KIDS' MATTERS

Last Minute Valentines

Both girls had been making Valentines for various people all week.  They were so excited about Valentines day. 

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I decided to make cookies.  Gingerbread hearts dipped in chocolate and Chocolate hearts decorated in pink, white and blue icing.  Kinsey loves blue.  Haylee loves pink.  I wanted white. 

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We also dipped chocolate hearts in chocolate. 

Oh my, yummy. 

In the excitement, Haylee wanted to have a special Valentine dinner and talked her mom into making homemade pizza and asked me and Grampa to join them.  Meanwhile Kinsey popped in to say how excited she was about pizza.  And I asked if she'd made her sister a Valentine.  She hung her head and mumbled, "No."

"Do you want to make her one?"  She looked up.

"I don't know what to make."  I took her in my bathroom/craft counter and we rummaged through various boxes of ribbons, burlap, flowers and buttons.  "Burlap!  Haylee likes burlap!"  Within minutes we were constructing a wall hanging of a strip of burlap trimmed in fuschia grosgrain ribbon, and a diamond-tipped fabric rose.  We cut a heart out of a pink envelope I'd received from Grampa that morning, and Kinsey wrote I love you on it.  We found some googely eyes and glued them beneath the heart and made a smile with a piece of the paper left over from the heart.  Kinsey was so excited she had to deliver it to her sister right away.

Within five minutes Haylee came through my back door.

"Grama, I don't have anything for Kinsey."  Back to the bathroom/craftroom.  Haylee decided she wanted blue, because Kinsey's favorite color is "blue".  I didn't have much in blue, but had some fabric turquoise ribbon left over from making bows for a wedding last Summer.

"I have a little bluebird."

  Haylee's creative mind went into first gear.  Out the door she went in search of a branch and a slice of wood (also leftover from the country wedding decorations last Summer).  Within a few minutes we were stripping a few leaves off an ivy arrangement in my bathroom to glue to the branch Haylee treked out to the woods to find. We clipped some daisies from my kitchen window arrangement and at Haylee's fatidious direction, I helped glue the pieces together.

I was amazed at how quickly we assembled a Japanese-style arrangement for Kinsey's bedroom shelf.  She was thrilled, and so was Haylee.  Maybe last minute Valentines are best.  It really doesn't matter.  But sisters need to love sisters and creating homemade Valentines is a great way of showing it.  Don't you think?

AS LITTLE CHILDREN

It's a picture perfect day in the Winter of our Oklahoma February.  Warm. Unlike the frigid temperatures of a few days ago.  I snapped this photo as I walked down my street.  Several neighborhood children had found a pile of sand--leftover from a construction crew who'd been repairing pipelines along our street.

The children were having a blast.  Digging, lying it it, sharing it.  In total, there were six children.  Two different families' children.  What is pictured for you here, is one little girl digging in one spot, while a shirtless little boy digs in another.  They are actually sitting in the street--the sand spills over the curb and onto the pavement.  Parents were standing outside of the area, watching over their children.

What captured my attention was several things.

A dangerous place to play.  Joy in playing in that dangerous place.  Gentleness of the little girl's hand upon the shoulder of her playmate (brother?).  Sharing the sand with glee--no one taking ownership of the sand.  The sand was for everyone.  It was free.  When sitting amid the sand, no one held claim over their portion.  I smiled.  And I pondered what had prompted me to take the picture as I was walking to take another photograph of a street sign I wanted to post on another blog of mine.

Our world is full of danger.  Temptations.  Lurking evil.  Yet the Lord tell us to "be in the world and not of the world".  As we play in our world of danger, we can still have "joy".  We can still exhibit "gentleness".  And we who are Believers of an Almighty God Who sent His Son to die and freely deposit the Sand of our redemption from the dangers of the world, can freely engage in that dangerous world.  We have the Sand.  It's on our property.  But it is far more than we need.  We can share it with others.

These children had no fear of an impending disaster.  They gave no thought to a vehicle which could end their playtime.  And when we share in the Sand God has given us, we have no need to fear vehicles either.  Rejection.  Scoffers.  Criticism.  Believers in Jesus always have the Father above watching over us.  His angels encamp around us.  His Spirit leads and directs us.  So we can be just as the little children who Jesus compared to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Free, innocent, openly sharing our joy in the Saviour.

And that is the way God spoke to me from this simple little scene on my walk along the Way.  I hope you find strength today from exercise the Lord gave me yesterday.  [copyrighted, selahVtoday,2007]

Only Just Begun

A kiss of love?  Oh yes.  Haylee Jae, commonly called HayJae, adores her baby sister, Kinsey Marie.  Sometimes.

Other times HayJae is annoyed with Kinsey.  She doesn't like to share with her.  Share?  What does a four-month-old baby need from a two-year-old sister?  Well, that's the problem.  Nothing really.  But Haylee Jae doesn't want to share Mommy, or Daddy, or Drahma (as she affectionately calls me).  HayJae wants the spotlight.  It's okay for someone to hold Kinsey for a little while.  It's okay to feed her, most of the time.  It's okay to change her and bathe her.  But often HayJae wants her peeps (people of importance) all to herself.

"Watch me!  Watch me!" she begs as she tumbles on the floor.  "Sit here.  Sit here," she instructs as she points to a spot on the floor next to her.  "Dance with me, Drahma.  Stand up and dance,"  she beckons as she twirls around and holds out her hands.  "Wanna watch Veggie Tales?" she queries with excitement.  "Let's go!  C'mon Drahma," she begs as she heads for her mom's bedroom.  (Gotta get Grama away from the rest of the household.)

HayJae is not the only person in the family.  Kinsey is not the only rival for mommy's time, daddy's attention, grama's love.  HayJae has two elder brothers--one almost 16, the other nearly 14.  HayJae's also got a big sister who is married and lives in Alaska.  In March HayJae will fly up there with her mom.  There's a new baby on the way.  And we have no idea how HayJae will react to sharing Sissie.  So HayJae must share all the time.  Everyone must.  And it's not always easy.  There are times when it's nearly impossible to change a diaper, catch a toddler climbing on the changing table, answer a phone and remain patient, loving and kind.

I told my daughter the other day that HayJae told me, "Don't feed Kinsey Marie."  She hadn't had me all to herself to play for several days.  And whenever I babysat (which is often) Kinsey was awake and needed all the attention--actually demanded all the attention.  She's too little to share.  My wise daughter said, "Yeah, I know.  Haylee tells me all the time she don't want Kinsey.  But I just keep telling her, Kinsey's not going anywhere.  She's here to stay.  And we must share."

Haylee accepts that explanation most days, most times.  But there are times when her sibling love rests solely in the future.  And it's only just begun.   [copyrighted, SelahV,2007]

Check out other Matters of interest to SelahV by clicking on the ABOUT link.  Feel free to comment or email your thoughts on your children, grandchildren or other's children.  Especially interested in stories you have about something your child of interest has said.  This should be a fun blog.