Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Thanks for Having a Birthday
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for having a birthday so we can celebrate. We are not just excited, we are SUPER EXCITED!!!"
Love,
Chloe (age 5)
__________________________________________________________________
I love Christmas time. I love Christmas music. I use a small amount of self restraint and wait until Thanksgiving to listen to it almost all day. This year, Chloe is starting to listen to the words of the songs more and asking lots of questions. Brings a whole new depth to the songs for me this year. Explaining their Truths (okay...not to Rudolph or Frosty but the REAL Christmas songs) has brought tears to my eyes more than once this season. And I am grateful for that. Thankful for a 5 year old that wants to understand how this God became Man thing works and why it works and what a HUGE act of love it was and is. Wanting a deeper understanding of it myself too.
So, thank you, Jesus, for having a birthday so that we could be re-born. You are love and I love that. Make me more like you.
Happy Birthday.
Love,
Sarah
Thank you for having a birthday so we can celebrate. We are not just excited, we are SUPER EXCITED!!!"
Love,
Chloe (age 5)
__________________________________________________________________
I love Christmas time. I love Christmas music. I use a small amount of self restraint and wait until Thanksgiving to listen to it almost all day. This year, Chloe is starting to listen to the words of the songs more and asking lots of questions. Brings a whole new depth to the songs for me this year. Explaining their Truths (okay...not to Rudolph or Frosty but the REAL Christmas songs) has brought tears to my eyes more than once this season. And I am grateful for that. Thankful for a 5 year old that wants to understand how this God became Man thing works and why it works and what a HUGE act of love it was and is. Wanting a deeper understanding of it myself too.
So, thank you, Jesus, for having a birthday so that we could be re-born. You are love and I love that. Make me more like you.
Happy Birthday.
Love,
Sarah
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Jeans Drool
Apparently...
"Sweat pants rule. Jeans drool"
At least that is what Chloe said this morning when I made her change out of her "sweat pants"...oooorrr...her cotton capri pants...into jeans that seemed more weather appropriate.
Mental note: Sweat pants rule. Jeans drool.
WHAT?!?!? Is she 12??? I am soooo not ready for this.
* in my defense...she DOES pick out her clothes most days...just not TODAY...wait... she DID choose the top portion of her outfit...just not her pants. So technically, I am still not a control freak.
"Sweat pants rule. Jeans drool"
At least that is what Chloe said this morning when I made her change out of her "sweat pants"...oooorrr...her cotton capri pants...into jeans that seemed more weather appropriate.
Mental note: Sweat pants rule. Jeans drool.
WHAT?!?!? Is she 12??? I am soooo not ready for this.
* in my defense...she DOES pick out her clothes most days...just not TODAY...wait... she DID choose the top portion of her outfit...just not her pants. So technically, I am still not a control freak.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Things they are saying...
Everyday...almost at the exact same time...Eli will ask for Gummy Osos.
"Mama, pease I have gummy osos?"
Turns out 'Oso' is 'bear' in Spanish...like from Special Agent Oso on the Disney Chanel...yep, Eli made that connection to his gummy bear vitamins. How smart is he?
Also, we have a very polite little man. E says 'pease' for almost everything. So. Sweet.
Today, after offering for Chloe to spend her room time in the play room (aka: back corner of the living room in the apartment) she was delighted. But then was concerned...if she was downstairs and I was upstairs, who would take care of her?
This short and sincere monologue with eyes looking up and to the side ensued...
"But who will take care of me??? Well...I do know karate... (ummm...no she doesn't) And if someone came to the door...if I knew them...like Matt (the roofing guy)...then I could probably talk to him..."
I interrupted her there...
"Chloe, thank you for being so brave. But if anyone, ANYONE, knocked on the door, I would want you to come and get me. Okay?"
She understood...but how funny is it that she thinks she can do karate?!?!? Her total and complete knowledge of karate is 'chopping' toilet paper in half when Kevin holds both ends.
So yeah...she should be good.
"Mama, pease I have gummy osos?"
Turns out 'Oso' is 'bear' in Spanish...like from Special Agent Oso on the Disney Chanel...yep, Eli made that connection to his gummy bear vitamins. How smart is he?
Also, we have a very polite little man. E says 'pease' for almost everything. So. Sweet.
Today, after offering for Chloe to spend her room time in the play room (aka: back corner of the living room in the apartment) she was delighted. But then was concerned...if she was downstairs and I was upstairs, who would take care of her?
This short and sincere monologue with eyes looking up and to the side ensued...
"But who will take care of me??? Well...I do know karate... (ummm...no she doesn't) And if someone came to the door...if I knew them...like Matt (the roofing guy)...then I could probably talk to him..."
I interrupted her there...
"Chloe, thank you for being so brave. But if anyone, ANYONE, knocked on the door, I would want you to come and get me. Okay?"
She understood...but how funny is it that she thinks she can do karate?!?!? Her total and complete knowledge of karate is 'chopping' toilet paper in half when Kevin holds both ends.
So yeah...she should be good.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
She's Becoming a Writer
Letters are starting to come together for Chloe.
Her very-first-written-all-my-herself word was: FROG.
A little random...I know...But...FROG!! How cute is that?!
She wrote it like 7 times in a row one day with no help...I was shocked and she told me she learned it on Super Why...see, one pay off for those looooong TV days...
(Thank you Super Why and PBS)
Other words on her ever growing list:
CHLOE (has had this one down for a couple years)
ELI
SAMMY
SAM (smart girl)
OK (she is pretty proud of this one...'The letters say how to spell it!!')
Lots of conversations being had as we list all the words we can think of that start with a certain letter...
SUPER FUN!
Her very-first-written-all-my-herself word was: FROG.
A little random...I know...But...FROG!! How cute is that?!
She wrote it like 7 times in a row one day with no help...I was shocked and she told me she learned it on Super Why...see, one pay off for those looooong TV days...
(Thank you Super Why and PBS)
Other words on her ever growing list:
CHLOE (has had this one down for a couple years)
ELI
SAMMY
SAM (smart girl)
OK (she is pretty proud of this one...'The letters say how to spell it!!')
Lots of conversations being had as we list all the words we can think of that start with a certain letter...
SUPER FUN!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Some days you do whatcha' gotta do...
...and today...
when my kids say 'Momma' with their sing-song/whinie voice...
I will respond with,
"...don't let your baaabies grow up to be cowboys."
It should be fun.
when my kids say 'Momma' with their sing-song/whinie voice...
I will respond with,
"...don't let your baaabies grow up to be cowboys."
It should be fun.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
A Hooper Family Photo
I have so many things I SHOULD be doing right now...
Like...
completing my Christmas decorating...
cleaning the house...
making notes for tomorrow's babysitter...
laundry...
laundry...
laundry...
sleeping...
But, instead, I felt the need to post a picture of the Hooper clan.
Aren't we cute and color coordinated?? Thanks.
(Also, thanks cousin Katie for your mad photo taking skills. You da best!)
( I would like to draw attention to Little Miss C's uber cute pink, red, white and grey argyle stockings.
Like...
completing my Christmas decorating...
cleaning the house...
making notes for tomorrow's babysitter...
laundry...
laundry...
laundry...
sleeping...
But, instead, I felt the need to post a picture of the Hooper clan.
Aren't we cute and color coordinated?? Thanks.
(Also, thanks cousin Katie for your mad photo taking skills. You da best!)
( I would like to draw attention to Little Miss C's uber cute pink, red, white and grey argyle stockings. 4 Targets...yes, 4...were visited to find her size. I really wanted her to have them for this photo...funny thing...we will probably crop this photo...the ONE that turned out with everyone looking in the same general direction...and the adorable. sought after. waisted-more-gas-than-I-care-to-mention socks will not be seen. So we must admire and enjoy them here.)
Monday, November 23, 2009
What do you do during room time???
Today, like all days, Chloe was having room time while Eli napped and I had some quiet time.
I can hear her feet stomping upstairs...and then I hear a shout.
I hurry up to her room to see the corner of her small piano sticking through the curtain of her secret closet...the light on...
"Chloe, are you okay?!"
"Yeah." (in a 'ummm....why are you asking' voice)
"I thought I heard shouting. Were you just shouting?"
"Yeah. I was singing to the Lord."
(very matter of fact...it is completely normal for her. It is what she does during room time.)
"Oh, well...GREAT!"
Then I quietly returned downstairs.
Love. That. Girl.
Love how she loves the Lord.
I can hear her feet stomping upstairs...and then I hear a shout.
I hurry up to her room to see the corner of her small piano sticking through the curtain of her secret closet...the light on...
"Chloe, are you okay?!"
"Yeah." (in a 'ummm....why are you asking' voice)
"I thought I heard shouting. Were you just shouting?"
"Yeah. I was singing to the Lord."
(very matter of fact...it is completely normal for her. It is what she does during room time.)
"Oh, well...GREAT!"
Then I quietly returned downstairs.
Love. That. Girl.
Love how she loves the Lord.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Mornings with E
Just a little morning routine I want to remember...
"Clink, thump. Clink, thump..."
The sound of Eli crawling upstairs with monster truck or choo-choo Thomas in one hand, blankie in the other.
He continues to be an early riser...the first couple weeks following Daylight Savings Fall Back have been rough..."Hello, son, it is 5 o'clock in the morning...why are you crawling into our bed??"
But, for the past several mornings the wake up crawl has been creeping toward tolerable...between 6:15 and 7:15 am... not too shabby.
That in itself is celebratable (yes, I just made up that word) but the part that has been super precious is his cuddles. I am loving that he is laying STILL with me in the morning (for awhile at least.)
Lots of snuggles.
Lots of driving monster trucks or choo-choo Thomas on my face, arms, and legs.
And then finally, the pulling off of my covers, reaching for my glasses on the bedside table and "Mama, I hungy."
I roll out of bed, grab his blanket, swing it over my left shoulder and hoist E up into my arms.
He then rests his head on his blanket and we whisper to each other as we walk downstairs...trying not to wake up Sissy.
It is becoming our morning routine and I am kinda liking it...while I do still have to remind myself to savour it for the first few minutes of waking up...
it is such precious time to spend with my little man.
"Clink, thump. Clink, thump..."
The sound of Eli crawling upstairs with monster truck or choo-choo Thomas in one hand, blankie in the other.
He continues to be an early riser...the first couple weeks following Daylight Savings Fall Back have been rough..."Hello, son, it is 5 o'clock in the morning...why are you crawling into our bed??"
But, for the past several mornings the wake up crawl has been creeping toward tolerable...between 6:15 and 7:15 am... not too shabby.
That in itself is celebratable (yes, I just made up that word) but the part that has been super precious is his cuddles. I am loving that he is laying STILL with me in the morning (for awhile at least.)
Lots of snuggles.
Lots of driving monster trucks or choo-choo Thomas on my face, arms, and legs.
And then finally, the pulling off of my covers, reaching for my glasses on the bedside table and "Mama, I hungy."
I roll out of bed, grab his blanket, swing it over my left shoulder and hoist E up into my arms.
He then rests his head on his blanket and we whisper to each other as we walk downstairs...trying not to wake up Sissy.
It is becoming our morning routine and I am kinda liking it...while I do still have to remind myself to savour it for the first few minutes of waking up...
it is such precious time to spend with my little man.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Grateful for...
...the little things...and some bigger things...
011. Summer-like weather in the month of November.
012. Red shoes.
013. Hubby home for dinner tonight.
014. The vibrant colors of Fall.
015. Proverbs. 16: 3-4
016. Eli's growing vocabulary..."Mama, come pay choo-choos me?"
017. Arm socks on Chloe. (smile)
018. Clean water.
019. Quiet.
020. Rainbows.
011. Summer-like weather in the month of November.
012. Red shoes.
013. Hubby home for dinner tonight.
014. The vibrant colors of Fall.
015. Proverbs. 16: 3-4
016. Eli's growing vocabulary..."Mama, come pay choo-choos me?"
017. Arm socks on Chloe. (smile)
018. Clean water.
019. Quiet.
020. Rainbows.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Ida have a smoothie if I were you...
What did you do during Hurricane Ida? (or was it Tropical Storm Ida??)
We decided to start a smoothie business...on our front porch...with near freezing temperatures outside...
It all started with breakfast.
Chloe decided to make a new 'very special' smoothie recipe. We enjoyed it as a family...and Kevin made the comment that we should try to sell them...Chloe thought this was a FABULOUS idea and her little entrepreneur brain started spinning...
I had to text Kevin for the recipe...he is our very own Smoothie King...this was his text in response:
"Write this on a card because it is exact:
Honey Nut Cheerios-until Chloe says stop
ummm...bananas which we're out of - you could use half a can of pina
aaaa...5-9 strawberries
several spoons of yogurt
4 good glugs of milk"
Let me just say, that the Cheerios in my mixture were OVERPOWERING!!!!
But Chloe thought it tasted awesome and was not concerned in the least.
So we made our sign: LONGVIEW DRIVE-THROUGH
and gathered everything.
This is Chloe standing at our front door holding her sign for all passer-by to see...
Yes...you are seeing EVERY plastic cup that we own
Patiently waiting.
(This is when I started texting and calling my friends to have them stop by.)
Do you see the wet porch...it was SO WET and SO COLD.
At last, customers arrive!!!
We decided to start a smoothie business...on our front porch...with near freezing temperatures outside...
It all started with breakfast.
Chloe decided to make a new 'very special' smoothie recipe. We enjoyed it as a family...and Kevin made the comment that we should try to sell them...Chloe thought this was a FABULOUS idea and her little entrepreneur brain started spinning...
WE NEED A SIGN!
AND CUPS!
AND A TABLE!
AND A TABLECLOTH!
AND A TOWEL! (in case our customers spill)
AND MUSIC!
AND THEY WILL BE FREE!!! (oh, so we are a 'not for profit')
I had to text Kevin for the recipe...he is our very own Smoothie King...this was his text in response:
"Write this on a card because it is exact:
Honey Nut Cheerios-until Chloe says stop
ummm...bananas which we're out of - you could use half a can of pina
aaaa...5-9 strawberries
several spoons of yogurt
4 good glugs of milk"
Let me just say, that the Cheerios in my mixture were OVERPOWERING!!!!
But Chloe thought it tasted awesome and was not concerned in the least.
So we made our sign: LONGVIEW DRIVE-THROUGH
and gathered everything.
This is Chloe standing at our front door holding her sign for all passer-by to see...fully expecting customers.
And I quote, "Maybe the fireman will stop by...you never know!"
Yes...you are seeing EVERY plastic cup that we own
Patiently waiting.(This is when I started texting and calling my friends to have them stop by.)
Do you see the wet porch...it was SO WET and SO COLD.
We took a short lunch break of hot tomato soup and grilled cheese.
Immediately after finishing lunch,
"Mommy, we need to get back to work!!"
At last, customers arrive!!!
(Thank you Moores and Scott!!! You saved the day!!)
What do you see here?
A sink full of dirty dishes?The endless job that is keeping your family fed and your kitchen clean?
More work??
Me too, usually...
Lately I have been asking the Lord to give me eyes to see His beauty...
...and today He showed up in my sink.
On this day, I saw a rainbow...
Do you see it...look closely...red (okay, pink), orange, yellow, green, blue...
He has been showing me rainbows lately...and reminding me that He keeps His promises...
I am needing to be reminded that He keeps His promises.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Current Faves
Puzzles. She. Loves. Them.
Any kind of puzzle. Wooden ones. 25 piece ones. 100 piece ones. Bring them on."Puzzle Race Champ" at school.
Actually...these were his summer fave.Wore them C.O.N.S.T.A.N.T.L.Y.
Would have slept in them if we would have let him. Tried several times.
Two words = STINKY. FEET.
(Miraculously, we have transitioned into shoes that permit socks. Thank you, Jesus.)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Family Date
Today we had a spontaneous Family Date...lunch with Daddy at the new Mellow Mushroom at Rudolph's. Rudolph's used to be a fancy-schmancy restaurant...now it has been transformed into a very fun, very hip pizza joint. YAY, Gainesville. (sorry to see you go, Rudolph's, but now we might be able to afford to see the inside of you more often rather than admire you from outside...)
But that is not the focus of this post...
What IS the focus, is that Chloe picked out all of our outfits...and apparently lunch with Daddy requires that we dress 'to the nines.' She had my dress laying out for me on my bed, selected Daddy's dress pants and tie, and selected one of her FAVORITE dresses and even wore TIGHTS! I. Know.
So, while there was a smidge of hesitancy in both Mommy and Daddy to get all gussied up for pizza, we could not bear to disappoint Little Miss...so here we are in our Sunday best... for lunch... on a Thursday.
But that is not the focus of this post...
What IS the focus, is that Chloe picked out all of our outfits...and apparently lunch with Daddy requires that we dress 'to the nines.' She had my dress laying out for me on my bed, selected Daddy's dress pants and tie, and selected one of her FAVORITE dresses and even wore TIGHTS! I. Know.
So, while there was a smidge of hesitancy in both Mommy and Daddy to get all gussied up for pizza, we could not bear to disappoint Little Miss...so here we are in our Sunday best... for lunch... on a Thursday.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A Christmas Idea
I know there are a lot of great options out there for Christmas shopping with a purpose...
(and yes, I am feeling oh-so-ahead of the game that I am writing about Christmas shopping in OCTOBER)...but this is something we did as a family last year.
Last year we bought
a sewing machine, Bible tracts, a tambourine and a goat
for Christmas.
Not for ourselves but for missionaries in Asia through Gospel for Asia. (okay...somehow put the wrong address in that link...don't know how to fix it...go to www.gfa.org. k? thanks.)
Today we received the catalog for this years Christmas shopping and Chloe was SO excited! She took it to her room and immediately started thumbing through it to pick what we wanted to buy this year...
You can check out a virtual catalog at http://www.gfa.org/gift/
I have my eye on a rickshaw.
(and yes, I am feeling oh-so-ahead of the game that I am writing about Christmas shopping in OCTOBER)...but this is something we did as a family last year.
Last year we bought
a sewing machine, Bible tracts, a tambourine and a goat
for Christmas.
Not for ourselves but for missionaries in Asia through Gospel for Asia. (okay...somehow put the wrong address in that link...don't know how to fix it...go to www.gfa.org. k? thanks.)
Today we received the catalog for this years Christmas shopping and Chloe was SO excited! She took it to her room and immediately started thumbing through it to pick what we wanted to buy this year...
You can check out a virtual catalog at http://www.gfa.org/gift/
I have my eye on a rickshaw.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Happy Fall Y'all
A few photos from our Fall Adventures...
(thus far.)
A trip to Jaemor Farm for apples for fresh applesauce...YUM!
A trip to Jaemor Farm for apples for fresh applesauce...YUM!
Posin'...
Love this one.
Swoon...
"1...2...3...Run to Mama!!!"
Making Chloe's 'Nermaid' costume(idea from Family Fun Magazine October 2009 issue)
Under the Sea Family for our Church Fall FestivalPrince Eric, Ariel, Bruce the Shark (visiting from Finding Nemo) and Athena, Ariel's Mom
(Chloe really wanted Eli to be Flounder...but Bruce was $9 at a consignment store...you do whatcha gotta do...)
My 3 Loves in the Kiddie Corn Maze(a little surprised at how much fun they had in it!)
YAY!
Family Photo at the Pumpkin Patch...check.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
