Sharing

Last year M showed everyone just how big her heart really is. It around Valentines day and the children were eating conversation hearts. When Gavin came along he asked if there were any left because it was his favorite. The children all shook their heads saying they were all gone. M was so stricken that she spit hers out and said "Gavin, I have one left for you" and handed it over. Gavin, a 14 year old boy, showed even greater heart, by taking it, and telling her thank you.

Some of the ways you know you love me

When M was 3 she got in a groove of asking periodically for me to tell her some of the ways that I know I love her. Sometimes this was a spring board for moralizing. "Some of the ways I know I love you is that I make sure you are buckled up in the car."
Mostly it was an incredible opportunity to explore what it means to love people, and remind her that she is loved.

We would also discuss the ways we knew she loved me, how dad loved her, how dad loves me etc...

This was the beginning of our serious conversations. Still enjoying this little girl with all her questions and wonderful ideas.

2 wheels

For 5 months M has been begging me to let her ride without training wheels. G was just starting to be able to ride without training wheels so I wanted him to have a chance to learn first. He figured it out and then when we got him a bitter bike we put the training wheels back on the little one for M. After just 2 months on training wheels she was sure she could do it without. So one day I let her try cruising down the hill in the back yard. Voila! She did it!

Today we took the loop around the block (1 mile) and she made it the whole way on her bike with just one little crash. She's a trooper. I love watching her grow up.

Dialogues

M's a talker. She's always got a question or a song, often both at the same time. We've been working through our description of Grandpa S's work over the years. Grandpa S is an entomologist. He studies fire ants. Specifically, as I understand it, he studies a tiny fly that is a natural predator of the fire ant.

"Grandpa S loves ants! We should take these to him" is a common request from M.

So we tell her that Grandpa actually studies ways to kill fire ants. "Grandpa kills ants!" She'll exclaim. How can someone love something and kill it.

Today we came upon the answer that made everyone happy. Grandpa S loves the earth and he wants the animals to be balanced so that people don't have to kill them with poison.

"Do you love the earth M?" I asked.

"Yep and so does grandpa!"

No bad guys

M, bP and I went on a night run to Publix. We could go tomorrow while G is at school but as I am finding, it is really nice to go at night.

1. There is no sun!
2. Much better parking options.
3. I've already had dinner so I'm not as impulsive.

When we pulled into the parking lot M said "No bad guys." She went on to say "No vampire bats, check." She got out of the car and scanned the parking lot "No pirates, check."

I love this little girl. Now for $40 I have dinners planned for the next 3 weeks. Nice!

Warming hearts every day

M is a great signer. She doesn't remember to often, but when she does it just makes my heart burst. The other day she was praying (another thing she is reluctant to do often) that the hurricane would not hit grandpa C. She signs each word so carefully and wiggles her fingers as if she is fingerspelling when she doesn't know the word, or if it is in fact a word we fingerspell.

Yesterday when we went to pick up G from school she was telling G about how there was a "crack in my shoe because a little piece of wood go inside my shoe!" The onlooking adults all had their hands on their hearts at the beauty of it. The principal told her "That helps him understand". M smiled and burried her head into the stomach of Pebbles, the 4 foot teddy bear.

love the brother

One day M stayed with some friends while I took Geoff to speech. On the way home we went to the bank and got lolipops. When G gave M hers, she said "You see! I do want to marry him!"

Poor M wants to be just like her brother in every way. Including wanting to wear boys clothes to church and wanting to pee like a boy too. Oh brother.