If we are the Body ...

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Can't seem to figure out how to post this as a picture ... but it's worth the click.

The Message

The first message is that Greg and Amy turned a combined 90 years old about a week ago! Greg is now 50 and Amy is now 40. We celebrated with family last night, and good fun was had by all.

The second "message" is the announcement on our answering machine. Who cares, you may ask? Well, it's the prelude to the postlude (that's not right! What is the word I want?), so bear with me and listen to it.



And the REAL message, left on same answering machine by Lexi (with Mason jabbering in the background):



It's a little hard to understand - Lexi first says "That's not Nini's voice!" ... then "Can I talk to Nini, Papa?" and finally, "I called Nini!"

Obviously the continuing saga of teaching Lexi my phone number ... and obviously she doesn't understand the concept of the answering machine yet! And obviously Mommy cut her off at the end! If anyone can figure out what Mason is saying you'll win a prize. Don't know what yet, because I don't expect anyone can do it, but if you do I'll figure out something!

Love those kiddos.

Don't try this at home

All my best material comes from the kids' overnights, that's for sure. Lexi asked me to make heart-shaped cookies - we were working on valentines together, so it follows easily enough. I'm envisioning the whole roll-out sugar cookie thing, realizing I don't have a heart shaped cookie cutter, and she says she wants chocolate chip cookies. Far in the recesses of my brain I know this won't really work, but being the lefty-brained nut that I am, the active part of my brain said, well why not?

These look pretty good don't they? So did my left brain win? No. NO! These were the only two out of the whole entire stinkin' batch that turned out looking remotely like hearts. Imagine how much time was spent trying to make the other 30-some cookies look like these?? Thankfully she was just excited about these two, and didn't seem to care at all about the others, as long as she got to eat the hearts, naturally.

Now this is a whole other story. She came into me in middle of the night on Saturday to tell me her feet were cold. I'm ashamed to say that I was so far asleep that I didn't even get up, just told her to go get her socks from the clothes we'd laid out for church the next morning. Apparently she was up for awhile...



While she was eating breakfast Sunday morning, she said brightly, "Nini, do you wanna look at my bed?" Thinking she had done a 5-year-old job of making her bed and was proud, I said sure and went up to look. This is what I found. I asked her what happened, and she said, "I wanted to sleep on the bottom cushion so that's why the top cushion looks like a slide!" I stopped asking questions in fear, realizing though why she was SO COLD!! I have no idea whether she did this before she went to sleep or in the middle of the night ... am I even fit to have these children in my house??

Finally, a picture of her on her birthday. Poor kiddo was sick so her party got cancelled. Instead we had a very small pajama party, and she of course was the princess of the day. Fun enough, and I think she really didn't know the difference in the end.

Finally for real, yesterday's sermon was a very reflective challenge for me from the book of Nehemiah. He ALWAYS prayed first, and then took decisive action based on God's reponse and His word. Do I pray first and then ask God's blessing on my decision? All too often. Do I pray and then not act? Some of the time. Is that what He wants from me, is that what grows my relationship with Him? Is that what He longs for and waits for? How about you?

Nelson Mandela

Brandon posted a really great blog and especially video - go take a look here if you have the time.

18? or 100?

Christa was taking Lexi to the doctor today for her five-year-old checkup - by the way HOW IN THE HECK DID SHE GET TO BE FIVE????? - and they were doing "math" on the way there. By this I mean Lexi was giving Christa addition problems and then correcting her. My favorite is this one: Mom, what's 9 + 9? Of course, Christa answered "18." Lexi's response? No it's not. You told me it was 100 when I was three.

You can't make up this stuff.