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6.16.2010

On Theology

Sitting in the car one Sunday evening, waiting for Daddy to come out of the grocery store:

Chloe: Mommy, I know how you can go to Heaven.
Me: You do? How?
Chloe: Just believe in God.
Me: Well, actually, Sweetie, it's not enough to just believe in God. You have to believe in Jesus. Lots of people believe in God, but they don't believe in God's Son, Jesus.
Chloe: Oh... (thinks)... Hey! I think I know why they don't believe! I think they don't believe because it's very confusing.
(Eli: It's not confusing to me!)
Chloe: It's confusing because Jesus and God are the same person. And, also, if Jesus is God, and God is eternal, how can Jesus be borned? How can He be borned a baby if He was already eternal? Sometimes it's hard for me to believe, too, because it's very hard to understand.
(Eli: It's not hard to me! I believe it!)
Me: Well, Sweets, that's why it's called faith. We believe because the Bible is true and it tells us these things. We believe what we can't understand and can't see. That's faith.
Chloe: Yeah. I believe it. I just don't understand it.


I love how deeply Chloe ponders the Scriptures, and how she so freely admits what she knows and doesn't know, what she understands and doesn't understand. And good ol' Eli. Always the contrary voice trying to one-up his big sister.

On Marriage

Chloe and Eli are building a house with blocks in Eli's room when Daddy comes in to chat.

Daddy: Hey guys! What are you building?
Eli: We're building a house! He wants that much gold on it (points at yellow blocks), but she won't let him.
Chloe: She's the wife. She doesn't like it.
Daddy: Oh...
Chloe: She wants it all taken off, but the workers have all gone for the day.

6.09.2010

A Saturday on the Eno







For years Patrick and I have been curious about the Eno River. We've read about it, researched it, contemplated it, yet we never bothered to make the 30 minute trek into Orange County to see it for ourselves. This past weekend, we finally packed up a picnic, some extra clothes, and the kids, and headed over to the Eno. It did not disappoint. The weather was extremely hot and humid, but the river provided just enough relief. The trails were beautiful, the suspension bridge terrifying, and the river rocky and cool. The kids loved all of it, especially playing in the river, so we will definitely be heading that way again soon.

AWANA Awards

Chloe and Ella both completed their first year of Sparks. They got more commendations than any other Sparks having both completed and reviewed their first book, as well as completed an extra credit book. Chloe absolutely loves AWANA, especially game night, and is constantly bemoaning the three month break until starts up again.

Soccer Saturday, Take II


Congratulations to Chloe for finishing another season of developmental soccer! The coach was so proud of Chloe's willingness to hustle after the ball, and to get up and try again when she fell down.

Success!

I wrote a little less than a year ago that I would be attempting a new venture in my house, Covil Preschool. At the beginning I stated that my goals would be to teach Chloe to read, and to teach Eli his phonics. While I wasn't at all faithful in posting our weekly preschool reports, I was faithful to keep preschool going throughout most of the year. I am so excited, and a little bit shocked, to report that my little project was a rousing success. Chloe can not only read, but she does it quite well. Eli is at the beginning stages of sounding out words, and is very eager to be reading like his sister. I am now working on Chloe's attrocious handwriting, and doing some beginning reading and writing activities with Eli. The kids loved Covil Preschool and still beg for it every Tuesday and Thursday. There is a slim chance that my lazy streak will pass and I will start doing actual lesson plans and crafts with them again, but chances are, as I said, quite slim.

Daddy Date Night

Chloe and Patrick had a wonderful time on their first official date. A local Chick-Fil-A was having a Daddy/Daughter night, so they took advantage of it. They had white tablecloths and flowers on all of the tables, carnations for all of the girls, goody bags with chocolate and Build-a-Bear coupons among other things. Everyone got to pick the dessert of their liking off of the menu for free, and the daughter's meal was free. Afterwards they went to Build-a-Bear and made Chloe and new friend using $15 in coupons. The whole night ended up being just over $10. Talk about a cheap date!

Chloe spent the whole afternoon getting ready. I dried her hair, painted her nails, lotioned her up, and then she chose her favorite outfit, sparkly shoes, and her locket from Aunt Hilary which always makes her feel special. She was so excited, and even a little nervous. While we were waiting for Patrick to get home from work, Chloe said, "I can't wait to see Daddy! I bet he's going to be so handsome!" As soon as Patrick pulled up, long before I even heard him arrive, Chloe darted out the door, and starting running to his car. Realizing about halfway there that ladies don't run, she abruptly stopped, smoothed her hair, and walked the rest of the way to her Daddy. He was waiting with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. He loaded her into his car, and away they went.



Strawberry Season









Strawberry picking time has come and gone once again. I was able to take the kids to our favorite spot, Buckwheat Farms over in Apex on two separate occasions. We also stopped at local fruit stands a couple of times and paid 4x the price to enjoy berries and save a little time. The strawberries were absolutely delicious and the kids loved picking and eating them. They also enjoy visiting with the farm animals. The peacocks were putting on a particularly, um, interesting show the day we went with friends.

Most Beautiful Flower Girl Ever


3.17.2010

Chloe, the Patriot

Translation: What can we do in America? We can live happily ever after.


Sunday Art

This is a scan of one of Chloe's Sunday School projects. Kudos to anyone who can list what pics 1-4 are. Hint: They are all from the life of one Bible hero!

Catching Up.. We Could Be Here Awhile!

There is so much to say, yet I remember so very little. Blogging, in reality, takes very little time as far as posting text is concerned, yet the mental fortitude required can be remarkable. Most days, I sit down after the kids are put in bed for their midday rest with intentions of catching up on the blogs, both to keep you informed, and to have nice journal entries for myself, only to find myself an hour later, eyes glazed and staring at a screen of some sort, brain shut down, and children getting up. Life makes me tired. Besides jotting down stories, there's the not so tiny matter of trying to keep the look fresh and current, the sidebar widgets functioning, and spending hours getting pictures to upload correctly. Just the thought often makes me reach for a remote instead, or on a really good day, a book. But today is different. Today I will refresh the looks of both blogs and I will type. It may not be anything snappy, but it will be something which is more than there's been in the past two months. So without further excuse, I will delve into the subject at hand, the Worm herself.

First some great news- Chloe was recently accepted into Cary Christian School, a classical Christian school with a mile long list of accolades and a beautiful campus mere minutes from our house. We are so excited for her to start school in just four short months, and talk about it often. Before being accepted, Chloe had to have an interview alone with the principal. I was so incredibly proud of her bravery and maturity. Although she began to get teary in the car, as we readied ourselves to go in, she quickly explained, "my eyes just keep watering. I don't want them to, they just do it all by themselves. I don't understand!" Then she wiped away the tears, stood tall, and walked right in. The ten or so minutes we had to wait for her name to be called were somewhat nerve-racking, and she complained of her "tummy dancing a lot" but in the end she did absolutely fantastic. The following week was mine and Patrick's interview with the principal. We were so impressed with her demeanor and her clear love for the Lord. We started in prayer, shared our testimonies with her, and spent a long time just chatting about both our spiritual and educational convictions and desires. She told us that Chloe completely "nailed" her interview, and that she was very bright, which we were so happy to hear. We are so incredibly thankful to the Lord for giving us the opportunity to enroll Chloe in a school that we thought was completely out of our reach. He led us there, opened the door, and paid out way in. We completely and utterly don't deserve His grace and provision, but are so thankful for it!

Chloe is becoming more and more independent and has even made a new best friend of a sweet little girl at church. She gets to spend a couple of afternoons a week with her, and occasionally goes over to her house for supper. They are incredibly sweet together, both having quiet, easy-going personalities, and brains full of imagination. On Sunday mornings, the two of them look like they just stepped off of the pages of an American Girl doll catalog, two little, adorable dolls created to play together. The run to greet one another, yelling each other's names, and hopping around from the joy of nothing more than being together. They run and climb outdoors, play quietly inside, and spend hours discovering "mysteries" and writing them down in their journal. As far as I can tell, most anything can be a mystery, which I don't quite get, but it keeps them busy and happy.

Chloe is a little author, and has filled several notebooks to the brim with her illustrations and stories. Most of them contain a cast of characters including Mommy, Daddy, Chloe, Eli, the King, and the Queen and their adventures with things like kidnappers and tornadoes. Her drawings are crude at best, and she doesn't spend much time perfecting her coloring or her handwriting. Her stories on the other hand, are full of great vocabulary words, interesting plots, and great amounts of emotion. It's fun to just watch and see her interests and talents take shape.

Chloe loves dancing. A lot. We may actually break down and let her go to ballet or classical dance camp for a week this summer. We have fought it for so long, and her love just won't go away.

Chloe's favorite toys still include My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake. She is also into superheroes with Eli, her favorite being the Super Mario Brothers (which Eli argues are NOT superheroes) and Buzz Lightyear and Superman. She loves to read and to listen to me read. We have finished reading all three of the My Father's Dragon books, as well as the ever weird James and the Giant Peach, and almost completed Mr. Popper's Penguins. I think we may tackle an American Girl book next, or perhaps a Beverly Cleary. I've been completely impressed with both children's ability to comprehend the plots of the books we read, and answer questions about the text. They also remember scenes from the stories, and recall them when scenes from own lives mimic those of the beloved characters. She loves, loves, LOVE being an AWANA Sparky, and is great at memorizing scripture. Her favorite thing in the world is game time. (Who would have guessed?) She loves movies, her current favorite being Wall-E. And she wants me to share with you that her favorite colors are blue, pink, orange, yellow, and green, and her favorite shapes are stars and hearts.

She says funny and profound things constantly. You would really enjoy her quotes. If only I could remember them.....

1.05.2010

It's the Holiday Season

Another Christmas has come and gone. This was perhaps the first time that I truly felt we embraced and enjoyed every moment and every aspect of the holiday season. Our month was filled with:


Faith

Fun

Family

and Friends.
Chloe loved every minute of the holiday, and cried sweet tears when it was all said and done. She loved giving gifts as much as receiving, was diligent in reminding us of our Advent readings, constantly remembers to be thankful and asks for help on her thank you notes, and is already talking about being a shepherd again next year. The return to normalcy, however, has been quite nice. Normal times are, after all, what makes the holidays fun and special in the first place.
The kids mostly received the "classics" for Christmas this year, including a Light Brite, Legos, Etch-a-Sketch, games like Checkers and Go Fish, and new playground balls. Chloe also recieved a couple of modern pleasures including a My Little Pony Teapot Palace which has proven to be her favorite new gift. That or the handheld vSmile game that she is addicted to. Her face seems to be planted on a screen more often than I'm happy with. She loves, and is quite thankful for everything she has, especially for "Jesus dying on the cross for everything I need," and for that I am ever joyful.