Answered Prayers

All week, Em has been insatiable in her appetite for Bible stories.   When I find her curled up with a book, most times its one of our bible story books.  On Thursday, she asked me to read the Nativity story and we finished half of the new testament before we quit reading.  Today, she asked me to read again and opened right where we left off, to hear the continuation.  So cool to watch this unfold in her!

Tonight, after bedtime prayers, Roo was asking more tough spiritual questions.  I asked her, as I usually do, if she would like to invite Jesus to be in her heart.  And this time she said yes!  Then, she spent another half hour working up the courage.  I asked her if she wanted some help with the words and she said yes.  After I articulated a simple invitation, Em repeated it verbatim, eyes shining!  She is SO excited about her newfound power!  Then, Roo, finally, said she'd like to ask Jesus in, but wanted to do it quietly, in her head.  I felt like I should stress the importance of doing this out loud, but offered her my ear, if she wanted to whisper it.  Roo jumped at this and quickly leaned over and used her own words, not mine, to pray.  And, being Roo, she came right back with a post script prayer.  It was a little joke for Jesus.

I think it counts

The girls have been full of faith-related questions lately. Each question is more challenging. The theology is deep and simplifying it for a 5yo without dumbing down the core content is excruciating. Within it all, my heart has been burdened to pray with more frequency and more fervency for a declaration and a dedication of my girls' hearts.

Tonight, Em smashed her finger in the closet door. There was no blood, no apparent damage, other than some torn skin. It was epic. The Snow White bandaid stemmed the tears only temporarily. It was bedtime. Tired emotions whipped the tornados of drama into a frenzy. J and I calmly prayed over the girls and the injured finger, answered some questions and said good night. As the door closed, the tears began afresh. I stood and listened, prepared to go in and lay in calm once again.

Instead I heard Roo worry over Em's hurt and tell her not to worry... that Mama was praying for angels to watch over them. Then, I heard Em call out "Jesus! I need you!" She did this twice.

I think this counts. It's not the perfect prayer of surrender, of salvation. Instead, it's what we're all brought to... the moment that we realize there is nothing within our power to change our current circumstances. And the circumstances are intolerable. We cry out for help, it's the 911 to heaven. Help, Papa!

I'm so incredibly grateful to have been there, on the other side of that door.

It counts.

Loudly Spoken

Most everything is loudly spoken these days. Which can be funny, annoying or down right mortifying. For example...

At the conclusion of the Christmas eve service prayer, when all the people said "amen", Roo shouted "Manamana!" Thanks, Muppet Movie.

At the grocery store, Em shrieked "Hey! She checked me out!" towards the pretty cashier. Apparently, Em was in the line of fire when the checker scanned my coupon card on my key chain and her eyes got flashed with red scanner light.

From the backseat, Em hollers "Sneak the red light, Mama!", urging me to turn right on red.

Em also announced to the entire cafe that she was going to "erase" her crumbs and then licked all the parts of her mouth that her tongue could reach.

This morning, while climbing in the car, Roo pretended to talk on the phone. Her entire conversation was about how annoying I was being. "I'll call you back. My Mom is bugging me again.", she said.

Then, don't forget the million times they announce that they have to go to the bathroom, have burped, or need help wiping their booties. Loudly. All very loudly.

I may start wearing a disguise when we go out in public.

Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas!

Lists and Learning

This is the first year the girls made lists for Christmas. It's hard for them to understand that the list is a wish, not an order. Not everything will be fulfilled.

Then, there's the torment of the packages.

The joy of giving is still in its foundling stages, not in full bloom, yet.

It's the hardest Christmas so far. And, perhaps, one of the most important.

The Day itself will be celebratory, but the lessons learned before and after will stick hard, I believe.

it's the middle of the night

Dear Roo,

It's 1am. You started sleep talking about half an hour ago. But now, I think you're wide awake. You probably woke yourself up with all the chatter. You do this a lot, you know? Em is a champ who sleeps through it all. I probably would, too, if I'd already been asleep. But, I can't sleep and now, I can't try to sleep. Because you're awake. What's the deal, Neil? Not enough hours of day to say everything you need to say? I'm not upset, though. A few years ago, I worried that you'd never speak.

I'm not worried anymore.

Love,

Mama

P.S. You're narrating stories right now. With loads of details and plot points. Maybe you dreamed a story that you just had to wake up to tell. Until your handwriting catches up with your brain, we might need to snag some dictation software. You have stories to tell, my sweet. Beautiful stories.

the one where I could have pulled out the embryo photos

True Story

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Me: So, if Miss J gets a dog, what kind of dog should she get? A loud one or a quiet one?

Roo: One that will not sniff me or lick me.

Roo: Really, she should just get a fish.

Roo: I think we should take Maggie and Mo back to Petsmart and get a fish instead.

Me: Maggie and Mo didn't come from Petsmart. Mo was rescued. She didn't have a place or a home at all.

Roo: Where did Maggie come from?

Me: She had a good home and family and a mom named Meg and a dad named Beck. They had a lot of puppies, so Maggie had a lot of brothers and sisters. When they were big enough, they were ready for families of their own. So, Daddy and I picked out Maggie and made her part of our family.

Roo: Did you and Daddy pick me and Em out?

{crickets}

Roo: Well?

Me: Um… God picked you out. {tiny voice} and so did Dr. H.

R: Whatever

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