Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Funnies from the littlest Littles - March 2015

Lately I feel like Xander's funnies have really turned into sweeties. :) AJ says some hilarious things right now, but most of Xander's memorable sayings are just so thoughtful or sweet, which is why I want to remember them. He's such a serious and thoughtful boy, but he does have his funny moments. :)

Xander: Is God bigger than space and the earth and our house?
Me: Yes. He created all those things and He's bigger than all of them.
AJ: God isn't in our house.
Me: Well, He lives in our hearts, and He is here with us right now.
X: Yeah, He lives in our chests.
Me: Well, not literally. He is part of us - the Holy Spirit lives in us.
AJ: He's in our bellies. We ate God because he's in our tummies. Yup, I ate God.

AJ: I don't like that song! It is too serious and it makes me distracted from my fun!
(She often says things distract her when she doesn't want to do/hear/watch/etc.)

X: I got a splinter in my booty one time.
Me (laughing): Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that!
AJ: But you got it out and Jesus healed you.
X: Well, Mommy got it out.
AJ: Yes, Mommy took it out and then Jesus healed your booty hole.

>>Sneeze<<
Me: Bless you!
AJ: That was just me, your big girl.

Me: Xander, what would you like to eat after your doctor's appt?
X: Can we go somewhere out?
Me: Sure, if that's what you want.
X: Can we go to Chick-Fil-A?
Me: Of course.
X: Just make sure it has a drive-thru, okay?
Me (smiling): I'm sure we can find one that does.
X: I just don't want to get anyone sick, so that's why I want a drive-thru. That way I won't spread my germs to anyone.







Friday, March 27, 2015

Kid vids

Xander was doing homework one day and I heard him singing. I just had to get it on video. :)



Here's one of AJ putting on a puppet show in the park. I love her voices!

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Pictures

A cold and icy Sunday morning in the church parking lot.

Enjoying her new sandbox.
She got it for her birthday, but it was getting too chilly to put it out then.
The weather is perfect now!!
She LOVES it!! Thanks, Mimi & Papa!
Xander makes me artwork all the time. This one is from last fall.
He is so thoughtful and sweet.

For St. Patty's Day I made the kids green eggs and pancakes :) 

More selfies for Daddy when he was working late one evening.

Amelia Jayne wanted to take one with her camera, too.

Playing with hats at school. The girls loves hats!

She wasn't ready to leave school, so she's a little frowny, but Mrs. Joy snapped a pic anyway.

Trying out her balance bike from Grandaddy & Nana.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Toast to Gigi

Gigi passed away one year ago on February 28. Becky was in town for us to go see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, so after the play we dropped by Ri Ra for a drink to Gigi's memory. We sent video and pics to David's family - not everyone was together, but wherever we were we took a shot at 4pm. Just for Gigi - she would've been proud. :)
It was a sweet moment.






Tuesday, March 24, 2015

X's birthday parties

I'm way behind on this (about a month) but I didn't want this event to go by without being documented.
Mimi threw a family party for Xander at her house. His request was that it be Panthers themed, so we all shared shirts and jerseys so everyone could look their part. Xander had such a fun time playing with his cousins and I had fun turning everyone's hair blue! Mimi throws the best parties!!





Xander had a birthday party with his friends at the beginning of March. They went to sports connection and played soccer and flag football before eating cupcakes and opening presents. There were about 14 kids there - it was a blast! A couple of the kids weren't thrilled with the sports theme (especially a couple of girls, mine included) but Xander had a FANTASTIC time! And that's all that matters. :)
Of course, everyone enjoyed the cupcakes. :)




The F word

Right now the "F" word in our house is "flu."

Yuck.

And the dreaded recipient is sweet Xander…again.

No one else has been infected…yet. I'm hoping it stays that way. With all the coughing, sneezing and snot around, I'm not incredibly convinced that'll be possible, but we'll see…

I thought for sure with spring well on it's way that we were done with that mess! But apparently not. We went to the doctor after he woke up yesterday with a fever of 104. He had a fever all day Sunday, but I thought I'd let it ride its course. The doctor was shocked when his flu test came back positive - he said he hadn't seen any flu for 2 weeks. However, Grandpa has still been seeing some cases in the ER.

Since Xander and I both got the flu in December guess who'll be getting everyone in her family flu shots next year? Amelia Jayne was the only one who got the vaccine (since she was already at the doc for her well visit) and she was able to stay healthy through everyone else's illnesses.
So for the past couple of days Mommy and Xander have watched movies, TV, read books and played games. AJ has gone on to school which has been incredibly helpful and allows Xander to get quality rest. He's not very talkative (which is an obvious sign to me that he's sick) and he's incredibly lethargic. He has even taken naps, gasp!

Hoping my sweet boy heals quickly and that no one else gets sick. And looking forward to a healthier spring!

Friday, March 20, 2015

Books that have influenced me

I've mentioned this article before and probably this one, too. Going off of this viral status from Facebook a few months ago, I thought it would be fun to share this in a blog post. I could probably write a post about each of these books, but I'll spare you. :)

“List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take more than a few minutes, and don’t think too hard. They do not have to be the ‘right’ books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way.”

1. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
I can't believe I haven't written about this book before. It is my all. time. favorite. I love it so much. I always go back to it when I'm feeling down, lonely or need some hope or to remind myself that I am redeemed. I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a book to read. The most amazing and beautiful love story you'll ever read. (Except for Jesus's that is).

2. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Oh, Anne. She makes me smile every single time. I have read this story many times and love it more each and every time. Sweet, whimsical Anne.

3. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
I read this in high school and it stuck with me. I don't even remember any details about it, just that it was about a nuclear war. And I loved it. This might have been the first book I read in high school that I absolutely loved.

4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

5. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
I have to admit that I'm a series kinda gal. I just love them. I get so invested in the characters and then want to read more and more and never want them to end! Harry Potter is quite the phenomenon. The books, the audiobooks read by Jim Dale, the movies, the world. David and I badly want to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. Maybe one day. But this series is the first series that David and I enjoyed together. I started reading them long before he and I were even dating, but we watched all the movies together and I convinced him to read the books. Because he's not much of a reader, I got the audiobooks from the library for him. I used to read to him in the car on long trips until we discovered Jim Dale. We LOVE Jim Dale. :)

6. The Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that these books influenced me so much. They were an extremely popular set of books in the Christian culture in the late 90's/early 2000's. When I transferred to UT in 2001, I started reading them. They kind of kept me company in an atmosphere of upheaval, before I made friends in Knoxville. Though the storyline was kind of hokey and I cringe a bit when I think of them, they definitely kept me occupied and entertained when I needed it.

7. The Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke
This series. Also an amazing set of books. I highly recommend them if you want Christian fiction set in pioneer times. I read this series for the first time when I was in 6th grade. I read them once per year for at least 7 years after that. I still return to them when I want warm fuzzies. The characters in those novels became true friends to me. I LOVED watching all the children grow up and reading their stories.

8. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This was one of my first experiences with racism. I grew up kind of sheltered and unaware - plus, I had friends of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds when I was growing up. This, I thought, was a very positive way to learn about it - I mean, Atticus Finch? Fantastic.

9. I kind of have to say Judy Blume. In middle school I read Just As Long As We're Together, Forever, Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret, Then Again Maybe I Won't, Blubber, It's Not the End of the World and the Fudge books.
She had a way of explaining important adolescent information that really struck a chord with me. Extremely relevant and impactful. I can't just name one of these books due to the impact they all seemed to have - I remember them, even now, 20ish years later.

10. The Bible
Though this feels like somewhat of a cop-out (I'm a Christian, so I'm supposed to say "the Bible", right?) I have to admit that the Bible has influenced my life more than any other book. Because I believe it is the living, breathing word of God, I take everything in it seriously and to heart. I believe that God talks to us through His word and I am so thankful that He has given us His words to refer to. I love reading about the completely imperfect people who followed God. I love seeing that God worked through them in amazing ways - and knowing, because of that, that He can do the same with me.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

What I'm into right now...

1. This song. We sing it at church all the time and it just does. not. get. old. I have listened to it on repeat many times...









2. My favorite TV shows right now are Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter. David and I have re-watched the Marvel movies and it's been really fun to piece all of the stories together. I am so very excited for the new Avengers movie to come out in May!


3. Gretchen Rubin's books - The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. More to come on this. :)


4. Dark chocolate covered almonds. It's my vice. I don't mind indulging in this since there are some great health benefits. However, I try not to eat more than 6 or 8 almonds (or less) per day.


5. David and I have also started The Voice again. That tends to be mine and David's go-to when it's on. We like the simplicity of not having to pay total attention to the show, plus I think David loves how opinionated and irate I can get (as evidenced by my rather explicit tirades directed to the TV) when listening to/watching people


6. Becky came over one weekend and we started watching the show - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. A Netflix original, created and written by Tina Fey - it's hilarious. Twisted and silly and wildly inappropriate. I loved it.




7. And speaking of Tina Fey...
Liz Lemon Greek frozen yogurt from Ben & Jerry's. It's lemon greek frozen yogurt with a blueberry lavender swirl. I am so happy even just thinking about that right now! David and I went to Ben & Jerry's on a date a couple of weeks ago to try The Tonight Dough (starring Jimmy Fallon) but they didn't have it. I sampled the Liz Lemon and have been obsessed with it ever since! I was so excited to find it in the grocery store a week or so later. We still haven't tried The Tonight Dough, but Liz Lemon is getting me through. :)


8. Hot tea before bedtime. I like this tradition. I typically want a snack before bed, so this curbs that craving. And it's yummy and soothing before sleep. This is a habit I can keep. :)


9. This article. We all need to take care of ourselves and I'm learning that more and more the older I get. The article I linked to has 55 wonderful tips on how to take care of ourselves - I'm working on it.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Funnies from the Littlest Littles - January/February 2015

AJ: The monkeys at school, they were hurt.
Me: Oh no!
AJ: It was okay. They were okay. They just have hurt their hands. And their hands hurt but they were okay because they could still sing. But then they could not sing! They were just okay til tomorrow. Okay?
Me: Ummm...okay.

AJ: I don't like orange jelly because it hurts my feelings and distracts me from eating. So don't eat it!

David told AJ not to eat her bogies when she had put her finger in her mouth. She told him, "It's okay. It didn't come from my nose or my eyes. It came from my ear."

Instead of Martin Luther King Day, Xander was calling it Martin Luthen King Day. I laughed and said "What?" And AJ piped up "Marter luthing Tuesday!"

Xander: Does your unicorn like apples?
AJ: Yes, but just the Greeny Sniff ones.
Xander: You mean Granny Smith?
AJ: Yes, Granny Sniff.

AJ sings "Jesus Loves Me" like this:
...Little ones in here we long,
But it's okay, cuz He is strong.

Words AJ says:
ledatard instead of leotard
yogurt pants instead of yoga pants
Balentime's Day instead of Valentine's Day

Xander: Mommy, when you die will I be able to visit you in heaven?
Me: Well, one day you'll join me in heaven, but you won't visit me there.
Xander: Oh, well, I'll love you even when you're gone.

Snow!

Last week we had real snow! Not that ice stuff that we were calling snow. 
Four inches of beautiful, quiet, peacefully-falling, perfectly-formed, snowflake kind of snow that was perfect for making snowmen, snow cream and snowballs…our snowball fight was pretty legendary. :)  
The snow was wet and fluffy…and we had snow much fun!