Bunnie Rabbit

When Kamryn was four she really wanted a dog. Not wanting to have a dog join the family I told her she could have a bunny rabbit. Her next question was "when?" The age of seven seemed far away enough so I told her that when she was seven she could have a bunny. The other day I picked her up from her Kindergarten Enrichment class and she said, "I want to have a bunny rabbitt." I said, "How old are you?" To which she let out a big moan and said, "oh, I just can't hold it anymore!" "I'm almost six anyway!" I thought it was so cute.

There's always next year

Kamryn is busy gearing up for her birthday party (which is going to be a My Little Pony pary.) This year I am having her write the invitations and address the envelopes. Something she is very capable of doing, but she tires easily and wants to give up. Anyway, She was checking them off and we got to the one for Blake. Not wanting to write another one she said, "I just won't invite him. He won't mind, I'll just invite him next year." She has about three left to do. We'll see when they get done. :)

Anger...

On Saturday on the way up to Bellingham, the ride went from great to chaos in a matter of minutes. Things were good when the DVD was working and Julia was sleeping. But the DVD stopped working, and then as the kids got bored, they eventually woke up Julia. I was very angry at this point and I let the girls know of my displeasure. But it didn't really matter. Bradyn was in and out of her straps, playing with the DVD player, and disobeying daddy, which only increased my frustration and anger, which I let them know again very clearly. I kept Julia at bay with cereal, and eventually Bradyn fell asleep. When the cereal serum eventually wore off, and Julia decided she had enough being in the car. She started crying, and eventually woke up Bradyn who started crying, which led to Kamryn crying and daddy really felt like crying. I decided that it was a good time for a break, and pulled off at Krispy Kreme in Burlington. As I went back to talk with the girls, Kamryn started crying saying, "Daddy, I am so sorry. Sometimes, I think God is so angry with me, that he is going to send a wasp down through the windshield and sting me."

I amnot sure if she was just trying to get me to feel bad so I wouldn't discipline her, but I felt really bad, because I know that she interpreted my anger, which wasn't good, with how God felt about her which is good. As I look back, I realize how much of my kids perception of a good, holy, loving, forgiving God is based on my example, right or wrong. I pulled her aside today, Monday, to talk with her about this, trying to help her understand the difference between an imperfect daddy and a perfect God who loves her very much. As I cuddled her close in, I asked her if she understood what I was talking about. A smile breaks across her face and she said, "Daddy, you have blood on your chin." And then she got off and ran to the house for dinner.

Not so subtle...

This past Sunday, mommy was in Spokane visting her friend and I was Mr. Mom and also Mr. Youth Pastor. In between services I thought I would check on my kids. Kamryn saw me and told me she didn't want to stay in her sunday school class and wanted to come with me. I said no. She said please. And she won out eventually. She colored pictures and spun in her chair. She did pretty good but towards the end she was getting a little bored. Right in the middle of the testimony/lesson by Aaron Gibbs, she let out this big loud extended yawn. The class laughed and Aaron got his not so subtle hint to hurry it up!

Good 'ole big sister

Tonight while Stephanie and I were working in the garage, and Kamryn and Bradyn and Julia were supposed to be sleeping, Bradyn walks out into the garage, trying her best to look like she belongs.
I (Steve) ask, "Bradyn, what are you doing?"
To which, Bradyn replies, "Kamryn said that if I say another word, she is going to call 911." Trying not to smile or laugh I say, "Well, you better not say any more words and go to bed."
To which she then responds, "Do they serve only bread and water in jail?"
I said "Yes, they do," wondering where shew was leading with this questions.
I then asked, "Did Kamryn tell you that they she was going to call 911 and take you to jail?"
And she responded, "Yes."

Thoughts...

Kamryn:
"Sometimes I think people are robots."

Bed Time Prayers.

Kamryn's prayer:
Dear God, thank you for the wonderful day. Thank you for my family. Please forgive all my sins, even the ones that I can't think of. Amen

Bradyn:
(dad) Bradyn do you want to pray?
(Bradyn) No.
(dad) Will you pray after me?
(Bradyn) Yes.

Dear God...
Dear God...
Thank you for my family
Thank you for my family.

Please help me obey my mommy and daddy
(pause and a slight look of reluctance...)
Uh, please help me obey my mommy and daddy

(how's that for strategy prayer:)

Inspiration

(Kamryn comes running into the room.)
"Daddy, do you want to come and see my animal inspiration."
(Yes, seriously, that is she what she said.)

It's all about me...

"Hey Daddy."
"What Kamryn?" I (dad) asked
"I like having a little sister."
"Why?"
"Because she is attached to her blankie. So whenever I have her blankie she will come snuggle with me."
"That's nice."
Whenever she is hurt, she snuggles with me. Whenever she wants to read a book she snuggle with me. Whenever she is sad, she comes to me. She always comes to me."
(Julia gets up and walks to Kamryn)
"See, she always comes to me..."

I want to be there...

Bradyn made a decision to accept Jesus into her heart on Monday morning. Kamryn was talking about Heaven at breakfast and Bradyn said that she wanted to be in Heaven with Mommy, Daddy and Kamryn. We prayed together as a family. A great memory... "I want to be there with you guys."

Ugly and pretty?

This morning I (Stephanie) was drying my hair while Bradyn was lounging on my bed. She wanted to tell me something so I turned off the hair dryer and she said, "mommy, you're a little bit ugly, but you're still pretty." Hmmm! I'll try not to let that compliment go to my head.

Hurry up...

Tonight I (steve) was cleaning up from dinner. There were quite a few pots and pan, the floor was pretty dirty and I was thinking of my 3 children in the other room, lazily watching a Disney movie. During this movie I was thinking about how my kids didn't have a clue how much we do to keep everything going. I was getting a little resentful in my conversation with myself when Kamryn comes strolling in and asks, "Can we watch the funnies video now?" I had promised them when everything was cleaned up we could watch America's Funniest Videos. I said, with a slight tinge of sacrcasm, "What do you think I am doing now, Kamryn?" She said "Cleaning up?" "Right, I have been cleaning up for the last 20 minutes..." I said with a little flair in my voice, hoping she would catch the tone in my voice and feel ashamed at her lack of consideration for how much her parents do for her. She was silent for a second. And then she said, "Well, you don't clean very fast."

Heaven

Heaven came up at dinner last night and again this morning. We talked about what Heaven was going to be like and what we were going to do. Bradyn's favorite thing was saying, "There are not shots in Heaven, right daddy!" Kamryn wondered if we were going to wear clothes in Heaven. Mommy and Daddy looked at each other as if to see if we knew the answer. We were stumped. Good question, Kamryn.

Temptation

This morning daddy was watching a previously recorded America's Funniest Videos and Julia and Bradyn and Kamryn were watching. Unbeknownst to Daddy, Kamryn had been requested by mommy to meet her in the bathroom to do her hair. When Mommy came into room and said Kamryn I told you that I need to do your hair, Kamryn torn between what she was asked to do and what she wanted to do, yelled out "Daddy, you're tempting me. Pause it, please."

Pets

We have told Kamryn that when she is 7 (she is almost 6 now) she can have a pet of her choice (within reason:). We were reading a book tonight and she asked if she could have that dog when she is 7. I said if that is what you want when you are seven, of course. Bradyn then asked, "When I am 21, can I have 21 guinea pigs?"

grandparent love...

I was flipping Julia Hoolia around and I lifted her up high in the sky in our bedroom. When she was up above she caught a glimpse of something behind. She began to yell "BBBBBBuuu, BBBBBUuuuu!" I was wondering what she was yelling with such enthusiasm until I looked behind me to see the picture of her beloved grandparents, affectionately named Boggie and Bumpa by Kamryn many years ago. BBBBBBBUUU!!!!!

Book Reading Milestone

Tonight was the first night all three girls "sat" in my lap and read a book together. Julia had her yellow blankie and her two fingers in her mouth. She laid for awhile then got up and then came back down and back up and back down. Kamryn laid her head on my shoulders and didn'tmove. Bradyn was doing cartwheels, flips and somersaults on the bed, the floor and the rest of the house.

While I was reading, Kamryn started sucking her fingers like Julia was doing. Julia reached over and pulled our Kamryn's fingers from her mouth. Kamryn put them back in and Julia took them back out. In and Out, In and out... It was pretty funny.

thumb sucking

Bradyn crawled up in my lap tonight and asked me when I was going to take my apron off (she was sucking her thumb as she asked me.) I said, "I don't know, when are you going to stop sucking your thumb?" She said, "When I'm 21."

Big sisters

Tonight while getting ready for bed Julia got an owie and immediately her big sisters sprang into action. Bradyn went running for Julia's blankie and when Julia had the blankie Kamryn grabbed hold of her to snuggle her. Kamryn laid down on her bed and said "Come here Julia.." When Julia came and snuggled her head in close to Kamryn, Kamryn said, "I love it when you do that. It feels like I'm your big sister."

There is a lot of love...

Bradyn loves to tell daddy how much she loves him. I love you all the way up to heaven and back, and back and back...

Daddy loves to tell Bradyn how much he loves her. I love you as high as the sky is blue. Bradyn replies, "Oooh, that's a lot of love!"

HI!

Mommy put the phone up to Julia's ear today and she said "HI!" on the phone... She was pretty proud of herself!