Pops and Mimi visit, Under the sea exhibit

My favorite story from my parents visit was when they were about to leave and Pops said, "I love you so much Bekah."  The whole weekend she'd been replying with, "I not love you Pops" (stinker!), but this time, she said, "I love YOU so much Pops".  Oh, melt my heart!  It's taken most of her life to warm up to Pops in an affectionate way, so this is a much welcomed stage.

The Crown Center here in KC had a free "Under the sea" exhibit that was perfect for small kids.  We took Bek a couple of days ago.  She got to go inside the belly of a whale, play on a sunken building, sleep on the bed of a ship, drive a ship, ride a seahorse, and wade through seaweed.  It was pretty cool. 

In the last picture, she was going to school again and took her backpack, her "lunch", put on 2-3 princess dresses OVER the backpack, with her dress up shoes and jewelry...quite the sight, Bekah and her hunchback. 

the coolest thing...

I woke up thinking about a friend of mine who lives in Europe.  I felt God prompt me to get up early and email her...then saw she was online.  We had a wonderful chat!  And we decided to do a Bible study together and talk about it accross the miles.  How fun is that?  How wonderful the way God works!!

Valentine's Day "Fun"

Poor Curtis has strep throat. He got a shot as an antibiotic, and it's still lingering....so we may be back at the doctor tomorrow, as we were yesterday.  As you may guess, it wasn't Curtis' most romantic, thoughtful Valentine's day. Poor kid.  He's pretty miserable. 

On the upside, Curtis' Mom and Dave sent us a wonderful treat in the mail.  He decided the pain was worth it and enjoyed some popcorn and candy hearts. :)  Thanks, guys!  Bekah and I have been loving it too. 

Here are some pictures of my attempts to make Valentine's day special...

floating heart candles (on sale at my new favorite store Hobby Lobby for $2)

Coffee cake in a pan with 4 hearts

pink homemade play doh

wait for it...

Sooooo sad that it's salty and she can't eat it.

she moved on.

Ok, not valentine's day, but we went to the zoo for a really cool activity.  You could bring in a favorite stuffed animal and have it "restored to health".  It was a much warmer day and lots of people came out to the zoo.  Doggie was restuffed and received a "certificate of health".  For free with our membership!

trying to spot the kangaroos

splashing around in a puddle.  then declaring that she couldn't walk and me having to carry her...

Making Mr. potato head all crazy. 

She's been loving wrapping her dolls up and taking care of them. 

Today Bekah "went to school" and her "teacher" was Theresa.  She also had a "sleepover" this afternoon with all of her "friends" (stuffed animals and Mommy).  She's been trying to help Daddy feel better by bringing him her stuffed Ernie, hot chocolate from her pretend food, etc.  And I've noticed that she has a natural knack for comforting.  One of her babies or stuffed animals is always "cryin" and needing comfort, which she gives quite maternally.  She says, "Ohhhhhhh.  Don't cry." and snuggles them in her arms-or passes them off to me to snuggle.  It's pretty cute. 

And whenever she is sad about something (i.e. not getting a candy heart after she uses the restroom-did i mention she's potty trained??- because she threw a fit about washing her hands), she always wants to tell Daddy about it.  She loves sharing her woes with him. :)  "Tell Daddy gets home" is a very common saying at our house. 

was her name...

This morning I crawled in bed with Rebekah for a few minutes before we "woke up".  She was drinking a cup of water and spilled a little on my shirt. 

Me:  Who spilled that water on my shirt?
Bekah:  Was her name Re....Mommy? 
Me:  Did you just say ReMommy?
Bekah:  Ya.  Was her name Re...doggie? 
Me:  No.
Bekah:  Was her name Re...bekah? 

Sheesh. 

Rebekah "making" valentines

I really made them while she was busy putting the sparkling stickers anywhere BUT on the valentines. 

But I think she had fun. 

first trip to the zoo

I got a bit overzealous and took  Bekah to the zoo (with my early bday present of a membership!).  It was 2 degrees outside.  It's a cool zoo.  I think it'll be WAY cooler when it's not 2 degrees. We mostly stuck to the indoor exhibits, but even still Rebekah was in tears when we left because she was so cold.  She didn't want her gloves on, which I do not understand.  Unfortunately, our heater at home is working sporadically.  A guy is coming in a couple of hours to fix it, but it is FREEZING.  Bekah has spent the afternoon under a blanket with a heated rice pillow watching Dora. 

Here's Nikita the polar bear.  We got up close and personal. 

I got her a hot chocolate when we got there to keep her warm. 

There is a very smelly, very large hog behind Bekah. 

Valentine's Day package

Bekah loved her Valentine's Day package from Pops and Mimi. 

Stop it right now.  Sesame Street stickers.

Today Bek and I went downtown with my girlfriend  Christie and her litle girl Brooklyn.  We went to Kaleidoscope where the kids can do art work (by Crayola) for FREE.  The kids had a lot of fun.  You can see that Bekah hadn't drawn with markers all over her face just yet...

I not love you Mommy

Bekah was calling out to me (over and over) before 6am this morning.  I told her to go back to sleep and said, "I love you, baby."  To which she replied (over and over), "I not love you Mom."  Manipulation at it's best.  Sorry, Bek, not gonna work!

Then later this morning, I thought it would be a good idea for us to memorize a new verse-"Do everything without complaining or arguing", as she's excelling in the complaining and arguing department.  We went over it a time or two and after reading a few books, I brought it up again. 

Me: "Do everything with out complaining or......."
Bekah: "Frowing a fit." 

Well, I like that version too.

And the picture above is Bekah watching Dora.  She wants the same episode everytime-the one about mary had a little lamb.  It gave me a chance this morning to have a great quiet time. :)