Oh Be Careful Little Nose What You Smell

Since Maddie started preschool back in September, she comes home about twice a month with a new song she has learned. She goes to a Christian school, so they are typically Bible songs or prayers -- often ones that I remember singing in Sunday school when I was a little girl. One such song goes like this: "Oh be careful little eyes what you see/ Oh be careful little eyes what you see/ For the Father up above is looking down with love/ Oh be careful little eyes what you see." It's meant to teach children to resist things that might lead them into sin, and it continues with four more verses covering all five senses. Certainly, one can readily see how the eyes, ears, mouth, and hands can lead one into temptation...but the nose? Kurt and I laugh and laugh when we hear our little girl earnestly singing "Oh be careful little nose what you smell..." as though at any moment she'll catch a whiff of something sent straight from Satan. Kurt's theory is that perhaps it's an early "Say No To Drugs" campaign...i.e. snort flowers not crack.

Now, I put my foot in my mouth all the time...but not exactly like this :) I think he's training to be a yogi. He's a Portland boy after all.

Mommy sandwich!

Madelyn diving into a cake pop made for Auntie Kelsie's bridal shower. Yum!

Kurt and me at The Allison for our 8th anniversary. We just went for breakfast, but someday (you know...in five or six years!) maybe we'll actually stay the night.

Lemon buttermilk pancakes with strawberry and raspberry compote. Yes we did.

This series of photos is called "Like Son Like Father." Henry has great facial expressions, and we all like to try to copy him (remember Maddie's "gangsta baby" imitation?).

Imagination at Work

This series of photos could also be named "Signs." I love walking around my house and discovering little signs that children not only live here but are imagining here. I never quite know the full story, but I kind of like it that way...makes me get to use my imagination too :)

What Would You Do...

...for a peaceful evening and a good night's sleep? Would you beg and plead with your preschooler, thus confirming once and for all that she is, in fact, the boss of the household? Would you begin using questionable discipline techniques that you swore you'd never use? Would you bribe said child with a bowl full of processed sugar for each morning that she goes to bed without a fight?

Yes, yes, and sadly, yes.

Our Madelyn is a vivacious child with a fabulously imaginative mind and an insatiable curiosity. She giggles easily and has the best facial expressions. She has a kind, inclusive heart and loves to be a helper. The majority of the time, she is flexible and compliant and polite such that I start to think I must be a pretty darn good Mommy to have produced such a wonderful kid.

Then, inevitably, bedtime rolls around. I've said it before, and here it is again: anyone who doesn't believe in a carnal nature needs to spend some time with small children. No matter how positive and euphoric the day, bedtime arrives and our girl morphs into an impulsive, crazed, wild thing whose limbs and vocal chords seem to be functioning in total separation from her brain. She tears through the house and cackles and bounces incessantly with the energy of a possessed being. Once we finally manage to wrangle and rope her into her bed -- patience completely depleted -- we read stories, say prayers and close her door for the night with a sigh of relief.

And for the last year or so, that's when the fun really begins. With her spirited personality comes a frighteningly strong will. If she doesn't want to stay in her room, she's not going to stay in her room, no matter how exhausted she is or how awful things get between us. We have tried absolutely everything just shy of locking her in her room and the only reason we haven't tried that is that she would kick the door so hard it would likely crack (it's an old house after all). She can be motivated by incentives, but those incentives work for three, four weeks at best before they lose their novelty and the mischief becomes more appealing once again. Currently, she earns a (small) bowl of "treat cereal," typically something with fake marshmallows in it, for every night that she doesn't come out of her room. This kills me, folks. I am a huge proponent of healthy eating and have worked so hard since the day she was born pumping her body full of whole grains, raw veggies, and fruits in all colors of the rainbow. Watching her inhale a bowl of processed sugar first thing in the morning literally makes me cringe...but it is most certainly worth a peaceful evening with our precious daughter and a public admission that parenting is the most humbling, word-eating, prayer-inducing job ever.

Now. Make me feel better: what are you doing with your kids that you swore you'd never do?

America the Beautiful

Every summer (typically in June) we visit the rose garden at Washington Park for a picnic and some flower frolicking. This year, we combined our visit with our friends, the Smoots, and the 4th of July; what better way to celebrate the official birth of America the Beautiful than amidst some of this country's most gorgeous scenery? For all of this country's faults (and there are many...and I think it's important to acknowledge them and continue addressing them), I am so grateful to live here with the freedom and pursuit of prosperity that our government affords.

Nearly six years ago, Took and I were just a couple of social workers with a common passion for children, fancy bags, and Jesus. Two husbands and six children later, our respective families are finally complete and we can take a group photo without knowing that it will no longer be accurate within a year :)


Maddie looks like Snoopy in this photo -- laughing with her head tipped back as far as it will go.


Sitting by the "Queen Jan" plaque -- an annual tradition.