A tender heart, and one confused Jillian!

Jillian was exhibiting some odd behavior after getting up from her nap this afternoon.

I was in the kitchen working on supper. She kept walking accross the hallway and from room-to-room, carrying a dolly and blanket. She would cry inconsolably, then smile and giggle, and on and on back and forth between those extremes.

Jillian then got stuck in crying mode. She cried and walked around, shaking her head "no" when I offered to pick her up and comfort her. She would quiet for a minute, look at her dolly, then hug the dolly and cry and cry.

I was puzzled. I finally couldn't stand the constant crying and went and picked her up. I heard something. "Aha!" I thought to myself. She was holding a doll late great-grandma Phyllis Justis had given to Madalynn. The doll cries when you squeeze it!

She kept hugging the baby, trying to comfort her, not realizing that the hug activated the cry. That's a bit confusing, don't you think? Jillian was probably thinking. "What is going on? A hug is supposed to make her quiet, not upset her!" I giggled.

The thing is, she didn't want me to take the dolly and put her away. She was apparently so concerned for the crying dolly's well-being, that putting her away would be an insensitive thing to do.

So...for another hour we all watched Jillian and her screaming love for her dolly.

Justis' Lemonade Stand Plans Becoming a Reality!

Our little architect and planner Justis has seen his lemonade stand plans begin to take shape into the REAL deal today!

Travis chose to use the Home Depot gift card he received from ADM for Christmas to buy materials to make the lemonade stand drawn in the plans Justis handed to Travis several months ago.

We all went to Home Depot and the kids rode on the materials cart while Travis got the wood he needed to build the lemonade stand. Travis redrew Justis' design, putting in measurements. He kept it looking exactly like the one in Justis's plan, though!

Travis began last night and got the frame up and then he and the kids worked on it all day today since Travis had the day off for Martin Luther King Day.

We all pitched in and worked. Travis did the measuring, cutting and screwing together of the stand. I drew and cut a few fancy edges with the skill saw Travis got me for my birthday a couple of years ago. Justis was like the general contractor of the project, frequently checking on progress and asking questions about what was happening and how Daddy planned on doing it. Madalynn, Justis and Dawson all started painting it this evening.

Some more painting is all Travis and the kids have to do before the job is done! The project has been fun for all of us.

Justis can hardly wait to see lemonade stand finished. He woke up this morning and, still in his boxer-briefs, went straight to the back door and looked out at the lemonade stand frame. He then heard Travis running on the treadmill.

"Good. Daddy hasn't started painting it yet!" He said. "I'm going to go get my clothes on so I can go out with Daddy to finish it as soon as he's ready!"

Oompa Loompa Jillian

Spaghetti ate Jillian. Oops. Strike that. Reverse it. Jillian ate Spaghetti.

A Game of Dress-Up Gone Wrong!

Travis's Uncle Brad and Aunt Rhonda stopped in to visit and stayed with us overnight last night on their way back to Kansas from Florida. Our kids and their kids had a great time playing with each other! Lauren is 8, Camryn is almost six, Blaine is 3 and they have a two-month-old, Danica, whom stayed back in Kansas with Travis's grandma Phyllis. The kids are in close proximity in age and really got down to business playing.

We were ready to put breakfast on the table, so Travis went to Madalynn's room to announce "breakfast time" to the kids. He was in there for a while before Travis, Justis and all of the kids came out.

All of the kids were laughing, except Justis, who's dignity had been seriously compromised. The three older girls had dressed him as a girl in an old flower girl dress and black, curly wig!

Travis said he almost didn't let Justis come out of the closet dressed like that, but they somehow convinced Travis to let him model his new look for the rest of us.

Everyone in the living room busted out laughing at the sight of Justis as a girl, and Justis cried. He thought we were making fun of him and didn't enjoy being the heel of the joke!

I convinced him to be still for a second while I caught a picture. I turned the camera and showed Justis what he looked like and he, too, burst out laughing!

Madalynn's Math Blocks=Jillian's Toys

Jillian was up from her nap before Madalynn finished her math several days ago. I allowed Jillian to roam quietly and play while Maddie finished, while I read with Justis in the other room.

I came around the corner when Justis was done and Jillian was up in a booster seat at the table with Madalynn. Madalynn was busy concentrating on her +8 facts, while Jillian was jabbering and happily playing with the Madalynn's math manipulatives.

I asked if she had been bothering Madalynn.

Madalynn replied, "No. She was just watching me do my math and I thought she might like to play with the blocks, so I put her up in the chair beside me. She likes it, I think!"

I snapped a couple of pictures and the two remained quiet and busy until Madalynn was done with math and it was time to put the manipulatives away.

Bed Bugs

We are blessed with children that sleep through the night in their own beds. Inviting them to our bed for an occasional snooze, then, is a treat for both us and them!

I snapped a couple of pictures of the kids in the middle of our bed.

Jillian slept in the bed with us one night when she was sick with a cold.

Dawson, on the other hand, just likes to be loved on, so he came and put his arms up to Travis one night. Travis pulled him up into bed with us.

The other picture is Dawson, whom I found asleep on his bedroom floor one night. He really stalled on going to bed that night and finally fell asleep (we guess) lying on his floor playing with toys!

Stories by the fire with Daddy.

Neither Travis or I ever thought we'd build a tradition around the chiminea we purchased from Holly before she left for Thailand a couple of years ago. The chiminea is now the "center" of the chiminea story time tradition!

We lit the chiminea one brisk spring evening when we lived in Hutchinson, KS. Travis read a story to them by the firelight that night and also sang them some songs while playing his guitar.

Jillian was but a sparkle in God's eye then and Dawson was too little to remember that he enjoyed it, too. Madalynn and Justis begged Travis every evening to light the chiminea and read them a story. Most of the time Travis happily agreed, save for the evenings with high winds (that was the summer of the Hutchinson grass fires and we didn't want the house to burn to the ground!).

The chiminea was used in Hugoton for stories by the fire light, and the chiminea now holds a place on our patio out back here at our Louisiana home.

I took this picture of Travis telling the three oldest a story about a week ago by the fire of the chiminea. They sometimes want me to read a story to them, but the time is primarily a time for Travis to treat the kids. They really enjoy the special time with him and he cherishes the time with the kids just as much. I enjoy watching them listen to Travis and giggle and smile because they're happy to have the unique time with Daddy. I also smile because I love Travis and I enjoy watching him love our children.