DADDY: to be added...The story of your scrubbing the markers off the wall and how that connected to your heart and the Big God Story. |
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Cleaning Up Our Messes
An honest game player
Guffaw: You love playing games.
You and I play the "ABC" game, where I say a letter and you say a word that starts with that letter. (My personal favorites are that you almost always say "Guffaw" when we get to "G" and you give me a "love" (a big hug) when you get to "L." We have been playing that game since you were one year old, most often while walking to Mile Square Park. That is partly why I think you call it the "ABC Park."
Other games you also enjoy are:
-- the "opposites game" where I say a word and you say its opposite,
-- the "rhyming game" where we pick a word and then take turns coming up with words that rhyme with that word.
Tonight (6/28/11), you wanted to snuggle with me while I was babysitting you and Poema. I was happy to oblige you. However, after a while, since it was your bed time, I wanted to try to encourage you to fall asleep. I, therefore, made up a new game: the "eyes closed game." I told you we should each close our eyes and the last one to open them would be the winner. You said okay and enthusiastically joined in. I saw that, to help your chances, you put your fingers on your eyelids to hold them shut. I then closed my eyes.
I sort of expected you would open yours occasionally, see me with my eyes closed and then close yours again. After all, since my eyes were closed, I would not know you had peeked. That was, of course, okay with me, since I was not really competing with you. I just was trying to make it easier for you to wind down and go to sleep.
However, after a couple of minutes you said, in your sweet, honest, voice: "Guffaw, I lost the game."
You and I play the "ABC" game, where I say a letter and you say a word that starts with that letter. (My personal favorites are that you almost always say "Guffaw" when we get to "G" and you give me a "love" (a big hug) when you get to "L." We have been playing that game since you were one year old, most often while walking to Mile Square Park. That is partly why I think you call it the "ABC Park."
Other games you also enjoy are:
-- the "opposites game" where I say a word and you say its opposite,
-- the "rhyming game" where we pick a word and then take turns coming up with words that rhyme with that word.
Tonight (6/28/11), you wanted to snuggle with me while I was babysitting you and Poema. I was happy to oblige you. However, after a while, since it was your bed time, I wanted to try to encourage you to fall asleep. I, therefore, made up a new game: the "eyes closed game." I told you we should each close our eyes and the last one to open them would be the winner. You said okay and enthusiastically joined in. I saw that, to help your chances, you put your fingers on your eyelids to hold them shut. I then closed my eyes.
I sort of expected you would open yours occasionally, see me with my eyes closed and then close yours again. After all, since my eyes were closed, I would not know you had peeked. That was, of course, okay with me, since I was not really competing with you. I just was trying to make it easier for you to wind down and go to sleep.
However, after a couple of minutes you said, in your sweet, honest, voice: "Guffaw, I lost the game."
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Parking Cars
Mommy: You and I have something in common, we love playing with cars. When I was a young girl I would take belts and make roads for my Hot Wheels cars to drive through. I loved my cars so much they are one of the only toys I saved for when I had kids (I'm so glad I did).
I was tempted to buy you a rug with roads on it but decided to see what you came up with to use. You love parking cars. Your creativity has chosen the lids of storage boxes to be parking lots. You line your cars up based on the shape, color, and type of car. We don't always understand how you are "playing" and though you ask us to play with you, you don't usually let us touch the cars because we aren't doing it right or we are playing a different way.
I love learning your personality.
I was tempted to buy you a rug with roads on it but decided to see what you came up with to use. You love parking cars. Your creativity has chosen the lids of storage boxes to be parking lots. You line your cars up based on the shape, color, and type of car. We don't always understand how you are "playing" and though you ask us to play with you, you don't usually let us touch the cars because we aren't doing it right or we are playing a different way.
I love learning your personality.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Light Switch
DADDY: At Nana &Papa's house, you've always been frustrated and slightly saddened that you aren't tall enough to flip the light switch on and off. Up and down. Then a couple months ago, I taught you to use a block as a tool to flip the switch. Because you were tall enough for that. Well, today you awakened from rest time and ran out to the living room overjoyed. "I can reach the light switch without a block now!" you said. "Come here, I'll show you." And you did. |
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Directions
You Go Straight to Your House, Guffaw!
Guffaw: The night your little sister was born G-Momo and I came to visit you and your parents. The plan was that your Mommy, Daddy, and G-Momo were going to go to the hospital together when it was time for Poema to arrive and I was going to take care of you. You were given the choice of where you wanted to stay that night and you decided you wanted to spend the night at G-Momo and Guffaw's house and have breakfast with Guffaw.
I had put a car seat into my car, on the "big sister side" behind the driver, for just such an occasion. Usually when we picked you up we did so in G-Momo's van, since it always had your car seat in it. This was, therefore, going to be the first time I drove you from your house to G-Momo and Guffaw's house.
When your Mommy decided it was time to go to the hospital, everybody said their goodbyes and you and I started our drive to G-Momo and Guffaw's house. We turned right on McFadden from your apartment. I then turned left on Beach Blvd. and then you, from your car seat began protesting:
"Guffaw, you go straight to your house. You don't turn to go to G-Momo's."
Apparently, when your parents or G-Momo go to G-Momo and Guffaw's house from yours they go west on McFadden until it deadends at Bolsa Chica and then they turn towards G-Momo and Guffaw's house. I, on the other hand, prefer to turn onto Beach and then Heil, which deadends at the street that runs by G-Momo and Guffaw's house.
I told you that Guffaw drives a different way to G-Momo and Guffaw's house. However, despite my reassurances we would get there, you were still not convinced. You repeatedly told me that:
"You go straight to your house. You don't turn to go to G-Momo's."
When I turned onto Heil, my route of choice, you recognized that as the street that runs by the housing tract where Nana and Papa live. You then said:
"This is not the right way to your house. You go straight to G-Momo's. You are going by Nana and Papa's house."
As we pulled into the "echo place" (the parking garage at G-Momo and Guffaw's house) I told you "See, Guffaw got us home." I also told you that in the morning we would probably get to drive to the hospital and see your new sister, Poema. The fact I got us to G-Momo and Guffaw's house apparently did not give you confidence in my sense of directions, because you then said:
"You will need to take us the right way to the hospital, because you didn't take us to your house the right way. You go straight to your house. You don't turn to go to G-Momo's. You went by Nana and Papa's house."
Guffaw: The night your little sister was born G-Momo and I came to visit you and your parents. The plan was that your Mommy, Daddy, and G-Momo were going to go to the hospital together when it was time for Poema to arrive and I was going to take care of you. You were given the choice of where you wanted to stay that night and you decided you wanted to spend the night at G-Momo and Guffaw's house and have breakfast with Guffaw.
I had put a car seat into my car, on the "big sister side" behind the driver, for just such an occasion. Usually when we picked you up we did so in G-Momo's van, since it always had your car seat in it. This was, therefore, going to be the first time I drove you from your house to G-Momo and Guffaw's house.
When your Mommy decided it was time to go to the hospital, everybody said their goodbyes and you and I started our drive to G-Momo and Guffaw's house. We turned right on McFadden from your apartment. I then turned left on Beach Blvd. and then you, from your car seat began protesting:
"Guffaw, you go straight to your house. You don't turn to go to G-Momo's."
Apparently, when your parents or G-Momo go to G-Momo and Guffaw's house from yours they go west on McFadden until it deadends at Bolsa Chica and then they turn towards G-Momo and Guffaw's house. I, on the other hand, prefer to turn onto Beach and then Heil, which deadends at the street that runs by G-Momo and Guffaw's house.
I told you that Guffaw drives a different way to G-Momo and Guffaw's house. However, despite my reassurances we would get there, you were still not convinced. You repeatedly told me that:
"You go straight to your house. You don't turn to go to G-Momo's."
When I turned onto Heil, my route of choice, you recognized that as the street that runs by the housing tract where Nana and Papa live. You then said:
"This is not the right way to your house. You go straight to G-Momo's. You are going by Nana and Papa's house."
As we pulled into the "echo place" (the parking garage at G-Momo and Guffaw's house) I told you "See, Guffaw got us home." I also told you that in the morning we would probably get to drive to the hospital and see your new sister, Poema. The fact I got us to G-Momo and Guffaw's house apparently did not give you confidence in my sense of directions, because you then said:
"You will need to take us the right way to the hospital, because you didn't take us to your house the right way. You go straight to your house. You don't turn to go to G-Momo's. You went by Nana and Papa's house."
Friday, June 17, 2011
No, Not Like That!
DADDY: I confess...I've figured out a way to manipulate you. Not in a bad way. There are just certain times when you aren't listening and aren't doing what you need to do. So here's what I've figured out:
But before I say my evil plan, I need to lay down the ground rules.
(1) "Fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath," the Bible teaches. So there's a fine line I need to learn to walk.
(2) "God has not given us a spirit of fear," the Bible teaches. Or the paraphrase that helps guide me...If God doesn't give you a spirit of fear, then neither do I. I shouldn't operate by making you afraid of things you shouldn't be afraid of.
(3) I keep in mind your personality, your individual set of wants, likes, dislikes, and quirks.
So with those as a foundation, here we go.
Let's say your dolly clothes are on the floor, the empty green bin awaiting its toys. I pick up dolly's changing pad and say, "Okay, dolly's changing pad goes in here." I put the pad in the BLUE bin.
All of a sudden, you care. You are a very organized person when you want to be. Everything has its place, and if I put it in the wrong spot, you say, "No, not like that!"
So you come over and take the changing pad out of the blue bin and tell me it goes in the green bin. I grab the next toy and ask you, "Which bin?" You take it and put it in its proper bin. And so on.
Very quickly, the toys are in the places YOU want them to be. You're the teacher. You've taught me.
Or so you think. ;)
But before I say my evil plan, I need to lay down the ground rules.
(1) "Fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath," the Bible teaches. So there's a fine line I need to learn to walk.
(2) "God has not given us a spirit of fear," the Bible teaches. Or the paraphrase that helps guide me...If God doesn't give you a spirit of fear, then neither do I. I shouldn't operate by making you afraid of things you shouldn't be afraid of.
(3) I keep in mind your personality, your individual set of wants, likes, dislikes, and quirks.
So with those as a foundation, here we go.
Let's say your dolly clothes are on the floor, the empty green bin awaiting its toys. I pick up dolly's changing pad and say, "Okay, dolly's changing pad goes in here." I put the pad in the BLUE bin.
All of a sudden, you care. You are a very organized person when you want to be. Everything has its place, and if I put it in the wrong spot, you say, "No, not like that!"
So you come over and take the changing pad out of the blue bin and tell me it goes in the green bin. I grab the next toy and ask you, "Which bin?" You take it and put it in its proper bin. And so on.
Very quickly, the toys are in the places YOU want them to be. You're the teacher. You've taught me.
Or so you think. ;)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
So Friendly
DADDY: On the night when your little sister Poema came home from the hospital, I took you out for Daddy/Daughter date night. You really needed some Daddy time after Mommy and Daddy were away from you for a day and a half in the hospital. Gmomo, Guffaw, Papa, and Nana were all watching you and you were sleeping at their houses, but that wasn't enough...you were missing us.
So we drove through at Taco Bell and took our food to Denny's to eat. The good people there let us eat our take-out tacos at one of their booths. Then we ate your first banana split, which you loved (and got a tad bit hyper from).
During our meal, you turned around to talk to a cute older woman who didn't speak much English.
"Hello. My name is Sarah. What's your name?"
Nothing.
"Hello. My name is Sarah. What's your name?"
"So friendly," the woman said.
"I had a baby today. Her name is Poema Rachel."
Quirky smile from the lady.
Then you turned back around and ate some more taco.
But the conversation was so cute. It was the outpouring of your excited heart to a lady you'd never met. And...the lady didn't know what to do with a 2-year-old who was starting a conversation with her. Someday, people will learn they can have conversations with little kids. :)
So we drove through at Taco Bell and took our food to Denny's to eat. The good people there let us eat our take-out tacos at one of their booths. Then we ate your first banana split, which you loved (and got a tad bit hyper from).
During our meal, you turned around to talk to a cute older woman who didn't speak much English.
"Hello. My name is Sarah. What's your name?"
Nothing.
"Hello. My name is Sarah. What's your name?"
"So friendly," the woman said.
"I had a baby today. Her name is Poema Rachel."
Quirky smile from the lady.
Then you turned back around and ate some more taco.
But the conversation was so cute. It was the outpouring of your excited heart to a lady you'd never met. And...the lady didn't know what to do with a 2-year-old who was starting a conversation with her. Someday, people will learn they can have conversations with little kids. :)
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