Happy Halloween!

First, a lovely China girl went to pre-school:

Then, Little Red Riding Hood went trick-or-treating:

It was a fun day!

fall fun

We spent a lovely afternoon at Country Pumpkins, enjoying the crunchy leaves, baby animals, and marveling at the beautiful way God made things around here to change in the fall.  It's my favorite season, and you seem to like it, too!

My little pumpkin--I call you that sometimes.

You chose a really great pumpkin.  (This is your choosing face.)

Playing in the corn box.  It was fun!  It seemed a lot nicer to me than sand...

We really liked this tree.

Happy Fall!

sick day

 So, this pretty much sums up our day:

Why yes, it is a specimen cup, full of urine, with a Cinderella sticker on it.  We were given the cup at the doctor's office, and before I could fully explain what it was for, Lucy had decorated it with the sticker they gave her for being so brave.  So, we filled it up shortly afterwards and then took it back.  I hope we made a lab person's day!

We got home and while I got medicine out and read labels, Lucy got a baby and tucked herself in.  Big smiles even when she's feeling pitiful.

I hate to see her feeling bad, but again I'm SO thankful that we live in a place where I can take her to see a doctor and get medicine the same day she's feeling bad.  I hate to see her feeling rough, but I know that medicine is already working in her to make her feel better.  Mamas in countries without access to health care have to watch their babies feel bad and can't do much for them.  So we're grateful.

Four so far

 Already such a big 4-year-old!  Four-year-olds get to push the little carts at Kroger.  Yay!

And four-year-olds still hold Mama's hand willingly (yay!) but they twist their little wrists out from under your pinky finger.   (boo!)  Mamas, you know what I'm talking about.

Four is great for playing dress up with your buddies.  Four-year-olds generously sample make-up while Mama is browsing, and then with beautiful four year old self-assurance, shout into the mirror, 

"I like me!  I like me!"

Being four means you want a little more say in your outfits (and I just love your style).  You also may explain to your mama that you have a "conference" in the morning, so she'll probably need to do hair after nap instead.

Sometimes four is hard.

But most of the time it's quite lovely.

a month without tv

I put our T.V. in the closet.

It's been about a month so I was reflecting on our life without tv, and wanted to share, mostly to remind myself if I start to waver.

I've been pondering this move for years, but I always balked at the last second.  I'm a single mom--what would I do without the 20 minute miracles from Netflix (Daniel Tiger, The Duggars, Dora, Curious George, and Jessie) when I've got to get something done or take a shower?  I could justify it so easily.

One day last month after church I was thinking about God and life and what I hold on to too tightly.  I kept thinking about T.V.  The shows we watched were pretty tame, and several even encouraging and educational (The Duggars and Daniel Tiger, especially).  But couch-sitting and living seemed miles apart, and I could see clearly which one we were gravitating to more and more on weeknights.   There were never grand plans to come home and flop down in front of the T.V., but it could easily slide into that kind of night.

So, I thought, I'll just mention it to Lucy.  This was a slightly devious plan and a cop-out because I was sure she'd be horrified by the suggestion, solidifying my justification that it just wan't practical for us.  After nap, I broached the subject.

Me:  I've been thinking about getting rid of our T.V.

L:  Whaat??  I don't want to do that!

Me: (Smugly thinking that this wasn't really going to happen)  Well, I just thought it might be good for us...

L:  What do you mean?

Me:  Well, maybe we'd do other things more.  Play games, or go outside...

L:  Let's do it right now!!

Hmm...  It's hard to argue with that.  So we put it in the closet.

The month has flown by, as most do, so I tried to think back and see if it's been different.  We haven't really noticed in the every-day, but I think small changes have added up to something lovely.  We have definitely spent more time on the shaggy blue rug in front of her bookshelf, reading books and playing games.  We have taken nice, crunchy fall walks.  We have cooked more, which is not something I generally love to do, but considering the company/help I have, I appreciate that positive time together.  We have cleaned more and danced more.  It hasn't been a huge, jarring change.  Just a little more of the sweet things and less of the mindless.  But real change, for the better.

This morning instead of her watching Dora while I got ready, I had a chipper little pajamed girl pop in my bathroom and ask, "Can I be your company?"  My mornings are a little longer but I just can't turn down an offer like that.

We haven't been completely t.v. free, as she sees some at her sitters and I've watched a few shows on my laptop on Netflix after her bedtime.  We also unashamedly watch Daniel Tiger during the hair process.  We had a movie night tonight, and I hauled the T.V. out, wondering if it would be hard to put it back.

It wasn't.

4 years old!

Lucy, you are such a joy.

You so enjoy having family around, and you LOVE birthdays.  So your own birthday is a BIG DEAL!

On this birthday, you put on a pink princess dress and gasped over "glass" slippers and then tripped and tumbled your way to the mirror.  At one point you had the hoop of your skirt around your head!  We laughed so hard!  Then you got a princess dress for your baby doll and shoved your crown at me--"Hold this!  I've got to go get someone."--as you tumbled in to get your baby.

You cracked eggs and mixed and iced and sprinkled.  It was so lovely!  (You even got Pap into the kitchen to help!)

You got books and you were so happy with them.  We read them all twice.

You got lots of fun things for fancy dress-up!  High heels, tiaras, and some cool costumes.  You love to use your imagination, so these are perfect!!

And, as a little part of your present, you got 3 princess lip glosses (the kind with the wand) and a little keychain carrying case for them.  Oh my word!  You were enchanted with this lip gloss.  You have the glossiest lips on the planet and your family all got sticky birthday kisses, but you're so happy.

So I'm happy.  Happy Birthday, my love!  You are a precious gift from God!

the every-day

My kitchen help.  She is the official egg-cracker now.

Sandwiched between two favorites, Aunt Rachel and Pap, on their birthday/birthday eve.

Every time we take trash to the dumpsters, Lucy gives a big, loud, low, MOOO.  I think she thinks it looks like a barnyard.  And, side-note:  Look at the shadow or her hair--pretty cool!

She sings a "God is so BIG" song by GoFish.  She loves it!  At one point, it says, "I'll look you in the eye and say:  My God is so Big..."  She's been singing it, "I'll poke you in the eye and say..."  Kind of makes a big difference in the overall feel of the tune.

I've been hearing about Hey Diddle Diddle, from pre-school.  (I have a video if I can figure out how to load it from my new-fangled phone).  She's quite good now, but the first time I head it, it went something like this:  "Hey diddle diddle!  The cat played the VIOLIN!  Hey diddle diddle!  The dish and the spoon ran.  Hey diddle diddle!  The dog laughed."  SO cute!

She's excited to go to a "Pumpkin Hatch" this fall.  (Pumpkin Patch)

I asked her what she wanted for her 4th birthday and she didn't hesitate a second.  "BOOBS!" she shouted out, eyes sparkling with hope.  This is my daughter.


P.S.  You can't mention these to her, especially the boobs talk.  She's had to talk with me lately about not sharing her stories!