Faith Like a Child

Note:  I don't keep a baby book, so this blog is for as much as my record keeping purposes as it is for the few readers who might peruse my posts.  I needed to put what happened yesterday in writing so when the day comes when my child is a teenager I can return to the archives of what I have written and remember that my job as a parent it to train her up in the way she should go, so that when she is old she will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

Here are some of the conversations I had with my almost 5 year old Q yesterday.

At lunch: 
I don't know how we got on the subject, but the notion of sin came up.
K:  Do you know what a sin is Q?
Q:  Yeah, let me show you.
K:  How can you show me?  (Full mom mode comes in, what is she about to do, do I need to stop her...)
Q:  I'll be right back.
She proceeds to get her new dry erase board and writes something down on it.
Q:  Look at this mom.  (It's a bunch of letters.)  This is sin mom, and look at this (she erases what she has written), Jesus erases our sins like I just did. 
K: (no words come out of my mouth.  I gathered myself together and helped her fill in what little gaps she had).  You're so right honey, do you know how Jesus erases your sins?
Q:....
K:  All you have to do is tell him you are truly sorry for doing them and he will forgive you and erase them.
Q:  Oh, that's easy, just like when I tell Pay I'm sorry for doing something to her.
K: Yup, it's that easy.
*I have to confess I didn't teach her the erasing sing thing it came from the AWESOME children's program and CBS. 

Before bed as Q was putting on her PJ's
Q:  Hey mom, is this my Noah's ark shirt?
K:  Yup it is.
Q:  Great!  I wanted to wear this one because I love Jesus.
K:  I'm so glad you do.
Q:  And do you know what?  Jesus can hear me when I say that because he has REEAAALLLYYY big ears and he can hear everything I say.
K:  You're right, and he loves hearing you tell him how much you love him.

Right before we were about to say prayers with Q and P.  Q likes to do the staple, "Now I lay me down to sleep prayer" and will sometimes add more while we finish up her prayers with her.  Most nights we have to coax her into saying more than just what she has memorized.
K:  Okay, lets say our prayers and we can't forget to pray for P's boo boo on her knee.
Q: (without any hesitation or complaining) Let me say the prayers tonight and pray for Pay Pay's boo boo. 
K:  Thanks buddy, because Jesus loves hearing you pray.
Q:  I know...

"And he said: 'I tell you the truth:, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'", Matthew 18:3

Egg Hunt take 1 and 2

We started our Easter celebrations last weekend with our first of five egg hunts.  Because there has been so much running around, candy, and chaos B and I were constantly talking with the girls and reminding them the real reasons behind Easter. Even Pay was able to talk to us about Jesus rising from the dead after 4 days (yeah, we have to work on that aspect), but she knew it was all about Him. It can be such a tricky holiday with all of the other stuff that takes place, but hopefully we are teaching the true meaning while allowing them to participate in all of the other fun stuff.
Last Saturday we had egg hunt #1 at Mandy's.  The girls had a blast. 

Check Pay as she found her first egg.

 All of the kiddos plopped down on the front step to inspect their goodies.

 I might be biases, but those are some of the prettiest brown eyes I have ever seen.

 Round two took place at Q's school.  Q, Cole, and Ty are definitely the three amigos and they are always willing to let Pay tag along.

 Ty must have been discussing the strategy.

 Buddies.

 Egg inspection is always the highlight of any hunt.

 Q and Mrs. Boswell.  She is pretty awesome.

 This is the closest Q has ever gotten to any stuffed figure by her own will.  Not too shabby.

Need a H.E.R.O.?

This Saturday B participated in the Family Promise Bed Race and it was so much fun. Family Promise is an awesome organization helping homeless families in Gwinnett and just happens to be run by one of our good buddies. There was so much to see and do. There were free jumpies. Hugs all around :). Free face painting. What a pretty tiger!And this tiger is just Pay Pay. I say just Pay Pay because anytime we tell Pay that she is pretty or beautiful she gets angry and says, "I not pretty, I Pay Pay". There is a song that often comes on the radio talking about being beautiful and she has been known to yell at the radio and tell them she is "just Pay Pay". Regardless of what she says, she is the prettiest 2 1/2 year old I know. Even Dad got into the racing. He had the task of holding the placard for the boys bed.My Tigers. Some of my favorite beds. This is The Bed of Moses. The Pirate ship was pretty incredible. Here is our H.E.R.O. bed. Check out Ben practicing his governor wave! I love the sign on this bed! Here they are lining up at the starting line. Go H.E.R.O. unit! I love this picture because Dad got so caught up in the excitement that he ran the first lap around the square with the boys! I can't wait for next year! I challenge any church, or group member who reads this to join the fun next year, it is such a great event for a wonderful cause.

Dentist Trip

During spring break the girls had dentist visits with Mrs. Michelle (or more formally know as Dr. Harmon) and they both did wonderfully. Q has been several times before, but for the P it was a first. She only needed to watch her sister for just a minute before one of the hygienists took her to get her finger nails painted and she was on her own from then on. (sorry about the junky pictures, but I forgot my camera in the car and only had my cell phone.) Lucky for her Tangled was on the TV right above her head so she just watched the while time she was getting her teeth cleaned. Look at those sparkly smiles. I was so proud of them! Maybe they will love going to the dentist as much as I do (I'm being for real) and who wouldn't when you go to such a fun place like Mrs. Michelle's.

Zoo Trip

During spring break Abbey and I took the girls to the zoo and besides the huge crowds it was so much fun. They loved the animals almost as much as they loved posing for pictures, but not nearly as much as they loved being able to spend the day with Abbey. Every time we found a statue, or tree, or anything that could be a photo op they were all about it. Here they are getting ready to go in...

Pay's favorite, the "baby elephant".

Here's Q's favorite animal of the day, the 5 month old baby panda. I have to admit he was super cute. Q decided we needed one as a pet, I'm not quite sure that's allowed for in our neighborhood covenants :).

Q doing her naked mole rat impression.

Yup, Pay was totally grabbing the statue gorilla's you-know-whats.

Best buds.

We encountered some ferocious lions along the way...

Roarrr....

So silly.

Classic Pay.

My girls

Here's to next time zoo, we had a blast!

Spring Break Sneak Peek

The girls and I had the best "stay-cation" ever. Here is a quick rundown.