Old Update

I thought I'd post some pictures from Olivia's birthday even though it's a little old. It's funny now how the day started even though at the time it was very sad and gross. We went into the girls bedroom to wish Olivia a happy birthday. I sat down on her bed and put my hand in a pile of puke! She had barfed in the middle of the night and then just rolled over and went to sleep. Of course the excitement wasn't over yet and she puked two more times that morning. Luckily she was settled enough by evening to at least enjoy a piece of cake. There is an old carousel downtown and the plan was to go ride on it and then enjoy the carousel cake, but grandma Diana and Olivia took a nap instead while Maddi, Paul and the other grandparents were out touring the town. After waking up from her nap Olivia helped decorate her cake and as it was still a slightly risky endeavor she had the bucket nearby. Olivia is very good at play and being ornery. Earlier on that day she coughed and I came running with the bucket (after she puked on the carpet because I wasn't prepared) but it was a false alarm. So she learned that if she coughed she would get a good reaction out of me. So, her leaning over the bucket while decorating the cake was just her "playing" like she's going to puke just to see me freak out one more time.

A Pound of Fun

We have visited the pound four times in the last two months or so. It is Olivia and my favorite activity to do while Maddi is at school. We recently discoverd the rabbit area and Maddi hadn’t been there yet, so today after school Maddi asked, as she frequently does, if we could go to the pound and today I said yes. So, we went and checked out the rabbits, and cats.
Now, for us, all of the animals are fun to watch. I like animals. I’m not like Jane Goodall or anything, but I enjoy animals and even more so through the eyes of my kids. So, we first checked out the rabbits. We wandered through the area twice noting the variety of colors, fur, size, energy level and shape. I noticed that there was something besides a rabbit in one of the cages and lifted Maddi to check it out. It was a guinea pig. She didn’t find much interesting about that so I put her down. Olivia came over and wanted to see what was in the cage. The guinea pig had lain down on its side, so I wasn’t sure if she would see anything of interest, but I picked her up. As soon as she was face level with the cage the guinea pig looked up at her with its elongated mouth and huge teeth and Olivia just started cracking up. She thought it was so hilarious. So, then of course we all started laughing at the poor guinea pig.



I guess that started some kind of giggly-ness because then when we passed the chickens on the way to the cats the girls just started laughing again. Maddi found especially funny a black chicken. Its tail and head were at about the same height and with equally fluffy feathers so that when it walked around we could barely tell which end was which. The girls' cackling seemed to send the hens into frenzy which caused them to run around more which in turn just caused more laughter.



Of course we had fun with the cats as well. There are two private rooms at the pound where you can bring in a cat and play with it. We first visited with a kitten named Felix that was really playful and kept Olivia laughing even more. Then we were with an older cat that sat on Maddi’s lap and purred endlessly. Maddi loved “loving on” the cat and decided she wants a cat for her birthday. I’m such a sucker for cats that I think that’s a pretty good idea, especially when the other option has something to do with princess dolls or more dress up dresses that they don’t need!
A few weeks ago I was running and I started repeating in my head the fruits of the spirit. They provided a cadence for me to keep and were something positive to think about instead of all the suffering I was going through. Later I was preparing for teaching a kid’s class about creation and started thinking about the fruits of the spirit thinking how if the Spirit was present during creation He also shows His fruits through the creation just like they develop in our lives through the spirit working in ours. So, I started thinking about ways I can see God’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control in creation. I asked the kids for examples of how they could see God’s love for us through what he has made. There are so many examples for each characteristic, but what first comes to mind when I ask myself about joy in creation is through animals. It’s hard to look at the variety and complexity and extravagance of animals and not laugh or smile. Their looks are outrageous, but not any more so than their behaviors. The swing of a monkey, the strut of a peacock, the hop of a bunny and the play of a kitten are just plain fun. I’m thankful to God for his joy shown to us through everything he’s made. God, would you also grow me into a reflection of your joy through the spirit living in me.

Here are pictures from Disneyland. All the adults had more fun than expected and the girls had no clue what to expect. I didn't even tell them where we were going until that morning. Maddi had an inkling of an idea what Disneyland was, but Olivia didn't. Olivia was in awe all day. She has mentioned Disneyland many times since the trip. Just this morning she said she dreamt that we went back.