I want to be just like you Lord...

"Lord, I want to be just like You, cause she wants to be like me." Those words come from an amazing song by Phillips, Craig & Dean. Lately, my kids do challenge me to be more like Christ because I know they are watching everything I do.

The Princess made this drawing last week. As it says at the top and she told me, it's "God and Jesus in heaven." Oh, out of the mouths (& hands) of babes....

Cookie Monster, or Tickle Me Elmo?

So Cookie Monster is making us laugh so hard lately. I'm thinking maybe his name needs to be changed -- maybe Tickle Me Elmo? On Monday I came home from taking Farmer Boy to school to find Cookie Monster's face covered in black marks. I asked what happened. Dad said he'd been coloring.
OK, so it's marker. Whatever.
Closer inspection reveals something different, though.
Powder. Face powder.
Guess he needed it to cover up the black marks, which were ... mascara. He smiled very cute for the picture. He'll regret that someday.

That same day, I came up from the basement to discover him on the counter, with the bartstool pulled up. He was reaching on TOP of the refrigerator to grab some Teddy Grahams. Guess he wasn't full from breakfast.

Later that day, he tried one of his new tricks: biting. He bit me. So, I thought I would solve that the same way I did with the Princess. I grabbed his arm and chomped. It didn't work like it did with the Princess. When she started her biting phase, I bit her back. She cried. I cried and that was that. She NEVER bit again.

Not Cookie Monster. I bit. He laughed. Finally, I stopped. He still laughed.

Totally lives up to the meaning of his name.

Today, he was playing with the wagon he got for his birthday. It's one of the those plastic outdoor toys. He filled it full of toys and was pulling it around the house. Good thing he got it a day early because it came in really handy tonight.

He used it to pull around the french fries he was having for supper.

Never a dull moment. Actually, I hear laughter and .....

"No, don't bite."

Gotta go.

Language arts

I have a friend who was worried about her child's language. I confessed that I'd have to admit the shortcomings in our home if I were honest. Like the time that I told our daughter she shouldn't say "*itch" because it makes God sad.

Her response: "Does it make God sad when you say '*itch?'"
Yeah well. They learn really quick. But I think I've learned even more. Gotta love them.
Truly.

Learning to Talk

I guess it's all about communication in our home lately.
Cookie Monster is starting to voice his opinions more. Guess he realizes he needs to add to the chaos and noise. So, the pacifier ("bass" as he calls it) is starting to come out and words are flowing.
When asked who had the gas problem in the van on the way home, the two oldest shook their heads no.
Cookie Monster's reply: "Me."

After the dog barfed AGAIN, Cookie Monster went from room to room saying, "Lily barf, Lily barf."

Guess that's better than some of Farmer Boy's first sentences. I think they sounded something like "daddy moron." Oops, wonder where he got that from???
Dad, right.

Pillow Talk

"Mom, come see (the Princess)," I heard from the living room. So I stopped what I was doing and went in to see what was going on.
Dad, casually resting on the couch, was right next to the Princess.
By the time I arrived, she was beginning to get agitated.
Why, you ask?

Because Farmer Boy had zipped her into a pillowcase. Yes, a pillowcase. You know, the ones that cover body pillows.
You laugh. I laugh now.
A normal reaction.
However, slight problem considering the Princess has a history of having seizures. Normally these occur following an incident with said Farmer Boy.
While she begins flailing around. (As much as one can do in an 18-inch wide pillowcase, dad lays RIGHT next to her on the couch as if nothing is happening.)
Meanwhile, I'm trying to find the end of the zipper. It took what seemed like forever.
Farmer Boy was scolded. Dad was scolded.
All was well.
The end
Just another "Crazy in the Country" dad, er, Day!

Toilet talk

Toilet talk. So when does this stage end anyway?? Or the actions to go with it. Farmer boy has to take a "R" item for show-and-tell this week. One option: the runs. Yep. Finally, he decided on something else that causes the runs: Runza sandwiches.

Then this morning at Bible Study. Yes, Bible Study, the Princess kept farting. For everyone in the room to hear. She was quite proud of herself too.

And #3 (wait, I got scolded for referring to him as that), I mean, Cookie Monster now makes a refreshing "ahhhhh" sound after he farts.

Isn't parenting fun??

At least the babe is a girl, right. Oh wait, "the Princess" was the guilty party at Bible Study. Oh, many more years of this!!

Remember when..??

I know we all have a photo like one of these, somewhere. One of our favorites mimicks the "orange" picture below. Beware, you might wet yourself from laughing so hard. I received these in an email titled "Olan Mills' Awesomeness." Enjoy!

Here were the captions:

1. Olan Mills backdrop #4: Bucolic Meadow with Split Rail Fence. Is that an animal carcass behind her?
2. Drake won Bitchin'est Senior Mullet by a landslide.
3. I've got a 20 that says he drives a Camaro.
4. Patrick broke ranks and chose drag over the bow tie.
5. The library might be more believable if the shelves weren't sloping downhill.
6. This photo isn't discolored. The 70s really were that orange.
7. Bobbi isn't the first waitress to fall for her manager, but they both got fired from Shoney's.