Love Brightly

So yep, we ripped off the Pottery Barn Kids idea, and made our own Thanksgiving tree. I had intended to write "Attitude of Gratitude" on the trunk and a scripture about giving thanks, but my current reality is that I plan a lot more things than I actually have time to execute, so once the girls hung the tree up, we called it a victory. We incorporated this activity into our daily "Circle Time" for home school. I categorized each day to help the kids pinpoint different things, otherwise it would be "Mommy, Daddy and my stuffed Kitty" every day. Not sure how much Bubba comprehended the activity, as you'll get a chuckle from some of his answers. Taste Big Sister = candy Little sister = apples Bubba = acorns Sound Big sister = a friend's voice Little sister = "Shhhh" because she likes to go to sleep Bubba = cars Smell Big Sister = brownies Little Sister = bananas Bubba = bananas Sight Big Sister = Bubba's face when he...

Today my baby boy turns 2! After two girls, these last two years with a boy have been different to say the least. I find myself chuckling at how different God made boys and girls, and today, while celebrating my sweet boy, I want to celebrate the many new surprises that life with a boy has brought. Until I Had a Boy, I Never Said: --Don’t put dirt on your sisters. --Get out of the fireplace. --Get out of the dishwasher. --Don’t pound on your sister’s head with a car. --Did you dump dirt on your head? --Don’t put your fork in your eye. --Once a toy has been in poop, you don’t get it back. Until I Had a Boy, I Never Heard: --I wanna ball. --I wanna football. --I wanna dunk. --I wanna climb. --Mommy, I’m tough! --Mommy, go long! --{after falling and scraping his knee} Me: Aww, do you want sugar (kisses)? Bubba: “Nooo” Me: Do you want lovin’(hugs)? Bubba: “Noooo” Me: What do you want then? Bubba: “I wanna go back outside!” -- {With the same affectionate tone as his siste...