Time for a Potty Break

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Ariana: I want to sit on your lap.

Mommy: Okay!

I lift her up on my lap. She gives me a kiss. She looks at me and gives me a sweet smile.

Ariana: Don't worry. I won't pee on you.

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Another Dinner Conversation

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Honor is all about becoming a Mommy lately.


Honor: I'm almost a mama, Mom.

Mommy: No you are NOT.

Honor: I said ALMOST, Mom.

Mommy: No...you are not even almost a Mom.


She thinks about it for a moment.


Honor: How about in 20 minutes?

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I Have No Greater Joy Than to Hear That My Children Walk in Truth

Mommy: WHAT HAPPENED???

Honor: Mom. I'm going to be honest with you. We broke the curtains.

Mommy fought hard to keep a straight face.

Honor: I'm going to tell you the truth. Ariana didn't want me to pull on the curtains, but I wanted to make a swing. So I did. Ariana didn't want me to. But I swinged on it anyway. And it broke.

Mommy fought even harder to keep a straight face. Honor saw the twinkle in Mommy's eye and possibly a twinge at the corners of her mouth. She took advantage of the momentary weakness.

Honor flashed her dimple: Do you still love me?

And Mommy burst out laughing.

It's a good thing we're moving in a few days...

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Wants and Needs

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We were sitting around the breakfast table and the kids were chatting away like normal...

Honor: Mom, can we go to the store today and get me a new bike.

I laugh.

Mommy: Nope

Honor: But Moooommmm! I want a bike!

Mommy: We don't always get what we want.

And then Connor piped up:

"We don't always get what we want. We get what we need. And sometimes what we need is not what we want."

hmmm....do you think I say this a lot?

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I Don't Understand

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I went upstairs to tuck Samuel into bed for naptime. When I came back downstairs, Honor was running back and forth to the restroom with a bunch of wet wipes.

Mommy: What are you doing?

Honor: Ariana pee'd on the floor so I am cleaning it up.

That's nice.

I walked over to Ariana.

Mommy: Ariana did you pee on the floor?

Ariana, very sullen: Yes, Mom.

Mommy: Do you need new underwear?

Ariana: No. They're dry.

Mommy: Do you need a new dress?

Ariana: No. It's dry.

Mommy: If you didn't have an accident, why is there pee on the floor?

Ariana: Because I peed on the floor.

Honor walks past us to the laundry room.

Mommy: What are you doing?

Honor: I need to get new underwear.

Mommy: But Ariana doesn't need new underwear.

Honor: No, I need new underwear.

Mommy: Did you pee on the floor?

Honor: No, I just had a little accident in my underwear.

Mommy: So, who peed on the floor?

Honor: Ariana.



So...Ariana peed on the floor, but Honor needs new underwear... I don't get it.

Now time to go and REALLY clean the floor...

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Teeth Are Bad

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Yesterday, Samuel bit Connor HARD on his back, in self-defense (Connor was lying on top of him)...leaving quite the little bruise. (Samuel doesn't do things halfway...)

This morning, I looked at the bruise to see if it had gotten any better. The kids all came to look too.

Ariana felt the need to make this a teachable moment for her younger brother:

Samuel! You can't eat Connor!

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It's Circus Day Today!

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We went to the circus today for the first time as a family. It was a small circus, but the last time "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey" was in town, I priced out the tickets and found out it was going to cost around $160 just for the kids! Outrageous! But a friend of ours from church called me up yesterday and told me about the circus this morning and Daddy agreed it sounded like fun. So we drove for an hour to go to a substandard circus, in an outdoor arena, with swamp coolers to keep us from getting overheated. The people who passed out popcorn, etc., were the performers! They were dressed in normal concession clothes, but I figured it out when the guy passing out popcorn was wearing make-up--he was the slapstick comedian (clown without "make-up"). When I thought about it, I realized that I recognized two other performers as well. I felt really bad for them actually, that had to be a lot of work--some of them performed more than once!-- and then to pass out food too...they work real hard for the money!

But the kids had a blast! The animal shows weren't all that exciting--the lions and tigers looked like they were going to fall asleep the whole time--but the acrobats were neat, and the "Ring of Destiny" had me squeezing poor little Honor for comfort. The kids got free little American flags to swing around and stickers put on their shirts by clowns. At intermission, I took them all to get their face painted--only Connor and Ariana were interested in that (Connor got a basketball/hoop, and Ariana got a heart). Then we ate some cotton candy (they LOVED that!) and left before the second Act started (Samuel was falling asleep...too much excitement!)

Here were some conversations that happened at the circus:

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While watching the "cat act":

Daddy: I feel like watching "Beastmaster" now.

(It's a good thing we have Netflix...he's watching it as I write...reliving all that is "fantasmagorical")


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Daddy: Didn't you want to get your face painted?

Honor: No.

Daddy: Why not?

Mommy: She was scared of the clowns.

Daddy: Oh, Sweetie. They're okay. They're just people with their face painted.

Honor: But they have big shoes!

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As we were leaving, some men walked by and smiled at the kids.

Connor: They just wanted to look at my cool basketball!


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Mommy: What was your favorite part of the circus?

Honor: I liked the ponies!

Connor: I liked the face painting!

Ariana: I liked the cotton candy!

(So...basically everything that we could have at home...)

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Why Honor Needs to Grow Up

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Daddy: You're getting too big!

Honor: No I'm not!

Daddy: Yes you are! You need to stop growing up!

Honor: Noooo Dad! I need to be a Mommy!

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At Least She's Honest

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The rule in our house is, if you are over three, you must take a bite of everything on your plate before you can be dismissed from the table. Ariana attempted to get down without eating her green beans, so I gave her two green beans to eat. She took them and walked away.

She walked up to me five minutes later with mashed potatoes still in her mouth. For some weird reason, she refuses to swallow food she doesn't like...she just holds them in her mouth until we force her to swallow.

Mommy: Ariana, swallow your food!

She swallowed. I noticed she only had one green bean in her hand.

Mommy: Where did your other green bean go?

Ariana: It's gone.

Mommy: Where did it go?

Ariana: In Jasmine's mouth.

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A Little Princess

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My niece and nephew came over during naptime today. Because it was naptime, I decided they needed to have quiet time (since they couldn't actually take a nap). I allowed Honor, Connor and Ariana to stay up too since they were doing well.

So, I forced the kids to sit down on the couch to watch a movie. I let Honor choose: "A Little Princess" or "The Secret Garden". She chose "A Little Princess".

Right in the beginning, the child asks, "have you ever met a real princess?" And the response was: "All women are princesses. It is our right."

Right on cue, Connor chirped up, "Hear that! All women are princesses!"

Yep. That's right, Son. Remember that.

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Check Out This Blog

So...check out my friend Sarah's blog for a chance to win some beautiful earrings (and to read some humorous posts and see some awesome photography!)

And then I Married a Missionary: 7 New Things and a Surprise Ending

Things I Love About My Children

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• I love that my children run everywhere. In their innocence, everything is exciting to them--going from the living room to the toy room is an adventure. I'm not even sure they know how to walk.

• I love that my kids make me "presents" by wrapping their toys up in blankets for me to unwrap.

• I love that my kids can't wait to share things with me and they can't wait to show me things they've created.
  

• I love that they love each other and play with each other.

• I love that I get to tuck them in every night and hear all of their little prayers.
  

• I love Samuel's little voice. I love that he calls Ariana "Nana" and Jasmine "Masmine". I love the way he asks for songs. I love the way he tries to tell the other kids what to do. I even think it is cute when he pretends to be angry just so he can have an excuse to give someone a dirty look and talk threateningly. I especially love listening to him pretend play with his toys, giving them all unique voices. His voice never fails to bring a smile to Daddy and Mommy's face.

• I love how Samuel mimics his brother and sisters. I love his smile that lights up his face. I love that he chews on the corners of his blankie to go to sleep...and offers it to me to chew as well. I love that he loves trucks, cars and balls-- and books about trucks, cars and balls. I love that he can sit at a table and roll cars and trucks back and forth for hours. I love that if there is a ride along car near by, he will ride it to the next room instead of walking. I love how he sticks his little tongue out of his mouth when he is concentrating.
  

• I love Ariana's love for others. I love how she greets me every morning with a, "Wow, Mommy! You look beautiful!". I love how she stands up for whichever sibling she deems to be the underdog at the moment..."Don't be mean to my sister!" (or "my brother", whichever is most appropriate), is a common saying around our house. I love how she tries to mother everyone.

• I love Ariana's hair. It is super long and wavy...it is just beautiful! I love her smile--both of them--her real smile, and the one that she puts on when she is trying to be cute. I love that she sings all of the time--and she is a good singer. I love that she trusts me completely. I love that she likes to help me cook dinner. I love it when she acts like a princess, walking around stately and bowing her head slightly to those of us who are merely peasants. I love that her eyes twinkle.

• I love that Connor is a boy. I love that everything either has to do with superheroes or robots. I love that his drawings are either Wall-E or Spiderman--it makes it easy to identify! I love that he runs around trying to get people to roughhouse with him--I love the way his face lights up whenever he thinks someone will. I love that he thinks he is strong and tough and brave. I love that he talks about protecting me and his sisters from evil. I love it when he talks in his superhero voice.

• I love that he is curious. I love that he taught himself how to read. I love that he loves to read. I love that he taught himself how to write. I love the way his ears stick out of his head. I love the mischievous look he gets on his face right before he does something he doesn't think he is allowed to do. I love that he holds his hands behind his back so that he isn't tempted to touch things that he's not supposed to. I love that he tries to be good. I love that all he wants out of life is to hear that he did a good job. I love that he gives me kisses on my arms (even as it annoys me...is that weird?). I love that he named his purple teddy bear David so that he could play David and Golliath with him. I love that he names his toys "Jack" during pretend play. I love it that Connor can always be counted on for a hug and a kiss and an "I love you Mommy!"

• I love that Honor is such a big girl. I love that sometimes when I am talking to her, I feel like I am talking to a teenager, yet then she will make an incredibly innocent remark and send me into a fit of giggles. I love that she tries to take care of her siblings. I love how she helps me round up Samuel when it is time for a diaper change--and that Samuel hasn't figured out that she is on my side yet. I love how she is able to pick out her own clothes now.
  

• I love that she still sucks her thumb for a few minutes before falling asleep. I love that she needs her blankie to go to sleep so that she can smell it--and that she offers to let me smell her blankie too. I love that she sings and acts out movies after seeing them only once. I love how she "trades" her toys in such a way that her sibling thinks its a good thing the he/she gave up their most prized possession. I love how she dances around the room. I love that all toys and ambiguous cartoon characters are automatically girls if she is playing with them. I love the fact that if something is pink or purple, it will always be a hit with her. I absolutely adore her dimple.

Hmmm....have I mentioned that I love my children???

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Whiny

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Why is it that my girls think if they repeat their request in an annoying, high-pitched whine, that I will turn around and say, "okay!"?

Honor: Mom, can I please play Word World after naptime today?

Mommy: Nope. Not today.

Honor: Mom-mmmyyy! I said, PLEASE! Can I PLEASE play Word World after naptime today?

Mommy: Nope. Not today.

Honor folds her arms across her chest. Hmmph!

When did she turn into a teenager?

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Bambi/Dumbo Mix-Up

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Connor: Is Dumbo Twitterpated?

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Connor: Why are you laughing?







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How to Spell Ariana

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I have been trying to teach Ariana how to spell her name. I made up a song to help her remember it, to the tune of "This Old Man". All of the kids love to sing it, but Ariana is having a hard time remembering how it goes...

♫
A-R-I
A-N-A
That's how you spell Ariana's name
It's A-R-I
A-N-A
That's how you spell Ariana's name
♫

But Ariana likes to sing it like this:

♫
A-R-I
A-N-A
That's how you spell Honor's name
It's A-R-I
A-N-A
That's how you spell Honor's name

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