Add pizzas to your bandages.

I was giving Madeline a bath when AC came in and said, "Hey Mommy! Look what it says on my band aids! It says, 'Add pizzas to your bandages!' That's funny."

Just my boys...

A friend of mine has a little boy in ACs class. 

She was dropping him off and AC ran up and announced, "Hudson, we're going to chick fil a on Saturday! Kylan is going too!"

My friend laughed and asked, "Anna Claire, did you invite anyone else?" 

She answered, "Nope," putting her arms around Hudson and Kylan,"Just my boys!"

Time to Have "The Talk" Already?

Anna Claire is four years old. Never would it have occurred to me to have "the talk" with her. In ten years, maybe.

We go to small group on Tuesdays which is held at our small group leaders' home. The kids normally play in Lucas's room while we meet or socialize. We take turns revolving in and out to check on them.

Tonight I popped in to check on them. I could hear giggling, but didn't see any kiddos. Then I saw the bed covers moving.

"Anna Claire?" I called to her.

 I heard a muffled, "Hi Mommy," from under the covers.

"What are you doing under there?" I asked.

"Cuddling," she answered in a sing-song voice.

I said, "Why don't you two come on out from there, ok?"

They both crawled out giggling, and Anna Claire announced as I noticed for myself, "Lucas doesn't have any pants, Mommy."

"Lucas, where are your pants, buddy?" I asked.

"Right over here," he said grabbing them.

I said, "Why don't you put those back on and you two play here on the floor, away from the bed."

"OK," they both said in unison.

Sigh. I so was not prepared for that!

Lucas's parents, Larry and I had a big laugh about it because they are innocent and four. But I do wonder how much I need to say to her at this age about this.

Nail Biter

Anna Claire has started biting her nails in the past month.

It has been a real battle to get her to quit, but I wanted to nip it in the bud right away before it became a habit that was too hard to break.

At first I tried nagging her, but all that did was make it worse. In fact, she got to where she'd shake her fist at me if I said anything about it.

Then I read blogs and articles and they suggested I paint her nails, then she wouldn't want to mess them up. Well, that seems to be working! Hurray!

We'll see if it ends up being a long term solution, but for now, with it being cold season, I'm so glad she seems to be keeping her hands out of her mouth!

Anna Claire-isms

Anna Claire has always had "catch phrases" that we all find endearing. Here are some we hear at our house currently:

Nickname for Madeline: "Maddles"

Instead of "little," she utters an exaggerated "Yeetle" ;)

We watch Dog with the Blog on Disney, and in one episode, Avery puts on a hat and nacho cheese runs all down her face. Then she says, "Cheese hats? Really?" So now whenever we want to say "Really?" around here, we just say, "Cheese hats?"

Anna Claire  uses this word on the reg: "Perfect."
Ex: "Now my picture just needs some clouds. There. Perfect."
Ex. Puts on a necklace and bracelet to match her outfit. "Perfect."
Ex. Puts stickers all over me then goes back to add one more. "Perfect."

I love that instead of "The Red Barn," she still says "Da Red Barn."

Joneses Shmonses.

You're familiar with the expression "Keeping up with the Joneses." Well, I'm proud to say I'm caring less about it, but I do catch my mind wandering in that direction from time to time. And it's usually something I want for the kids, but can't have, that brings me to that bad place.

Recently, Anna Claire asked me why her friend had a bigger house than ours. I explained to her that we have the house that is right for us, that the bigger house we have, the more rooms we have to clean and the less we would see one another. But afterward, I found myself comparing what my kid's friends had that my child didn't.

Anna Claire will ask if she can have her own iPad like her friends, her own room like her friends, and go to Disney World like her friends. Then she'll follow it up with, I'm a good girl, right Mommy? Breaks my heart sometimes. Because she is a great girl, and she does deserve those things. And on some level I do wish we could afford them for her. But I just pray God will give me the right words in the moment, just like my parents must have for me when I asked those kinds of questions as a child.

Comparison is the thief of joy, and if I do say so myself, I'm doing a great job of keeping my mind from going there 99% of the time. I've learned to be grateful for what we have and are able to provide our girls.

I can compare and justify NOT having many things, and am actually finding that by not overindulging our girls, it's become a point of pride rather than shame. I do believe I'm growing up!