The Portion of my Inheritance

Painting is one of Aniyah’s loves. So during our day together we did a guided watercolor painting together.

I found the perfect picture for her to paint during this wonderful Christ~mas season.

She painted the background of sky and land.

As it was drying, she watched a Christmas movie. Then mammy put on the finishing touches, defining lines and adding in details.

She was so proud of her artwork, and so was mammy!

Read Full Post »

Aniyah and I finally got to spend the day together and we did all things CHRIST~mas! Christmas music, Christmas books, Christmas food, Christmas movies, and Christmas crafts.

We started the day with donuts, then moved right into the fun stuff.

She worked on The Christmas Story workbook, coloring activities and stickers while I read the miraculous story of our Lord Jesus’ birth to her.

We read book, after book, after book . . . (one our favorite things to do together)

We paused long enough for hot cocoa and Christmas cookies.

Then it was back to work on the workbook.

She watched one of our favorite Christmas movies, Toot and Puddle, while sitting cozy in front of the warm fire and mammy made a little lunch.

Maggie enjoyed her place in front of the tree.

We worked on a painting project together also, but that’s for another post.

We ended with doing a couple of Christmas math pages.

It was truly a wonderful day with my girl!

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  Zechariah 9:9

Read Full Post »

Every Wednesday, when sister goes to school, our little ballerina packs up her little bag and wraps herself up in leotards and tights and heads straight to ballet class for her private lessons with Miss Jessica.

She spends the next 30 minutes, just Miss Jessica and herself, tapping dancing, stretching and beanie baby rescuing. And all with a huge smile on her sweet little face.

Miss Jessica leads her in a series of heel clicks, shuffle steps, and stomps, and Aniyah follows along click for click.

The click clack of her tap shoes echo loud and the sound bounces, like a  ping-pong ball against the walls, landing on my mammy heart.

And can I just say that this was the cutest thing ever!

And just when I thought I was going to explode from all this cuteness it was time to change shoes.

The ballet section begins and Miss Jessica gently guides and instructs Aniyah.

Every point, every turn out and every arm placement is examined and repositioned for correct form.

She stretches her leg on the ballet barre, points her toe and does a most magnificent demi plié–or so says mammy.

Soon the barre work is finished and it is time for the beanie baby rescue.

Miss Jessica takes her through a succession of Chassés, Relevés, and weaving around the red and green disc that are positioned on the floor like an obstacle course.

And for the Finale, our little ballerina does a perfect arabesque (mammy here), then Chassés home to rescue her beanie baby.

Trying on Miss Jessica’s tap shoes finishes the 30 minute lesson, and that was the bestest, happiest, and funnest 30 minutes ever!

And did I say that this was the cutest thing ever!

And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might.  2 Samuel 6:14

Read Full Post »

“My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: The Mysterious Mare Do Well (2011)

Scootaloo: [first lines, in the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ tree/clubhouse] Attention, everypony! Attention! The official Rainbow Dash Fan Club will come to order. Let’s get right down to our first order of business. I motion that Rainbow Dash be declared the most awesome pony in Ponyville.

Snails: I second the motion, and might I add that if you looked up the word “awesome” in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Rainbow Dash.
[ponies agreeing]

Snips: I object!
[collective gasp]
Snips: I think the word ‘awesome’ is played out! Rainbow Dash deserves better! I motion that we declare her the most stupendous pony!

Scootaloo: “Stupendous”? Is that the best you’ve got? I motion that we declare her… wonderiffic!

Snips: Astonishing!

Scootaloo: Breathtaking!

Snips: Astounding!

Scootaloo: Bedazzling!

Rainbow Dash: [from outside the clubhouse] What about super-ultra-extreme-awesomazing?
[ponies agreeing]

Scootaloo: All in favor of declaring Rainbow Dash the most “super-ultra-extra-ah- whatever you said” pony in all of Ponyville, say “aye”!
Fan club: Aye!

Rainbow Dash: [giggles]

quote taken from Bosch

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.   Psalm 139:14

Read Full Post »

Aniyah definitely has the gift of enthusiasm. The smallest things bring her so much joy and excitement, and it is so contagious. Everything holds so much wonder for her. 

This summer has been very special. While mommy and Aria go to dance class each week, and gumps works late, mammy and Aniyah get to spend time alone together. For when gumps is home mammy plays second fiddle, but I don’t mind one bit, I love seeing the girls play with their gumps.

I gather things together that I know she will love. Things that delight her little heart and I can always tell it’s true by the laughter and the giggles that burst out of her.

Painting is always at the top of her love list. Many times she will ask me if she can paint just barely through the door.

She loves birds and everything about them, sights, sounds and the the looking to the heavens to catch a glimpse of them. She cups her little hand to her ear and listens with her whole heart for the tweet. tweeting of them.

I cherish my time with my precious girl, for I understand that each moment is a blessing from God, and I want to hold onto these memories. Taking pictures and recording our time is as much for me as it is for her. A chance for us to reach back and take in, a constant remembering through the snap shots and still frames of my journal.

The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.  Psalms 84:3

Read Full Post »

I have not ever enjoyed a pear more, nor shall I ever.

My little darlin has been a tad persnickety lately. With some diet restrictions and her picky palate, it has gotten harder and harder for me to find ways to please her taste buds. So when she told me that she wanted to eat I found sound crackers, thinking that she would love them, but after one bite she shook her little head at me, “No mimi!” She wasn’t having it.

So I handed her a pear.

She studied it carefully, turning it around and around in her hand, then she slowly took a bite, cautious and deliberate.

She chewed the pear slowly and I could see her thinking about it as she continued to analyse it, then she took another bite, (or in her own words, “the nother” bite.)

Suddenly she began to tear into it, she just dove in face first.

She could not eat it fast enough! Slurping and smacking as juice trailed down her chin and onto her dress,  but she did not seem to notice as she enjoyed the sweet, succulent fruit.

I could not contain the laughter that welled up from within my heart. I loved watching her enjoy her pear and I was snapping pictures as fast as I could, trying to capture her in this precious moment.

Surely this is how God meant for us to enjoy His gifts to us, with total delight and abandon, totally eating up His blessings with absolutely no restraint, wholeheartedly and perfectly!

Who would have ever thought that one little pear would bring such happiness to two people, each enjoying it in their own special way.

Well, the Lord knew and who knows, maybe He created the pear for just this moment. He is so good like that!

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  Galatians 5:22

Read Full Post »

I was expecting her so I was ready when she came. I had all her projects stacked up, just waiting for her.

She is 2 1/2 now, a magical age that holds so much adventure. She is so happy and agreeable, and she gets excited over the smallest things.

She started her day with mammy by painting. I think she is hooked and I suspect that this will be something we do every time. She loved it!

We took a snack break and watched Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies, and she colored and drew pictures in her own little chair.

Fish crackers are her favorite snack at our house.

This time of year her favorite thing to do is to pick strawberries. She is an expert picker now, and each strawberry she picks get one giant bite out of it before it goes into the basket. It does not matter how many we pick, she eats what we pick.

Water play is also a favorite, she always spends a long time playing in just the smallest amount of water. She does however end up soaked from just a couple of inches.

A lunch break of farm fresh scrambled eggs.

Aniyah loves babies, so mommy bought her a new baby book and mammy and Aniyah took turns reading her book. First mammy, then Aniyah, then mammy . . .

When Aniyah read every page said the same thing. “Bebe, Beeb.  Bebe, Beed.”

Mammy’s “Pi-Pad” has loads of game for both Aniyah and Aria, so we always make time for that, along with another snack.

The last thing on mammy’s pile was a huge floor puzzle. Aniyah loves to do puzzles and we had a fun time putting this big barnyard puzzle together. It was a team effort.

Aniyah ended her day with mammy playing in the water some more until mommy came to get her. We had such a wonderful day and Aniyah experienced so many amazing adventures!

Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation. Isaiah 12:3

Read Full Post »