God's Presents

Missy called me at work on Wednesday afternoon just to relay this story: As they were driving home from BSF, Eli was telling Missy about the story that he had heard in class that day.  The story was about the end of Exodus, where the Isrealites complete the construction of God's tabernacle.

Eli said to Missy that "a cloud came down" when the tabernacle was completed.  Missy asked Eli, "what was in the cloud?" and Eli replied, "God's presence."  Missy asked, "God?" and Eli insisted "no, Mommy, God's presence." 

At this point, Missy figured out that Eli was actually saying "presents" -- not "presence"!  She asked him "Presents, like Christmas presents?" and Eli replied "Yes, God's presents.  They said, 'To Moses, From God.'"

Obviously the term "God's presence" in connection with the cloud has been used, and Eli had misunderstood it -- albeit in a cute way.  :-)

Beware the Tickle Words!

Following up on Eli's previous made-up word from earlier this winter, ponga, Eli (possibly in conjunction with cousins Lexi and Tori) has come up with an all-new made-up phrase.  The phrase is (are you ready for this?): "peagle schmagen haga heego!" 

Eli will whip that phrase out whenever he's feeling silly.  He pronounces it the same way every time, just as though the individual words had some actual meaning.  (Eli's vocabulary of real words continues to grow by leaps and bounds as well, so Missy and I don't mind him using his made-up words on occasion.  Plus it's super cute when he says them.)  :-)

At first the phrase "peagle schmagen haga heego" was meaningless, but somehow it has evolved to become the "tickle words."  If someone (including Mommy or Daddy) says the complete phrase, they get tickled!  This has led to silliness such as Mommy Daddy saying to Eli something along the lines of "peagle schmagen haga ... hmm, how did it go again?"  Eli will respond to this by reciting the full 4-word phrase -- at which point Mommy and Daddy proceed to tickle Eli, since he said the phrase!

Footnote: Regardless of whether the initial pronunciation was "punka" or "punga," Eli's original made-up word has since evolved to now have a pronunciation more like "ponga".  We wouldn't want any of our loyal readers out there to be working with an obsolete pronunciation, so we're pleased to bring to you this latest breaking news item!  :-)

Holiday Pictures? Don't think so, Mom!

Well, I really wanted to have the kids have holiday pictures this year (since I've never had them done before and now I have a little girl to dress in adorable holiday dresses). Our kids wanted no part of it however. Elijah spent the first 10 minutes sticking his tongue out at the camera, while Matea took one look at the photographer and screamed.

Elijah was eventually coerced in to big smiles, but Matea would not cooperate until Daddy came to the rescue (he was meeting us for lunch so I called him in to come help wrangle the kiddies). We ended up with some cute pictures of the two of them, but none that were just amazing.

We did get a really good picture of Elijah, so that's my one consolation. I'm not sure about trying this photo thing again any time soon though. Pictures by Mom in front of the tree are going to be in order, and I better get some good smiles out of these kids or else! :)

PlayWorld Fun

Last Friday we met my friend Stephanie at the mall for lunch, and then, since Mommy/Aunt Missy royally screwed up the carousel riding at the mall (long story, not that interesting), a "bribe" visit to PlayWorld was needed to avert meltdowns by Lexi, Tori, and Elijah. We had so much fun at PlayWorld, and we'll be going back again soon for a whole day. We only spent the afternoon there, but the kids could have stayed much longer. It costs a pretty penny to get in, but then the food inside is very cheap, so that kind of makes up for it. Anyway, here are some fun pictures of our afternoon at PlayWorld!

Pretty Princess Lexi, locked up in the tower by the mean witch (Aunt Missy). :) Prince Eli and Brave Knight Tori arrive in their trusty Cozy Coupe's to save the Princess.Look what a Twizilix popsicle can do to your mouth!My tongue matches my eyes now, Mommy. And my tongue matches my shirt!Matea spent most of her time in "CarSeatWorld." Matea did get to ride a motorcycle just her size, though! Road warrior! Sweet ride, tator-tot. 

Mealtime Fun

Well, things have been busy, yet not that interesting over here. Nothing major to report. I can't believe it's almost Christmas, and that Matea is almost 6 months old. She's been developing such a fun little personality, and she keeps us on our toes, especially since she has an aversion to napping for any amount of time.

I don't know if this is a sign of things to come or not, but Matea has now decided that she needs to have the spoon when she's eating. In fact, she won't open her mouth for food unless her hand is on the spoon! I've worked around this by giving her one spoon and keeping one for myself, occasionally switching them. I think she knows what I'm up to, but it's working for now!

Right after she eats her cereal Matea gets in super-happy mood, so I thought I'd share some of our fun photos from mealtimes. You'll have to just imagine the high-pitched squeals that accompany the pics though . . . :)

Funny faces? Me! Never! I'm a little lady!Haha, I finally got that spoon! Admit it, you think I'm adorable. Here I'm telling the camel what I really think!  Another winning smile to keep Mom wrapped around my finger. Playing with my favorite chew toy - Eli's dinosaur. Matea's so excited she can't contain herself - and notice the dinosaur going flying over her shoulder!Peek-a-boo! Roar!Another smile (and squeal) for my fans. :)