Childlike Faith

Mer has always been very into the worship music at church.  She tells me every day that she wants to be a singer when she grows up and be just like the girls that sing on stage at church.  She sings along to the praise music we play in the car, and amazes me with how well she knows the words.  She makes up a lot of songs and likes to dance in the living room, singing as though she's on stage.  A lot of times her songs make no sense and are pretty random, but always go back to Jesus.  She shouts his name, throws her head back, and raises her arms in praise.  Tonight we were driving home from dance class, and she told me that all of her songs are about Jesus because she just loves to sing about Him because she can feel Him when she sings.  It gave me chills to hear these words from my four year old.  She told me that she feels God holding hands with her and she just loves to sing about Him because he loves her and she loves him.

Later when I was tucking her into bed she told me she just had to "ask me one more fing" and says that God lives in her heart.  She told me that He goes all the way from her stomach up to her heart, and He is always there for her and when she is afraid she just hugs him "like this" (as she hugs herself).  After I left her room, I told Brian what she had told me, and he said she told him the same things the night before, and he thought it was because I had told her this.  We have of course told her that God is always there for her and she should never be afraid, but not in the words she used tonight.  We recently finished reading through the Jesus Storybook Bible for the first time, and I think she picked up on more of it than we realized.  It makes my heart so happy to hear her talk that way, and at the same time humbles me because I know I should be more like a child in that respect.

Matthew 18:3-4

And He said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Our day started with us going over to Gigi's to visit and play outside. Mer Mer rode her bike over there and Libby Kate rode in Miss Daisy.  They both get tons of attention from all the residents, and Gigi loves hugging on Libby.  Mer blew bubbles and played with "Precious" - a dog that belongs to one of the residents.  Gigi remembered that we live close and walk over and was telling another resident about it.  She joined in conversation with me, and seemed so lucid during our visit.  We left Gigi at the lunch table as they were getting served, and Dad showed up as they were finishing lunch. Sadly, she had already forgotten we were there to visit less than an hour earlier.  It's sad to think she forgets so quickly, but I know it brings her joy in the moment when we are there. 

Sunday Funday

I adore sweet baby girls wearing blue...

I wish I could take their picture every Sunday in their church dresses...but most Sundays we're barely getting out the door on time (usually 20 minutes late really) and by the time we get home, they are both hungry and tired...so unless I can come up with a really great bribe, it doesn't happen.  Today a couple of quick pics on my phone, after church, sans shoes, plus wrinkled, drooled on Libby Kate dress was the best I could get.  But I still think they're gorgeous!

After church, lunch and Libby Kate's nap, we went outside to play for a while.  It's been gorgeous the last few weeks, in between crazy cold fronts (it's almost May...and still randomly getting into the 30s and 40s at night once a week or so!)

Libby Kate hates grass under her feet.  It's like she is completely frozen if set down in grass.  She will NOT take a step or move an inch, but just stands there and cries out MAD!  I can put her on a blanket in the middle of the yard, and it's as though she's on a deserted island.  She will stand at the edge of the blanket and just scream, because no matter how bad she wants off the blanket, it's not worth touching the grass over!

Love these sweaty sisters!  Mer could play outside for hours.  Really, Libby Kate could too, but Mer really, really could.  She is happy to run circles around the patio, play in the sandbox, and throw the ball for the dogs.  Libby walks all over the patio, and covets the toys in the sandbox.  She is welcome to play with them, but she has a major dislike for sand (just like grass), so it's just not worth it to actually reach for a toy.  Instead she just watches them, squats down next to them, leans in and talks to them...but never, ever, dares to reach for one!

After some play time outside, I rinsed them off and we headed out to Haslet to look through Mer's old clothes for some shoes for Libby.  Before we left, Brian was feeding Libby Kate some yogurt.  We always point out the baby on the yogurt container and say "Baby.  See the baby, Libby Kate?"  Today, Brian got Libby Kate to say "baby!"  She would even point to the yogurt and say "ba-bah!"  I was able to get her to repeat it several times for me, too!

On the way back, Mer was trying to tell us something, but Libby kept squealing at her every time she'd start to talk.  She would turn to Libby and say, "Libby Kate, please stop unrupping me!  OK, I will start over, AGAIN!"  This went on several times, but once she finally got to tell her story, she turned to Libby again and says, "Ok, Libby Kate, now it's your turn, please do not unrup me like that again though!"

Tonight I was reading about Lilo and Stitch to Mer, and she asked what Stitch was.  I told her he's an alien and she said, "Oh he's cute.  He looks like the chihuahua Grandpa gave me."  I was confused, because I didn't remember him ever giving her a chihuahua, but I let it go and kept reading.  She stopped me and says, "chihuahuas are so cute, Mommy.  They're just adorable with their big ears and climb up the trees to eat the bamboo."  And then it clicked...she meant a KOALA, not a CHIHUAHUA!!