New & Noteworthy

...Mr. Mason has decided that he doesn't like vitamins after all. He won't eat them. He won't even smell them. In fact, he blamed his colorful bm on a vitamin he smelled today. I think he's cured.

...Lily informed us a few days ago that "life is going to be a lot less hard from now on." Why? "Because I'm deciding to obey." And you know, we had been noticing it for more than a month now. She's growing. She's beginning to understand her need to choose. We're talking a lot about our need for God to help us choose by his Holy Spirit. We are striving to talk less and act more in our parenting. And we're all on a journey. And I love my daughter so.much.it.hurts. She is one of the biggest lights of my life and an incredible joy. xoxo

...Mason recently went through a hide-things-under-your-bed phase. It was insane. Where's the peanut butter? Where's my spatula? Where are your glasses? Where are all the boxes of cereal I bought yesterday? It was like Y2K all over again the way that boy was stocking up. And for about three days it was all about my kitchen utensils. One night we cleared them out yet again and put them back in the kitchen before bed. When we went down to check on him before we headed to bed ourselves, there was our boy, cashed out on the floor with kitchen utensils in hand.

...Nora Grace is a talker. Just one-word sentences, and she uses more baby words than the other two did, but I find it adorable. Here's a smattering:

Mommy
Daddy
Iddy (Lily)
May-may (Mason)
Boo (boot)
Ow (out)
Owie
Puppy
Poopy
Poppy (potty)
Jue (juice)
Bah (ball)
Oww-see (Elsie, her buddy)

She also does this exaggerated nod with almost everything she says to the affirmative. Love.

...We've all been a bunch of sickies the last month or more. I'm sick of sickness. Go away, latest ear infection. You aren't welcome here.

...Lily is a reader. Last night she read John 3:14-16 to herself in the car and had it memorized by the time we got to church. She had already learned the verses individually, so the words weren't completely new to her, but still, good reading baby!

...These two chicas look alike.

...Have you seen Beezus & Ramona? Highly recommended. Watch it. Think of us. Pray for us. Because it's all about us. Ha ha...just kidding, but we loved it.

..If you have a child that you or others have called "strong-willed" and have thrown away every single parenting book you have ever read by the second chapter, read this one. And maybe just read it anyway. It will teach you things.

...I don't know that I have ever recommended anything on my blog. Yikes. I'll try not to make a habit out of it.

...My husband and I get to go out on Saturday night. For Valentine's Day. Yes, I know it's like 11 days late or something. But we also get to sleep the whole night because the kids will not be with us. Sooooo worth the wait!