See, we are alive!

Piper, cookin in her pink shades, just like mama.
Ella, posing with her "kissing hand" she made in Kindergarten.
Ella's apprentice, "I can pose with the curtains, too!"

Kindergarten countdown

(taken today at the park) I would have been happy with any of the Kindergarten teachers at Hunter and Ella's school, but we found out yesterday she's in Mrs. "mom couldn't have picked a better teacher"'s class! I was hoping for her for Ella. This teacher seems very fun and social - two of Ella's favorite things. Something about her I just like, and I am really happy!

My new favorite quote

"You are never actually doing nothing. Sitting and laying down are not nothing! They are something!!!"
-Ella, 5 years old

9:24 a.m.

Ella(5): "Mommy, you are not what you think you are."

Really?

"Yes, you are really made of molecules, but the molecules don't move, but they are like alive.
Mommy, how would you feel if Hunter spilled wet paint all over your bed?"

Uh, angry?

"Right, angry. But if your had a shrinkulator you would see that the paint was actually rainbow paint. You wouldn't be angry anymore because you would be exploring the molecule world."

I truly hope I never need this information.

A few of our favorite things...

For Valentines Day, I thought it would be fun to interview the loves of my life. So, this morning, over these donuts, we did just that.

Explain what you think "love" is.
Piper(22 months): "Mine!"
Ella(5): "Love is Jesus coming from our hearts."
Hunter(7): "Love is triple times 'like'."
Scott(40): "An enduring bond b/t two people." (who is this guy?)

What are some of your favorite treats?
P(we helped her a little): "orange juice, mommy's make up, chocolate"
E: "donuts, icecream, spending time praying with God"
H: "family parties, going to cousins house, Wisconsin, donuts, cake"
S: "lemon icebox pie, diet coke"

What is your favorite thing about our family?
P: "Mine!"
E: "That we love each other and we all have Jesus in our hearts."
H: "That we love each other."
S: "That my wife looks like a supermodel as she runs our family with grace and love." (Ok, so he wasn't present for this question, but I'm sure that's what he would have said)

What is your favorite, everyday thing, our family does together?
P: "Mine!"
E: "I like when we take walks together."
H: "I like sitting at the dinner table together."
S: "playing and laughing together"

Pretend you are Oprah and list your Favorite Things.
P: (Ella and I helped her a bit) "laughing, jumping, climbing, singing, copying, dogs, cats, playing under the covers, SHOES!, dresses, looking pretty"
E: "horses, dogs, ponies, hearts, friends, God, mommy, daddy, brother, sister, Mama Linda, Papa Roman, Mandy, Grandma, Papa, all my cousins, earth, that God loves every single one of us, loving, sharing, when Grandma Linda and Papa Roman send us stuff in the mail
H: "Heard Museum, Dinotopia books, Half Priced Books, God, singing, music, African drums, history, writing, sauropods, drawing sauropods, praying, science, my whole family"
S: "my family, reading to the kids, hugging wife, dinner with family, Alabama football, and God" (but not in that order he wanted to clarify, but in some way, Alabama football and God go together in his mind)

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Self Esteem builder for the day

Have I mentioned that Ella is 5 and is sooooo ready for Kindergarten? Unfortunately it's still over 6 months away, not that I'm counting. Meanwhile, I've discovered a great game for lazy parents...Hide and Seek. Ella loves it when we play, and I've learned to love it as I've discovered that if I find a good hiding place, I can be assurred of a few minutes of absolute quiet time.

This morning I put Piper down for a nap with visions of getting some things done. I had barely walked downstairs when Ella said, "Are you ready to play Hide and Seek???!!!!"

She helped me unload the dishwasher first, and then we prepared to play. As she was going over the rules, she says, "I'll count first while you hide. It's going to be SOOO easy to find you, because YOU ARE SOOOOO BIG!!!".

Thank you, Ella. Thankyouverymuch.

"Ready or not, here I come!" You'll probably hear my big heavy feet headed your way, b/c in case you haven't heard, I am SOOOO BIG! I'm not bitter or anything. I'm sure she just meant tall, yes, that must've been what she meant.

They're both in red, but one's a Democrat and one's a Republican...

(disclaimer: We here at Room for Grace do not endorse any particular political candidate or party. We realize the power we have to sway the election, and unlike Oprah, have decided to stay uninformed and quiet about our preferences.)

So the other day, Hunter overheard Hillary on Good Morning America, and wanted to know what she was talking about. I'm just glad he asked me and not his Papa. Papa would've been glad to inform him of course, but let's just say his response may not have been completely "fair and balanced".
So, as best I could, I explained the difference b/t Democrats and Republicans. You know, big government vs. limited government, the government solving people's problems vs. the people solving their problems, etc.. I really tried to not interject my own thoughts and opinions, and told him there were good people on both sides, and explained the criticisms that both sides receive.
At the end of my explanation, Hunter declared he was a Republican.

The next morning...

I was pouring myself a cup of coffee when I heard Ella(5) announce: "These are THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE!!!"

Why?

"I can get my breakfast ALL BY MYSELF! I can get the cereal, the bowl and the milk ALL BY MYSELF, with NO HELP!!!"

Less than 60 seconds later, from a horizontal position on the couch, Hunter(7) yells:
"Is anyone going to get me any breakfast???"

Oh, Hunter, I do think you may need to rethink your political affiliation. But then again, this is probably more of a gender issue, now that I think about it.

P. S. I just realized after rereading this post that I have single handedly offended half of the human race and half of the American public. We here at Room for Grace would like to state for the record that we love all people, regardless of their gender, politics, or willingness to get their own Cheerios.

A girl's best accessory is her smile.

And two hats.

And a scarf.

Especially when it's 70 degrees outside.

Ella has an idea! Clear the room!

Because this really serves as our family scrapbook of sorts, I feel I must record this little gem, courtesy of Ella.

I was getting Ella set up to play a game on the computer, asking her which game she wanted to play during her computer time.

Anyone who knows Ella, knows that she doesn't do anything quickly.

So I sat there, and waited, and waited, and waited, as she weighed her options.

After a brief moment of silence, in all of her delicate-flower daintiness, how do I say this, she tooted, and rather loudly.

With out missing a beat, she smiled and said "That means I have an idea!!!!"

So, of course, this is now the family joke that we just can't get enough of. Many conversations of who in the family has the best, biggest "ideas". I think Piper is winning right now for the most "ideas".