Twirls 'n Curls

  Linsey, my five-year old, was extremely quiet one night.  "Mama," she asked thoughtfully, "how come when I pray, God doesn't give me everything I ask for?"  "Well, does Mommy always give you everything you ask me for?"  I asked, crossing my fingers and hoping for a right answer. She thought for a minute.  "Umm…no," she finally admitted. "And why don't I - am I trying to be mean?"  Again, I was mentally preparing myself for sabotage.     "Well, sometimes you think it's a bad idea, or I ask for stuff you don't want me to have.  You know better ."  Phew!  What an answer!  I went on, "Well, God is the same way.  Sometimes we ask for things He doesn't want us to have, or He knows something we don't know, and so He won’t give us what we asked for.  But sometimes God waits to answer, because He wants us to learn to have a good attitude when we don’t get what we want right away." I'...

When Hannah was little, we called her "Moose" because she ate so much.  I don't even know what to call #3 - she's an eating machine!  She'll eat her food, then finish Hannah's, then try to take food off of Linsey's plate, who sits beside her.  And if there's no food, she'll move on to napkins...Maybe "Trash Compactor" would be a good fit, but that could be embarrassing when she's older :) Here are a few of my favorites from this summer, a couple you may have seen on previous posts: Hope you have a great Wednesday, and remember, "A smile is worth a thousand messes!!"  At least, to me it is :) Linking up with these fun blog hops today:

Hiya! Linking up again with Carissa , who has a great blog, for some random thoughts from our neck o' the woods: 1. I have been super blessed with lots of generous friends and rarely have to buy clothes for any of my girls. One friend has twin girls several years older than Linsey, and she gives me a lot of matching clothes. Since Linsey and Hannah are so close in size, they can actually wear a lot of the same stuff, like these cutie dresses they wore to church yesterday: 2. We're starting our second year of soccer with Linsey, and she was heartbroken that she outgrew her pink shin guards from last year. So we've spent the morning decorating a second-hand pair from a friend...she's definitely my creative one! Too much fun :) We used the end of a birthday candle to make polka dots :) 3. I don't spend much time talking on the phone, because that's when the girls tend to get into trouble. But my sister says she loves to call because hearing me ma...

For Summer Bible Camp this year, we were blessed with lots of donations from local businesses, such as NASA and McDonald's.  Each child got a pair of these funky glasses one night, which our skit team dubbed "night vision goggles."  ALL the kids loved them - my daughters wore them for like 3 days straight!!  I assumed at least Linsey knew they were pretend, until she asked me to get something in her room one night.  I told her it was dark and just to get it when she went in (the baby was asleep), and she said excitedly, "Don't worry, Mom!  You can borrow my new glasses!!"   Tom's brother Eric fit right in!  I <3 Wordless Wednesday@ The Miller Racing Family !

It's the start of a brand new week!  Here are a few random tidbits from our lives lately: (1)  I am so, so excited!  Up until today , both sets of grandparents have lived in the Midwest, and the girls only got to see them once or twice a year.  But my in-laws are on my way to their new house (about 30 min from us) right now with the moving van!  This is one of those things I've prayed about for a long time for my girls but never actually thought would happen...Thanks, God!! (2)   Logic to a three year old:  Me:  Why are you out of bed? Hannah:  I have to go pooootttty! Me:  Ok, why were you playing in the bathtub? Hannah:  Because I'm thiiiirrrrsssttttyyyy!! Me:  Go to bed.  Now. (3) Someone gave us two miniature tea sets that my girls absolutely love.  The cups hold about a tablespoon of tea.  What is it with little girls and little, tiny toys??  Littlest Pet Shops, Polly Pockets...I guess...

Shopping goals yesterday :  groceries for our family (we haven't been to town in 3 weeks), groceries for my in-laws who are moving here this week, and 3 sheet cakes for church into a van with a broken hatch The Challenge :  shopping by myself with 3 kids in carseats who all still wear pull-ups at night because they lack bladder control, and making everything fit into our van with the broken hatchback (it doesn't stay open on its own) I do this pretty frequently, and it's always an adventure.  Here are a few ideas I'm working on: 1) Prepare for the trip ahead of time.   This one I did pretty well on.  The girls all had snacks, toys, and drinks to tote along for the hour car trip, and I remembered my iPod to listen to while they watched Max and Ruby in the car.  I also drank my coffee, took my vitamins, and prayed for God to give me extra strength.  Even an optimist like me knows I'm going to need it! 2)  Choose your stops wisely.  ...

My kids get dirty .  There. I said it.  I try to be a good mom - we wipe all visible body parts before scooting out the door, we often bathe multiple times a day.  But somehow, my kids wind up...dirty. And truthfully, I care a lot more about my kids being clean than the way they get clean.  Again.  So we've gotten a little creative lately: Hannah has designed her own personal spa, and Linsey loves bubbles. Get them splashing...  get them dancing... let them wipe themselves (bad idea)... I don't care, as long as they're c-l-e-a-n!! And as a bonus, aren't they so cute when they're all bundled up??

Wouldn't it be fun if diaper boxes came with little prizes?  You know, like cereal does.  I can see the new Huggies advertisement now:  "Free surprise in every box, loaded with fun!!"  Maybe my box was special, but I've found a few surprises in there lately.  Now doesn't this just make you want to run out and buy a big box of diapers...or even two??     No, thanks, we're sending this surprise back!!   There!  That should do it... Happy Wednesday!!