I love her tender heart

While driving through town Isabelle saw a man on the sidewalk with a sign that read, "Hungry, please help." We were headed to Awana at church, I'm the commander, I can't be late, I pretended not to see him. 

As we turn the corner her trembling voice reaches my ears. 

"Mom, I just want to cry."

"Why honey?"

"Because that man is hungry. Can't we go get him something to eat?"

She pauses, "but what if he's just tricking people?"

Again she pauses, "but he might really be hungry! Mom, please?"

So, we turned around and went through the drive through. We got him a triple cheeseburger and a large French fries. He was positioned so that we had to turn right in order to give him the food, she rolled down her window and told him "God loves you", we turned Right, drove down the road, made a U-turn, and as we drove by saw him scarfing down those French fries.

What a humbling and proud moment to witness as a parent!

Emoticon Language

While sitting in the living room I received this text from Isabelle.

Isabelle's Kitchen

My goal for this year has been to allow/force Isabelle to have more cooking and kitchen responsibilities. Today she is helping me prepare for Ellie's birthday party. We will be having a taco bar, so she is dicing onions. 

She's a natural in the kitchen! 

Here she is posing, silly kiddo! 

Catholic?!

I've been more strict about "shoes off in the house" lately. I just reminded Isabelle to go put her shoes in her shoe box. As she walked away she asked "when did you turn Catholic?"

 Shocked I asked "what?!" 

"Well, Auntie Kari is Catholic and they take their shoes off in the house so you must be Catholic now"

Oh this kid!

Bedtime Adventures

Tonight Isaac was sent to bed early because I caught him being mean to Elijah on three separate occasions. When I went in to pray with him, he said to me, "I sorry to Elijah". 

I asked "why?"

"Cuz I be mean, and I didn't mean to."

I told him that I had seen him purposely hurt his brother and that it's his job to be the protector, and he agreed. 

I explained, "Do you know what a protector does? A protector keeps others safe, so it's your job to help keep your sisters and your baby brother safe."

He quietly let that sink in and then turned to me and said solemnly "and when the dragon attacks the house, then I will protect them."

Then it was time for Elizabeth to go to bed. I told her to go to her bed and she detoured to the dresser and opened the drawer and said, "'nother cookie".

I looked into the dresser drawer and there was a package of Oreos sitting inside! 

Through my investigative work I discovered that Isabelle felt that those were "her" cookies and in an effort to make them last longer she had hidden them! 

A memory

Brothers

When we moved Isaac into a Toddler Bed earlier Isabelle predicted "Isaac is going to climb in with Elijah". I didn't think anything of it.

Until tonight.

Some odd noises began escaping from the boys' room and when we went to investigate Isaac had relocated all of his bed things to Elijah's crib. 

After my daughter decided that she should "wash" her hair this morning, I stuck her in the shower to rinse off. I walked out to the kitchen and when I came back I heard her own rendition of "My Darling Clemintine". I'm not surprised that she chose that tune. Very often I sing "oh my darling, Isabelle". Also, she's heard her daddy and uncle sing it a few times.

I also discovered, that like her Auntie, she wants to stay in the shower until all the hot water is gone. She wants the water as hot as it gets, for as long as possible.