Tali has recently developed a few “unreasonable” fears – fears of certain nighttime shadows in her room, going downstairs alone, and the like. So one day, in an attempt to help her out with this, I asked her, “What command do you think God gave people the most times in the Bible? Do you think it was ‘Obey your mother and father’?” “Yes!” was her good-girl reply. She was surprised when I told her it wasn’t that. I went through a few more commands – love the Lord with all your heart? Love your neighbor as yourself? Do not steal?… She was surprised to hear that the most frequent command in the Bible is “Fear not!” We talked a little more about how she can not be afraid of things like shadows or darkness. Since then I don’t she’s mentioned those scary things at all.

The next day a 7-year-old friend of Tali’s was visiting. While Tali had no trouble asking me for and gobbling a snack, her friend (named “C”) said she wasn’t hungry. I offered our visitor several snack options but she confidently declined each. After a while the two girls were busy playing and I overheard a conversation about God’s commands. “Which command do you think God said the most?” Tali asked her uninformed pal. She took the dear girl through the whole line  questioning that I’d put Tali through until she got to the point – “You don’t need to be afraid to ask my mom for a snack!” Soon after their little talk Tali came to me and told me what had happened, then she explained, “‘C’ was too scared to ask for a snack, but now she wants to know if you’ll make her a sandwich.” Which I gladly did. Sweet, sweet girl!

Our baby girl is FIVE and getting so big-kiddish! She had a great birthday week with Nana visiting from Maryland, a special family breakfast on the BIG DAY, a little girl party one afternoon and the big family party one evening. What a week! Two weeks later she still “can’t believe I’m five!” We’re excited about the smart, sweet, creative kid she’s becoming – well, I guess she’s always been those things – they just keep growing along with her. 

Tali: “I’m just waiting and waiting to be a bride!”

Tali is crazy about jumping and climbing. She often climbs up on the couch and jumps off, flapping her arms, then asks, “Did I do it, Mama? Did I really fly?” She really wishes she could fly and is always testing different ideas – jumping from a higher place, flapping a feather in each hand, and so on. Watching all the hard work of her longing heart, I really wish she could fly, too!

Rainy days? Cold weather? Worried about those house-bound kiddos not getting enough exercise? We’ve found a solution for getting those little heart rates up and muscles stretching that doesn’t involve climbing on couches or jumping on beds. Nope. No dangerous antics here. Just good old exercise for those cabin-fevered cubs. Here’s the trick…

First, begin exercise program after child has been inside with a cold for several days and while there is a long stretch of rainy or cold weather. Antsy-ness is key.

Second, leave any small, strong, energetic child alone. You can be anywhere in the house, except within view.

Third, wait till said child discovers through practice that she or he is able to scale a doorpost with bare hands and feet.

Finally, while congratulating your monkey-wannabe for such a feat of strength and skill, remind her or him that climbing walls is for such creatures as spiders and lizards.

The morning sun peeked out from behind a big, white cloud while we were at the park, casting its yellow light on the spring-green grass and leaves. Tali exclaimed, “It’s sunny now! Now everything’s golden!” Quite a bit of excitement over something so little… But, how much more “gold” would I see if I stopped to look at things, even gloomy things, in the light of God’s always-there presence?

In March Tali attended four weekly sessions of “Toddler Time” at the public library. On one such day we were sitting at the dinner table with a somewhat wound-up Tali. Her dinner finished, she made her way to David’s lap and eventually to his shoulders. While she wiggled and chattered on his shoulders he asked about that morning’s visit to the library. “What did you do at the library today?” he asked. Tali’s  answer was immediate and exuberant. Shouting from her mountaintop seat she exclaimed, “Scribbled in books and ripped ‘em!” Of course, she’d done nothing of the sort, but we, and our guest, were all  caught so off guard by how quickly her reply had come, we could hardly stay in our seats for laughing! I don’t know where such a thought had come from, but what a laugh it gave us! Tali seemed quite satisfied with herself as we three adults struggled to catch our breath and regain our composure enough to remind her that scribbling in and ripping books is really not appropriate Toddler Time behavior. Or home behavior. It’s just never a good idea.

Now, before you hide away all your books from her, rest assured that Tali’s probably only ever torn one book in her life, at age 2, and I don’t think she’s ever scribbled in one. In fact, she’s quite adamant about repairing any library books we borrow that happen to have torn pages. So fear not, librarians everywhere, we’ve established a safe zone for books here. No ripping, no scribbling. Just reading, and occasionally taping.

Tali, who usually calls herself “Cat”, was jumping around the room with her hands at her chest. So I asked, “Are you pretending to be a kangaroo?” “No!” she exclaimed. “I’m not pretending!” “Oh,” I responded with surprise at her strong insistence, “are you a cat?”

“Yes! I’m a cat!”

We’re pretty sure she knows she’s not a real cat, but moments like that make one wonder…