Archive for October, 2009

JAM Story Time

Published by Daphne on Oct 22, 2009 in Angelina, Humorous, Jubilee, Madeleine and Signs & Words. 0 Comments

Today I set aside time specifically to read to all three kids. I had them sit on the living room step. (You know, how many houses have a sunken living room? That’s the step to which I’m referring.) Then I faced them with an open book. It went very well. Of course, they talked most of the time. Sometimes I would shush them, but of course it would only take a few seconds for them to start jabbering again.

At one point, I told them to raise their hand before talking. This always works with Jubilee. But she’s 4! (Sidenote: when Jubilee first started raising her hand, she would raise it just so she could say something, and after being called on would scramble to come up with something to say.) So when I said, “Raise your hand to talk,” I also raised my hand as a demonstration. This of course prompted Maddie to simply follow suit and raise her hand. And Angel was of course watching Maddie, so she too raised her hand. I was cracking up, but I still called on them and they continued to talk my ear off.

My Personal Cryptographer

Published by Daphne on Oct 9, 2009 in Humorous, Jubilee and Signs & Words. 0 Comments

My dream career, provided I had the required “mad math skills,” would be a cryptopher. What’s that, you ask? A cryptographer is one who writes or solves codes.

Jubilee likes to ask me to read words that she sees. Most of the time, I am busy doing something, so I can’t look at the word. “I’ll spell it for you,” she says. Then she proceeds to spell it. But she doesn’t use spaces. So I have to visualize the word in my head and determine the word breaks.

Jubilee and I are two cryptographers in a peapod: she makes ‘em; I break ‘em.

Here are some examples from when she’s looking at the calendar:

1) LABORDAY
2) FIRSTDAYOFFALL
3) YOMKIPPUR
4) FIRSTDAYOFSUKKOT (with apologies to my Jewish friends because I didn’t know the Hebrew word.)

While driving yesterday, she stumped me a for a few minutes with TOWAWAY. I kept visualizing “To Wawa Y.”

Another Answered Prayer (Very Funny)

Published by Daphne on Oct 7, 2009 in Humorous, Jubilee and Prayer. 0 Comments

We celebrated Uncle David’s birthday by purchasing an ice cream cake. We bought it this afternoon. Jubilee, of course, really wanted to eat some. “You have to eat a lot of dinner tonight,” I instructed her.

At dinner, I asked Jubilee to pray for our meal.

“Dear God,” she earnestly prayed, “help me to eat a lot of dinner.”

(Also impressive: she claimed she didn’t like the dinner, but when I told her she had to eat all of it to get dessert, she did! I really don’t want to serve ice cream cake after every single meal, but it sure produced good results.)

Three Answered Prayers

Published by Daphne on Oct 7, 2009 in Deep, Jubilee and Prayer. 0 Comments

Sometimes Jubilee’s faith amazes. It certainly always humbles me. Here are three answered prayers for the day.

1) Jubilee and I attended BSF while in Redondo Beach. Auntie Andrea was at a doctor’s appointment. While at BSF, I found out she needed us to swing by her house to pick some things up, then meet her at the doctor’s office. Trouble is, we didn’t go directly to BSF from Auntie Andrea’s house, so I wasn’t exactly sure how to get back there. Now that I was under a time constraint to get to the house, I was a little worried.

“Mommy, let’s pray,” Jubilee suggested. So I did, then Andrea called to say we didn’t need to go to her house and gave me directions to the doctor’s office.

2) Jubilee and I were at lunch the same day. We were in the bathroom and I COULD NOT figure out how to get the paper towels to dispense. I couldn’t find the infrared light or a manual wheel to force out the towel. I was actually sticking my fingers into the dispenser trying to grab some paper towel and pull it out.

Then I notice Jubilee closing her eyes, clasping her hands together, and whispering. Wheeeeer! The paper towel came out!

3) But I needed another paper towel for myself! I start digging again, then I ask Jubilee to pray again. She prays. Wheeeeer! I kid you not.

Scoff all you want. But if it will increase Jubilee’s faith (and mine) to move mountains, who am I to argue?

Maddie’s Blossoming Language

Published by David on Oct 3, 2009 in Madeleine and Signs & Words. 0 Comments

Madeleine is having a language explosion.

There was a time when she signed more and Angel spoke more, but Maddie now talks incessantly. We still don’t understand much of what she says, but she’s definitely talking rather than babbling.

And she definitely surprised me this morning after I finished putting on her socks. She pointed at her socks and very clearly said, “Baba, I have purple socks.” Wow! A well formed and complete sentence!

No matter that the socks were yellow. :)

Head Circumference

Published by Daphne on Oct 1, 2009 in Humorous and Jubilee. 0 Comments

My children have always had big heads compared to their weight and height. Consider Angelina: 1st percentile in weight, 90th percentile in head circumference. (Yes, I can hear some of you quoting So I Married An Axe Murderer: “It’s like an orange on a toothpick.”)

However, Jubilee currently has the biggest head. Well, that is to say it’s the most puffed up.

Last week as we were driving to church, she started saying, “I wonder if someone’s going to say, ‘Oh you are so pretty. You are the prettiest girl!’” I couldn’t believe my ears!

Then today, I was driving to church for a mom’s group and I heard her say, “Someone’s going to say, ‘Oh Jubilee, you look so cute today!’”

Sure enough, we walk into the children’s room and one of the baby-sitters says, “Oh Jubilee, you look so cute today!” I was in shock. Honestly, I think it was verbatim!

Okay, I admit, I am very guilty of telling my daughter she looks very cute. And after she got her A-line bob haircut I kept telling her, “Everyone’s going to say, ‘Jubilee, you cut your hair! It looks so cute!’” But that was to prep her to respond with, “Thank you.” Now I fear she her response will be, “I know.”

Shoes

Published by Daphne on Oct 1, 2009 in Angelina, Humorous and Madeleine. 0 Comments

A woman’s love for wearing shoes starts at a young age…before 2. All my children love to do it. But they love wearing MY SHOES. Angel and Maddie fight over my various slippers in the house. “My shoes!” they cry vehemently.

“No, my shoes” I declare, realizing that I’m not correcting them, but adding myself to the fight.

Today, I was holding Angelina in the rocker. I could see Madeleine walk into my room and pick up my pair of red wedges. “Mommy’s shoes,” she happily points out. Then she brings them to me. By the look on her face, I can tell she wants to put them on my feet. Sure enough, Madeleine takes of my slippers, then gently puts on my wedges. She is proud of herself, as am I.

If I could hear Madeleine’s thoughts, I would have heard her say, “My diabolical plan worked!” Because then she immediately put on my slippers and walked away.