Kate brought this drawing home from Sunday School. As you can see, they were learning about Heaven. Just looking at this picture was enough to make me want to go there some day, but I asked Kate to tell me about it anyway. Her reply:

~

"Well, that skinny guy is Jesus, and that big tough guy is Heavenly Father."

~

I wish I could get inside that girl's head. I think it would be a very interesting place. Kate is such a sweet girl. Lately, she is into surprising me with acts of service. This morning after breakfast, she asked me to come upstairs to look at something. She had mischievous look on her face, so I was suspicious. As I walked upstairs, I saw that she had cleaned up the play room! Then I looked in her room and she had made her bed! I gave her a big hug and told her how happy I was that she surprised me in that way. Then she said, "Mommy, my heart feels warm." :)

Next thing I know, she is calling me downstairs to see something else. And wouldn't you know it, she had made MY bed! I sure love that girl.

-----------------------------------

Faith is becoming harder and harder to discipline, simply because she is so darn cute! (okay, that's not the only reason) When I've spent a half hour trying to get her to do something (put shoes on, change diaper, clean up toys) and I'm about at my wits end, she will sweetly say, "Okay Mommy!" like she'd been planning on doing it all along. She is really starting to talk now. Her favorite phrases are "MY do it!" and "That thingy." She also adds "member?" (remember?) to the end of most sentences. It's funny, Kate used to do the same thing. Faith does a lot of things that Kate does. She already into princesses, unfortunately. Whenever she plays princess, she insists on being "Jasmine-Belle." Does it disturb anyone else that she knows their names?

Faith loves pretty dresses. If she can't wear one, she wants to be naked. This makes getting ready in the morning quite difficult. The dresses she likes are sun dresses with no sleeves, and she won't wear anything under them. It's winter, so she can't wear that, of course! But she doesn't give up.

Ever.

She is one tenacious kid. Her persnicketiness will pay off some day, I'm sure of it. Faith sleeps in a big girl bed now, and is enjoying the freedom immensely. She comes down several times each night to show us some new ouchie. Most of the time, she hasn't decided where it is yet, and quickly has to come up with something. Again, it's frustrating, but she is so darn cute about it, how can I get mad? I'm pretty good about keeping my stern face and not laughing until they've left the room, but I still don't think they take me very seriously. Maybe I'll follow Bill Cosby's example and start holding nightly beatings.