Scrambled Thoughts - January

1. Everyone should have a goal.

My goal, for example, is to get my home the way I want it over the next twelve months. Eliza's goal is to find joy in every step of the process.

Together I think we're going to make a great team.

Take pillow shopping, for example...

The truth is, had I gone pillow shopping by myself I would have found the pillows I wanted in no time at all.*

*Not true. I take forever to make any type of decision and deciding on pillows would have been no different with or without Eliza.

But since Eliza was with me, she made the experience a whole lot more delightful because of all the fun she had in selecting the pillows and snuggling all the pillows.

Eventually her good will ran out though, and she began screaming the word, "Wahhh-k!" over and over and over until I finally decided it would be best to let her get out of the cart and walk. Thankfully she's the best type of toddler to let walk around in a store because she's rather timid about jumping into anything unknown. Haven't ever seen something like a floor lamp before? Better not touch it. Those little glass balls on a shelf right next to your face? They look suspicious. On the contrary, things like chairs and pillows and glass figurines in the shape of kitties? Those are all toys and they all belong to her. So, her normal toddler shines through loud and clear there.

Anyway - taking Eliza around town this year finding home goods will be quite the experience for us both.

2 - Eliza is Eliza's favorite

It's easy to see why. She is adorable. But she knows it and wants nothing more than to see her adorable face when the camera comes out. I only get one shot of a cute, normal face because once she spots the phone she starts reaching for it.

And when I don't give it to her she starts screaming, "Zie-Zuh! Zie Zuh! Zie Zuh!" Which, being interpreted means, "Eliza! Eliza! Eliza! I want to see Eliza!"

And the moment which once was cute is cute no more.

3 - I started a new tradition.

It's called, take a picture of all five kids together every Sunday when they're all dressed up for church.
The five kids in question, however, believe this to be a terrible tradition and every one of them (except McKenzie - bless her sweet compliant heart) griped and complained at every step of the process. I find it funny that the only son who followed my instruction of 'just at least tuck your shirt in, was the son with the elastic waistband pants.

Thankfully, four of the five children are a little further in developing their 'smile even though you don't want to' skill.

Better luck next week, I guess.

4 - He never even saw me there.

Timothy has been writing stories non stop lately, and it takes all of his concentration. He'll sit there quietly breaking apart words and writing all the sounds he hears into sentences that are still a little hard to decipher.

5 - Give a girl a darling coat and a great hat and you'll never know she's still in her pajamas.

I often pull Eliza straight out of bed to take Timothy to school but, unlike me, she seems to love being pulled from her bed. The second she awakes, she bounces to her feet talking and chattering about tares (stairs), and bae-bee (baby), and her bee-kee (blanket), about the hot (her space heater), and the yight (light), and Cah-sn and Mi-juls and Kee-Kay and Kee-Kee (Carson, Miles, TK, and Kenzie). The girl doesn't stop talking from the moment she wakes up until the moment she falls back asleep.

But we're not here to talk about her chatter habits. We're here to talk about how dang coot she looks in her k-oh-t and hhatt (always said with a smile).