Month: October 2019

I love the quote inserted inside.

You have to play “I Spy” to find Tatum’s name. HEEHEE.

So proud of you, Bumby!

I want to do a dance to the B-52’s song, Rock Lobster at this very moment. Back in High School %^&$% years ago, I did a pom dance to this song at a football game. Ha!
Anyway, today, I was watching Ed watch Tatum’s belly bottoms, and BOOM! He walked away. Hmmmm…

Then, he looked at me and said, “She’s gettin’ a ribbon.”

WHAT!? She conquered that last skill and now, she is moving on to Lobster.

So proud of you, little fish.

Let’s go get your towel.

GO TOT!!!

It was time to share the real story. Yep. Tatum has to realize everything is not free, and as our elders would always say, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.”

I also wanted her to APPRECIATE Daddy! Much of this happens BECAUSE of not only his job but his generosity. We are blessed to have him. My PT job doesn’t provide much, and she needed to know also the sacrifices that are made for her.

So, I put in this tin little bits of paper with each item that we pay for.

As she picked, I would write on the white board.

WOW! That is a lot.

This is a great start in her learning responsibility and independence as she grows up. We will teach her money management and also gratitude for what we have. (She gets this part pretty well).

Thank you, honey, for all that you do for us.

Oh sweetness. Sunday, Doug worked on making the patio clean (thank you!). Cooper found a little hole on the patio and wormed his way out onto the grass. Little did he know that the sprinklers were going FULL BLAST. His innocent little face was shocked and surprised at his all of a sudden wet body. He looked at us with fear and trembling. Doug whisked him up and carried him in as I obtained a towel.

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He needed lots of cheering up after this, so later in the day, I spied Tatum reading to him on her bed.

He’s much happier now. Loving on this little guy is so fun, and it’s ALWAYS happening.

Tatum takes an AR test every morning. Usually, the books average 30 pages. She is supposed to read them three times before taking a test; this means THREE times in one day.

Today, her book size doubled.

And there was much rejoicing upon completion.

She is averaging 100% every single day, and she also receives a nickel each day. She’s going to be a millionaire before the year is up!

Coopy and I LOVE to listen to her read.

Right Cooper?

We love you, TOT! XO

Oh, the process of making mistakes…. Tatum is learning. She is learning that HOW we say something is more important than WHAT we say; she is learning that our hearts are sensitive and need to be cared for. She is learning that sometimes the way we react can be too impulsive, and we need to stop and think before we say something.

All of these are great lessons, but they are not fun to learn. Daddy’s feelings get hurt and Mommy’s feelings get hurt. We also won’t allow ANY unkind words in our home, nor will we allow dishonor or disobedience. She doesn’t really struggle with not obeying, but the tone of her voice or a facial expression can be dishonorable. SO….Doug and I are having many opportunities to teach and redirect.

How is she handling it? IMMEDIATELY, after a said faux pas, she is filled with remorse. Sometimes, she cannot express her sorrow enough, so she makes cards.

We both get them, and they do make all of the difference. What then follows are prayers of confession and help from the Holy Spirit to change and learn.

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Daddy’s card has an infinite circle representing a journey of love and forgiveness. This is how she explained it. She also is standing next to Daddy as I stand next to Coopy.

I love her heart and willingness to change. We are taking it one day at a time. Meanwhile, she is finding ways to love on Daddy.
Like her in his glasses?

She really is ONE in a Minion. Yes, she wanted to have a do-over of the Minion Halloween four years ago.

Remember this?

Oh, Little cutie.

She barely remembers this, but she does remember the joy of wearing this funny glasses.

Well, it was to be again. She wanted to be a Minion all over again! We decided to go with Mama and Coti in her neighborhood. This way we could visit some of our old friends too.

First, a few pics with my old doggie and my mom.

Daddy come to join us, and we all headed out.

We only went to about 10 houses, but we did enjoy seeing old friends. Tatum had a great time, and proved you really can have TWO in a minion!