Our Holy Ham

When we eat dinner together we pray first, holding hands--or Anna's wrists if she has already started her messy finger food. When we're done we bounce her hands up and down as we say, "A-men! Aaaaa-men!" She thinks it's funny and has come to expect it.

Last night at the end of our small group Bible study, which meets at our house, we were praying for a few minutes. Three of us were sitting on the floor and Anna was wandering around (distracting us, as usual). Just as someone started praying for N., who has been having struggles with her daughter, Anna walked up and took hold of her fingers. That was sweet enough, but then she held N.'s hand with one hand and reached out the other to hold R.'s hand--then bent over and bowed her head! It was so cute, I started giggling. Then she came over between me and R. and did the same thing again, holding our hands and bowing her head/body. I really got the giggles then, so bad I was crying by time someone said amen. Others hadn't seen it so we said "Let's pray!" and held hands again and she did it again. What a little (holy) ham she is!

Overheard in Parenting: Linens Say What?

Anna has been learning to make animal noises. "What does a sheep say?" "AAAAAAAAH." "What does a bee say?" "Ssssssssszzzzzz." "What does an owl say?" "Woooooooo."

It's pretty much adorable. And recently it led to the following conversation:

me, seeing clean laundry: Should we put away these towels?

anna: Wooooooo!

me: Oh, sorry—TOWELs, honey, not owls. . . . Good job, though.

Dunk Tank

A couple Sundays ago I went upstairs to do something and left Anna downstairs and the bathroom door open. I came down the stairs to see her with her little flannel blanket in hand, dunking it up and down in the toilet.

Of course when she heard and saw me, she squealed happily and came running at me with it. "Here you go, Mommy!"

Much like she presented me with a coffee mug this morning--the one I'd left in reach with a bit of cold coffee left in it. That would be why we got the super-stain-protected carpet. I'm happy to report it is doing its job so far.