Music in our veins

Whether it be just singing for no reason or someone playing the piano, electric bass, or another random instrument, it seems like there is always some type of music going on in our house. Given that music (college choir) is what brought Dave and me together in the first place, I love this. 

Playing the trombone. (I'm still unclear on why we have a trombone, but I've made my peace with it.) Girl's got some strong lungs!

Playing Daddy's harmonica

Hosting a Disney singalong. This went on for about 30 minutes and we all had parts so that we could be "A TRIO!!!!!"

Singing along with the player piano at Walmart. This happened a LOT in December, so if you were one of the customers greeted by her free concert as you entered the store... hope you enjoyed it.

Speaking of Christmas carols, oh my goodness. Katelyn listens to Christmas music all year long, so you can just imagine the holiday spirit at our house this year. We've sat at the piano and sung Christmas carols many times and driving in the car is just a little bit merrier when everyone is singing along to the radio.

On a related note, Katelyn's current obsession is The Sound of Music. She LOVES all the songs and sobs when the movie ends because she doesn't want it to be over. And for the past two days she's asked that I call her "Gretel." We've also been learning solfege in children's choir, so do-re-mi makes a lot of sense to her now. 

I think back to when I was pregnant with Katelyn and how HARD she would kick me anytime there was music... I'm not at all surprised that she loves music as much as she does!

She keeps us laughing! and the State Fair

K: Tonight, let's call Baylor "Pickles."

K: I'm deliciously thirsty!

Me: How about instead of complaining that I got you the wrong snow cone flavor, you thank me for standing in line for you?

K (confused): Well, I couldn't stand in line. The counter was too tall.

Me: Rachel plays the French Horn.

K: Does Rachel also speak French? Haha, that's funny.

Dave: When 3 people sing, it's called a trio. Do you know what it's called when 4 people sing?

K: A four-o?

K (mad at me): Thumbs down for you, Mommy!!!!!! THUMBS DOWN!!!!!!

K: Ugh! This lollipop tastes like stink! I'm throwing it away.

K: This car is nice. Relaxing and fresh.

Me: PLEASE be still... you know, when you're older, there's a sport called track where you run all the time and race other people. You can win medals and stuff.

K: *lights up like a Christmas tree* You mean I can WIN just by racing other people?!?

Me: Well, yes, if you're the fastest. And if that's what you want to do, Daddy and I will be there to cheer you on.

K: MOMMY. Let's talk about this every night.

K: Oh, fiddlesticks.

Me: The man who crashed his car into Daddy's car and all those other people is in jail. 

K: But we can still love him, right? Even though he made a bad choice and we don't really know him? We can love people we don't know?

Me: YES, sweet girl. He made a bad, dangerous choice and there are consequences, but we can love and pray for him.

______________

We went to the State Fair for the first time and had a great time. We saw animals and lots of interesting things and rode some rides. A few highlights...

She did NOT like Big Tex because he was "creepy." I'm kind of with her on this one.

Next time little brother will be in that empty spot!

Waiting in line for the Ferris Wheel. She loved it! No fear of heights with this girl.

I couldn't ride much since I'm pregnant-- which was fine with me because I don't like rides anyway. Glad these two have each other!

  

The swings were her favorite.

One of my favorite pictures ever

She keeps us laughing!

K: Does Siri have a mommy and daddy?

K: My legs are aching for a race. Let's go!!!!! (takes off running)

K (poking me): Hmm. You have a lot of hips, don't you?

K to me: We can both be Wonderwoman. She's a brunette too, you know.

Me: Where did you go?

K: In the living room. I met a precious man named David there.

K (loudly on her first Sunday in big church): Why is this prayer taking so long??

K: Can I have a hamster?

Me: Absolutely not. Besides, Baylor would get it!

K: Oh fine. When I'm older, I'll have 2 cats, a hamster, and Baylor. Baylor will be old by then so she will die soon.

Me: Katelyn!

K: Well it's true! She WILL die when she's old! 

Me: Yes, but--

K: I'm just telling the truth! Isn't that what God wants me to do, tell the truth? I'm just doing what God wants!!!

K: Maybe we should name the baby Snowflake!

K (5 minutes into Charlotte's Web): This is a long movie. No thank you. (leaves room)

K, after falling down: I am just a broken machine today!

K: Mommy!!! Did you know that when a mommy has a baby in her tummy, her bottom gets bigger too???

Me: I'm aware.

K, to the tune of "Skip to My Lou": God improves you and me...

K, praying: ...and keep the baby safe. And it's a girl--fine, if it's a boy--not fine.

K, to me: Well. You're already gaining some weight in the tummy area.

K: Why do people always ask about my little arm?

Me: Well, it's not that common and people are curious. You have a great chance to tell others that God makes each of us special! Not everyone knows about God, you know.

K: People don't know about the gods?

Me: ONE God. The Bible says there is one God.

K: I'm pretty sure the Bible says there are 12.

Me: That's disciples. Jesus had 12 disciples.

Me: What's your new teacher's name?
K: I call her Serena.
Me: Is that her name?
K: No, but I think that's a pretty name, so I call her Serena.

Me: Hey, you traced numbers! Good job! Wait...
K: I made them curly because I wanted them to look pretty.
(You can see where she got bored with the normal way on row 1, #4.)

She Keeps Us Laughing!

K: Tomorrow night you and Annabelle and some other kids will walk down the aisle at Grandad's church carrying American flags.
Me: Is this a winning game?
K: What...? NO, it is not a race. No running, no contest. Just carry a flag and walk like everyone else.

Me: What's up with you calling me 'mom' all the sudden?
K: I'm calling you Mom because I am your child, remember?

K: Why is there only one God?
Me: Because that's all we need.
K: Aww man, I was hoping there'd be 11.

K: I will change ALL the baby's diapers.
Me: Babies poop, you know.
K: I will change ALL the wet diapers. You can change the poopy ones. I don't want to get poop on my hands.

K (mumbling to herself): Four is just hard.

K: Look, a horse! I'd like a horse party for my 5th birthday!
Me: That sounds... expensive.
K: Oh, we wouldn't have to BUY the horses. Just ride them. 
Me: But you're scared of horses... you wouldn't even ride the mini horses at the Fall Festival.
K: Let's have a Fall Festival birthday party!!!!!!

Me (while watching America Ninja Warrior): Wow, I could never do that.
K: Maybe I could do that. Because I'm so strong.

K (singing): This little light of mine--
Me: I'm gonna let it shine!
K: This is not a duet.

K (annoyed): I'm four now. Why do these clothes and shoes still fit me?

K: Poojure. 
Me: What?
K: It's French.
Me: I didn't know you spoke French! What does it mean?
K: It means hello.
Me: OH. Bonjour.

K: Why are you back early from playing golf?
Dave: I wasn't playing very well.
K: Did you tell the coach to go home?
Dave: No, I was just hitting golf balls.

Me: What candy did you choose?
K: Smarties. To make me smart.

Me: Let's chat.
K: What does chat mean?
Me: Have a little conversation.
K: Ohhhh... well, you're kind of a chatterbox.

Me: Don't say "I can't." Say "I'll try."
K: I can't even try.

K: I'm going to tell you the story of baby Jesus. Jesus was born in a manger and Mary always wore blue.

K: Mommy, you look scruffy.
Me: Well that's not very nice!
K (gesturing wildly): Oh, I AM being nice! But you need to know. You look scruffy.

Me: When your friends say hi to you in the morning and you give them a pouty face, you're being rude.
K: Well, I am just not a morning person.

Me: What's up with you calling me Mom lately?
K: When I turn 4, I'm going to start calling you Mom.

K: MOMMY. There's a wolf outside. Not a bunny, not a cat, not a bird. A wolf. 
Me: Are you sure it wasn't a small coyote? 
K: It was a wolf. And wolves live on the moon.
Me: What?
K: You know, there's a moon and the wolf goes howwwwwwl.

Me: Why are you mad at Baylor? 
K: She was licking the carpet and I told her not to and she did it anyway and that was disrespecting me!!!

K: I'm sometimes a bit of a handful.

Dave, watching the World Cup: Yeah! USA just scored a goal!
K: Hmph. I wanted to win.
Me: You're not even playing the game!!!!

K: When I grow up, I'd like helicopter. I'd like to also be a helicopter pilot.

Me: I'm glad you like the water! You're part fish!
K: Actually, I'm a clown fish.
Me: You are pretty funny.

The Week

We recently had a REALLY long week. In the 7 years we've been married, we've learned that God likes to cram our major life events into very short time spans. Luckily, we've gotten pretty good at dealing with big things on the fly. All of this happened in 8 days...

The morning we left town to spend July 4th with family, we had to surprise buy a new car. We're thankful that it all worked out, but car shopping in another town wasn't how we expected to spend our day. At least we were able to sell the car that died to the tow truck driver, haha.

But, we also had a great time with family and the most awesome inflatable slip-n-slide EVER...

Early Monday morning, we found out I'm pregnant!! Due mid-March. SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!

Also on Monday, Katelyn had minor surgery to remove two small, benign cysts from her scalp. She was a champ and everything went well.

Katelyn and Molly, wearing surgical gloves to be a "moose on the loose."

Wednesday was Katelyn's 4th birthday! We thought it would be neat to tell her about the baby on her birthday. She's been begging to be a big sister for a year and we were certain she'd be excited. To our surprise, she started sobbing and didn't want to talk about it. Confused as to what went wrong, we told her it was ok to be overwhelmed by big feelings and we didn't have to talk about it until she was ready. We asked her not to say anything to anyone because we were going to announce it to family in a few days. 

My brother in law was taking the girls to Denton to play that morning... and two hours after I dropped her off, my sister sent me a text message asking, "ARE YOU PREGNANT?!?" Katelyn had announced it to everyone in the car... and then literally, to EVERY HUMAN BEING she saw that morning. So, we ended up rush-telling our families before Katelyn got to them! So funny. When I picked her up that afternoon, she told me, "I've decided to be excited about being a big sister. And don't worry, I'm going to be a good example to the baby." Guess she just needed time to process! (She is thrilled about the baby now, by the way.)

Saturday morning was her birthday party...

And Saturday night, she busted her chin on the bathtub ledge which landed us in emergency room. Thankful for an awesome doctor and for Dermabond instead of stitches. It's almost completely healed now. 

And Sunday after church, we all looked like this!

She Keeps Us Laughing!

Me: You've been really good lately. After a rough week, what made you act better? 
K: I wanted to get God's attention.

K: When I be four, I want to ride a horse. And a camel!!! Oooo, can we ride camels? And a reindeer. And an elephant. But first a camel. I will be a little bit scared on the elephant, so I will want to be in your lap, Mommy. But just a little scared. Mostly brave.

K: When I'm done being a doctor, I want to be a singer. And then a hula dancer and a teacher.

K: I'm very stylish.

Me: You won't ever get chicken pox--
K: Because I am allergic to chicken!!!

Me (singing): The wise man built his house upon the rock--
K: (holds up her hand) WAIT. Is this the wise man that went to see Jesus?

K (biting off the fin of a goldfish cracker): Ha, now he can't swim!

K: I think my nose whistled!!!

K (loudly, while hearing national anthem at Tia Christy's graduation): Is this a Jesus song?

K: I know princesses like Snow White and Belle and Sleeping Beauty are just characters from a long time ago. But Elsa and Anna-- they are real because they're new. They haven't died yet.

Me: You're getting that sucker in your hair.
K: Sorry. That's what children are like.

(after bringing back a stuffed poodle from Nana's)
Me: Where did Poodle Loodle come from?
K: Her name isn't Poodle Loodle anymore. It's Pink Sweet. Before that, her name was Abigail.

K: How do we get to Heaven?
Me: That's a great question--
K: Also, will I always have brown hair?

Me: Look at the rainbow!
K: Did you know there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow??
Me: Wouldn't that be great? It's just pretend, though.
K: No really, it's there. 
Me: But think about it. How would we ever get to it?
K: (pause) Just trust me on this, Mom. Peppa Pig said it.

K (after randomly running in circles): That was exercise.

Me: Why are you refusing to wear your white shoes??
K: Well, white is not a good color for me! I like pink and purple!

Katelyn and Annabelle (delighted): We heard the birds chirping! And we looked outside the window and the sky is blue! That means it's morning!!!
Me, glancing at the clock: It's also 6:00 a.m. And y'all are crazy.
Annabelle: But the clock says 6:08.
Me: That does not make it better.

K: I ate all the banana cake I made in the bathtub!
Me: Yummy!
K: I ate it for real.
Me: Wait, are you saying you ate the bubbles?
K: No, I just drank the water! I'm not going to eat commercial bubbles!

K: Daddy, did you win?
Dave: It (golf lesson) wasn't a contest. It was just practice.
K: Yeah, but who won?
Dave: No one, it wasn't a race.
K: Mmm hmm. Did you win?
Dave: Yes.
K: Good job!!!!!

K: I find my sense of humor funny.

Prayers and She Keeps Us Laughing!

K: Dear God, thank you for bugs. Except ants. They do not belong in our house!! Thank you for everything except ants. And thank you for all the polka dots.

K: Thank you, God, for pots and pans and watering cans. And I don't like bad guys. Amen.

K: Dear God, thank you for Jesus dying on the cross for us and doing important things. And thank you for Frozen. I like Frozen. And thank you for the clouds, plants, trees, and flowers. I like flowers the best because they are soooo cute and beautiful.

K: Dear God, thank you for all the people, and thank you for all the people who are sick. And if they are about to die, Grandad can pray with them. Amen.

K: Dear God, thank you for snacks. Healthy snacks that take care of our bodies. Please help Zoe to feel better. And please help Mommy's shirt that snagged.

K: Dear God, thank you for Little Bo Peep and Little Boy Blue.

K: Dear God, thank you for Baylor. And I hope you have a wonderful day, God. Goodnight.

K: Thank you God for everything. Help me to have a wonderful day. Thank you for the cows and Mary and Joseph. I love you, God. Thank you for Jesus. Amen.

K: Dear God, I love you, Jesus. And of course we need something. And I hope I grow up. Amen.

K: Thank you God for roses. That's a type of flower. Anyway, amen.

K: Thank you for my little arm and that I can use it to hug people. [It's all about perspective!!]

___________


K: I don't play with [name] much. 
Me: Who's that?
K: A black kid in my class.
Me: Ok... maybe you don't go around calling him black.
K (very innocently): Oh... I know!! I could call him negro! That is the Spanish word for black!!!
Me: Noyoucan'tsaythat. Just call him friend.

K (showing Tia Christy a crayon): Do you know all about fuchsia?

Me: Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite! 
K: I don't have bed bugs.
Me: It's just a silly rhyme. A little joke.
K: I don't like jokes.

K: T-A-Y-L-O-R!! BAYLOR BEARS FIGHT!!!

K: A mosque is an old butterfly.

Dave: I'm going to go to that mega garage sale.
K: Noooo, we don't need another garage!

Nana: When daddy and Michael were little, they were mice in a Christmas play.
K: What was Stephen?
Nana: I don't know.
K: Cheese?

K: Mommy, last time you wore those shoes, you said they hurt your feet.
Me: Yes, but I'm prepared with bandaids this time and we're kind of in a hurry, so I'm just going to go with it.
K (unwavering): MOMMY. This is not a good choice.
Me: Well, maybe you can come with me sometime to buy new shoes.
K: YES!! After school we should go buy you some new shoes. Some red, sparkly shoes!

K: If I had a pet worm, it would need to be a girl worm and be pink and purple. And then I would pet it. I don't like boy worms.

K: Did you know my spit is sparkly?

K: Wait, I forgot to draw eyelashes on my person...there, now she looks like a proper person.

Me: Do the different colors of goldfish taste different? 
K: Yes. Red tastes like apple.
Me: And green?
K: Froggy.

K: Baylor wants to play with me but I am not available.

K (watching the news): Have we seen this one before?
Me: Well, the news is different every day.
K: But that looks like the same girl we saw talking last night...

K: Mickey, are you cold? Well, probably not since you are wearing gloves.

Me: Where are you going?
K (escaping the bathtub): Just let me be, sister.

She Keeps Us Laughing!

First, some deep thoughts by Katelyn...

• Why does Donald have a duck voice but Daisy doesn't?
• Why don't we see toots?
• If there's a baby in a mommy's tummy, and the mommy lays on her tummy, does it squish the baby?
• At MawMaw's funeral, she was in a casket. When Mary and Joseph died, did they share a casket so they could be together?
• (reading a Bible story) That picture shows Sarah with a cane because she was so old. She can't hold baby Isaac AND walk with a cane!

___________


Me: What's in your drawing?
K: Oh, you know, just a lot of ideas.

K (after teaching her to win at Tic-Tac-Toe): WOW. I love, love, LOVE to win!!!!

K: Mommy, talk about something.
Me: Ok, baby Baylor was a very cute puppy--
K: Welllllll, baby Katelyn was also very cute. Let's talk about her.

K: I don't feel well.
Me: I think that's your body telling you to go to sleep.
K: But... my body doesn't tell me that, it doesn't have a face.

K: My hand is a flower and my fingers are the flower petals. My little arm is the garden.

K (pointing to the end of a train): Is that the commode?

K: Daddy, will you play "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Joyful, Joyful" on the piano?
D (thumbing through the hymnal): Ok, where is it...
K: #2 and #7. (this is correct)

Me: If you're going to play Mary, you need to wear clothes. It was probably cold that night in Bethlehem.
K: We're not in Bethlehem.

Me: Katelyn, don't do that.
K: Well, my name is Cupcake, so...

Me: We don't have money for that.
K: Well, we need to go buy some more money.

K: I don't like robots; I like chickens.

K: Kristoff and Princess Anna (from Frozen) are the mommy and daddy.
Me: Who are their children?
K: Alex and Felicia. (??????)

Me: No school or work for us today! We are on vacation!
K: Yep! And today I'm going to be LAZY.

K: Want some of my cereal?
Me: Thanks, but I can't eat it because it has corn in it.
K: (begins searching for corn)
Me: It doesn't look like corn you normally see. It's just one of the ingredients.
K: So the corn is silent?

K: Mommy, are you going to grow some more?
Me: No, I'm done growing.
K: Well, you seem a little bit small.

Me: You don't get to make choices for other people. For one thing, you're THREE.
K: (between sobs) I want to be four!!!

K: Holy moly, look at all those birds! I can't get over this.

Me: Don't do that. I don't want to tell you again. 
K: *sigh* I am still learning, Mommy.

K: Does that flashlight work?
Me: No, and I don't know what we need to fix it.
K: A daddy?

K: Baylor, how was Dog's Day Out? (in her best dog voice) Well, my heart fluttered!

K: Let's think of words that rhyme with meatloaf.
Me: Um... maybe a different word...
K: Ok, pajamas.
Me: Um...
K: Picture??

K: Mommy, do you like me?
Me: Yes!
K: Well, I like me the most.

K: Three is boring. I'm tired of three.

Me: That's enough.
K: I don't want to "enough"!!

K: Who's the line leader at work?
Dave: [A man named] Jesus.
K: Hey, my name is not Sus!

K, after a big sneeze: Mommy, I have some bless you on my shirt.

Me: It's time for bedtime prayers. Is there anything in particular you want to pray about?
K: Yes. Let's thank him that I can do things with my little arm. (LOVE!!!!)

Scottish Rite/Little Arm Update

We just had Katelyn's annual Scottish Rite arm appointment. Such a wonderful place!! Her appointment was great, as expected. Because there are no complications with her little arm, Scottish Rite's role now and in the future will be to help us problem solve. Whatever Katelyn develops an interest in--whether it be jumping rope, riding a bike, playing the violin, etc--Scottish Rite can help make that happen. Knowing Katelyn's personality, I think she would be strongly opposed to wearing a prosthetic. However, Scottish Rite makes all sorts of "extensions" that help assist kids with limb differences do the things they love to do.

Katelyn's been asking a lot of questions lately: When I get older, will I still have my little arm? Or will it get bigger? Can I be a mommy someday and still have a little arm? Why do I have a little arm and my friends have big arms? Why did God make my little arm? Some questions are easier to answer than others, but all are important. I should emphasize that she does not have a resentful or pouty attitude toward her difference. 

One thing I think is cool is that her little arm below her elbow bends both ways, much like a wrist can flex to the left and the right. I asked the doctor about this, thinking maybe those bones were double jointed. The doctor said it's likely that as Katelyn has adapted over time, she probably hyperextended her little arm and now it works to her advantage. At any rate, it's fun to watch her problem solve so quickly to do everyday tasks like putting on socks, unwrapping a band-aid, or opening a package of string cheese. She may do things a little differently, but her FIERCE determination and independence serve her well.