True Love's Kiss....

The kids and I went to see the movie "Enchanted" tonight and I highly recommend it. Very cute movie with quite enough action for little boys too. On the way home, Maryn told me that Dylan (not her brother she kept reassuring me) was her True Love's Kiss. Dylan is one of her friends at school that she has already mentioned on occasion that she will marry. I asked her why she thought Dylan was her True Love's Kiss and she said because he had a nice toy room and a pretty house. Fair enough. She said she is going to tell him when she gets to school. Dylan chimes in that he really does not want to talk about this right now.

He then changes his mind and decides he wants to marry mommy!

Maryn was flabbergasted by this and said, "You can't marry mommy... her True Love's Kiss is daddy! Rex Leamon White the 3rd!"

She goes on to tell me that she is going to be a farmer and that she hopes Dylan likes this idea. She asks me what cows eat. I tell her grass. She likes this because she knows she does not have to supply the grass so that seems easy enough. Then she remembers that horses eat hay, and this seems doable. She gets very excited when she remembers that Dylan (not her brother she reminds me again) likes pigs! She asks me if I will drive her and Dylan to find her house with the pigs. I agree to this and she says she will tell me when she sees the best one. Then she decides it will be Granny's house.....not the new one she says but the old one. She is very pleased with this and we begin to discuss chickens and their basic needs. She is worried that she will not be able to tell the right time to take the eggs before they become baby chickens and asks if I will live there and help (like I know anything about chickens!!) and of course I agree. Dylan then decides that he will marry Emely (a schoolmate and neighbor) and is very happy with this decision and Maryn invites them to live in her house of pigs with the rest of us.

And we all lived happily ever after!!!

Maryn Said...

Last night when we were putting the kids to bed the following conversation took place:

Maryn: "Could you sing me a bedtime song."
Dad: "Sure."
Maryn: "Maybe 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' or 'Who let the dogs out?'"

Rex and I just cracked up and could not help ourselves but to oblige this very strange request ('Who let the dogs out?' of course!)

Oh Yeah.....

I forgot to mention that we got snow this year......YEAH!!! It was so much fun playing and watching the kids!

Our little snow-woman

What's left of our little snow-woman 3 days later

And we also got a new kitty. We have had some bad luck with pets so far. Our last little kitty, Sammy, ran away. We just could not keep him inside. It became clear that he had an outdoor background. I found our new kitty on Craigslist and he was old enough to be able to find out enough about his background to realize he would be perfect for us. The kids named him, Cody Parker: part surfing penguin and part Spiderman. He has the greatest personality and does not hide when people come to visit which I love. He is the biggest snuggle bug!

Next step will be a doggie, but I want to make sure I am home more before we take that step.

So Thankful!

Rex and I just got back from our annual marriage retreat and it was so amazing! Nothing makes you appreciate your family and your life as much as spending a weekend focused on God's amazing power. We had the opportunity to hear so many stories that make you so thankful for your life and the things you have been blessed with that often go unnoticed or fall out of focus. The weekend was centered around forgiveness. Although it is a marriage retreat, many of the stories focused on forgiving someone on the outskirts of the marriage. Many of them were about fathers. Listening to some of the tragic and powerful messages was so overwhelming and the realization that we have such an opportunity to screw things up with our children if our sight falls away from God. I have an ability to put so many things first in my life and often realize that God is falling down the ladder in my thoughts and my daily attitudes. Having weekends like this helps me remember to strive each day with my eyes on Him.

On this weekend away, Maryn and Dylan spent the weekend with Papa Bear and Grandmama. It is such an amazing blessing to see them smiling from ear to ear as you leave because you know they are safe, happy, and well taken care of. What is even better is coming back and seeing that they are still smiling from ear to ear after having such a great weekend. Maryn was so happy to have gotten to see Payton while they were at Britni's beauty pageant. And Dylan walked in the door, filthy from head to toe and pee all over his pants (which only happens once in a blue moon when he is having too much fun to stop and go). Papa Bear had taken all the kids fishing and I see them come in and I know...these are the moments. The ones they will never forget. I found out that Papa Bear had to give Dylan a spanking while they were fishing because he was slinging his rod around and not listening. I asked him if a Papa Bear spanking hurt and he assured me he did not want another one. It reminded me of a time when my Papa had to give me a spanking for being too loud. It devastated me and I never forgot it. I think it was the only one he ever had to give me.

I just feel so blessed. I know I will never be a perfect mom or a perfect wife, but I have come away from this weekend knowing beyond all that with God first everything else will fall into place. So with my eyes to Him I want to continue into this new year with a brighter frame of mind. One not so obsessed with what I do not have. I pray to remember to seek Him for guidance in becoming the wife and mother that he meant me to be.

Other News:

The kids second swim class is this weekend. The first started off great but by the end Maryn was "frustrated" and didn't ever want to go back. I am hoping after this class she will warm up to it a little more. Dylan loved it and was a great listener, just going along doing what he was told. Maybe all that practice of taking Maryn's orders have paid off! It is in these times that you notice the differences in them. Maryn is so analytical and wants to understand the big picture of it all before she begins, Dylan just jumps in head first and waits for the first order of business and gets to it.

Maryn's Kindergarten interview at Cherokee Christian is tomorrow. More to come...

Happy Valentines Day!