The Singer

It was 8:10 pm. I had just sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, curious to see who would win an Oscar this year. As I began to watch, I heard a tiny, little voice coming from down the hall. I muted the TV and listened. It was Annabelle. She was singing, "Zack-kay-is, you come down....goin...house....a-day (Zacchaeus, you come down! For I'm goin' to your house today)." She sang those two lines, over and over and over and over again. She, Jacob and I sang that song earlier in the week when we read the Bible story about Zacchaeus. I don't know what made her think of it while she was lying in bed, but she obviously couldn't get it out of her head. She had been in bed for about 40 minutes before I heard her singing. I listened for a couple more minutes thinking she would quiet down and go to sleep. Nope. Heath thought she sounded so cute, he had to walk back to her bedroom to see her. I walked back with him. I sang the song with Annabelle, the whole song, not just the last two lines. Then, Heath and I kissed her goodnight once more and closed her door. Annabelle continued to sing until just after 10:00 pm.

I guess she was full of energy and couldn't sleep. It had been a fun day. After church, where she got plenty of playground time, we went to a party at McDonald's. It was her friend, Finley's, 2nd birthday. All the kids played their little hearts out. Annabelle climbed right up to the top of the play area with the big kids. I was a little nervous at first, but she had a GREAT time. She stopped playing for a few short minutes -- just long enough to drink a container of caramel sauce and eat a few apple slices along with one chicken nugget. She then quickly devoured a cupcake and went back to playing.

When bedtime came, she went to bed willingly. She was showing all the "sleepy" signs (rubbing her eyes, becoming a drama queen, etc...) but apparently, she decided she wasn't quite ready to head off to dreamland. It was the perfect time for a little vocal practice.

She's been singing more and more lately. A couple of her favorites are Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the alphabet song. She gives concerts on occasion...if you ask her nicely.

Annabelle still enjoys her naps and usually doesn't give me any trouble when it's time to go to bed. Today, she came out of her room a couple times during naptime, but happily went back to bed and soon fell fast asleep. She and Jacob are both asleep right now. When Jacob takes a nap, he typically wakes up before his sister. But, on the days when Annabelle is the first to awaken, she makes sure her brother gets up with her. One day last week, I didn't even realize Annabelle was awake until I heard laughter coming from Jacob's room. She had jumped up onto his bed, woke him up and the two of them were happily playing together.

They played in Jacob's room for a few minutes, then both of them headed to the "elevator" with an armload of toys. Naptime was officially over. On to another adventurous trip!!

The Elevator

"C'mon, Annabelle," Jacob yelled down the hall. "We have to huwee (hurry) and get in the elevator before the door closes! Huuuuuweeee!!" I closed the pantry door just in time to see Jacob turn the corner with an armload of treasures -- two toy lanterns, a Clemson flag, a microphone case that Heath brought home from church after band practice one night (no doubt, filled with more treasures), and a tiny magnadoodle. He quickly ran towards the coat closet with Annabelle trailing closely behind. Her arms were full of stuffed animals -- a little gray bunny, old Minnie Mouse (the beloved), new Minnie Mouse (not so beloved), a pink toy lantern and a ziploc bag full of crackers. Jacob opened the closet door, threw his belongings inside and crawled in atop his things as well as the other things we keep hidden away on the closet floor. Annabelle did the same. Jacob pulled the door closed and off they went.

Going up! Or maybe they were going down. Who knows? :)

This is a typical scene at our house lately. The elevator...errr...coat closet....is a busy place. Jacob and Annabelle are constantly riding up and down the elevator. This elevator makes several stops. Sometimes, it takes them to the hotel (one of their bedrooms), where they'll stay and play with toys for quite a while. Other times, it takes them to a campsite (their bathroom). The bathroom is one of the only rooms in the house with no windows, so with the lights off and the door closed, it is completely dark. This is where the lanterns come into play. They set up their three lanterns around the bathroom and pretend they are camping at night. Side note: Several weeks ago, our power was out for a couple hours. Jacob and Annabelle were overjoyed. They were so excited to carry their lanterns all over the house in the dark.

I love to see and hear them playing like this -- their imaginations hard at work. And I'm always curious to see which toys they take with them into the elevator. The lanterns are ever present, and Jacob almost always has the microphone case, but everything else changes depending on whatever story is being played out in their minds. I once saw Annabelle crawl into the elevator with three baby dolls and a diaper bag. I thought it was cute until she threw a fit because the doll's stroller wouldn't fit in the elevator with her. Annabelle screamed on the floor while Jacob closed the door and went to the hotel without her. But, never fear, he came back later and asked if she wanted to go camping with him.

I'm not sure what they were doing here, but those poses crack me up!!

Here, Annabelle. Let me show you how you're supposed to wear your hat.

Cheeeeeeese!!

18 verses

Parenthood has its ups and downs. Everyone knows that. Like when you're in a shoe store and your children are running wildly down the aisles, pulling off boxes of shoes while screaming at the top of their lungs. Yes, I've been there. That would be one of the "downs." Or when you're up in the middle of the night washing crib sheets and taking care of a baby with a bad stomach bug. Or even worse, cleaning your car after said stomach bug hits between your house and the grocery store. Yep, been there too. Those are definitely "down" moments.

But, thank goodness, the ups far outweigh the downs. And, boy, do I ever love those "ups." Take last Sunday, for example. I've been trying to keep you updated on Jacob's progress in school, so you probably know that he's been memorizing the sixth chapter of Ephesians. Right now, he knows verses 1 - 18 and he'll begin learning verse 19 tomorrow. Word has gotten around about Jacob's memory work and last Saturday, we received a call from our associate pastor asking if Jacob could "help him out with his sermon" by reciting his verses. Jacob seemed excited about the opportunity, so we said, "Yes."

I couldn't be more proud. He recited his verses in both worship services that morning. This video was taken during the second.



The excitement of the morning caught up with him as soon as he walked off stage. Jacob crawled up into Heath's lap and fell fast asleep during the second half of the service. :)

Jacob has worked so hard this year. We typically review his memory work for school at least four days a week and he recites his verses everyday. He likes to stand on the coffee table now when he says his verses. He feels like he is on stage. And, by the way, that is the only time standing on the coffee table is ok at our house. While Annabelle may enjoy dancing on the table or using it to perfect her high jump, we don't encourage that behavior. :) Annabelle, when you begin memorizing scripture, you too can stand on the coffee table with permission.

So, of course, I am proud of Jacob, as are many other people. Besides being proud, this has also given me a big boost as far as homeschooling goes. I am so glad we chose to homeschool this year. To be honest, before Classical Conversations, the thought never even occurred to me that my four year old would be capable of this much memorization. I mean, really...18 verses, soon to be 24?!?!?! C'mon. Adults (myself included) can't even do that!! That's just crazy talk. Well, as it turns out, it's not so crazy after all. Jacob, you never cease to amaze me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It was Valentine's Day, but I wasn't feeling the love. I lay stretched across the floor of Publix reaching under a shelf for a canister of peanuts, bought and paid for, which had been hurled across two aisles just moments earlier by one of my children. Which one? I don't know. I didn't see who did it. What I did see was the green Emerald container whoosh by my face, hit the floor and roll under an endcap. When it didn't roll out the other side, I almost decided to leave it there; but, I had already paid for it. From the floor, I looked up at the two animals children in the race car buggy above me. Both were screaming. One was crying. One was scratching and trying to bite the other. One was attempting to escape by jumping over the side. One look at them and it was obvious, I wasn't the only one not feeling the love. I stood up and looked at the man sitting next to us. He was an elderly man, sitting on one of those stools attached to a walking cane. "Happy Valentine's Day," I said with a smile. He smiled back and said, "Yeah."

It wasn't exactly the Valentine's Day I had planned. I thought we would do special Valentine activities all day long -- make valentines, read books, bake cookies, etc... Instead, we paid the doctor a visit and went to the grocery store (a place my children rarely see anymore). I've been battling sinus issues since Thanksgiving and as a special Valentine's Day surprise, Annabelle gave me her cold. Those two things combined did not add up to "fun." I had to go to the doctor and I knew I'd be taking my kids with me. I called and made an appointment, praying the whole time for God to turn my children into the little angels I knew were hiding somewhere deep down inside themselves. While we were in the waiting room, things were good. Annabelle was happy sitting in the stroller looking at books. Jacob was working on his dinosaur mazes and playing with sticker books. "Thank you, God for answering my prayers," I said quietly. Then...the nurse opened the door and called my name.

Jacob became upset that he had to put away his sticker books for a few minutes until we got to the next room. He yelled and screamed and threw a fit. Finally he calmed down and the nurse led us to where we needed to be. Jacob happily sat down in the chair with his books again, but Annabelle wasn't so happy. She was tired of the stroller. She began to squirm and yell, so Jacob and I sang songs to her. It worked for a little while, until the doctor came in. As I talked to the doctor about my aggravating symptoms, Jacob began to do a little aggravating of his own. He tickled Annabelle, took away her books and did everything possible to make her scream...and scream she did. The doctor was trying to talk over them, but I couldn't hear a word he said. Thoroughly embarrassed, I quieted them down (ever so briefly) and tried to listen to what the doctor was saying. I didn't hear much except that my prescriptions would be waiting for me at the pharmacy.

I had to go to the store anyway. I did my shopping with two screaming kids, then strolled over to the pharmacy. My prescriptions weren't ready. They hadn't even been called in. I called the doctor's office. Oops. The fax didn't go through. I headed to the check-out counter, paid for my groceries, then went back to the pharmacy counter. As I stood there waiting, the peanuts went flying and...well, you know the rest of the story.

So, it wasn't the day I expected, but it did get better. Both of my little angels fell asleep in the car and took a long nap when we arrived home. I was able to put all the groceries away and bake a birthday cake in perfect peace. Aaaaaahhhhh. Valentine's day bliss. I was finally starting to feel the love that should be associated with the holiday. Just as I was putting the cake in the oven, the doorbell rang. Heath had flowers delivered to me. He later said he wished they had arrived earlier, but I think they came at just the right time.

The roses made the perfect table centerpiece for dinner that night. We celebrated Heath's birthday (a day late) with steak (no, I didn't eat any), sweet potatoes, a vegetable medley, and European mocha fudge cake for dessert. Yum. Jacob and Annabelle gave their daddy the valentines they made earlier that morning and it turned out to be a lovely evening. I was definitely feeling the love. How could I not? I have a wonderul, loving husband, two precious children, a fantastic family, and the best friends I could ask for. Happy Valentine's Day? Indeed.

No, Jacob's hair is not gelled. I took this picture first thing in the morning. We had just wet his hair a little to get rid of the rooster look.

Jacob and Annabelle both love this book. Each page features a different animal and every animal is made out of hearts. It's really cute. I love it too.

And now, I shall paint.

I wish I could paint. I envy people who can take a blank canvas and turn it into a masterpiece with just a brush and a pallet of paint. Amazing. I have tried it before. I always have this beautiful image in my head of what my painting will look like. Unfortunately, my visions never turn out to be reality. Instead of my envisioned masterpiece, I end up with what I like to call a "mess-terpiece." It's fun though. Hmmm. Perhaps I should take an art class. I'll go ahead and add that to my "when I get some free time to-do list."

Jacob has been painting (and drawing) quite a bit lately. He has learned about a different artist every week for the past six weeks: Rembrandt, Linnaeus, Gainsborough, Degas, Monet and Morisot.

The first week, he drew a self-portrait, since Rembrandt famously painted several portraits of himself. Hold on to your seats. This is incredible. :)

The second week, I think Jacob drew a picture of a plant, or some type of flower. I had nursery duty that week and I'm not exactly sure what happened to his drawing. Oops. Carl Linnaeus was a botanist who made a tremendous impact on botanical illustrations.

Week three, he painted a landscape just like Thomas Gainsborough would have done. Gainsborough made his living painting portraits, but his first love was painting landscapes; hence, many of his portraits were surrouned by beautiful landscapes. Jacob painted the landscape, then drew pictures of people, cut them out and glued them on the paper.

Edgar Degas....well, Jacob was sick that week. We talked about Degas and his paintings at home, but didn't actually paint anything.

When the kids learned about Claude Monet, they discovered a few different ways to work with watercolor paint -- short brushtrokes, long brushstrokes, painting with water first, then adding paint, and vice versa. Jacob recreated a famous Monet painting. Looking at the two paintings next to each other, I can't even tell them apart. Can you? :)

This week, we've been learning about Berthe Morisot, who used different textures in her painting. The paints Jacob used for his masterpiece were mixed with glitter, eggshells, sand and raw sugar. When he began painting, I don't think Jacob had any specific vision in mind. He just thought it was interesting to see how the different textured paints slid across the paper from his paintbrush.

He's had a lot of fun learning about these artists and experimenting with paint the past six weeks. I've enjoyed it just as much. In fact, I'm thinking of asking Jacob to give me a few art lessons. I wonder how much he charges.

Honest Deception

As I walked through the door of the children's building at church last night, I was greeted by a very happy four year old. "Mommy," he said. "I am not going to tell you I had a treat tonight in my Cubbies class because when I get home I want to eat one of those pretzel things." Smooth, Jacob. Very smooth. That's what I call honest deception.

Earlier that evening, Erika and I handed out valentine treats to all the preschool choir kids. Jacob helped me make said treats: chocolate dipped pretzel rods with sprinkles. We told the kids they were not allowed to eat the pretzels until they had permission from their parents. They all excitedly threw them in their bags and headed out the door to Awana, where they received (and apparently ate) even more valentine goodies. I asked Jacob what Valentine's Day is all about. His answer? "Oh...it's when you hand out lots of treats and people give you candy and stuff." Well, Jacob, that seems about right.

Jacob had his CC (Classical Conversations) Valentine's Day party on Tuesday. Of course, the kids exchanged valentines and Jacob could hardly wait to pass his out. Since Jacob is a drummer, I thought it would be cute to create some type of drum valentine card. Here's what I came up with:

He signed his name on each card and wrote his classmates' names. I was proud of him. It was a great handwriting exercise and Jacob didn't even realize he was "doing school." :) We attached the cards to a pair of "drumsticks" (chocolate-dipped pretzel rods) and voila! We had the perfect "Jacob" valentine.

Annabelle exchanged valentines as well. For hers, we filled sandwich bags with Teddy Grahams and attached a card that read, "You're a beary special friend." I can't take credit for this idea. I saw it in a magazine and thought it was adorable. Annabelle seemed excited about it too.

Funny Kids

Everyday, several times a day, Annabelle and I have a conversation much like this:

Me: Annabelle, do not go outside without your shoes on.

Annabelle: Whaaaaat?

Me: You need to put your shoes on before you can go outside.

Annabelle: Whatchoo say, Mommy? (What you say, Mommy?) Whaaaaaatchoooo say???? Don't....go......asside (outside)? Shoes on?

Me: Yes, let's get your shoes.

Annabelle: Ooooh-tay (Ok).

"Whatchoo say, Mommy?" is her new favorite line. I hear this from her all...day...long. She cracks me up. It all started with a "Whaaaaaaaat?" A couple months ago, Annabelle picked up one of her toy phones, put it up to her ear and said, "Heh-yo...Whaaaaaaaaat? Oooooh-tay. Byeeeee!" Ever since that moment, "whaaaaaat?" became a staple in her conversation. Now, however, she's added "Whatchoo say?" Sometimes, when she asks me that question, she's asking about something I said five minutes earlier. If I don't repeat the phrase exactly as I said it five minutes ago, she throws a fit. She's quite the drama queen, that girl. Of course, I've known that since the day she was born. :)

Jacob still gives me a daily dose of laughter as well. Last week, during one of his reading lessons, I gave him a newspaper and let him read the headlines. He did a really good job! A couple days later, Jacob proudly told his daddy that he read all the "headlamps" in the newspaper. His scripture memorization is still going strong as well and I'm beginning to think he may grow up to be a preacher. He recites his verses with enthusiasm, using his hands and lots of facial expressions to convey his message. And...the other night, while he was taking a bath, he grabbed Annabelle's bathtime baby, which was sitting on the side of the tub. "What are you doing with Annabelle's baby doll?" I asked. He dunked the doll into the water, looked at me very seriously and replied, "I'm baptizing it." Earlier that morning, we read about John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. The story was obviously fresh in his mind. Well, if Jacob is going to be a preacher one day, I suspect he'll be a Pentecostal. The boy dances like James Brown and I'm not sure if Southern Baptists are ready for that just yet. :)

P.S. These pictures were taken at the end of December, compliments of our amazing friend and photographer, Janet Powell. As always, she did a FANTASTIC job and captured a lot of great moments!! Click here to see more.