Cute Things My Kids Have Said: Part 8

I haven't updated this since FEBRUARY!!  So I thought it was about time.  More cute things from my cute kids!

(Eden is 6; Jasmine is 4; Acacia is almost 2)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feb. 27, 2011:  Jasmine: "Why isn't celery made out of flavor?"

March 6, 2011: From the mouth of Jasmine: "Our grandmas look like God and our grandpas look like Jesus."

March 30, 2011:  Eden (matter of factly): "Everyone says I'm a rockstar."
Me: "Who says that?"
Eden: "Kids. All the kids in town."

April 13, 2011:  I was watching 'The Biggest Loser' and many of the contestants had the opportunity to jump off of the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere and while watching, Eden got all excited and said. "I want to do that! I would love to do that!" and I said, "Not me, I'd be too scared." and she said, matter-of-factly, "That's because you're old."

April 14, 2011:  Went to Murdoch's to see the baby chicks with our homeschool group. A nice lady held ones that the kids could touch if they wanted. I spent the whole time wrangling Acacia & trying to help Eden not be so timid and didn't mind Jazzy much. So, we get in the van to drive home and Jasmine gasps and says, "Oh, no! I forgot to pet the baby chicks!" Then in a sad voice she said, "It's too late now, Mama."

May 2, 2011:  Eden explaining to Jasmine what public school is like, "There are other kids there and you have to stay there aaaall day. And they have desks and you're not suppose to take your shoes off."

May 3, 2011:  Jasmine: "Look, it's not 'wind' ing anymore."

May 7, 2011:  While watching 'The Wizard of Oz' Eden says, "The munchkins look like kids but they have mom & dad faces."

May 7, 2011:  Also while watching 'The Wizard of Oz'  I was amazed at how insightful she (Eden) was. At one point she turns to me and says, "The Scarecrow has no brain but he's the one that figures stuff out."

May 22, 2011:  Eden was playing outside and found a worm in the sandbox and was so excited. Now she ran inside all sad saying "Poor wormy." because when she tried picking it up it fell in two.

June 1, 2011:  Eden got in trouble for disobedience. I asked her why she didn't do what I asked and she said she was having too much fun and being crazy. I told her that she needs to always obey first and then she can play. She cried and said, "But the crazies were bothering me."

June 5, 2011:  Eden's nighttime reading material: Her kid's cookbook!

June 21, 2011:  We gave Acacia a taste of Henry Weinhard's Root Beer. Her reaction: "It's spicy."

July 2, 2011:  Eden has her first loose tooth and cannot stop talking about it. She has been walking around the house saying, "I can't believe I have a loose tooth." and "Loose tooth, loose tooth, loose tooth."

July 18, 2011:  Just googled 'how to get gum out of eyelashes'. The adventures of motherhood!

July 19, 2011:  I was sitting on the couch watching tv with Jasmine and out of the blue she turns to me and asks, "How did the appendicitis get into you?" A month & half later and she's still thinking about it.

Aug. 17, 2011: At supper Eden asked me how long until there is no night & day. Jasmine said, "Is it when we're dead?" Then after talking about it for a bit Jasmine turns to me and asks, "Is Meanma gonna turn into god and is Papa gonna be Jesus?"

Aug. 30, 2011:  Acacia (with the sweetest smile of expectation) says, "Look, Mommy! I colored!" She had created a blue masterpiece all over our white step stool.

Sept. 1, 2011:  I asked Jasmine if she likes Uncle Vaughn. She said. "Yeah, He's a great uncle. But he's a giant."

Sept. 7, 2011:  Jasmine recently informed us that her "woobie" has a "real" name. Woobie is his fake name and his real name is Aguash (or Ogwash) Campbell

Sept. 8, 2011:  I was talking to the kids about God and Jasmine asks, "So God never dies?" I said "No, God never ever dies!" Then Eden spoke up and said, "Except that one time when they nailed him to the cross, but he came back to life."

Sept. 15, 2011:  After realizing it was 39 degrees out, I tried unsuccessfully to get Jasmine to wear pants. She ended up wearing her skirt and Eden told her she was a freak. Jasmine says, "I'm not a freak! And besides what is a freak?" And the way she said it made it sound like a philosophical question, like "what is truth?" I giggled. And then Eden's answer was, "A freak is someone who is funny and wears summer clothes in the winter."

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to enjoy past 'Cute Things' posts than click HERE!

First Day of School (2011-2012)

After having to postpone starting school for a week due to curriculum shipping delays, we finally had our first day of school.  Eden is in 1st grade and I'm doing some Pre-K stuff with Jasmine.  We are focusing around an animal theme this year and I'm also going to teach US Geography.  I set up a little corner for them in their room with desks and boards to display their work.

My First Grader:

My Pre-Kindergartener:

My three girls:

We had french toast for breakfast.

Then we had some reading time.

We learned about observation and measured ourselves.

Then it was time for some busy work.

And lastly, we had our first geography lesson.  Where is Alabama?

Remembering...

What the bombing of Pearl Harbor was to my grandparents generation, September 11th, 2001 is to mine.  Every single person in America who was old enough to grasp the situation knows where they were when the Twin Towers were attacked.

Relatively speaking, 9/11 had a very small impact on my life.  As a small-town Midwestern girl with mostly local connections, I didn't know anyone in NY, or even on the east coast.  Unlike so many others, the attacks didn't claim anyone I knew.  But the emotional shock of such violence on our country touched me as much as anyone.

On September 11th, 2001, I was twenty-one years old and a junior at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska.  I was living just off campus in a little basement studio apartment.  I got up as usual at about 7 am to get ready for my 9:30 class.  I didn't have cable so I turned on my radio, just like I did every Tuesday morning. It took me a minute to catch what was going on.  One of the towers of the World Trade Center in NY was on fire...I don't think they even knew at that point what had happened.  I was stunned.  Within a couple of minutes after turning on my radio and trying to make head & tails out of what had happened...the radio voices reported that a plane was headed into the other building.  The shock was palpible.  It was surreal. 

I think my mom called soon after that to see if I knew what was going on.  I hung on the radio news until class time.  At 9:30 I went to class not sure what to expect.  This was clearly not going to be a normal day.   At class we spent a chunk of time discussing what we'd heard and seen.  I think it was at this time that I learned of the attack on the Pentagon.  The general feelings were that of stunned confusion.  Everyone just trying to process what was going on.  There were rumors that all flights in the entire country were being shut down.  It was all just so unbelievable.  This was far beyond the scope of anything we'd ever lived through.  We all knew we were living through one of the most life altering events in modern American history.  We didn't have any regular lectures that day.  And class was cut short and we were allowed to go home.  As I headed to work at the campus bookstore that afternoon I still hadn't seen any of the video footage of the towers.  We had tv's mounted in the store so I got small glimpses of the coverage while stocking shelves and processing packages for shipping but the volume was kept down and I was kept busy so I really didn't get to keep up on what all was going on. 

That evening a large group of students (including myself) met around the campus clock tower to mourn, pray & process that morning's events.  I don't know who set up the event and I don't know even exactly what happened during that time.  The thing I do remember is all of us holding hands in a large circle around the clock tower, united with tears running down our cheeks.  Its funny how the details have been lost with time...I don't remember if some prayed allowed, if we sang, or if we all just stood in silence but I remember very clearly how I was struck with how different we all were and how this tragedy had united us and brought the most unlikely people to speak of God.  How humble and vulnerable we all felt.  And how the Holy Spirit seemed closer than ever as we wept in united grief over the Evil that had become so apparent in the last 24 hours. 

I remember it was dark as I walked across campus after the meeting lost in my thoughts.  I didn't go straight home.  I stopped first for a few minutes at my boyfriend's house chatting about the significance of the day and the unity it seemed to create.

It wasn't until the next day, while making beds at the Super8, that I really got to watch the video footage of the smoking towers, of the second plane making contact, of the collapses, & debris all over the streets of New York.  Images are indeed worth a thousand words and all the talk of it did nothing to soften the blow of the images.  I hated it and yet I couldn't stop watching.  It just didn't seem real.  It was like something from a movie.  I couldn't imagine what it must be like for the people living in New York City.

As with any tragedy that is "far off" even as the news unfolded and the search for bodies wore on for weeks, and details of the suspected parties were revealed...the raw emotions wore off quickly and life in the middle of the country pretty much got back to normal.    But 9/11 changed how we saw the world and changed how we functioned as a country. 

Here we are 10 years later...forever changed.

And yet while banners are imploring us to "always remember",  in so many ways have already forgotten. 

We have forgotten the shock;
we have forgotten the vulnerablility;
we have forgotten the unity.

As a people we have forgotten 9/11 in the most important ways.

We all remember where were were, who we were with and what we did on September 11, 2001.  But we have forgotten the spirit of that day. 

Unity of love and humbleness before our God.

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. 

But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; 

rather, serve one another humbly in love." 

Galatians 5:13

Before & After: 9/1/11

Before (SOOC):

After (Edit):

Taken with Canon 5d Mark ii.  Edited in Paint Shop Pro 9.