Mckinleyisms...

I used to be so good about writing the crazy things down that McKinley says. However, being that she says something that makes me all most fall over every day, I did get a little overwhelmed. Anyhow, here is some of her most recent commentary:

Me "Okay, McKinley do you want to read the bible before you go to bed?"
M "Sure.:
Me "What story do you want to read?"
M "Let's read the one about the giant pickle."

Hmmmm, I am starting to think that she is taking Veggie Tales a little too seriously. Just a hunch.

The other night we were reading the bible, and she sat there and listened so intently. We were on the story of Sarah and Abraham. All of the sudden she looked up and said, "They are great. But what happened to Adam?"

Also, a couple of weeks ago, McKinley was dying for some vanilla pudding. She asked Chris to get it for her. When he said no, she resorted to option number two. So, she comes to me and says "Mom, will you get me some vanilla pudding?" I sure couldn't resist that sweet voice, so I told her I would. She responded with "thanks mom, I knew I could count on you."

This is the last one....I promise. This past weekend my mom came to town. McKinley was so excited because Gigi pretty much does whatever McKinley wants (even if that includes eating whoppers for breakfast). So we were all at Mardel, and we had loaded up a entire cart full of stuff. We get to the check out, and McKinley start talking about how Gigi needed to help her put one of her new toys together. Then out of know where McKinley looks at me and says "Mom, Gigi is gonna help me put this together because er (you) aren't smart enough." Awesome. She is three, and she already thinks that she is smarter than me. We have a long road ahead of us folks. :)

Charis is 7 Months!

I just looked at the date and realized that Charis is seven months old today!! I really wanted to be more diligent about writing things down as she grew...but let's just say that has not happened. Oh well, it is never late to start, right??

Right now, Charis is so much fun. She is a great sleeper. She takes at least two naps a day, and she sleeps around thirteen hours a night!! So great!! She loves to smile and talk. I really thought that she was going to be the "quiet child," but I am not thinking so much. McKinley and I will walk out of the room, and she will immediately start talking. Its as if she is saying "hey, wait! Don't forget me!" Charis has recently realized that she has an older sister. Every time that McKinley walks past her, Charis' whole face lights up. McKinley, on the other hand, acts really annoyed. In fact, the other day, McKinley looked at me and said, "Mom, Charis is not my best friend because she is waaaay to loud." :) Good times! One of my favorite things is getting Charis up first thing in the morning. I will walk in the room and over to her crib. As I start looking down over her, she gets the biggest smile on her face. Sometimes, she even laughs out loud. Love it!! She had her 6 month appointment last week, and her doctor said that she looked wonderful!! We were so thankful for such a great report!

I love you Charis, Care-bare ( I swore I wouldn't use this nick name, and it is totally starting to stick! ), Care-Burrita ( this name comes from Mac....she got the "burrita part from one of Uncle Jake's songs! :). I can't wait to see what the next month of your sweet little life brings! You are such a blessing to all of us!!

But, mom...

As Chris left for prayer tonight, I thought to myself "McKinley and I should do something productive while he is gone." So I came up with the idea of starting to work on writing her letters. My idea was pretty much killed by a certain screaming 7 month old. However, when I did finally get the chance to mention it to McKinley, her response was "But I don't want to learn my letters...I want to PAINT!!!" It turns out that she does have some of my genetic make-up in her. And I love her dearly for that. :) We will get to the letters one day, but for now, painting totally works in my book!! Also, McKinley has decided that sunglasses ARE a necessary piece of attire when she rides her tricycle. Even if she is inside.

This is a picture that I took of Charis this afternoon. She loves her outfit from Aunt Kimbo. Yea for cute little lady bugs ;)!

I Don't Even Know Where To Start...

I think that it is safe to say that I decided to rebel against blogging for awhile. But, I am back, and hopefully for the long haul.

We have been doing great as a family of four. I absolutely love having two little girls. They bring so much joy into my life every single day.

McKinley turned three in December, and she has always got an opinion about everything. Yesterday, we actually got into our first mother/daughter fight about shoes. Lovely. We were at Target picking out new shoes because she seemed to outgrow every pair she owned over night. So, there we are strolling down the isle, and I see all these cute shoes. However, McKinley is only attracted to what I like to call "tacky shoes." We both left Target a little worn out and frazzled to say the least.

McKinley also is constantly saying really funny things. Today she asked Chris to get her some pudding, and he told her no. So what does a really smart and intelligent three year old do? Go to person number two, and that would be me of course. So I get her some pudding (with sprinkles) and she looked at me and said "Thanks mom! I knew I could count on you!" I almost fell over laughing. Where does she come from?

Charis is doing just wonderful! I took her to the doctor yesterday for her 6 month check up, and everything looked great! She is rolling over, chewing on her fingers and toes, and talking up a storm (McKinley has already commented several times that Charis is "being way too loud"). Charis is also starting to laugh out loud, especially at McKinley. So fun to watch. :)

Things are going really well at church! It has been such an exciting season, and the Lord continues to draw so many people to Himself. Chris and I both feel so blessed and humbled to be a part of what the Lord is doing. It seems like every day we hear a story about how the Lord has changed a person's life through Experience Life. My heart seriously jumps in my chest when I find out that more and more people are experiencing Jesus. There are really no words to describe the feeling, but I would say that pure joy would be close. :)

I spend most of my days doing laundry, loading the dishwasher, changing diapers, and picking up toys. Jobs that really get no worldly glory, but to me there is such satisfaction in it. I couldn't be more blessed by this season of life. Thank you Jesus!