From the Mouths of MY Babes

There are so many things to catch up on, and some pictures to share, but I will have to do that later. For now, a few anecdotes from the girls.

• About a month ago Alaina and I attended a music class for pre-schoolers together. The teacher said something that struck me as wise, and when we got home I shared it with Larry. She said, "You are your child's favorite toy." Alaina must of overheard me telling Larry this and because I was telling him she applied it to him and only him. Now several times a day as she romps around and giggles with Larry she says, "DaDa is my toy!" And I promise you he is her favorite toy. She says it with totally joy, pride, and adoration. I can see that even though she is only three, she knows she is blessed to have a Dad who will play with her and be her favorite toy.

• In one such episode of being the girls favorite toy, Larry was chasing the girls around the house and tickling them, and pretending to be a monster and all that other fun rough house stuff that Dad's are great for. At some point though his batteries ran out before the girls did and so he collapsed in his bed and tried to pretend to be asleep. When the girls efforts to wake him didn't seem to work Anna started to yell for me (in a playful, yet dramatic way) "Mommy, Daddy's dead." After doing this several times Alaina responded in a sweet and reassuring voice, "It's okay Anna, Mommy will take care of us." (Apparently even your favorite toy can be replaced with out much fanfare.)
  
• This morning Larry walked into the playroom to find Alaina climbing up to the top of a shelf.

"Alaina," he shouted, "you can't do that."

"Yes, I can," she replied very matter of factly.

Before he could even finish the sentence "You are not allowed to climb up there," she

reached the top, threw up one arm and said, "Ta da!"

• Remember the dog, Eddie, my brother's family recently got? Remember how I said that I know what the girls want for Christmas, implying previously mentioned dog? Yeah, well, if this story doesn't prove how bad Anna wants a dog, I don't know what will.....

A few weeks ago Anna was struggling with some anxieties relating to death. The anxieties of course, always peaked at bed time, and often left her very distraught. One such night before bed she was rocking with me and sobbing with worries about dying. Larry and I were both trying to comfort her, but she was so worked up nothing we were saying seemed to be bringing her any comfort. At some point her fear changed from her dying to Larry and I dying. She said through her sobs, "What will Alaina and I do if you and Daddy die? Who will we call?" I explained to her that her Uncle Kelly and Aunt Tracy had promised us that if anything ever happened to us they would take care of her. "You would live with Kelly and Tracy and Paige and Peyton and Luke". Before I could even start me next statement, her sobbing came to a screeching halt, she sat straight up in my lap, and with a grin she said hopefully, "Eddie?!"