in grace's words... what mommies do...

Last night was a girl's night out. A yummy dinner and a funny movie with my friends while Grace and Marion stayed home with a sitter. This was the conversation Grace and I had before we left...

"Grace, Miss Kennedy is coming over to stay with you while I go to the mommy meeting."

"What's the mommy meeting?"

"It's where all of the mommies go and talk about mommy stuff."

"Oh, like opening the refrigerator?!"

I started laughing and she named a few more mommy duties...

- opening doors
- making waffles

and my favorite...
- making the dining room pretty :)

For those of you who don't know, Jeremy and I just tackled a big home improvement project, our dining room... gone is the blood red ceiling and the red wallpaper with gold roses!

in grace's words...

Love You Forever is one of my favorite books. It chronicles the journey of a mother as she cares for her baby, who turns to a toddler, into a teenager and into a grown man with a baby of his own. At each stage, she rocks him to sleep at night, until the end when he is a father with a baby of his own. By this time, she is too old and too weak, and her "baby" takes her into his arms and rocks his mother.

They always sing this song,

"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be."

I asked Grace tonight if she was going to rock me when I was old and sick. She replied that she didn't want me to get old and sick, and then told me confidently that if that happened, I would just have to go to the doctor.

We said our prayers, hugged and kissed, and said goodnight. About twenty minutes later, Grace came down the hall sobbing. I asked her what was wrong. She was sobbing so terribly that she couldn't speak clearly and I must have asked her to repeat herself twenty times. She finally got it out, "I don't want you to get old and sick!" It was way past bedtime and I wanted her back in bed, so I told a quick lie, "I won't get old and sick, Mommy was just teasing. Now go back to bed."

My sweet Grace, one day will surely be old and sick, and I hope we are still as close as ever. You are such a sweet girl!

a good friday story...

as understood by a 3 year old!

"Mrs.Paula told me a Bible story. Jesus was playing with His friends, and then the soldiers came to get Him. And they brought Jesus to the man, and the man said, 'Jesus has to DIVE!'"

"Jesus has to dive? What does dive mean?"

"Dive! Dive in the water!"

"Oh, cool, Jesus had to dive in the water, I get it."

"No mom! It's not cool! It's VERY mean and WILD!"

This conversation was from the beginning of the week, and I asked Grace to tell me the story again today. She recanted it as shown above, but then explained that it...

"was dive, the second dive, not dive in the water. The second dive is dive in the icky sticky mud, because that's what Jesus had to do!"

in grace's words...

"golly tamale!"

I have no idea where this came from... I'm guessing school? She uses it very randomly!

....................

We sometimes call Marion "Mari." Here is a song Grace likes to sing about her baby sister...

"Mari, Mari, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
With silver bells and taco shells!"

I've tried many times to explain that it is cockle shells, not taco shells; Grace adamantly disagrees!

....................

Grace has been taught at school that God made EVERYTHING. She often points out things that God has made, such as her swingset, her toys... really everything. Here is a conversation we had on the way to dance this week...

"Mommy, who made the cars? God made the cars?"

"Yes, God made the cars, God made everything. (long pause) Actually, Grace, people made the cars, and God made the people."

"But where is God, I can't see him."

"He's in heaven."

"Where's heaven?"

"It's up in the sky."

"But I need to get a ladder, and I'll go up, and I'll look for Him. (pause and deep thought) But I can't see his feet! Where's God??"

"Actually, Grace, God is everywhere, but we can't see Him."

I've got to keep my story straight!

ewww, boys!

Mommy: "Grace, you have to go to bed because tomorrow Meredith and Noah are coming over to play with you."

Grace: "I think Noah just likes to go bye bye."
(translate to: I'll take Meredith, but Noah can take a hike.)

Mommy: "GRACE! That is not nice, you'd better be sweet to little Noah."

Grace: crinkles face "But Noah's a BOY!"


For the record, one of her best friends at school, sweet Benjamin, is a boy! Noah's quite the sweetheart too, sorry little guy!

telling stories at bedtime

We moved Grace to her big girl bed at about 18 months, and it couldn't have been easier. We had over a year of perfect bedtime manners- she stayed in bed all night, and would call me in the morning when she woke up. I guess it couldn't last forever. Grace's little head poking out from behind her bedroom door has become quite a common sight at 9:00 or 9:30 at night.... and she's full of stories about why!

the most popular...

"I need to go potty!"

Yes, sometimes this one is legitimate, but other times, she expects to be able to hang out perched on the toilet indefinitely. I guess in her mind it beats laying in bed!

"I need fresh water, this water is old!"

Yes, this one sounds rather silly, but it's a quick fix, so I oblige.

"I heard that noise, and that noise WOKE ME UP!"

This one is said in a very disgusted and appalled tone of voice, I guess to make it sound more believable that she's really upset about her disturbed sleep.


Last night I wasn't here at bedtime, I had a girls' night out, and it was up to the babysitter to get Grace to sleep. I really didn't think Grace would be bold enough to tell all of these stories to the sitter... I was wrong.

On top of the usuals, she had a new one...

(while pointing to an imaginary "splinter" on her finger)
"I just got a hurt, that splinter crawled in my bed and got in my hand!"

So now she's coming up with imaginary injuries to avoid sleep! I talked to her about it this morning and I got this explanation...

"Mommy, I was just seeing if you were coming home."

... at least she missed me!

flowers for me? awwww!

as Grace and I walked past the fresh cut flower section of the grocery today....

"Mommy, I want to buy some flowers for you!"

"For me? Grace, that is SO SWEET! You make Mommy so happy!"

"I buy some flowers, and I give them to you!"

"Okay honey, we can't buy them today, but be sure to tell your Daddy and ask him to help you buy some another day!"

Grace, you melt my heart!

that's one way to do it

Grace has a new theory about how Marion is getting out! The new plan is that my stomach will "crack" open (like an egg I guess??) allowing her to escape, and then Dr.Drake (or "that boy" as Grace is calling him) will "fix the pieces." This morning she held her hands up to my belly and chanted, "crack, crack, crack!"

watch out for the teeny tiny fashion police!

Well, I know how it started...

I was explaining to my dear husband why I needed a new brown handbag I had been eying. You see, I had recently gotten a new one, but it was black, and I just didn't have anything in brown I liked to wear with my outfits that needed brown.

Watch what you say around Grace, because she's listening! We were at the mall waiting to try on shoes (we had been waiting quite a while, as had others, so there was a crowd!), when Grace looked at me and my new brown bag with a puzzled look and gasped, "Mommy! Where is your black purse?! You have a black shirt and you need your black purse!" A little embarrassed that my 2 year old was shouting fashion advice at me, I told her my black purse was at home. "Mommy! We have to go home and get your black purse!" I guess my argument to dear husband must have been pretty convincing- it definitely worked on Grace- she was serious!

I couldn't possibly have given her the true explanation of why I was mismatched in front of all the the women in the shoe department that day, so her it is, forever on her blog, future reference for her ongoing policing of fashion...

Yes, you should try to match your bag to your outfit; but sometimes when you get something new, you're allowed to use it for a little while, even if you don't match, just because you're happy to have it. :)

in grace's words

The last 2 days have been like the Great Flood here, so Grace and I have spent some time cooped up in the house talking and playing. Here are some of her thoughts....

Yesterday morning I groaned at the size of my belly and how uncomfortable it's becoming. Grace asked me what was wrong and I told her that Marion was just really kicking me a lot....

"She's kicking, so she can make a hole, so she can get out???"

Clueless of what else to say, I just agreed.

.......................................................................................

Earlier today Grace took an elephant ornament off the Christmas tree to play with...

"Elll... elll... elephant! Mommy, elephant starts with L!"

I absolutely hated telling her that something that sounded so right was wrong! Elephant should start with L!

Thanksgiving 2008

We spent Thanksgiving at Nana and PawPaw's house. We were joined by Uncle John, David, Natalie, Tim, Beth, Lillie, Caleb, Isabelle and Baby Jess. It was so good to see everyone and Grace had a wonderful time playing with her cousins.

Grace playing with a bamboo shoot she picked.

David with Isabelle, Caleb and Lillie

Baby Jess

Here I am with my cousin, Natalie. I'm almost 31 weeks along now. Really, can my belly get any bigger?!?

On the way home we took a short detour off of Henleyfield McNeil Road to see a row of homes that go ALL OUT with Christmas lights.


Grace stared in total awe! When we came to the end and began driving away...

"Mommy, wait, are those people's houses??"
"Yes Grace, those are people's houses, they just put lots of Christmas lights up."
"Mommy, wait, can we go see their back porch??"

who needs accountability from an elf?!

I'm very excited to start the "Elf on a Shelf" tradition with Grace this year. I wanted to last year, but she wasn't quite old enough to "get it," not to mention it was sold out everywhere. You buy a cute little Elf and he comes with a book that tells his story. You place him up high in your home somewhere and he watches the children's behavior everyday, leaving while you sleep to go report to Santa. When you wake in the morning, he will have returned and will be sitting in a new spot to watch the new day's activities. You may never touch the Elf, which is why he sits so high, because then he may lose his magic.
I told the story of the Elf to Grace and told her we need to get one soon so that he could start watching her and reporting her behavior to Santa. I thought she would be all about our new Elf friend (and that it would help her behave a little better for the next couple months!)... but her response... "Mommy, I don't want to have an Elf at our house to watch me, I DON'T WANT ONE!" Hmmm, she understood better than I ever imagined... and she's not too keen on the little tattling Elf. Maybe when she sees him and all his cuteness she'll warm up to the idea, because we're still getting one! :)

santa has arrived!

Santa arrived at the Turtle Creek Mall in Hattiesburg today. Yes, 2 months before Christmas, but not a moment too soon for Grace. She begged to go see him from the moment I told her of his arrival. I used it as a hook to help her make it through a couple hours of totally unsuccessful home decor shopping. She was thrilled to finally see him, and couldn't have been more star-struck. She told him, "I have a list. I want a playhouse and a My Little Pony that walks across the table." Santa gave Grace a special report card to fill out until Christmas and turn into him. It has some great criteria... listening to mommy and daddy, picking up my toys, going to bed on time. We didn't do pictures yesterday, and it may be a while... I'm just not sure I'm ready to dress her up in Christmas clothes yet... Thanksgiving still seems far away!
After her visited, she pretended to call everyone to tell them the news...

"We see Santa, Nana. And I tell Santa I want a playhouse and a pony. And Santa was sharing all his Christmas stuff. I got a reindeer hat... oooooh!"

in grace's words

as we loaded the groceries into the car...

"I'm Super Barbie, and I am here to save the day!!!"

Hmm, I never knew Barbie was a superhero- I wonder what her special power is?!

you're a little quirky my dear

For Grace, some of your most recent quirks...

"Every Light in the House is On"
For 2 years and 8 months, you never touched the light switches. I now wake up to a house that is probably lighting up our neighbors' yards as well as our own. You wake up and walk around the house to make sure every light is on. I, your cheap mother, am trying to get this new found obsession under control. I know you don't understand the consequences (think POWER BILL!), so you're just going to have to trust me. Although without the help of EVERY light you claim, "I can't see ANYTHING!!", I'm quite sure your vision is fine.

"Girl Shows vs. Boy Shows"
Common thinking might use regular stereotypes to distinguish "girl shows" from "boy shows." You have definitions of your own. You see, shows YOU like, you call "girl shows," while everything else is a "boy show." Princess movies, anything Disney, or even a music channel playing your favorite pop song can be considered a "girl show." While the news, Desperate Housewives, and daytime talk shows are all definitely for boys! Anytime something you don't like is playing, I hear, "This is a boy show, I need to watch a show for girls!"

"Those Umbrellas on Your Cute Face"
A.K.A. eyebrows. You speak very well, and have become very clear. You are such wonderful company for me and I love to talk to you all day. We do have one verbal hangup right now though. Somehow you got the idea that the strips of hair above your eyes were your "umbrellas." You are pretty adaptable, so I'm sure with a little coaching, your umbrellas will be just a memory soon.

in grace's words

first, a couple reminders...

1. lately, all talk at our house has been about Baby Marion, especially what her middle name should be
2. Grace attends THE MOST Christian preschool in Hattiesburg

When I picked Grace up from preschool a couple days ago, she had a big, proud smile on her face. She was beaming with excitement and had something to tell me...

"mommy, let's name the baby 'Marion Joseph!'"

I laughed hysterically! Poor Grace had kinda missed the whole day's lesson on Mary and Joseph!

it's a phase

This month Grace has begun what is hopefully just a phase. She is scared of all sorts of things. Between lovebug season and Halloween, the scares are everywhere we turn. Today it crossed the line! It interfered with our shopping! ;) We were approaching a home decor shop when Grace noticed a stone lion right outside the door. She could go no further. It seemed to be true fear... there was crying, shaking and pulling. I quickly pulled out my phone to get a very quick (and from a distance) picture of the culprit that sent us home...


as we walked back to the car, Grace told me

"we need a lion tamer at our house... because I very very scared of lions."

Where does she get this stuff??? I couldn't help but laugh. Sorry babe, a lion tamer just isn't in the budget right now!

Update: Jeremy, unaware of the story, noticed the picture on the computer and said "Cool lion." Yeah, if he only knew.

just pics

"what are you doing mommy?"

"I'm just putting some pictures on the blog."

"you mean my website?"

"yes Grace, your website."

the new generation... they're learning young!

baby naming with grace

Nothing too exciting here this weekend. On Saturday we were visited by Nana and Paw Paw. We went out to lunch and did some shopping around town. We visited the new Corner Market grocery right at the front of the neighborhood. I was impressed... really nice and oh-so-convenient for this mommy!

Today, Grace and I focused on naming baby! Grace had lots of suggestions and strong opinions. After spouting off the wildest name she could possibly think of, she would rub and cuddle my belly very lovingly and say things like...

"hi there baby douza lou lou, we love you so much!"
or
"oh my little dee dooba, you're sooo cutie cute cute!"
or
"baby crocodile, I can't wait to see you... I'm you're big sister!"

of course, she laughed hysterically at how funny she thought she was every time. I guess I was much too serious about getting it figured out... I didn't quite see the humor! ;)

more from the pantry door...

This week Grace's lesson at school was about "Friendship." Today she made this F out of feathers. I asked her if she made the letter F for friendship, since that's what they were learning about this week....

"No Mommy! F is not for friendship. F is for frog, fish and feathers... not for friendship!"

Hmmm... despite a little error... I was still very surprised and impressed!




Grace was very excited to show me her handprint on this one...




This is her jellyfish. Grace says, "Jellyfish live under the sea with mermaids!"





This is Grace's schoolbus. She says the circles are the people, the lower squares are the wheels and the squares on top are "cars on top of the bus." Yikes!