Thank you, Grandmama for my elephant shirt! I just need to be able to say it now!
All was quiet on the western front….
and I wondered, hmmmm what could she be doing in there? As I entered her room (which faces west), I expected a pile of books on the floor, or her toys strewn amok, or all of the kleenex piled to the ceiling, but nope. There she was, quiet as a mouse, paging through her book.
She looked up at me and said, “moo!”, as she pointed to the (thankfully) cow and not the duck. It did not last long as she saw me holding my phone. “Wowo” (which means phone in Tatum speak). I showed it to her, and as usual she took it over. Somehow, she managed to contact Siri, and when I asked for it back, her answer was her new word…….”No.” Aaaaah, yes…the awaited word of N…O. Siri heard this of course, and responded.
How do we worship thee? Let me count four ways
1. By Standing ON TRUTH (with cute shoes of course). Here is the TRUTH: There is no greater Love than that of Jesus. God loves us that much, and sometimes, for reasons I just don’t understand, He plants things in our lives, good and bad, which are to refine us for the better.
2. By being our true selves, making the most of each moment, silliness and all. God created us all different, thank goodness. We all have a side that is child-like, that we suppress, and so what happens? We forget that laughing is good medicine. And sometimes being silly is just good for the soul. We can worship Him by being unafraid to let it all out and rejoice in the day.
3. Singing! Raising our hands to Him shows our reverence and our adoration for His presence in our lives. Sometimes, also, we just want to feel Him.
I know that my need for personal touch and Love from Him overwhelms me; I need to express my AWE of Him.
…. and I just need to hold on to His rock of stability.
4. By Loving others and showing it always. I worship Him by being mindful that my needs are secondary to loving others more than myself. His Spirit gives me the ability to be completely selfless (and only Him because I sure cannot do it solely!) and take care of others, whether it be smiling at a stranger, helping a student after school, or just being an ear.
For now….. I just am taking my days one at a time, loving Tatum with all my heart, asking God to help me be the best mommy ever, and trying to serve others with a smile. 
Help…My OCD is showing
In my daughter. Ok, so I am modeling my obsession with vacuuming and cleaning the floors. What else can I expect than for her to pick this habit up? I did not intend this!
Apparently, next to the xylophone that I had when I was a child, there stood my “Little Bissell” which she discovered on her own. Upon banging away at the xylophone, she grabbed the Bissell. It’s important to point out that she did not get introduced to this contraption, she discovered it on her own; Tatum is not one to take to being introduced to something, for she likes to be the “discoverer.”
Push..push..
She became so successful, that she went into her bedroom and continued! Love this child!
She’s hired!
Remembering the Patriot
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died while serving in the US forces. Memorial Day’s genesis was from the Civil War and a desire to honor the ones who died for our country. The opportunity to make the best of our lives (and others’) is what sets us apart from any other place on earth. For that, I honor this day.
Tatum donned her Stars and Stripes and shared it with her baby. Forever we remember and Thank you.
She be skillin’….skillin!
Tatum had the distinct pleasure of TWO solid days of skillin. How? My sweet mother watched her while I was at school since Temple Chai was closed for two days.
Threading Beads.
Blocks and Letters… (She mimics the sounds as you put the block into the bag or on top of each other)
Carrying a Purse ( a must for a girl with many toys)
Fisher Price Little People driving into the garage (Coti ate all the old little people, so Ebay here we come!)
And of course putting lids on and off containers!
Now, today, she learned some rumbly tumbly at The Little Gym. This was completely out of her element since the “BEAST” class is 19 month-36 month. However, she did pretty well as she basically ran around watching and trying to copy other kids.
The funniest part was watching her try to chase the bubbles
We will continue this through the summer so she can perhaps attempt the balance beam and the parallel bars.
In the meantime, I continue to reinforce manners with everyone AND Coti (no hitting or teasing!): Please, Thank you, Hello!, Hi! Bye, Happy!…. Words of Encouragement and Positivity.
Through it all….. The LOVE celebration
It’s hard to believe that one year ago today, I sat in a courtroom with a judge telling me I was officially Tatum’s mother, Mrs. Tatum Tot. Each day, I wonder why me? Why did God choose me to be her mommy? Questioning and celebrating coexist in my brain, and this actually produces wonderment. Awesome wonder of HOW God works. It is truly apparent that I had ZERO to do with this miraculous union just as Mary had ZERO to do with the immaculate conception. She did not deserve it; she merely lived her life, obediently and just plain normally. Me? My life was no different (and I am definitely no Mary!) But, for some reason, this child of mine needed someone to figuratively carry her into this world and give her an opportunity to LIVE HER BEST LIFE.
I humbly receive that honor to be her guide ( and hopefully her light, her sage and her biggest cheerleader). All I can do is continue to point point point (and I say that three times to emphasize this since it is not me who can provide this) to the GOD of this universe while also being the GOD of her life; her ABBA; her Daddy; her personal Jesus.
May each year bring the blessings that she continues to provide me. I say this, not because it is and easy road, for blessings do not come from paved ways; they come climbing grassy hills with rocks and crags. We fall; we bruise; and occasionally break a limb, but through it all, we are ultimately blessed.