A Few Fun Things
It’s Christmas at our house now. We won’t get our real tree or start on Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving, but I’ve made it a loose tradition to start decorating on, or very near, November 1st + we give the girls their Christmas pjs, ornaments, and holiday books on the same day. If possible, we do a candlelit evening just to make it extra special. So happy. We put our little fake tree into the girl’s room this year at Luna’s request and we LOVE IT. I love seeing their shiny, happy faces as they stare at the tree while in their little bunkbeds.
I made the girls ornaments this year, along with stockings for our whole family. I am genuinely amazed that I pulled it off (with some help from Mom Hoover on the stockings). I’m working on a tree skirt now, and crossing my fingers that my impatience and lack of skill doesn’t ruin it for me. I’ve had the fabric for these stockings for 3 years, and just felt intimidated by actually sewing them. But they ended up being pretty easy.
I occasionally do embroidery as a way to keep my hands busy and away from my phone. They’re kind of pointless, and just sit in a box when they’re completed, though. I decided to take four of them and some scrap fabric I’ve had since Luna was a newborn and made pillows for the girls. They’re kind of an odd, tubular, wish-they-were-lumbar shape, but I love them anyway.
Luna has had a crush on a little boy at church for about a year. She isn’t allowed to tell him that she loves him and isn’t allowed to give him love notes anymore because she was doing it nearly every time she saw him for a bit. We explained it’s just fine to like or love him, but she might start embarrassing him or make him feel uncomfortable since he doesn’t return her feelings. She hasn’t approached him with her feelings, that we know of, for several months. But a few Sunday mornings ago, she gave him a ring and declared her undying love, again, during children’s church.
We reprimanded her on the way home and reminded her that she needs to think about her crush’s feelings too.
Then, at Sunday evening service, she gave him a clay heart she had made which said “I 🩵 U”, and she had the most defiant attitude when we tried to talk to her about it at home.
So, as a consequence, we told her she wouldn’t be allowed to play with friends at church for the next couple of services, she had to stay right by our side, and would have to miss children’s church Sunday for disobeying.
She later said, as she walked quickly by us in the kitchen,”I made a sign for you on my bedroom door. I’m worried you’ll be mad about it though.”
We went to look at the sign. It said,”Dunt dispunt your doter” (don’t disappoint your daughter). We laughed so much over this. She responded indignantly,”Don’t mock my wisdom!!” Which, much to her chagrin, made me laugh even harder. It was a rough night for her, poor thing, haha.
Then the next day she told me with a big, sad sigh,”I wish I hadn’t given that heart to Elias. But it really makes my life better to give it to him.” I asked how giving him the heart made her life better and she said,”It made me feel lighter. Like strings loosened on my life. Everything was loose instead of tight. That makes my life better all the time.”
We were watching Beauty and the Beast a couple mornings ago, and after watching Gaston force his proposal onto Belle, Luna sat upright and exclaimed tragically,”I guess I’m Gaston!! I say I love you I love you I love and I never quit!”
The opposite of our emotional Luna is our straightforward Daphne.
On a morning walk Luna says,”Daphne! I have an idea! You can tell me a story as we walk home.”
Daphne, bluntly,”No.”
Luna, cajolingly,”Daaaaphne, whether you like it or noooot, you need to tell me a story!”
Daphne, tugging her Pull-Up up a little higher,”Not.”
And that was that.
We went to the food trucks for supper and ice cream cones one night:
Luna,”Drats, I dripped ice cream onto my pants!”
Me to Aaron,”Drats is such a funny word for her to use. It’s such an old fashioned word.”
Luna, listening,”Or! I could make it into a holiday joke and say,’Nutcracker! I dropped my ice cream! Or for Halloween, I could say,’Oh bats!” *laughs heartily at her own joke*
Daphne,”And I say… FRIDGE.” *laughs manically*
Meet Hedwig Rosetta Marmalade Happiness Hoover, our new Siamese/Bengal kitten. I named her Hedwig but Luna felt it was inadequate and added a few more names to it. But, we mostly call her Opal after my niece’s cat who lived with us for a year. Or “CAT!!” as she climbs curtains and our tender legs. She’s very cute, tiny, chatty (loud), and brave. She climbs from the floor to Aaron’s head and perches like a little parrot, and makes gigantic jumps for such a tiny thing. This is my first experience with a kitten and it’s pretty adorable in spite of my anti-pet feelings.
I’ve been trying to add more Bible into the girl’s daily life. There is so much out there for kids. We recently got this Bible study for Luna from Not Consumed. We’re only about 4 lessons in, but enjoy it so far. Lessons are short and age appropriate. The whole package is so nicely thought out and great quality. I really like that they don’t use any Bible version, they just add the reference and you have to look it up yourself.
We’ve been listening to these podcasts on Spotify. I can’t say that we LOVE any of them because they are all a little advanced for my girls, but we like them and try to listen during lunch or car rides.
Nat Theo Nature Lessons Rooted in the Bible
And lastly, if you have a Yoto, they have an independent creator, Kaleidoscope, who makes Bible stories now and we own every one of them. I just ordered the newest two. One day Luna was telling us a bizarre story and after awhile Aaron realized she was telling him the book of Daniel.
If you are unfamiliar with Yoto, it’s a small audio story player. No screens. The story cards are like a little credit card that slips into the top. I believe they need wifi to download the first time, but after that you can take them anywhere without wifi so they’re great for the car. My kids both have the mini, and they listen to them every day. They are my very favorite toy we’ve ever gotten our girls. I pay annually for the Yoto Club and it pays for itself very quickly. We’ve been collecting cards since Luna was around 2 and have close to 90 now. Luna has listened to all of them at least 10 times each, but Daphne is pretty hung up on Frozen only. She’ll get there!
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