Planning Ahead

Sarabeth, passionately, when she was seven years old: "Mommy, I need sewing lessons and French lessons now! I mean, how can I be a fashion designer in Paris unless I can sew and speak French?"

Last year she took sewing lessons. This year she is studying French. Next stop, Paris!



Modeling pants, apron, and zipper bag she made in her sewing class.

Modeling a skirt she made in sewing class.

Safety Advice

I used to hate it when my mother put our Valentine and Easter candy on top of the refrigerator... and now, I find myself putting my children's Valentine and Easter candy on top of the refrigerator. My children have various ways of dealing with this frustration.

Christopher, sweetly, at four years old: "Mommy, will you get my candy bag down for me? Because if you don't, then I would have to climb up on the counter to get it out, and I might fall down and sprain my head, and then I would have a cast on my head, and that wouldn't be good. So, will you get my candy bag down for me?"

History Lesson

Sarabeth and my mother have always had a very intellectual relationship, regularly discussing important subjects such as the world of Narnia, Greek mythology, and poetry, to name a few. Once, during a discussion of American history, four-year-old Sarabeth inquired: "Nana, were you born around the Civil War?"

Sin Nature

So, back when Christopher was barely two years old and said only a handful of words...

I noticed the glass was broken in a picture frame on my family room end table. Since Sarabeth never touched anything that wasn't hers, and Christopher had no boundaries at all, I was pretty sure who the perpetrator was. I called both children over to the couch where I was sitting and showed them the broken glass. I asked Sarabeth about it, and she obviously had no idea what had happened. Next, I looked over at Christopher and asked him if he knew anything about this. I could see the wheels turning in his mind as he took a few moments to formulate his answer. Then he slowly turned, pointed to his sister and said, "Sa-beh do."

Opposition

Recently Sarabeth saw a bunch of people sitting in lawn chairs outside a game store near Target. She wondered aloud why they were there and what they were doing sitting in lawn chairs. I explained that they were probably waiting in line for a new game release, and would perhaps even spend the night in their lawn chairs, so they could be some of the first people to buy the new game. She rolled her eyes, made a face, and said: " I am totally not in favor of that!"

Smart girl....

A Priceless Moment

I love the toddler stage, when kids first start talking. I love to hear them try new words, and I especially love it when they start sharing their thoughts and ideas. Then you really start to get a look at their budding personalities and hear what's in their hearts. When Sarabeth was two, she was so creative and funny and interesting. (She still is, but this post is about when she was two!) Anyway, one night, when Sarabeth was two, Chet was so overcome with the way she expressed herself that he called me at a friend's house, where I was visiting, just to tell me the story....

Sarabeth made a stage with her blocks, then put all her Little People characters up on the blocks. When Chet asked her what they were doing, she explained, in her sweet little toddler voice, "They're singing and praising the Lord."

May she always have a heart for God!

Wise Advice

Potty training is just not fun. Sometimes I'm not sure who it's harder on... mommy or child? (Actually, I'm pretty sure it's hardest on mommies.) Here's one of my favorite memories from when Sarabeth was three years old.

I always asked her to go potty before I put her clothes on, but she usually said she didn't have to go. Even when I sat her on the potty, she wouldn't go. So, as you can imagine, I was very upset when she told me she had to pee right after I put on her ballet tights and leotard. I was fussing and fuming and chastising and complaining as I sat her on the potty... then she sweetly and quietly encouraged me: "Calm down, Mommy. You just need to trust God and do your best and use your imagination, and everything will be okay."

And it was.