Some Thoughts

Since Hallie was born, we have been saying a "bedtime prayer" with her. Now, it has really been Jonathan praying specifically for her and thanking God for the blessing she is in our life. He always prayed aloud, and Hallie sometimes listened and sometimes talked straight through his prayers. About a month ago, Jonathan begin saying his "out loud prayer" a little more Hallie-friendly. It was very simple, very child-like...it made my heart smile. He would begin simply, "Dear God, thank you for Mommy, Daddy, and Hallie..." and would then name the grandparents, family, and pray for a good night's sleep. A couple of weeks ago, he did the usual. after Jonathan thanked God for "Mommy, Daddy, and Hallie", Hallie said, "and Gramps and Rah-Rah, and Nonna and Pop, and Uncle J and Grandmom". Then a few nights ago, Jonathan would ask Hallie "who else" and she said, "um...and people, and my cousin Abby, and God." Her heart is being molded...and mine is melting in the process. She is SO precious and we have such a huge responsibility in growing her up to love God. Oh my word. She is so precious...and even more so when that sweet voice starts singing "Jesus Loves Me".

That brings me to my next thought...hiding God's Word in our hearts.

I have been thinking a lot lately about teaching Hallie Bible verses. She is definitely in the stage of repeating everything we say--with inflection. :o) I really began thinking about it the other night when she recited Llama Llama Mad at Mama in its entirety (no, I am not kidding). I thought if Hallie can completely memorize a 20+ page children's book, then surely she can memorize Scripture. Jonathan and I agreed that it was time to begin teaching her these Truths.

I know this probably sounds silly b/c Scripture is Scripture...but when/how did you begin teaching your children Bible verses? Did you shorten the verses to be more "kid friendly"? Our church puts a "Fighter Verse" in the bulletin each week, so we can go from there. I was just curious as to what you mommies/daddies who have gone before us have done with your children. I found a couple of websites that give toddler verses (shortened verses); but I need a plan...I know that sounds ridiculous, but I'm just being honest. :o) I'm very excited about this, and I think Hallie will be excited about it, too.

So...how/when did you begin teaching your child/children Scripture?

Almost December

We can't believe how quickly the Christmas season has come upon us! Tomorrow, Hallie's elf--Whitney--will begin her mischievous ways! I'm so excited. I know Hallie will be, too! I was looking for something specific--I can't remember what now--and began reading older posts from last December. It absolutely amazes me how quickly a year has passed...how quickly Hallie has changed from a pre-toddler to an absolute toddler, almost a little girl! I miss her baby days, I miss her pre-toddler days...but I have to say that her eagerness to learn and her spunky personality right now are going to have me longing for the days right now in the future. I love this stage in her life--everything is new, everything is fun, everything is a learning experience.

While browsing older posts, I found one that made Jonathan and me smile from ear to ear. It was Hallie saying "Merry Christmas" in her very own way. Click HERE if you're interested in a good giggle and a little "awww". :o)

I'll let you know if Hallie approves of Whitney's silliness. :o) She should be landing tomorrow!

Blogger's Block

Sigh.

It hasn't been an intentional break from blogging, but it has definitely been one nonetheless. A lot has happened in the past almost-month! I have tons of pictures to upload, tons of stories to tell...yet I'm just not feeling it. I realized that the one of the biggest reasons I blog is for my parents, so they don't miss out on all the sillies and sweeties of Hallie. Well, they were here visiting for the beginning of my "blog break", so I didn't feel the need to post. The other reason I blog is for those four or five friends who actually read the blog and enjoy keeping up with the happenings of Hallie. To y'all, I apologize...I'm sure you're just itching to know what she has been up to! Ha! ;o) And the last reason I blog is for me...I adore looking back and seeing how Hallie has grown. So, I'm promising (myself if no one else) to blog soon. :o) Until then, here are a few things we've been up to:

*Hallie had her first ballet recital. She was absolutely adorable. She did a great job, and I should really have had those pictures and video up before now. Shame on me!

*Nonna and Pop came to visit--Hallie absolutely adored getting to stay home with them all week. She got loads of love and attention, and they (Nonna and Pop) loved every minute of it, too. I was sick most of the time they were here, so it was a true blessing to have them here with us! I joked that I had Nonna's Maid Service with me for the week and was sad to see it leave! Ha!

*Hallie got her very own Christmas tree complete with ornaments from Nonna. And guess what--the tree is pink! :o)

*Hallie was absolutely precious decked out in her Auburn cheerleader outfit to cheer on the Tigers. :o) She has also perfected her "War Eagle"!!

*We had Thanksgiving with Jonathan's side of the family in College Station, TX. Hallie got to see a lot of her cousins and was very excited about it!

*Hallie had a Thanksgiving lunch at her daycare and I got to attend...Daddy was home sick. After lunch, Hallie got to go back to school with me. She had a lot of fun walking around my school, petting all the animals we have in our courtyard--bunnies, turtles, a prairie dog, and canaries! Then she enjoyed making a little turkey treat with the rest of the students. She was so big--and really better behaved! Ha!

*During Thanksgiving break, Hallie got to spend two nights with Gramps and Rah-Rah. Jonathan and I were extremely ill for most of the Thanksgiving break. I suppose we had a stomach bug of some sort--it knocked both of us down for two days straight. We are very thankful that we have Jonathan's parents so close! They didn't hesitate for a second in taking care of our little angel. And we didn't worry for a second that she wasn't being taken care of!

So...I suppose that sums it up. In about a week and a half, we're heading to Alabama for my parents' wedding anniversary party. Should be fun!

Maybe I didn't have blogger's block after all...just lack of time. :o)

Princess Hallie

Hallie really does love all things princess lately. She spotted a little broom I was using earlier and remembered her broom was outside (probably left out there this past summer!)...and she needed it! So Daddy dutifully went on the patio in search of the broom. And it was exactly where Hallie said it was--she has such a great memory! She immediately started sweeping. She went out into the garage and was sweeping. I asked her if she was Cinderella and she replied, "Yeah, I Cinderella...I'm sweeping." lol. She cracks me up! When we came inside, the princess play continued. She has recently started adding the actual "n" sound on the end of words (crown, for example) and trying to make the "l" sound within words. She's doing a great job at both. :o) Hallie is becoming less and less attached to the paci, so I know that's a big reason that she has started these letter sounds...although, she did say crown correctly with the paci last night, so who knows! I'm definitely no speech pathologist, but I do promote correct speech. :o) The second video is hilarious...she's obviously a little tired of me asking her to say "crown" and "Cinderella". Which, by the way, "Cinderella" was said almost more clearly than in the video...but she's concentrating so hard on saying the "l" sound. Before it was more like "Cindareh-a". :o) She's a sweetie pie! I think we'll keep her!

"Who's your favorite princess?" Hallie simply replies, "Me."

Princess Shoes and Tutus

This is practically all Hallie will wear (she does interchange the princess shoes and ballet slippers)...so far it's contained to our house. But I'm waiting for the day that she demands to go out in public like this. Heaven help me! Here are a few sides of Hallie...Miss Priss. A cheerleader, a baseball player, a princess. :o) She keeps us laughing, that's for sure! She has such a fun personality!

Update on Big Girl Bed

Sweet Hallie has gone five nights strong in her new big girl bed! She has absolutely loved being able to climb into her bed all on her own! It has definitely been bittersweet watching my big girl climb into her bed all by herself and snuggle up under the covers. Her first morning she woke up and called for me..."Mommy!! Mommy!! Can I get out of my bed now?!" So very adorable! She has done great every morning...she asks to get out of her bed. I just hope that continues. :o) Though time is passing a little too quickly, we sure are proud of our little one's accomplishments! Now...on to tackling the potty!