WE LOVE TO READ! More importantly, we have some daily habits that we practice, and I try to model. I hope she can keep these as she grows and matures. Here’s some things we like to do!
First, there’s always the COOPY who gets some attention in the day…but usually he is sleeping or following us around.
First, Tot is all about cultivating memories. She is very nostalgic, and she loves to keep everything. Case in point; her R2D2 shirt. She resurrected it, and I made it cute again sans the sleeves. (see the Coopy’s nose looking up to his sis?)
The mornings start also with our quiet time. I usually get a head start in our art/play room, and then she goes in to do her devotion.
Right now, we are doing one from Adventures in Odyssey with Average Boy! (I usually leave her a note)
But she also likes to have a checklist.
She goes through the “Armor of God,” Says “Jesus has a HOLD ON ME,” prayer, devo, and then …great day!
Later in the day, we end the day (or during the day) we read some fun books. Right now, she is into Adventures In Odyssey! We are reading this book which has 4 books inside.
We also are kind of into mysteries! The Westing Game is our latest unraveling novel!
Or I read to her from the Book Of Virtues. A classic. Short stories about important values/character traits like HONESTY, LOYALTY, COMPASSION, SELF-DISCIPLINE…
AND…well, I believe in being proactive as a parent. We are going through a Biblical Sexuality study and talking about marriage, sex, and identity in Christ (celebrating her gender!)
Or apologetics she can understand and own what she believes.
We also end every evening with bible reading. We started in Matthew a while ago, and we are reading through the NT. Just started Ephesians!
And…maybe we’ll watch a video of TobyMac! He just came out with a new song: THE GOODNESS! (The Goodness of God!)
(Yes, Jesus!…our King).
We love our time together, and all of these parts make it one special (and hopeful RICH) day! I love you my TOT!
Even for the daddy. Daddy cracked his tooth, and Tatum wanted him to have a visit. She has been losing teeth left and right, and so she felt it was HIS turn to experience some love.
So, she secretly and carefully slipped her tooth pillow under his pillow.
and when he woke up…
Now, if he could get it fixed without it costing more that $5? EEK!?
Of course, we are still working on the french braid. I have to remember from a bazillion years ago.
We also discovered our clay from when she got this for her birthday. It requires the oven, so we had to do it when we had a little time. A turtle, a sloth, some penguins!
Then she wanted me to make her barbie doll some shorts. Aye! Can we make it a skirt? We pulled out our sewing kits, and I got to work.
Then, she wanted to BE the Daddy. Hard at work. (Maybe she’ll organize his desk? Maybe not)
Oh, she has a call….Please stand by.
Later he wanted to surprise her with some more goodies. Tot and I spent the day doing girlie things and Daddy worked on the outside of the house. He always makes it so beautiful despite the quails making it unbeautiful. (Love those little guys but eerrrrggghh!)
Ok, so we met up around 2, and WOW! First, Tot gave him a card. She loves to draw them together.
Then, what time is it? MINION TIME. Bob came to listen.
What’s this?
No way…how appropriate because at 4:50, we are going to take her to the new Minion movie! Surprise!
LOVE DAY! Hooray! It’s a GAS?
So later, we go. But she also got another surprise. Yes, we have a real live cutie Ken living with us, so she wanted a Barbie Ken doll. I call him the Daddy Doug Doll. He’ll be here Monday, but thank goodness we already have our own cutie here!
Off we went to the movie, and luckily we got there in time for her to
…..drive (off-roading?) Tot! stay on the road. Daddy, you have your work cut out for you when she does learn. Glad that’s your department. HA!
What a great day. You two….Your relationship with each other will continue to grow and develop. For that, I’m eternally grateful. Thank you Jesus for being at the center. Happy Love Day!
WE LOVE IT HERE! It’s our happy place. So, I decided to book a trip to our favorite hotel, Poco Diablo. While I don’t care for the name, I love the grounds due to the golf course being free and the prices being adequate. This time, I got a deal to stay at the Villas. They are like mini-condos, so I thought it may be fine to do a Hay adventure at the Villas!
On Monday, July 4th, we headed out around noon. We decided to celebrate our country’s birthday in Sedona this year.
The drive was lovely as we listened to a few podcasts, and Tatum read and played. We loved the Adventures in Odyssey podcast about Nathan Hale and his heroism coupled with our country’s Founding Father’s faith and sacrifice. It was perfectly delightful. When we arrived in Sedona, the weather said, “COOL OFF KIDS!” Hooray!! Tot and Daddy had some Mexican food, and then we headed for our favorite destination. ICE CREAM AT McDONALD’S!
We couldn’t wait to get to our hotel, and it didn’t disappoint. It was truly like a little condo with a bedroom, kitchen and dining area. We headed to the store so we could stock up, and then…. our celebration of our country.
My honey….I love you~!
We wanted to get up early for our hike and surprise, so we ended with the usual of reading and relaxing. Although none of us slept well, we were ready to tackle the gym and the hike. Easy Breezy this time at Cathedral Rock.
Yes, we’ll take the EASY route today. Ha!
Welllllll, while on the hike, our lack of sleep caught up with us (and really some underlying unsolved issues). Tatum had a few hiccups, and Daddy (and me) had had enough (or maybe it was the straw). We had it out..right there on the Templeton Trail. (Remember Templeton from Charlotte’s Webb? The rat?)> Appropriately, it was a rat that tried to worm itself into our family, and Tatum threw a rock and said NO MORE! Apologies; time outs; remorse; and PRAYING. Tatum ended up hurting her ankle, and Daddy sacrificially carried her all the way down.
LOVE THAT MAN.
We moved on and made the rest of the day good. Our family FIGHTS for the US. With God at the center, we will continue to prosper as a team.
I love you, TOT! We’ll make it! SO BEAUTIFUL! Our cathedral..our family. We stick together.
OK, Circle K (Daddy drove us to the one that had cinnamon…thank you baby!), and then…..THE SURPRISE!
A…..
Helicopter…..
RIDE!
(with Apex and Joshua!)
We ended up getting the longer tour which took us through all of the back side of Sedona and all the monuments.
First, let’s get in and get situated. Tot and I sat in the back and Daddy up front.
Now just loooooook! WOWOW! The black on the rocks is the manganese from the water.
You can see the little cave where there may have been someone living there in the past!
When finished, we were so grateful and happy!
We thanked Joshua and Apex profusely and gratefully; we went to Tlaquepaque for some shopping and just to enjoy the architecture. Daddy makes our house look even better than this place!
Lunch and of course McD’s after lunch; swimming, dinner and just hanging out relaxing. SO good! We were EXHAUSTED, so we fell asleep early and were ready for the next day.
BETTER NIGHT SLEEP. Off to the gym, then a new hike the HHH found!
About one hour around the chimney; Perfect!
OH this is glorious!
Daddy found this cool tree that looked like my highlighted hair! HA!~ A cedar tree?
And a bluejay. He was absolutely beautifully blue and breathtaking.
Almost finished. ….
Oh, I’m ready for my coffeeeee!!! Have you noticed that your pace picks up ten fold when you know you are A…L…M…O…S…T there…… YAHOO!
After our coffee, we went back to change clothes and head out to the downtown Sedona area to walk around and shop.
Tot had $13 allowance, and she had been saving for just the right thing. She decided on a shirt, but first, we had some diversions with other (MANY) options;
Ok, the shirt. Yes mommy…I want the glow in the dark shirt.
Here it is (a later day after I washed it)
After our shopping gig we headed to lunch and McD’s. And then…it happened. No family is perfect, and no family can have perfect children. We know this. We also know that there are behaviors that need to be given grace, and then there are those that need to be nipped in the bud because they can become BIGGER issues as the child matures. A sass here; a disrespectful comment there. When you have an only child, that child can be in the spotlight with ALL the behaviors, and that is what happened (BUT NEEDED) (We owe it to her as her parents because we LOVE those that we discipline just as the Lord loves us). At McDonald’s, Tatum had a few comebacks which were surprisingly ugly. Surprising, yet also had happened in the past (but not as bad), but this time, it was time to deal with it. Doug and I had had it, and she needed a wake up call.
Daddy had some NEEDED words with her, and she remained silent; taking it all in. (So did I! As Daddy needed to get it all out). Back at the hotel, we spent about an hour down at the creek “working it out,” but more importantly realizing that we truly need a DO OVER for our TEAM HAY and for our COMMITMENTS to each other, to Jesus, and to ourselves. Actually, it woke up Tatum. She had us throw some LARGE rocks into the creek to remember that those days over. We are going back to Scottsdale with a new start, Forever Peace path, and a newfound love/deep appreciation for each other.
This is what I LOVE about our family. We deal head on with our “stuff,” and nothing goes swept under the rug to fester. We deal with it then (or within the day).
Getting home, we welcomed our beds, our wonderful home, and our lives. Thank you Jesus for it all.
Oh, alas. It is time to retire the Honda CRV. Wally, you have been tried and true.
Now, I have been eyeing the Bronco Sports for a while now, and finally….after a year, we have found one! They are so hard to get, as I had to wait for one to be ordered. Honestly, they are way too popular. I liked it before it was, but oh well. I still LOVE IT!
When we were in Sedona, I saw my exact Bronco! It will be here in about a month.
