to choose

image courtesy of http://oneyearbibleimages.com/isaiah43_2.jpg

this week i worked my way through isaiah 3 and 4.

seriously, for those of you who think that believing in Christ as your savior is a crutch, try studying a book in the Bible. i mean really studying it. like reading it and asking questions and thinking about it. you know, studying.

this book that i believe in is NOT easy to understand. all week i have been trying to figure what exactly YHWH was saying.

i believe the key verses for these 2 chapters (which flow together so well) are isaiah 3:8-9, 4:2. at least THIS time as i was working through it.

Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling;

their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. Thel ook on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it.

Woe to them! THey have brought disaster upon themselves.

In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.

i believe this is the whole point of these chapters. YHWH strips his people of everything that gives them comfort and still they do not turn to him. they try to figure out life all by themselves.

WOE!

yet in the midst of all of it, you see the contrast and the mercy that YHWH extends. those who trust in him will survive and see his glory.

i should stop there. i'm sure most of you haven't even followed me this far, but i can't stop yet.

in the middle of all of this YHWH uses a word picture of women.

isaiah 3:16-4:1 it goes on and on and on about women and how the women of zion are haughty and bold and getting attention for their bodies (and asking for attention with their bodies).

for most of the week, i have been struggling with this illustration.

why would God use women here so demeaningly?

as the week went on and i thought about it more and more (because this really bugged me--seriously people--a lot!), i realized that we all have this deep desire to belong. in this case, i think the word picture is similar to Christ and his bride, the church.

and this got me thinking about being chosen.

when chris and i got married, he chose me to be his bride however, i had to choose him right back. it wouldn't have worked if he chose me and i chose my camp "sweetheart." then, we wouldn't have a relationship and we wouldn't have gotten married. and if we had gotten married under those circumstances , it wouldn't be a marriage of perfect design at all. it wouldn't really be a marriage. it would be a lie.

i think that's the kind of picture we have going on here. YHWH is given male characteristics and it makes sense to use a female for a counterpart. i also think in these chapters, isaiah brings it home even more by using examples of what the woman of israel are already doing. and he really drives home the point in chapter 4:1, "in that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, 'we will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. take away our disgrace.'"

i think everyone wants to be chosen. if you are chosen, then YOU get to have a choice to make.

well-sung phrases around our house

princess pea: good job!
are you okay, dear?
cry, mommy, cry. (to which i oblige) it's okay. it's okay.
i don't LIKE you, mom (or dad--whoever made her mad)

wordgirl: i just LOVE ________________.
i don't wanna learn my verse. (and then she has it memorized after saying it twice)
when she learned i named her wordgirl and finally accepted it , " wwwwooordddd UP!"
i'm not picking my nose, dad, i'm tracing it.

dash: mama
dada
sada (sundrop, the bird)
cack cack (for chicken)

sleep: i've long said goodbye

why does it always seem to be 10:00 pm or later when these 2 will finally go to sleep?

memory for you about me

phew! i made it. my post for today.
i never thought how much pressure deciding to do this would bring to my life.
okay, maybe it's not THAT much.
but i kept thinking all day "i need to post. i need to post. i need to post."

now, what has been on my mind has been....doot do do do!!!!
this weekend.
i get to have the kids all to myself.
chris's grandma isn't doing very well so he is going to visit her this weekend.
i, on the other hand, am taking the kids to a hymn sing at church, a christian ministry fair, and church.
for sure we are going to the hymn sing since i get to sing.
i am kind of excited.
the last time i sang into a microphone for real was in high school for our choir variety show. "here's my hat, horace. i'm stayin' when i'm at, horace. dolly'll never go away again!"

okay, wait. i guess in college, i sang a clue for a medallion hunt when i was the social activities director for nwc. northwestern college (in st. paul, mn) is well known for it's music department.
2 things to know about me to understand what i'm about to tell you.
Number 1. when i went to college, i stopped singing in the choir because i had to work when they rehearsed. i would have LOVED to be in the choir, but it wasn't meant to be.
Number 2. i was in front of chapel a lot since i was part of the student government. i got to do a lot of things up front and i really enjoyed it. for this particular instance, i was giving the clue for the school's medallion hunt.

so when i sang the clue in chapel at college, (the old sunday school song, "oh door and only one and yet the sides are two. inside and outside on which side are you?" then you sing it again and end with "i'm on the inside on which side are you?" clue=the medallion was inside a building. not outside) i started out very confidently. i could sing. i got through the first phrase, no problem
SUDDENLY
i realized i was SINGING at Northwestern College! i was SINGING in front of the ENTIRE school!!!!!!! by myself! not even any music to accompany me! AAAAHHH!!! Oh, NO! What am I doing?
okay, i gotta get through this. i gotta get through this.
i can do it. i can do it.
voice, don't get shaky. finish. finish. finish.

and i was done.

and then i walked off the stage. shaking.

wordful wednesday: "if you keep finding beans, it's not truly clean"

join me at angie's seven clown circus for another day of fun pictures!

i don't know if i've shown you this picture before, but it got me thinking. about the messes that i make in my own life.

usually i am doing what these did before the clean up process. just going along doing whatever i am doing in life. then, suddenly i look around and see the mess that i have created all around me. (usually i see it after God or someone else has pointed it out to me) then, i try to fix it and clean it up as best as i can. however, like princess pea and dash here, i can't clean it up all by myself. places will be missed that are vitally important! like beans, beans, and more beans under the chair, in the cushions, or in the cracks in the floor. we kept finding these beans for MONTHS after this exciting play time. princess pea needed someone to come in and sweep it all up for her to be all clean.

if you keep finding beans, it's not truly clean.

in this case, i was helping princess pea to learn to be responsible.

in my case, i need someone bigger than me to make us truly clean.

superstar snapshots November 2009

on sunday night, princess pea had an accident.

not a bathroom accident, it was a bit more serious.

but not exactly a hospital emergency either.

after struggling just a little bit to get her into her pajamas, i think i either accidentally scratched princess pea, or i accidentally pulled her hair.

she let out a scream. kind of a tantrum scream, but not exactly. but then she started to THROW a fit. she turned herself around on her bed and threw her face down on the headboard of her bed.

i didn't realize what exactly happened because i walked into the hall to put some dirty clothes in the pile and then came back. i knew it was bad when she wasn't moving or screaming or anything but her face was buried in her pillow.

then, princess pea started SCREAMING!

she had landed right on her nose. she couldn't calm down at all. even after she got her pig and soothie.

after that, i noticed the blood.

"CHRIS! i need a tissue. hurry?"

it wasn't gushing out, but a bloody nose no matter what the reason. and all because she was throwing a fit! oh, how i wanted to lecture her. but at the same time, i wanted to cry and hug her and never let her go! the emotions a mother goes through! and a pregnant mother at that!

wordgirl was so cute because she wanted to help so badly, but she wouldn't give us any space. she brought a tissue to us to show us how to dab at princess pea's nose.

finally, i told her the best way for her to help would be to stay in her room for a little bit. and she did. she's such a tenderheart.

princess pea is now doing fine. well, as fine as you can with a puffy nose.

poor little thing.

about dash, see, i told you he's fast! so fast that he's blurry! (or that could be his inept mother trying to get a cute picture!) his room got a makeover and i will show you pictures soon, but let me just say that chicken has now been added to his repetroire of words. it's pretty cute.
he also likes to smacks his lips and then give you something to "eat" and wants YOU to smack your lips, pretending to eat it.

wordgirl has the sweetest heart ever! in passing i was telling her about the major, scary surgery that stellan (mckmama's son) would be experiencing. and that God was in control and we had to pray for stellan and trust God. i was putting some things away and she was just kind of hanging out behind me. it was kind of just in passing. after a few minutes, i heard sniffles and turned to see wordgirl seriously crying!
"what's wrong, sweetie?"
"stellan! he's going to have a really big surgery! it's scary!"
more tears!
wordgirl has never met stellan!
if she were a carebear, her name would have to be tenderheart!

meet....

princess pea, dash, and wordgirl

i decided to go with non-comic book superheroes. for some of you who know my kids, it may not make ANY sense, but let me explain to everyone.

princess pea: i call her sweet pea all the time or sweetie pea. and the show super why (on pbs) actually has a super reader whose name is princess pea.

dash: he's fast. just the other day, he wasn't paying any attention to where he was going and he had a translucent piece of plastic in front of his face and he ran RIGHT into a chair and bonked his nose pretty hard. as sad as it was that he hurt his nose, it was even funnier that he ran into the chair! (you know dash is from the incredibles! and thanks dana for the help on his name.)

wordgirl: if you know her, you would know why! word UP! she is NEVER at a loss for words. she can talk to anyone anytime anywhere about anything! (wordgirl is another pbs superhero).

these 3 funny ones are my animated superstars!

humbled

image courtesy of http://oneyearbibleimages.com/isaiah43_2.jpg

one day we will worship Him.

one day we will either flee in horror and dread or we will stand in awe of His amazing presence.

today we worship. whether we worship the true creator of heaven and earth or we worship something else like ourselves or another person, we still worship. something is the center of our own personal universe. that which is is what we worship.

however, a day WILL come, when we cannot deny (no matter who we are) the one true God.

whether we humble ourselves NOW or we wait for God to humble us.

isaiah 2:17 says "the arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of man humbled, the Lord alone will be exalted in that day."

ahh! scary. i am fearful of many things. the picture of this all powerful being pressing down freaks me out!

however, if we humble ourselves, we will live in peace. isaiah 2:5 "come, o house of jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord."

can't you just feel the serenity in that statement?

lately, i have been asking God to humble me. i tend to think that i am God's gift to ...well...God.

i think in my head, "of COURSE, he saved me! of COURSE, i'm his child. i know i do somethings wrong, but i'm not THAT bad. of COURSE, he needs to use me."

how many of you think that? maybe not intentionally, but as a fleeting thought.

and i have been recognizing that i am doing this a LOT!

so at work on thursday, i finally realized that he was humbling me. at i was in charge of cleaning the kitchen and basically put everything away before the last remaining few had eaten. and i was called out on it. i FELT like they were going on and on and on, (they weren't) so i bit their heads off for accusing me of being insensitive. it took a moment (maybe like 5), but i realized what had happened (after i was all cranky at my supervisor and pouty). so i sent emails to the 2 co-workers who i had yelled at apologizing for being so defensive.

i should have gone to them in person. i hope next time i do. i hid behind my email (i did admit i was doing that, though). so i was not completely humbled.

but anyway, the POINT of my little story is that i asked for humbleness and i got it. God WANTS to be worshipped by us and if we ask Him to help us to do that (be it humbleness, kindness, patience, time, love for HIm), He will. He will help us to walk in the light of the Lord so that we won't flee in terror when the day comes when the Lord alone will be exalted.

since we already will be exalting Him, we will be at peace.

and we will have nothing to fear.

weekend thoughts: i am not her

it's saturday which means, we get to join crystal at life at the circus for a little reflection time about more than just crayons on the wall and laundry on the couch.

all my life, i have always wanted to be someone else. i never thought about it like that until right now. in the past, i would have said that i wanted to be JUST LIKE someone. but now thinking about it, i really wanted to be exactly who they were. in high school, i wanted to be just like jen, who was the intern. honestly, i think she is the best intern in youth ministry i have EVER met (and i was a youth ministry major so i was SURROUNDED by them!)
in college, i wanted to be like jenny, my employer (i was their nanny). she was so comfortable in who she was and didn't make ANY excuses about how she lived her life. she was talented and interesting and kind and loved her kids. i wanted to be just LIKE her.
as i have been an adult now for a while, i find myself wanting to be like many other people; ladies at church, neighbors, some co-workers. now, i recognize it and can be more comfortable in my own skin (maybe not my house, but most definitely, my skin).
at least, that is, until recently.
we are starting to learn about thanksgiving in preschool at our house so i thought that this week, we would work on thanking people who have done some kind things for us. our neighbors gave us a bike for the kids when they get older and the curries have given us multiple meals.
i decided that we needed to bake cookies.
i wanted to bake amanda's cookies (from i am mommy).
why? because i am a glutton for punishment.
we donned our bakewear and got ready.

d-man sat down to enjoy his book and we were set.

now, amanda makes these AWESOME cookies. they LOOK like candy. they are BEAUTIFUL! seriously, go check her blog out. on her new blog (i am baker), she listed her cookie recipe. so i was soooooooooooo excited! i followed her recipe to the T including having chris pick me up a flour sifter because i didn't own one. my mantra however was, "i'm not amanda."

they didn't start out too badly.

the frosting was another story. "i am not amanda."

then, the lettering. "i am not amanda."

i have since decided that if i am going to practice and make more of these cookies (which i am. i may not give them away, but i AM going to make more), i need to get a pastry bag and tips. bright purple frosting coming out of the TOP of your baggie is not fun when it needs to come out of the tip at the BOTTOM! and i need to practice my letters.

however, i MUST say they were so tasty. oh, they were good! it was super hard to give them away. well, not really, but i wasn't too embarrassed to share them. i just didn't really want people to look at them.

and then i thought once again, "i am NOT amanda. these are fine! unless they know amanda, there is no reason to be embarrassed."

so i proudly gave them away.

kind of.

friday's fave five: hobbies with my hubby

okay, here we go. it's been awhile, but here are my top 5 things to do with chris either before or after having kids.....

1. road trips: when we were dating, we would road trip to his parent's house or my parent's house (yes, they were short road trips, but we didn't want to have to worry about overnight arrangements as we were trying to stay pure). now, i still love to road trip with him. preferrably without the kids, but if it's a short enough road trip, traveling the kids can still be fun.
2. eating out: it is tough to budget this in, but cooking is so NOT fun for me. i don't mind baking, but i would rather not cook or think about food. so eating out is one of my most favorite things to do. i love when chris cooks for me, too, but if we had endless funds, i think we would be eating out a lot! (maybe)
3. i know this is crazy! but playing video games. now! i hated video games growing up. i am NO good at mario brothers. i think it's the timing of the actual program that i can't seem to figure out. BUT now that we have a nintendo wii AND a wii fit, i love to play games with him. we just got wii fit plus this week and have had so much fun with each other and the kids playing!
4. watching movies: there is something so cozy about watching a movie together. we don't watch many chic flicks together (so i really have to find a friend and time to be able to do that), but we watch some really good movies together. (not as often as we would like because by the time we get the kids to bed, we are about ready to fall over exhausted ourselves) i think the last one we watched was slumdog millionaire. most people would think, "that's not romantic!" and no it wasn't, but that's not the point. the point was that we enjoyed feeling all those emotions together. the emotions themselves were not exactly enjoyable, but going through it together was.
5. playing with the kids together. i mean really really playing with the kids. like we are both down on the floor tickling and giggling and attacking everyone. and everyone is having a blast! and your heart is beaming from ear to ear (if hearts had ears)

join susanne in her blog carnival friday's fave five. it's great!

my kids: a new look

i think i have come to the decision that i need to give my kids pseudonyms.


kind of to protect them.
but mostly for the fun!
i am so so excited. i love love to be creative like this.
at first i thought i should change my blog's name to the fantastic four since we will have 4 kids in 20 weeks. and then i would use super hero names.
but then, i asked my oldest what she would want her name to be and she said, "ariel."


great.


i can see this going well and her changing it next year when she wants to be jasmine.


no, asking them is not going to work.
so i'm asking YOU.
i have individual ideas for each child, but what do YOU think? any ideas?
each of their pictures are here for your inspiration and don't think you have to worry about our Fourdatzky! we'll see what happens with the first 3!

wordful wednesday:one last look at halloween fun

the process of getting these beauties carved.
the girls decided what they would look like.

the singer, the smiler, the sleeper

daddy making the first cut!
what do you think? do you think they smelled good? come on, girls, it's not like they are rotten!

dig in!
eww!!!
oh, the joys of fall! now with thanksgiving around the corner, it only gets colder--did i say that? i meant better!

join angie at seven clown circus for her picture carnival!

blog hop: favorite photos

here are some of my favorite pictures of this fall. chris asked me if i had looked at any of them and i got all defensive, "why? are they bad?"

"no! some of them are AWESOME!"

how much cozier than sitting in a pile of leaves?

in a word: beautiful

leaf joy. look at their faces! how cool is that?

halloween highs and lows

for every down, there must be an up. for every low, there is a high. for every action, there is a reaction. take for instance, the kordatzky halloween of 2009.

down: daddy had to work all day until 2:30 which meant he came home around 3:00.

high: we got some cute pictures of the kids in their halloween shirts that daddy bought them.

low: our church held a harvest festival to which we were late and then only got to trick or treat at 4 doors instead of 20 doors.

high: since we were so late, we didn't have to spend so much time at the carnival part. i HATE the chaos of the carnival. but look how cute our little man is! he just butted in line and tried to spin the wheel himself.



low: the girls' favorite neighbor wasn't out to trick or treat, this nasty old grandpa was dressed as a scary grim reaper and TRIED to scare my girls (i'm still angry about the JERK!), a little ankle-biter dog nipped maya's leg and pretty dress and SCAREd her to death. but she did okay. she cried some tears and tried to get past it. it was freezing cold and maya was shivering so much! (she had to stop back at our house and warm up!)

high: the girls got to trick or treat for real for the first time. there were some really nice neighbors that we got to meet. one of our neighbors wasn't there when we stopped by his house, so he came to OUR house later and basically gave us an entire bag of candy (he was pretty drunk, but it was still sweet). the girls got to wear their costumes all night even if it was in the basement to watch a movie.

high: chipotle was giving away FREE burritos if you dressed like one. i dressed up like one. (can't you tell). i drove to chipotle to buy a burrito for chris and get a burrito for myself for me.

low: i came home with 2 supreme burritos and 2 black jack tacos from taco bell (one of which was free). then, i realized that chris didn't like supreme burritos. so chris got the tacos and i got the burritos. you see the line at chipotle would have been at least an hour if not 2 hours long. if i was waiting in line WITH someone, i totally would have done it. it would have been super fun, but i was NOT going to stand out in the cold by myself and miss putting the kids to bed just for a free burrito.

so THAT was our halloween. how was yours?