Little Tidbits

*Shiloh fed homeopathic tablets to her pretend frog and ladybug a few days ago. They remain on the shelf. How can I move them? (Btw, the frog's tablet has a bite taken out of it.)

*She has been asking, "Might I do such-and-such?" before she does something she isn't sure she could/should do. Michael and I have found ourselves beginning to speak to each other and our daughter more kindly too! This has changed the atmosphere in our home so much!

*On her own initiative, she washed the dishes a few days ago while I scrubbed the bathroom. I left the cold water running for her and she spent about 15-20 minutes washing the breakfast dishes and placing them neatly on the dish towel.

*Also on her own initiative, she has begun taking rags (they're within her reach on purpose for nose wiping or for helping with cleaning) and cleaning the floors! She told me the other day, "Now it's squeaky clean!"

*She named her bunny "Bunna" or "Peter Rabbit." I am amazed at the creativity God places within our children even from birth.

*When we picked tomatoes for our November harvest (wow! they're still alive!), Shiloh brought her stuffed monkeys outside. After the tomato picking, I began cutting down a large bush overtaking our fence. Shiloh asked for trees for her monkeys because "they live in trees." We used the bush branches as trees. She desired to leave them hanging from their places until her daddy came home so he could enjoy them as well.

*I've noticed ever since she was a young baby, when I'm singing worship songs to the LORD, there are times she'll raise her hand to heaven in worship. Hm. Quite a breathtaking sight: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

*Even what could be considered a nuisance by some becomes a fun activity in our household: (thank You, God, for saving me bit by bit from my own controlling sinful nature!) Shiloh found packing peanuts I am sewing into pillows and began scrunching them up instead of obeying me in getting dressed. I said, "oh look, it's snowing!" Smiles all around! And now this evening, God gives me time to clean it up. We'll remember those times so much more than the "clean" house.

*I have been working on a monkey patterned backpack for Shiloh for a while now (she loves monkeys.) I was finally able to finish it today and Shiloh wore it out on a corner coffee shop date with her daddy. She told me, "I'm so proud of this backpack." I am humbled because I know that my skills are not nearly close to many professionals. What matters to Shiloh, though, is that her Mama loves her and made something special for her. God speaks so clearly to me through that: I am loving her with His love.

*We made sweet potato/squash star cookies today. They sound unyummily healthy but they are tasty and yummy (or should I say "yammy") too. I taught Shiloh how to roll out dough and use her star cookie cutter to make little stars, a smaller version of my big stars. We ate a good-sized amount of the dough and had such fun connecting on a mother/daughter level and even a healthy friend level. She is truly a joy to be with.

*We played with sidewalk chalk outside on our porch this afternoon. We drew a chalky road and rocks became the cars. An entire city emerged, with grazing grass for cows in the median of the only intersection, a Children's Museum, and a pond with a lone duck. We had a Daddy, Mama, Shiloh, and Jesus car set. (Jesus goes everywhere with us, a concept we talk about frequently, especially when Shiloh is afraid and Michael or I are not there.)

*A morning time of playing dollhouse resulted in the dollhouse people having a tea party with tea and crumpets. I began thinking about crumpets (I have never made them or even eaten them) and so we had crumpets with our evening meal of homemade tomato soup (Shiloh's idea!) Crumpets are British-inspired and involve a crepe-like pancakey sponge that becomes a sandwich once a filling and a top and bottom layer are placed together. We filled ours with honey and jam.

*In our home, it is often Shiloh on food processor duty. She is the one who makes the nut butters, the pesto, the anything that we make in a food processor. I add the ingredients and she mixes it up.

*We like to make a "volcano" in the toilet when it's toilet cleaning time. We add apple cider vinegar, baking soda and Borax to make quite a foamy flush!

*Painting one of the chairs that goes with her play table was a memorable activity this week. I gave her a paintbrush, squirted some paint in a box periodically, and we went to work creating a beautiful masterpiece complete with hearts, solids, and swirls. I love that she now can sit in a chair that she herself painted, with freedom to express her own creativity.

*We now own a nebulizer (aromatherapy benefits) and I am amazed that she can say the word.

*The library has become a favorite past-time. I pick books out online, the library holds them, and then when they have a few ready, we go and play puzzles, read stories, play stuffed animals, and play "library." She knows how to swipe the books and put the cards in the back.

*Shiloh loves to swing outside in our hammock underneath our bird feeder. Sometimes, she wants me to swing her, and other times, she just swings herself and looks up at the sky quietly, singing. She loves Jesus so much, and it is evident to us.

*As a family, we have nightly devotions, which involve children's Bible stories, a reading of a chapter in the big Bible, and prayer over each other. Then, we finish off with worship songs to the LORD together. A few nights ago, one of the most precious memories to me since we've had Shiloh occurred. Michael and I began singing "Jesus loves me" and Shiloh joined in! She knew the full song. We went on the sing "Humble Thyself in the Sight of the LORD" and Shiloh knew those words too! We had a family worship service in a new way!

And I could share more: there's the decorated pumpkins (complete with markers and festive jewelry), the corn stalks in a cup after our corn harvest (looking beautiful as an indoor fall influence), and the making of the pumpkin pie (Shiloh helped pat the dough. "Make sure there aren't any holes, Mama!") And the singing of the "little red wagon" song anytime we see a little red wagon, the stuffed bunny having its own bedding in a bowl like her pet bunny, the Shiloh rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on her little piano, and the jumping into leaf piles as soon as I make them. She helps me fully engage in life--that is her greatest spiritual gift. Through my husband and my daughter's influence--by the Holy Spirit within them--and by being in this safe and secure home much of my time for this season, I am slowly being restored to who I am made to be in Christ Jesus.