A different Easter celebration

It's already a few weeks past, but on Easter I had to work. So Julie and the girls came by to visit me at the firehouse along with my parents.

It's been a while since they've had a chance to come visit Daddy at work, and since we try to spend time together on Easter as a family day, we improvised.

The girls had a fun time looking at all the fire trucks and best of all... sliding down the poles.

Four Years Old!!!

Today we celebrated our Karina's 4th birthday. After a busy morning of soccer, we had a fun party this afternoon - lots of running around, playing outside, opening presents, and eating birthday cupcakes.

Happy Birthday, Karina!

Another girl moment...

Jadyn: "I know that God made us with fingers and arms and feet for good reasons, but why did he make fingernails?"

Karina: (without a second thought) "So we could paint them and polish them. I don't know why boys have them, though."

The best treasure

We were eating dinner yesterday, having our usual interesting conversations, when I noticed that Jadyn was sitting very still all of a sudden with her hand over her chest. Of course, being a good worrying parent, I immediately asked if she was hurting or having a hard time breathing or anything of that nature. She just looked at me without saying a word, just a little smile forming on her lips.

I asked what in the world she was thinking about with such a strange face and her hand still on her chest.

Her reply: "I was just thinking how nice it is to have God with me where ever I go. I can remind myself anytime just by touching my heart- that is where God lives. When I have a hard time, like last night, I know that He is close to me and I am his best treasure. I like being a treasure--especially the best one."

Once again, I find myself being reminded of what is most important from my little girl. I love that God looks at us and sees us as his very best treasure. And how good it is to hear your daughter believing it with all her heart. :o)

What soldiers really do...

The girls were marching around the house this morning singing a song I haven't heard in a long time. Karina definitely hasn't heard it in a long time either because this is what I heard the first time she sang it:

"I may never march in the infantry, ride in the color tree, shoot all the energy. I may never breathe on the eminy, but I'm in the Lord's Army...Yes sir!"

(For those not familiar with this song, it should be: "I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery. I may never fly over the enemy, but I'm in the Lord's Army...Yes sir!")

Jadyn was very quick to correct her before they sang it over again and again about 10 times. I think I like Karina's version...

The difference one letter can make...

Jadyn worried me the other night, then cracked me up.

Jadyn and I were talking about the kids who sit at her table in Kindergarten. There is a set of identical twin girls in her class, and she mentioned that one of them sits next to her. I asked if she had any trouble telling her apart from her sister, and this is where the funny conversation went from there:

Jadyn: "No. It's easy."
Daddy: "Oh? How can you tell?"
Jadyn: "Nicole has mold on her lip and her sister doesn't."
Daddy: "What? What did you say?" (a little puzzled, intrigued, and worried...)
Jadyn: "She has mold on her lip. That's what my teacher said."
(Now I'm thinking... okay, why is the teacher saying mold... hmm...)
Daddy: "What does it look like?" (we'll try another approach...)
Jadyn: "Well... it's brown."

(Now I'm racking my brain, wondering, could this really be??

No, it has to be something else...)
Daddy: "Is it shaped like a circle?"
Jadyn: "Yeah."
Daddy: "Is it on her face above her lip?"
Jadyn: "Yeah."
Daddy: "Okay. Does she have a mole?"
Jadyn: "Oh. Is that what it is? I thought my teacher said mold. What's a mole?"

I went on to explain - showing her moles on my arms and hers. Whew! And I was getting a little worried that her teacher was giving the kids pet names and picking on them.~