Three of our four grandchildren were soundly asleep within minutes. Timothy fell asleep during prayers. We had read our Bible story and stood together under the projection of our new verse from Isaiah as it rotated on the ceiling above our heads. Before I darken the projector, I escort each child to his or her …
Earth Moving
“Amelia dug up a worm,” Thomas announced as I turned from pushing Timothy and Ezra in the swings to be sure my mulch bed was still intact. They knelt in front of their toy excavators, eyes trained on something between them that I could not see. “Are you sure it’s a worm?” I asked, wary …
How Do You Love?
“Can you find the baby puffer fish?” Amelia asked Ezra after bringing him one of his favorite lift-the-flap board books and climbing up into the chair at the kitchen table next to his. Valentina had already fed the kids and we were finally sitting down to our lunch. Ezra had been clingy all morning and …
Hellbent on Destruction
“Tell me what you know about Daniel and the lions,” Amelia prompted in her best Ms. Sheila voice as she held up Ezra’s story Bible for me to see. As soon as she joined Thomas for monthly Little Learners classes at the zoo, Amelia quickly adopted the teacher role when she is pretending. She was …
Want or Need
With a pair grandsons tottering into the twos at roughly the same time, my daughters have each determined to nix nap time when at all possible. Some days, naps are still essential but days are measured on a case by case basis. Four children under five is more manageable when the weather is mild and …
Ransomed
“I want a turn to ride the scooter,” Thomas repeated as Amelia sped past him through the living room. “If you catch me, you can have a turn,” Amelia replied, circling around again. She laughed heartily as Thomas ran after her several laps through the kitchen. Finally he planted his feet and declared, “I caught …
Poured Out
“Amelia keeps taking the stopper out and the water is almost gone!” Thomas announced, sounding none too pleased. Temperatures in the eighties meant I could finally say yes to the constant pleas to play water table outside. “Can we add soap bubbles?” Amelia had asked as I headed back into the kitchen to refill the …
Cast Off
Fair weather and longer afternoons means lots of outdoor play for the grandkids. Boat rides in the evening after dinner at Lolly and Poppy’s are a special treat. It has been so windy of late that only recently did we dust off the cobwebs for a sunset cruise. Last year, Timothy and Ezra, both pre-walkers, …
Beyond Belief
Ezra skipped his nap today. He’s nearing two and he is definitely beginning to test boundaries. He sees his older sister and cousins playing independently and even though he amazes us all daily with his climbing and running and new vocabulary, being the youngest, he must feel like he’s always playing catch up. Today he …
Lead Well
Monkey see, monkey do. We make animal sounds for babies to repeat when identifying animals long before they can say the names. We sing head, shoulders, knees and toes and teach little ones to identify eyes, ears, mouth and nose. Young children learn through mimicry but it can be taken to an extreme by their …
A Fitting Reply 