Kid-isms!

I've been lax in keeping up my blog...sorry about that! But here are some recent kid-isms and events from around our house or involving those who live here....

Luke: Susanna, you're the best sister I ever had! (um, Luke, she's the ONLY sister you've ever had!)

Right now, Tony and the kids are on their way to Itasca Park (home of the Mississippi headwaters) to watch the annual old-fashioned ice harvest. They're dressed warmly, loaded down with a huge thermos of hot chocolate....and will have a great time. I'll enjoy the photos later that Tony plans to take.....

Susanna: Mama, I love you to the moon and the stars and the sun and infinity and beyond! (but why won't she obey the simplest things????)

We are soon to be the proud owners of a lovely, kid-sized picnic table....courtesy of Susanna's shenanigans. At the coffee shop where my Watkins is set up right now, I noticed Susanna "innocently" sitting at one of the little picnic tables they have for sale for $100. Holding a pencil. Moving a pencil over the top. I rushed over...no pencil marks, thank God! But then I notices....shallow indented gashes across the entire top. I asked her if she did it and she looked me straight in the eye and confidently stated, "no, Mama, I did not." I still wasn't buying it (her answer, that is), but waited until supper time when I said, "Daddy, please watch Susanna's nose while I ask her a question." I then repeated my question to her, "Susanna, did you put the gashes in the picnic table at Jack Pine Java?" Her hands immediately flew to her face to cover her nose as she started to cry and immediately confessed. Sigh. It's a cool table, I often looked at it thinking how great it would be to have here for the summer...but not like this! And not when it isn't in our budget! Got on the phone and called Jodi to tell her we'd be buying the table and why. She was very gracious, but I asked her NOT to be gracious to Susi when Susi confesses and apologizes to her. Thank God that Susanna still believes her nose grows when she lies. But what in the world am I going to do when she figures out that it doesn't? That kid can lie looking anyone straight in the eyes. There are no indications that she is lying, other than hiding her nose. We've talked about sin, about consequences, about God knowing even if we don't....but it isn't sinking in...or she just doesn't care.

On the other hand, I'd love the matching full sized picnic table that goes with that kid-sized one....

And talking about Jack Pine Java; one of the booths that was set up next to us before Christmas was a hand-made jewelry booth by Mary Maxwell who has become a favorite friend amongst us. After everyone else tore down their booths (except for me), we offered to have a small table with some of Mary's jewelry to continue to sell for her (her husband's photography business is right next door). Well, Luke decided to become an entrepreneur....and started making his own bead jewelry to sell alongside hers. His is priced much less -- fifty cents a piece, although there are select people he's been telling that it costs $3, not fifty cents (for example, Mary Maxwell). He's gotten some special orders, and also asked Jodi (who runs JPJ) if she'd be interested in buying any jewelry. When Jodi asked how much it cost, Susanna quickly answered, "More than anyone wants to pay!" After the laughter, Jodi bought two necklaces....Luke is saving up to buy a pirate Lego ship.

My kids have been so busy helping lately, and usually without complaining. It helps that for Luke's Sparkie (AWANA) assignment next week, he has to complete a chart on how obedient he has been...obeying without complaining. Why can't they have the chart for a month? Good habits take a month to be set...don't they know that???? And Susanna's discipline for the picnic table fiasco is that she much do extra chores for several months to pay us back for the picnic table...and that she is not allowed to sit at the table and use it until she has paid it off...so if friends come over for supper and the children sit at the picnic table, she'll have to be at the grown ups table. Although...I think that's a punishment for more than Susanna!!!

Tonight, Tony and I are having a couples night out. We were invited by our friends Scott and Jessica for "a Valentines Bunco party with fine dining, lots of laughter, good company, scrumptious dessert, and rumpus of all kind!" Ahhh...I'm looking forward to tonight!!!

Another thing Tony and I just committed to last week is setting aside at least one waking hour a week for a date time...I read it on someone's blog, about "Project 52," setting aside time just for each other at a regular time every week. With the farm and kids, it has been very hard to do....but we now have inked out of our schedules every Saturday night from 9-10 p.m. (and longer) just to play a game, talk about non-farm/family things, snuggle, have a special treat, just alone time without outside interruption. Okay, part of that time tonight will be at couples bunco -- but we found that just spending time together last week laughing while playing Pay Day (and yes, I got trounced!) helped open up other doors to conversation this week. I'd recommend any couple making that commitment to one hour a week (or more) to have as "couple" time.

And talking about games....Luke has really been working on learning all the ins and outs of Connect Four. I seriously warn anyone to think twice if Luke asks if you'd like to play Connect Four. Tony has a very hard time beating him....he wins maybe one game in a dozen, and believe me, he is NOT letting Luke win! Names like "little bugger" have been used frequently lately... Luke is still having problems beating me, but he's learning all the strategies, how to trap others into going where HE wants them to go, and putting them in a pickle where blocking one win guarantees another win, or where they HAVE to put a piece resulting in a win for the other player. He is really tricky in his playing, and I'm not just saying that. Today, after I trounced him five out of six games, he started pouting, and I asked if he wanted me to LET him win. He smiled and said yes, so I gave him a very easy win...which he decided was pretty disappointing since I didn't even try to beat him. At least he's learning good sportsmanship!

Susanna has been working on "doing" her own hair daily...but often gets in arguments with Luke who wants to do her hair, too. His day is complete and happy if he can spend time making Susanna's hair beautiful. Put that with his favorite purple shirt...and how he enjoys playing dollies with Susanna....and thank goodness he's decided he REALLY likes girls! He, too, has been quite the helper lately.

Usually once a night, sometimes twice, I hear a thump from upstairs. Sometimes I hear some rustling, sometimes not. I've gone up many times to check if Susi's fallen out of her bed (Luke's has a small built in rail along the side), but she's always in bed, covers on, fast asleep. For some reason, I asked her last night as I was tucking her in, "Do you ever fall out of bed when you're sleeping, Susi?" And she told me that yes, sometimes she does and thumps her tushie and it hurts but she goes back to sleep. Oh, poor baby! Now I understand why she likes to keep extra pillows and blankets on the floor beside her bed!!! This morning, she told Luke, "Luke, last night when I fell out of bed, I noticed that my diaper was wet." Luke replied, "Don't you just hate dreams like that?" "It wasn't a dream, Luke. So I changed my diaper before I went back to bed." Sigh...my kids, still in diapers at night. But, they're three stories above the bathroom.... so when we eventually move to the farm, their rooms are going to be right by the bathroom, and that should help. Even waking them up at night to go potty doesn't usually help.

And I saved this for last...knowing many people won't make it this far. But this is just too funny NOT to share! For the sake of propriety (and Internet decency blockers), I'll change the names of the body parts.

Overheard this morning: Luke: Susanna, why do you think a Virginia is better than a Pennsylvania? Susanna: Because it is, Luke! Luke: But Pennsylvania's stick out straight and they're on the outside!

Hm. Case closed.