Raisin Bran

Jonathan (3 years)

The other day I asked Jonathan what he wanted for breakfast.

He replied, "I want some raisin bran....without the bran...just with the raisins."

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Aden (4 years, 7 months)

Last week we made "Happy Grandparent's Day!" cards for all the grandparents. We got out the paint (all 12 bright and colorful colors!), stickers, sequins, glitter, markers, and more and set to work at making beautiful cards for "Grandpa" and "Grandma who belongs to Uncle Lucas", "Grandpa Jesse" and "Grandma who belongs to Grandpa Jesse", and "Grandpoo" and "Grammy". This was Aden's painting for "Grandpa" (I think). When he said he was finished I said, "Aden honey, don't you want to add a little more color?" he said (with conviction), "No, I like it this way. It's perfect!" He wasn't being stubborn or a quitter or anything...he just genuinely liked the way his "masterpiece" looked. Yes, beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder!

His "Ice Cweam"

Jonathan (3 years)

This 97 cent Matchbox Ice Cream Truck is one of Jonathan's most favorite toys. He plays with it all the time, takes it with us wherever we go and gets quite concerned when its whereabouts are unknown. He calls it his "Ice Cweam" such as, "Mommy, I can't find my Ice Cweam." or "I'm going to pway wif my Ice Cweam." Who knew when we tossed this into our K-Mart cart last year that it would become such a prized possession?

He Notices

Aden (4 years, 7 months)

Tonight I put a new floral table cloth on the kitchen table and within 5 minutes my sweet boy noticed and said, "Mama the table looks pretty!"

Bless his heart, he notices. He notices things and has the thoughtfulness to comment on them. He'll notice a small vase of flowers on the windowsill, fresh towels on the towel rack, a new blouse that I have on, clean sheets on his bed, a nicely ironed shirt, a freshly swept porch, a carefully planned meal, etc. He notices and he lets me know...usually with a sweet smile or a giggle of excitement or an expression of gratitude. What a blessing and encouragement that is to me! There's nothing quite like hearing his sweet little voice say, "Wow Mama, you did a good job!" or "That looks nice!" after having worked hard on something! In such a good way this little boy encourages me to develop more and more discipline when it comes to housekeeping. What a dear child he is!