Cousin Wyatt

The kids had a great time playing with cousin Wyatt - mostly running around the house and climbing and digging in the dirt. Here are a few moments of stillness while they watched Thomas the Train (let me just point out their moments of inactivity were few and far between) They especially enjoyed celebrating his 2 year old birthday - hope your year is great Wyatt!





Wyatt pulling Lucy around and around the house in the little wagon - he loves wheels.

Great Granny!

We got to celebrate Great-Granny's birthday while at the farm. We enjoyed going to church with her and then having her out for lunch. We love you Granny!

Cute Cousins

These are my favorite shots of play time...

The sand pile

One of the best things about the farm was the big sand pile leftover from Papa's new barn building. The kiddos had a great time playing and I enjoyed making sand houses and sitting in the lawn chair watching them play. Reminds me of the many times Casey and I played in the dirt with our hotwheels...funtimes, funtimes.

February Fun on the Farm

We had a wonderful time on the farm and got to spend lots of time out in the sunshine and cool breezes - perfect weather for enjoying the farm (short sleeves, no sweat and no gnats yet). When I asked the children what their favorite part of the week was here were their answers...

1. Playing with cousin Wyatt
2. Climbing the tree
3. Playing in the sand pile
4. Eating Wyatt's birthday cupcakes and playing with his new car garage
5. Flashlight tag and looking at the stars

I'll let you know more about what we did but here are some pictures of my little monkeys.

Fun on the Farm

We've been at the farm this week enjoying Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles and lots of dirt! This will be our last visit until Butterfly Kitty joins us...here is sweet Papa and Grandma...we love you and will miss you!!!

Invention Idea #72

Dear Mr. Clean -

I really do love those magic eraser things you created. They do work magic on my walls. I was thinking...could you come up with a fumigator type thing with the same concept of cleaning power. You know, I could just set it off in the middle of the room and it would automatically get all the spaghetti off the walls, all the finger prints off the windows, all the smudge marks off the baseboards, all the stains out of the grout on the tile floor all of that unknown substance off the unimaginable places of my house.

I'm just thinking this would be a great idea. I could leave the house for a few hours and play at the park and come home to a deep cleaned house? Come on...I bet I could talk a few friends into buying some...it would really be worth your while. I could hold house parties like they do for tuperware or Southern Living to do come marketing. And if you create a vacuum of some sort I can set in the middle of the room and turn on and all the dust would magically be attracted to it and go away that would be an added bonus...just saying.

But if not, I'll keep scrubbing with those erasers you made and be thankful but if the fumigator thing ever comes to fruition can I have some coupons!

Kelly

Secret Mission: LOVE

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

For the last several weeks we've been talking about LOVE at the Noonan house. We started reading the 'love' chapter in the Bible and talking about it during supper. We've had some interesting conversations and the children are most of the way through memorizing 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Lucy, of course, likes talking about love and kisses and 'marrying' and babies and beautiful things but Samuel wasn't so excited about the whole thing but he is into soldiers and secret missions.

To engage them in thinking about what LOVE really means outside of our conversations I gave them secret missions to do during the day and report back at dinner the next day - or when I remembered. Each time we talked about a different adjective of love - like "patient" or "kind" - I would tell them to try and love someone the next day by choosing to be patient or kind or whatever we were talking about. They reported back the next night with a story about what they did. Samuel liked thinking about it as a secret mission and told me he loved his teacher by being kind and erasing the board for her. Lucy likes secrets and she reported back the she shared her cheese with brother at lunch as something kind she did to love him.

There were several days when we could use situations as examples of how NOT to love someone. This gave us a chance to talk about what would be better response to your brother when he gets the stool first to brush his teeth at the bathroom sink than just screaming and yelling. How to love him by being patient.

AND how brother can love sister by letting her go first even if he made it there first by not being rude.

AND how mommy can love her kiddos better by choosing to not get easily angered.

It's been a fun way to talk about and PRACTICE love in our home. It makes an easy reference in the day when I hear the kids being impatient to be able to say "are you loving your brother by being patient?" "was that a kind or rude way to talk to mommy?" or "are you being loving by boasting?" BUT be prepared to be reminded that we are all learning together "Mommy, that was not very patient!" may pop out of someone's mouth - and I'm glad for the reminders that we are all being transformed into a more loving family together. For Jeremy and I it helps us talk to the kids about what is going on in a repetitive way and they are learning and we are remembering what is important "and the greatest of these is LOVE."

Ultimately, we won't and don't love perfectly (or even come close) - by thinking about what love is I have seen how often I fall short and choose not to love. BUT in my inability to love - I'm reminded of the beauty of the gospel that it isn't about our perfection but God's love for us that not only covers our inability but is perfected in our weakness and sin. We need God's grace to help us love others. We need God's grace to love HIM. We need God's grace to help us forgive. We need His grace to help us see clearly the truth and not respond in anger or keep a record of wrongs. We need HIS son, Jesus, to cover our sin and make us loveable. We can't love on our own - we need God to change us and LOVE through us. Thank you, Lord, for your LOVE for us!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day remembering what LOVE is all about!

Snow Day

We had another day of snow this past week - beautiful wet snow that covered the trees and made playing fun. Samuel missed out on most of the fun because it melted before he got home but Daddy and Lucy enjoyed the snow with snow ball games, snow angels and a snow man.

Quotes

Thursday I was playing outside with the kiddos. I told Samuel I was not up for a game of soccer or anything that required running (we played basketball the day before) so he suggested sword fighting. After a sword fighting bout and some jousting - princess Lucy stepped of the 'falcony' where she, dressed in royal wear, was observing the competition and waved her hand around, cried "STOP!" and said

Lucy: "Knights...you must forgive one another!"

I wonder how many times she's heard me say that when she and brother were fighting?

I love their little hearts that soak up stories and the little things you say.

Thought on Today

Today Samuel wanted to build a rocket ship. Not just one out of cardboard boxes - a real one. Hmmm.... Not sure how to make that happen. Do any of you have a 5 year old who wants to help Samuel? Or a rocket scientist with some free time...

I told Lucy today how sweet and cute she was. Her response, "Butterfly Kitty is gonna be even cuter!"

Lucy picked out two books at the library - both about being a big sister. One was Angelina Ballerina and her baby sister. She's so excited about being a big sister and she is going to make a great one!

I'm beginning to wonder how many toilet paper roll figures we can make - Samuel spent 7-8 minutes at dinner telling me about a story he wants to make figures for. It was a story about a British village that was attacked by rock monsters that lived deep in the tunnels of a mountain. The Rock monsters could blend in with the rocks on the mountain and were attacking the people but they were learning to live next to the British village and then some giant red octopuses from outer space came and they all fought. The octopuses had a whole army but they couldn't defeat the rock monsters because they didn't have the right guns and defenses. The British soldier had a bandage on his head because they didn't have bandaids at the time in history this story takes place. OK...I could go on, but you get the picture.

I think boys really do come out loving cars, guns, soldiers, competition/sports, running and being loud. Girls really do like sweet things - even the way they play with bugs is sweet. Just my thoughts.

I was impatient with my kiddos tonight after their bath. I hate it when I'm tired and they're goofing around and I loose it. It reminds me I'm sinful too and have to work on loving them in a patient way. As I asked for their forgiveness and tucked them into bed I reminded them of the highlights of our day and how I love them and how special they are. Usually on days like that I especially love to go in and watch them sleep, pray for their sweet hearts and enjoy them...while they're quiet and asleep...and pray that God would make me a better Mama for them. Lord give me patience to love them well, wisdom to know when and how to discipline them and forbearance to live with and embrace their childish/child-likeness that often irritates me but is not wrong.

A Grandma and Papa's Love

Grandma and Papa sent the kids a Valentine's treat in the mail. The kids each got a singing card. We've listened to "You know you make me want to SHOUT!!!" and "Wild Thing" about 72 times in the last 24 hours. Lucy's favorite use for the card - freeze dance! They LOVE these cards. Thanks Grandma and Papa - we'll bring them with us when we visit in a few weeks so that you can hear it too!!!

And so that Butterfly Kitty wouldn't be left out Grandma and Papa sent her something too. I will gladly be the conduit for their LOVE to their granddaughter and eat some of these for her.

Yummy!!

One of the uses for our fireplace this year - SMORES!!!!

Characters

We received a package several weeks ago with some fun costumes inside. Aunt Ann made all of these for her girls, who have long outgrown these, and thought my kiddos would like to have them. She was right. They have enjoyed them and I have admired her sewing ability - I wish I could sew more than a straight line...maybe one day. Thanks Aunt Ann and Samantha and Madison for sharing.

Samuel wanted to get in on the dress up action. He dressed up as a Hersey's kiss and Raggedy Anne chased him around for 20 minutes yelling "CHOCOLATE!!!!! Yummy"
The bandana was a perfect companion to Samuel's pop gun
Lucy's been floating around here the past few weeks in this....Awwwwww!

A little fun

OK, just wanted to share one of the ways we are enjoying our time together at home. We have a few friends who have a video Wii game that teaches dances called Kid Dance or something like that. Well, we don't have the game but we do have Youtube. I looked up some of the songs on video that the kids like. Their favorite right now is "Everybody is a Kung Fu Fighting" and others we listen to are "Life is a Highway" and "Who let the Dogs out". The kids dance around like crazy 80's aerobic dancers and enjoy the music. Warning...I'm beginning to sing "Everybody was a Kung Fu fighting" in my sleep. And one more detail - they (both S and L) like to take their shirts off so that they are really Kung fu fighting and even pull out the pirate swords sometimes.

Quotes

After a percussion concert at local church Lucy and Samuel came home excitedly and told me all about their adventure with Daddy.
Lucy: "Mama, we even got to sit up top in the FALCON-Y at the concert" (you know, like the Atlanta Falcons - easily confused with the church balcony)

Tonight during supper
Samuel: "I think cabbage is just the right vegetable for me!"
Mama: "How so?"
Samuel: "I just guess its my favorite vegetable"

100 Days of School

Monday was the 100th day Samuel was in school and his class had a celebration. He had to make a hat with 100 things on it and bring in 100 of something to count. He brought 100 of his army men and made a crafty hat. He had some creative ideas for his cowboy hat and I helped with the knot tying while he raided the craft supplies.


He also made a book at school of several pictures and words...this is my favorite page...I sure hope he's ok with 2 sisters! He told me tonight he thought it would be neat to have 100 ostriches in the backyard and he could learn to ride on them and go hunting with his gun since they can run fast.
Their inventive spelling is a hoot at times. Jeremy thinks he must be learning Spanish - "no cuatro?" but he was corrected when Samuel said "I couldn't count to 100".

I love this kid!

I love this kid! Samuel is growing into his own little person and I love to see what is going on in his brain and enjoy playing and interacting with him. I often find myself wanting to just grab him and hug him and tell him how much I love him and enjoy him. He is often tenderhearted and compassionate at times I least expect and he is so creative and expressive. I love to play outside with him and see him run with joy around our yard, so full of energy and life. He loves a good story and asked at the library this week where the history books were (he got one about the history of the Marines and other soldiers). He can be quick to anger (maybe he gets that from his Mama), is still all boy and has always been a loud child but it is so interesting to sit and have a conversation with him and get into his world. Thank you, Lord for this sweet boy!

For Christmas, Grandma got the children a book about fingerprints. It shows how you can turn fingerprints into people and animals. The children have enjoyed playing with it. One day Samuel got the book out all by himself and started drawing some guys to make a story he had in his mind. He made four guys and gave each names and characteristics. One of the guys was the "Boss" and he could ride his skates on sound waves to escape the enemy. As long as he was on sound waves no one could catch him. He kept some headphones with him to always have music and could even use the sounds of the enemies to skate on. I was surprised at his creativity. He made up several other guys with super powers and abilities and then cut the guys out and played with them the rest of the afternoon.

As you have seen before, he also likes making things out of whatever is around the house - like this rebel space ship with escape pods and dungeons and time travel tunnels.


He makes trap doors, dungeons and blasters to go with all of the soldiers and their adventures. I even heard him say
"Soldiers, prepare to go back in time to 1983."
"1983? why 1983? Captain"
"Because I'm the boss!"
I'm grateful for his imagination. I will warn you that if you encourage this type of playing at your house - be prepared to have your rooms full of boxes and to look like the recycling bin has escaped. I haven't ventured to let him paint these yet but one day I imagine a little more elaborate creations.