Meet Smokey

Friday was a happy day for our family, in that we grew by one member. :-)  Meet Smokey, our little 6 week old kitten.  Lucia came up with the name (it was her first suggestion) and it seems to fit him perfectly.  (We decided against Blackberry (his name up until Friday), Sally (R's idea), Benjamin, Midnight (since a friend's bunny already has that name), Charcoal ("too dirty"), and Richard (Papa's suggestion).)

Baby Smokey :-)

Love at first sight

Intrigue and jealousy at first sight :-) (Whenever he starts playing with a toy, Alexa says, "MY!!")

"Where did he go?  And are there toys in there that I need to recapture?"

Happy kitten on Rhea's lap

Nothing makes a girlie smile like a brand new kitten. :-)

Lucia's 6!!!

This post is about a week late, but still worth posting: We had the joy of celebrating Lucia's 6th birthday with her last week!!  She has a big year behind her, filled with fun firsts like losing 3 teeth, skiing, finishing her first year of school, and learning to ride a bike without training wheels!
She has grown into a delightful girl, fun to get to know and be around.  She continues to be very independent, responsible and mature -- sometimes I forget that she is only 6!  Her first and foremost passion continues to be books.  We still make our weekly trip to the library and come home with a new host of books, and Lucia devours them all!
She continues to amaze us with the questions she asks, and the connections and inferences she makes during conversations, family Bible time, when reading or watching TV, etc.
According to Lucia, among many wonderful birthday gifts her favorite was an Animal Encyclopedia (and no, this is not a children's book... this is a standard "adult" reference book with amazing photography).
But more important than her head knowledge and insatiable thirst for information and random data (augmented by a burning desire not to make a single mistake when taking tests or quizzes), is her sweet and tender heart.  Lucia has always been fairly responsive to instruction and correction, and she feels very responsible (sometimes to a fault) for her younger sisters.  She frequently tries to settle their disputes, appease both parties, shares well and oftentimes thinks of them before herself.
We love you dearly, sweet girl, and thank the Lord for blessing our family with you as our oldest daughter and big sister.  We can't wait to see what this new year has in store for you, and we are looking forward to watching you grow in so many ways!

Mama and Papa

 To the baby girl who made me a Mama. :-)

ARRR Stands For...

At our Bible time this morning, Lucia, Rhea and I were reviewing the things we had talked about over the past couple of weeks.  We had covered creation, and then a special focus on the creation of man and woman.  So I asked, "Rhea, do you remember how God made woman?"
Rhea: "Yes, out of DIRT!"
Lucia: "No.  That was Adam.  Remember, God took something from the man ... remember?  Here, I'll give you a hint.  It starts with R."
Rhea: "ARRRRRRM!"

:-)

Butchers and Shoes :-)

Today: Rhea (wearing her new princess "water shoes"), Alexa and I are shopping at Sprouts, when I stop at the butcher's counter and get some yummy kabobs.  Rhea keeps trying to see what the guy behind the counter is doing.  When we are all done, I start pushing the cart on, and she says, "Mom, can I show that guy my shoes?"  I smiled, and say: "Sure!" So she proceeds to take off one of her shoes, peeks around the meat counter and holds it up for him to see.  He (an early twenty-something lad) is more than a little confused, and looks at me for an explanation.  I just say, "She just wanted to show you her shoes..."  So he looks at her, still a little confused, and says, "Oh, thanks."  Baahahahaha!  I just could not contain my laughter. :-)  Love my Rhea.

Chick Fil-A vs. McDonald's

So... we occasionally indulge the girls in a Chick Fil-A or other fast food outing, though not all that frequently.  So today, when we drove by a McDonald's, Rhea pointed out the window and said: 'Look, Lucia, a kind of Chick Fil-A!!  What's that kind of Chick Fil-A called?"
Lucia: "Rhea, that's not a Chick Fil-A.  That's a McDonald's.  But WE eat at Chick Fil-A, because at McDonald's, they put chemicals in their food and it's not very good for you.  And chemicals are things like toilet soap, and stuff like that." *pause* "Mom, why would they make such a terrible recipe at McDonald's?!?"

Ok... I think my dearest absorber and retainer of information has combined several separate conversations into one.  :-)  Had to laugh at that one.  People, beware of McDonald's!

Buzzi Appreciation

Rhea, on a whim, while holding and cuddling her favorite blanket, "buzzi(es)":
"My blanket is so marvelous to me.  And so special." :-)

Here are some old photos of Rhea and her buzzi.