Archive for December 29th, 2008
December Ellie-isms and Zach Attacks
Ellie, while holding an angel high over the Nativity, Thomas and other train friends: “Attention, engines and people! Behold, a savior has been born; He is Christ the Lord! Engines and people! Sing ‘Glory to God in the highest!’”
Zach: “Wow, Mom, dogs REALLY like milk! Wait — that’s a cow.”
Ellie: “Um, Mom? I was trying to listen to you read that book, but the Christmas tree is so big and beautiful, and it sticks up above the top of the book. So I decided to look at the tree instead of looking at the book. I hope you don’t mind.”
Zach: “Let’s play Under Britches!”
Translation: “Let’s play London Bridge.”
Zach: “RUFFA-BUM-BUM!”
Zach repeatedly shouted this all month in a very manly voice (well, as manly as a three-year-old can). “Little Drummer Boy” is by far Zach’s favorite Christmas song.
Zach: “Mom, what are you doing in here? You know this is Daddy’s fix-it shop – right? I don’t think he would want you in here, ’cause you don’t know how to fix anything and you might get cut and I don’t want to see your guts.”
Ellie: “There’s a bug in my room! C’mon, Mom.”
Zach: “I got the scissors. Everyone got your sharp stuff? We’ll cut that bug!”
Me: “Wait – what?”
Ellie: “Mom, you get a paper towel. Me and Zach got the scissors. Let’s go, brave people! Let’s go get that bug.”
Zach: “Brave people to the rescue!”
Ellie: “I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here ’cause this is vacation and I’m a vacation girl.”
Zach: “It’s aggrieved!”
He shouts this whenever he and Ellie agree on something.
Zach, upon seeing my new guitar: “Wait, Mom! Don’t touch anything.” Three minutes later he returned with his drum. “Are you ready to rock? Let’s jam!”
Add comment December 29, 2008
Relinquishing Control: Part Deux
If you missed the first part of this struggle, click HERE to see my progress thus far. That post focused on Christmas decorating. Today is another kind of decorating, but with cookies. Observe.
My Christmas cookies:
And Ellie’s Christmas cookies:
It was another day of me continually biting my tongue. I really want her to enjoy cooking – and she does! – but I also really like things the way I like them. Thank God He gives me the grace and wisdom to keep my mouth shut and just let her play. Watching her put pink and purple on Christmas cookies was tough for me. Then she pulled out the dragees which proceeded to roll all over the kitchen and hide in crevices yet to be discovered. The biting continued. My back even started to tense.
But then I looked at her face, how proud she was of those ugly little cookies …
… and then I realized how she’d already eaten half of them anyway and wondered why in the world I cared.
Sometimes I get so focused on the details I risk missing out on the really important stuff. I’m glad this time I caught myself before missing out, another memory to be treasured.
3 comments December 29, 2008
