The List

I just love lists - I use them all the time for everything!! I thought I would put together a funny list of the "Top 5 Reasons You Know You're a Parent." Here goes:

1. You catch yourself saying to your child, "Be careful - you'll put your eye out with that!!"...and you mean it.
2. You look forward to bedtime on Christmas Eve, not because of the holiday, but because you know it's the one night of the year your kids will go to bed without a fight.
3. You respond with the phrase you despised as a child - "We'll see" - just to avoid an argument with the question at hand.
4. Again, you find yourself using another easy excuse to avoid an argument, but this time it's "Because I said so." Usually this phrase sneaks in at the end of a long workday like its cousin phrase in number 3, stated above.
5. Finally, you find yourself thinking back to the days before you had kids and can't believe you ever lived a single day without any of them!

No Teeth Yet, But Almost Walking...

Baby Aedan has been teething now for months but has no teeth yet. We think they will pop out soon, though!!!
He is just about to walk on his own, thanks to PLENTY of practice with his big brother, Elijah. This evening Aedan was pushing around Callan's new baby stroller, using it as a walker. His balance and strength were both intact, and we can tell that he'll be walking on his own very, very soon!!!
We cannot believe he will be ONE year old in less than a month!!!
Aedan brings a multitude of joy to each of our lives with the endless curiosity shining in his big, blue eyes.

"Very" Christmas to You!

Last night, as Christmas Day was coming to a close, we were wishing each other a "Merry Christmas." As we went around saying this to one another, Elijah wished us all a "Very Christmas!"
Just had to share...

Watch Out! Don't Get "Scrabbled!"

The other day Elijah said to me, "Mommy, I just scrabbled Callan!"
"You what?" (I looked at him quizzically.)
"I scrabbled Callan!"
Okay, I'm confused...
I must have looked very bewildered as Elijah said with exasperation, "Mommy, I scrabbled Callan. You know, I hit her!"
Then it dawned on me that he was trying to say "I clobbered Callan." He had watched The Christmas Story this past weekend and heard that word on the movie.
Needless to say, I just couldn't punish the little chap due to his blatant honesty and the hilarity of "scrabbling" his sister.
By the way, she was not even phased by being "scrabbled."

Advent Blessings

Elijah, Callan, and Aedan have been enjoying our nightly Advent prayers out of a special children's Advent prayer book. So have Mommy and Daddy!! It has been a wonderful way to reconnect with each other at the end of the day. We gather around the Advent wreath and read a short Bible verse and prayer out of a children's Advent book given to Elijah by his godparents, Jane and Robert. After the prayer, a small Advent activity related to the day's topic is suggested. We have been doing the suggested activities each night, and it has been very meaningful to everyone. After the reading, we turn to the back cover where a window to the corresponding day waits to be opened!!! This is the highlight for Elijah and Callan!!!
Blessings on all of you this Advent.