What time are you?

I thought this was pretty amusing:

A Day in the Life of Caroline

I was talking to someone at work yesterday about Caroline's morning routine and we were laughing at the uniqueness of children and how they each have their individual "way", even at two. I thought I'd share a general idea of what a Day in the Life of Caroline looks like!

I usually get up around 5:30 hoping to get a few moments to myself to drink a cup of coffee and maybe have a quiet time (literally), or maybe actually spend some time reading my Bible, praying, or writing in my journal. By 6:00 or 6:30 Caroline is usually awake. She doesn't get out of her bed though until either Jeff or I go in her room to get her. She will sit in her bed playing with her stuffed animals, singing to them, "reading" books, or she might venture out of bed to get a toy and then get back in bed to play with it. Eventually one of us will go in her room to get her and she'll greet us by saying "Hey Mama (or Papa), I awake now!" Almost without fail, she wakes up in a good mood, ready to play, have a little something to eat, and then play some more until it's time to go to "school".

On our drive to school and work in the morning she likes to tell me which way to go; "go dis way", pointing out where I'm supposed to turn. If I decide to go a route different from the one we usually take, she says "no, we go dat way", pointing in the "proper" direction. She also likes to choose the music we will listen to, usually Jack Johnson or Raffi and she loves to sing along with the music.

When I drop her off at school, she runs to hug Mrs. Thelma, her favorite teacher (I think we're all going to be heartbroken when she moves up to the next class and has to leave Mrs. Thelma behind).

I pick her up between 4:00 and 4:45 most days and we head home. Again, she likes to choose the music and tell me how we drive home. On the way home for some reason she likes us to go home the route that takes us over two bridges. Caroline loves driving over bridges! As we go up the bridge, she says, "we going up! Look how high we are! Wee!" And then as we head down, she says, "now we goin' down."

In the afternoons at home she usually has a snack, she'd prefer if the snack was candy, but I try to get her to eat something a little healthier most days. When I tell her that she can't have candy for a snack, she replies, "I do have candy!" That is her way of saying that she wants it regardless of my denial.

After Jeff gets home, we sit down and eat dinner together. Caroline is very good about making sure we always say a blessing before we eat. We all hold hands and she bows her head and sings a blessing she learned at school ("God our Father, God our Father, once again, once again, thank you for our blessings, thank you for our blessings, amen, amen."), or she says in a very quiet voice, "Dear God, thank you for this food, thank you for this day, AMEN!" She shouts the AMEN part and throws her hands up in the air!

Her bedtime routine can be summed up in three words: Bath, Books, Bed. We give her a bath (which she loves; when she hears the water running, she grabs her towel and high-tails it to the bathroom), then get her dressed for bed, read two books (or she reads two books to us), we tuck her in bed, say prayers, sing the ABC song, get and give Eskimo kisses and forehead kisses, and then say night-night. By the time all of that is finished, it's usually around 8:00PM.

So, there you have it! Caroline's day! Here's a pic of our silly girl:

The World is on Fire

I found this on (yet) another blog (and this time, I don't think the author would mind me directing you to her). She has quite a story to tell. She also recently lost a child, though in a different way. Her daughter's loss was due to a chromosomal abnormality: Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 was one of the things Dr. Moore thought could have been the cause of losing Joshua (as most of you know, that turned out not to be the cause, but there is a special place in my heart for anyone who has lost a child). Her words are encouraging and most importantly to me, honest. The video is a good one - check it out even if you don't follow the link.

Prosperity Gospel?

Here's how John Piper feels about it. Powerful.



(I found this on another blog, but I don't know the author and I'm not sure whether she would want me directing others to her page. I had to at least say that, it satisfies the plargarism guilt I'm having)

Family update

I haven't taken the chance to fill everyone in on what we've been up to lately, so here goes! On Monday I wokred half of a day and Caroline and I enjoyed the beautiful weather we had we got home. Caroline decided to mow the grass since the weather was so nice (check out that pink lawn mower!).





On Mardi Gras Day both Jeff and I had off of work, and the weather was supposed to be pretty bad, so we took the opportunity to take Caroline to her first movie theater movie. It was the Veggie Tales movie, "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything". She did really well; she sat on Jeff's lap for about half of the movie, my lap for about 15 minues, and stood in front of me leaning on the seat in front of us for the rest of it. She especailly enjoyed the singing parts of the movie and the popcorn.

Caroline has been taking a dance class at school one day a week for a few months now and it is definitely her favorite part of the week. She loves dancing and being a "ballerina". Just so you all can have a visual on that, I've also posted some pics of her in her "tu-tu" that Drew and Amelia gave her for Christmas (I think it is really supposed to be a fairy costume, but to Caroline any pink skirt is a "tu-tu"). I can hardly believe it, but Caroline will officially be 2 1/2 on Februray 10th! She is doing really well, she is such a happy little girl who truly loves life. Enjoy the pics!

I agree

with the sentiments expressed here (also check out the link at Instapundit to the Classical Values post). The odd notion that ultra-conservatives should jump to support Obama or Clinton if McCain is the nominee is the epitome of cutting off your nose to spite your face. It doesn't make sense to me at all. Whatever failings the super-right see in McCain seem to be magnified in either democratic candidate. Personally, I think the Rush and Coulter hoopla are distracting and not good for America (or the Republicans in general).

UPDATE: Check out this post for similar thoughts.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Here's another article on the same topic, with plenty of comments coming down on both side of the issue. H/T: Instapundit .

Do You See Your Calling?

Again, Oswald Chambers' devotional for yesterday in "My Utmost for His Highest" was another that I thought worth sharing. It another one on the theme of relinquishing my selfish human nature for God's will as it is revealed in His Word. While the "oldest child", Type A in me rebels against surrender, the Holy Spirit in me is drawn to it. Chambers has a way of shamlessly procliaming that the "me" needs to die for the Holy Spirit in me to live.
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DO YOU SEE YOUR CALLING?

"Separated unto the Gospel." Romans 1:1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality. Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell; but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness, in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.

Paul did not say he separated himself, but - "when it pleased God who separated me. . ." Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal holiness we shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down because their desire is for their own holiness, and not for God. "Don't ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly abandoned, separated by God for one purpose - to proclaim the Gospel of God (cf. Rom. 9:3.)