Effective Discipline

You know you've found an effective punishment when your child asks if you can just spank her instead. Hope has had to spend the day in her room, and has twice yelled down the stairs, "Can I come downstairs and you can spank my bottom?" What nutso kid asks to be spanked?? She deliberately colored on the kitchen table for the second and third time this morning, so she got sent to her room. I actually told her at first that she was going to get spanked and asked her if she wanted me or David to spank her. She said David, so I just took all her markers away and made her quit coloring. Then she changed her mind half an hour later, and it didn't seem as effective to spank her then, so I sent her to her room for the rest of the day. It's killing her to be up there by herself. She's yelled down here about a few different things- wanting some stuff that was up on a shelf, telling me about the weeds in the back yard-real important stuff. I know she's been up there long enough to learn her lesson, but I told her she had to stay there till David got home and, honestly, my ears are enjoying the break! But at least I won't be as likely to spank her anymore when I've seen how well just sending her off by herself works.

Seven Years

I've thought a lot the past few days about how long seven years is. I can't really make myself feel much of anything about it. It doesn't seem like a long time ago or a short time ago. It isn't a big anniversary like five years or ten years- it's just one more year. I think I'm starting to feel like it was forever ago, rather than feeling like it just happened yesterday. Some things seem like they just happened, but overall it seems like a lifetime ago.

The most popular girl in school

A few times in the last couple of months, Hope has cried over the fact that her friend Hannah sometimes doesn't play with her at daycare; she plays with Makenna, another little girl who Hope isn't supposed to play with very much. Hopey's trying to obey and not play with Makenna, but then that means she feels left out when Hannah and Makenna play together.

Yesterday was the girls' first day back at daycare. We kept them home for two weeks because David's parents were here to help, but since we have to pay whether we're there or not, and they have preschool every day that Hope would miss out on, I decided to take them to daycare on their normal days even though I'm home with Joel. So when we walked in yesterday, it was like Santa had walked into the room. All I could hear was "Hope's back! Hopey's here!" We were mobbed by about eight little girls wanting to give Hope a hug. Hannah was first in the hugging line and was SO excited to see Hope. It was nice to see Hopey's little face light up from all the attention. Last night she told me how much all her friends had missed her and that Hannah played with her most of the day. I certainly don't think having lots of friends should be anyone's goal in life, but for the social little bug that is Hopey, it meant the world to be the center of attention and know that so many little girls were happy to see her again.

How Comfy Am I ?!?

It didn't take Joel too long to figure out this comfy, cozy sleeping thing!

And he honestly is not the chunky monkey he looks like in this picture.

Happy Birthday mom. And Happy Birth-day Joel.

I love you, Hope

Mandy's post about Alex reminded me of something Hope said the other day. We've told her that no matter how much mommy and daddy love her, God loves her even more. So the other day I told her I loved her lots. Her reply? "Well, God loves me lotser!"

The Best-laid Plans

Tonight I was trying to have the "just cause there's a new baby doesn't mean I love you any less" conversation with Hope. I told her that I'd have to spend alot more time taking care of her brother, at which point she informed me that I needed to take care of Naomi and she could take care of Joel. I told her I'd probably need to take care of Naomi and Joel; contrary as usual, she had a better plan. She'll help me take care of Naomi and I can help her take care of Joel. At least she's helpful; she fully expects to be the primary diaper-changer for her brother. When we got a cradle for Joel, she was upset because we put it in our room instead of hers. I told her if she had the cradle in her room, then she'd have to get up with her brother in the night and feed him and change his diaper and rock him and put him back to sleep. She was fine with that. I think she's forgotten how much babies can cry.

Colorblind

I know I've said, and so have others, how lucky we were to have Danny and Debbie in our lives at such a young age so that we were around other people who didn't look exactly like us. Otherwise we could have easily grown up with the same prejudices as some of our relatives. Now I'm realizing how lucky Hopey is, how lucky we all are, to have Lexiepie in our lives to teach Hope a similar lesson.

Tonight two girls came to the door selling something for a high school fundraiser. One was blond, all-American looking. (as a side note, what exactly is all-american? is it native american? I think really, instead of all-american, we should say all-northern-european-looking. that's what we mean, isn't it?). Anywho, the other girl with her was Indian or Pakistani or something similar. Hope was in the living room when David answered the door, so she had to say hi to them. After they left, we were all in the kitchen and Hope said, "I wonder if those girls were sisters or just best friends?" David was the one who pointed out how sweet it was that, although it should've been obvious that they weren't sisters, Hope doesn't see those sorts of limitations. For her, you don't have to look alike or be biologically related to be a family.

I guess it's genetic.

Bryn, you'll be happy to know that Naomi loves it when I do "that thing to her head". I don't know how she figured out she likes it, but she's walked over to me about 10 times today, picked up my hand and put it on her head so I can rub her head for her.

I Need Earplugs!

So Hope wanders into my room at 4:00 this morning and starts talking to me. After much discussion about which toys she can't find (cause I threw them away) and where she thinks they might be (the moving truck must've lost them), this is what she says:

H: You know Alex, he has a long black thing on his bottom.
Me: Ok
H: Why does he have that
Me: That's just what boys have on their bottoms
H: Well, Grant's a boy; I bet he has a white one
Me: Yep, he does
H: These jammies are soft; here, feel............

SHE'S NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!