October 29, 2013

Flashback

Here's a picture that was taken prior to my existence. Any guesses as to who this stunningly-attired young man is?
That is my Pops. He was about sixteen, I think, and was ushering at his brother's wedding. Smashing tux, and the hairstyle really completes the ensemble, don't you think?

I'll bet that on that day he never imagined that he would get saved, marry a beautiful blonde, have four children, complete a Naval career, and eventually become a pastor!


October 28, 2013

The Boogie's Perspective

After church one evening I asked, as always, "Did you have a snack in class?"
"Yes," the Boogie replied, "I had one small, thin cookie. That was it."
"Oh!" I said, "It sounds to me that you aren't very grateful for what you got. You should always be thankful for things you get, even if you think they are small."
"Well," she said honestly, "a big, thick cookie would be more grateful."

I sneezed and exclaimed, "Ouch!"
"What's the matter, Honey?" she asked. "What hurts?"
"My uterus!" I joked.
"What's a uterus?" she asked.
"It's an organ in my stomach, what the baby is growing in right now," I explained.
"Oh," she giggled, "it sounds like a planet."
Uterus: The Ninth Planet.


We were reading a book and there was an illustration of a group of people with upset faces. "Look at those people," I said, "they look very ... "
"Sad!" Peabody said.
"And what else?" I prompted, going for "angry" or "upset."
"Morose!" The Boogie said.
My jaw dropped. "Morose?" I repeated dumbly. She began to backpedal.
"Wait ... what does 'morose' mean?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, you're right!" I quickly assured her, "It means 'sad' and you used it right."
"Yeah, I know," she recovered herself, "I knew that's what it means."
"That's such a good word to know how to use correctly!" I praised her.
"Yeah, I know," she agreed.
Smart, and also humble.

She wanted a nurse's cap, so she made one. It looks like a bishop's hat but we didn't tell her that.
 
She definitely got that creative gene from my mother -- it skipped right over me!

October 16, 2013

Random Peabodyness

*This is an old post I started writing several weeks ago.*

We were wandering through the baby/toddler section in Target the other day. I rarely look in that section anymore, since the Boogie has outgrown it and Peabody doesn't ever need clothes. This time, though, we were looking for something for Bacon and we came across these. 
I love Peabody's face!
The Boogie just fits into hers now so will undoubtedly outgrow them soon, but since they are pajamas who cares if the pants and sleeves get too short? They were so delighted with them, especially Peabody. They call themselves the Batgirl Twins. The emblem on the front is all glitter, so they wake up with glitter all over their faces and in their hair.

Peabody announced, "I know da letter dat goes wif dis sound: tuh, tuh, tuh, tchurch!"

I asked the girls what they would like for lunch. Peabody chose "peanut butter an' choc'late" as always. She asked to make her own sandwich, so I helped her spread the bread with peanut butter and generic Nutella. I cut an apple into slices and gave them to her to put on her own plate. She carefully arranged them in a pile on top of her sandwich. "Dese are da finishing apple touches," she said.


I told them that if they ate all of their lunch they could have a treat. The Boogie ate hers, but when Peabody was finished with her sandwich and I asked if she was ready for her cookies, she said, "No, sank you." Refusing cookies? Unheard of! After our walk she decided she was ready. I set her up at the table and as I left the room I heard the Boogie ask something and Peabody reply, "Sure!"
"Hey, you already had yours! Did you ask for one of her cookies?" I demanded of the Boogie.
"No, I didn't," she protested, "I just asked if I could have a bite, and she said yes."
"You may not have any," I said. "You already had your treat and those are for your sister." But Peabody piped up, "We talked abou' kindness. And sharing is being kind." Well, whaddaya know. She does listen in Sunday school! For the past four weeks our lessons have centered on kindness, and we always discuss ways that we can be kind to others. I was so tickled to hear her say that.

"I wanna tell God sumping," she said at dinner.
"What do you want to tell Him?" I asked.
"I wanna tell Him dat I am really silly. And when I'm silly it makes God REALLY laugh."

Every morning when she gets up she asks for a snack. Not just any snack, but a "cereal snack" which is then followed up with the request "jus' cereal, in a bowl, wis no milk." I usually say no, and tell her that if she is hungry I will make her breakfast, which she then refuses. This morning when she asked for a snack I surprised her by agreeing. Her face lit up. "You said yes!" she exclaimed. She came over and patted my arm, beaming, "Dat's a good mama."

On our way out of the grocery store she wanted a flyer advertising next week's sales. It got left in the car, and tonight in the car she tried to look at it in the dark.
"Daddy, can you turn on da light?" she asked. He agreed at first, but when he realized why she wanted the light he changed his mind.
"You don't need the light on," he explained, "I said yes because I thought you were looking for something."
"Yeah," Peabody replied without missing a beat, "I'n lookin' for sumping to eat."