It's Just Spicy

Spicy.

Not a word I would normally use to refer to the taste of toothpaste. But, that's the word Leah uses to describe the taste of toothpaste.

Every night.

Leah is pretty committed to routine. If anything out-of-the-ordinary happens in her routine, she protests, sometimes rather vocally. She likes things to happen in regular patterns. One really funny example of this is her insistence on making sure the floor in her room is meticulously clean before she'll get into her bed for her daily nap. If anything (and I mean ANYTHING) is on the floor (that can be seen with the naked eye), she'll protest about it. The feathers from the feather boa in the dress-up box sometimes end up on the floor. It is a great crime for her to go to bed with even ONE of these feathers on the floor!

And so goes our evening bedtime routine.

Just about every night Leah takes a bath with Mary. I proceed to get Mary and Caleb "gooped" with petroleum jelly after bath time. Ah, the blessings to skin allergies! Fortunately, Leah does not have the same allergies, and needs only to dry herself off and get her pajamas on.

After she gets out of the bath, Leah gets herself dressed for bed while I am gooping Mary and Caleb. When I'm done, Mary goes to bed, Caleb goes downstairs to brush his teeth, and Leah gets her teeth brushed by Daddy.

Usually Leah takes her toothbrush and toothpaste out of the drawer in the bathroom while I'm still working on my goop job, so they're ready for me when we go into the bathroom together. I sit down on the toilet, put the toothpaste on the toothbrush, moisten the toothbrush with water, and go to start brushing Leah's teeth.

And every night she says the same thing just as I'm about to put the brush in her mouth.

"It's just spicy."

Every night.

You would think she would realize that she's communicated this fact to me by now, many months after I started brushing her teeth every night before bed.

But, alas, this new revelation is necessary every night.

She has her routine, and it involves reminding Daddy that the toothpaste is "just spicy." No complaints, no problems, just a simple statement of fact.

"Yes, Leah, I know the toothpaste is spicy."

Baby

For those of you familiar with Mary's lack of enthusiasm for the spoken word, you will find it especially noteworthy that since Josiah's entrance into our home the following has become her mantra:

Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby Baby BABY baby

Potentially

Christopher came upstairs to help me get ready for church yesterday, and told the kids that they needed to stay downstairs. After only a few short moments Leah was heard sniffling her way into our bedroom.

What's the matter Leah? You are supposed to be downstairs.

I have a boo-boo that hurts on my finger.

Oh, okay. Let me kiss it. There, now you need to go back downstairs.

She obeyed, and trotted off. In the meantime Caleb recognized that she was getting to come upstairs, and was soon coming up himself. He passed Leah during her descent. When Caleb came into our bedroom only seconds later he triumphantly announced that he was there to help!

Can I help, Daddy?

Son, I told you what to do to help. I told you to stay downstairs until Mama and I came to get you. That's what would help.

But Leah said I could come upstairs.

Leah told you that you could come upstairs?

Yep.

Leah said, Daddy said you could come upstairs?

Well, she potentially said that.

Josiah Edward

We have joyful news to share with you! Our son, Josiah Edward, came into the world at 2:06pm on November 18th, 2007. He weighed 8lbs, 13oz and was 21½ inches long. He has been nothing but a joy.

Thank you for your prayers and support throughout my pregnancy. God heard each of you, and I am recovering well from the delivery. As I gather strength I will share more about Josiah's birth, and the Lord's provision in the midst of it. He is mighty in his gifts!

All I Want For Christmas Is...

We have entered a VERY good stage in life. Several of our children are finally old enough to actually communicate (effectively) what their desires are for Christmas presents! However, there appears to be some fine-tuning needed in the concept of REALITY. I asked the girls to make a Christmas wish-list for me a few weeks ago. They limited themselves to five things each (wow - you mean I am actually succeeding in teaching my children the value of a few appreciated presents rather than the glut of junk commercialism sells you?) but the five things they did choose... you can read it for yourself. I then added even more hilarity to my day when I asked Caleb and Leah what they wanted for Christmas...

BETHANY

1 - A Puppy (a dachshund to be exact)

2 - My Own Room (um, sure - right after we sell your brother and sisters)

3- A Horse (see above requirements)

4 - Jesse Apparel (this is actually quite sweet - it means she wants cowgirl clothes to match her cowgirl doll)

5- A Jewelry Box (this was what I had imagined)

HANNAH

1 - A Marble Run Set (okay, this seems more like it)

2 - Lincoln Logs (yep, obviously older and recognizing how to make the most of the wish-list)

3 - A Horse (maybe not quite old enough)

4 - A Dolphin (read it again. Yes, that is what she asked for. We will not only be selling all her siblings, but will be making arrangements for future children as well)

5- A Pool (presumably to keep the large aquatic mammal comfy?)

CALEB

1 - An Ice Cutter (this is to cut all the ice that piles up in our backyard. When we explained that it rarely can I stress that enough? snows here he replied, "But I want to have it so when it does I can cut the ice." Yep.)

LEAH

1- "Popcorn for breakfast at Auntie's when I put the star up in the beautiful tree that is so high." (no explanation needed)