Curious with a Capital "C"

This girl is beyond curious.

She'll plow over, push through, crawl under, or reach up for anything that catches her eye. She knows no fear.

And her new standing trick really comes in handy for moments such as these!

Ahhh, goal achieved.

Now to stop and take a closer look at what this is, actually, that just HAD to be attained.

Of course, a taste test is in order.

BLAH! Lens caps are not as good as expected!

So a good shake will have to do.

Until UH OH. Horror of horrors, it was shook a little too hard...

and slid under the deacon's bench.

It's a sad day in Larren's world...

but she will not be defeated!

There's still nooks and crannies to discover, dust bunnies to find, and mischief to get into!

This is Worship

Alia and I watched this music video together. Both of us singing along... both of us drumming to the beat... and both of us lifting our hands in worship to our Father.

I know she doesn't quite get what worship is yet, but I do believe, without a doubt, that she knows and recognizes the Holy Spirit.

Goodness, what an absolute privilege to raise our children to love and serve Christ. I look forward to worshipping along side of her as she grows, for the day she accepts Christ into her heart, and for her to continually be blown away by the love of God.

I love being a mother. Have I said that lately?

Spinning Delight

Tonight was a treasure, a treasure indeed. A memory that I want to remember for a long, long time. We received a VIP pass to a recital from our favorite 2 year old. Alia donned her pink tu-tu... and danced to her heart's content!

I loved it. I loved every single minute of it.

Her delight and joy when we told her how beautiful she was.

Her laughter when she fell down.

Her little breaks when she got tired of busting a move!

Her being... well, HER!


Dancing with her Prince Charming...

... and her best friend!


Her desire for us to stop EVERYTHING we were doing to watch her.

Her ballerina chats with daddy!


It seems that at some point (and I'm not quite sure at what age, exactly...) we stop telling girls they are beautiful. We stop telling them how much we love them and how wonderful they are. We stop doting on them whenever possible, and we just get into some sort of "I'm sure they know it, so I don't have to say it" mode.

I don't ever want to stop telling my girls how lovely they are. I WANT, so badly, to continue telling them until I'm old and gray. I want them to know what a treasure they are... that they are delighted in... that they have incredible worth and value in Christ Jesus... and that God has a hand picked plan for them.

A plan that leads to blessings... blessings overflowing and better than we ever imagined.

"I wike Daddy Bwetter!"

This has been one of Alia's sayings here lately. She always follows it up with a quick, "But War Bear Wikes Mommy Bwetter!" as if to ease the blow a little.

At first I didn't think much of it... and maybe I shouldn't start to... but it does hurt a little.

Of course she likes Daddy better. He doesn't discipline her as much, she doesn't get sick of him during the day, he is 100X more fun than I am, he has a gentler nature than I do... the list could go on and on.

I desire to have a strong connection with her when she gets older. I want to have an open, honest, real relationship with her. I want to be a fun parent. I want her to like me.

BUT, I am her mom. And right now my job isn't to be buddy buddy... it's to train, correct, and love her into the child that God desires her to be.

And it's not always easy! There will be (have been!) days when I'm not the most popular in our house, but I'm okay with that. (I think!)

Jon has really started cracking down on her if he hears her say that, and I've had a talk or two about how Mommy's feelings get hurt at such comments... but we have to remember that she's two.

Two going on seventeen.


P.S. I like Daddy better too!!!!!

I Know, I Know...

... enough with the eating pictures already! But okay... let me explain.

Reason # 1 - It gives you glimpse into my world... and into how many times I have to clean my kitchen on any given day!

Reason # 2 - The ONLY time Larren is sitting still long enough to focus on anything is when she's eating... and handy, dandy enough, I tend to twiddle my thumbs at those kind of moments - thus reach for my camera!

Reason # 3 - Just discovered that I like the lighting in the kitchen around afternoon snack time

Reason # 4 - I just think she's so gosh darn adorable with food smeared all over her little baby face (please remind me I said that when I'm cleaning up my kitchen for the 17th time in one day!)

Thank you for your cooperation, but I can't promise there won't be any more in the future! This blog is not for the weak stomached!

Up on Anything

Lately, Larren has been trying to stand up on anything that will let her! The kitchen cupboard drawers, the oven drawer, her sister's step stool, laundry baskets, the girls toy shelf, the stairs, the rocking chair, the coffee table, or if I sit on the floor long enough, she'll crawl right over and use me as a human jungle gym! As long as she can get from point A up to point B, it doesn't matter to her! Most times she doesn't know where point B is... but it has to be better than where she's at!




I wasn't kidding about the whole jungle gym thing... as you can see, the camera was point B right about now!


Unfortunately she misjudged on this one. She just happened to topple over into her sister's "boat" (aka empty suitcase!) and couldn't quite find a way to get back out!

Our little eager beaver sure makes for quite the entertainment around here... seriously, who needs TV when there's little tikes around?!?!
NOT THIS GAL!

Giddy Up

I tell ya... is it ever nice to have an auntie who LOVES horses! She has the joy of feeding, caring for, training, and loving on them... and we are able to enjoy riding them every now and then!

Since Monday was a holiday (Canadian Thanksgiving, for all my American posse!) Alia spent a bit of the afternoon cruising around on Auntie Jer's horse, Patrick!

There was no warm up period, what so ever. Just hop on and hold on!

She wasn't excited in the least... can ya tell?!?!

Daddy walked along side of Alia and Patrick... just in case of an "incident"


And, because Alia is always up for an adventure, they even trotted!

She did great... just held on to "the horn that doesn't make any noise" (when asked what she was supposed to hold on to, this was Alia's response!) and bobbed along!


Larren and I's turn to "chaperone"... which, I must say, Jon definitely had the height and speed advantage in the event that something did occur. I felt next to useless walking along side there, but it's all about the effect, right?!

Another little friend joined the party... which was just icing on the cake!


Looking like a true cowgirl... cozy and relaxed in the saddle!



Larren's turn! She wasn't near as thrilled as her sister, but with a runny nose, cough, and slight fever - who can blame her! We'll have to try again when she's a bit bubblier!

Bidding farewell

Patrick was a VERY good boy! We should have brought him a little treat for being such a great sport... but sadly enough we didn't... and an "I Owe U" just isn't the same!

Giving Auntie Jer a big ole' "thank you" hug!

One more bye bye pat for Patrick!


Alia won't be forgetting this little ride-a-thon anytime soon, and that's a fact!
Thanks again Auntie Jer!

Things Alia is Thankful For

Alia came home excitedly with a special craft from Auntie Betty's house the other day!



She's thankful for : herself, her sister, monkeys (who knew!?), and her mommy and daddy!

And yes... that lovely couple in the middle there represents us! Boy, am I glad my girls don't see my flaws yet... just a carefree, skinny, tanned, flower toting mommy and a handsome daddy to go with her!!

Come and Get It

... dinner's going fast around these parts!