my little girl...

  

Is constantly coloring and drawing. I love it. She has started drawing people; this is Grammy and "she's sad because she lost her cake." Yikes. Grammy, let this be incentive to keep track of your baked goods! :)

She colored this all by herself, mostly in one sitting. There are several talented artists on Nathan's side of the family.

Here she is drawing a tick and telling me about how it drinks blood from kids and grown-ups.

My little girl is eating a smidge better when I serve sandwiches cut with cookie cutters. Current favorites are pumpkins and stars.

She can wear skinny jeans well. :)

She loooooooves her baby sister. There have been some super sweet moments in the car lately when I look back to see Sophie and Talia holding hands. She will also get defensive if someone addresses Talia as "he" or "him." :) Aunt Julie got a kick out of a recent incident at Barnes and Noble. A little girl was commenting on Talia trying to pull up on the train table: "He's too small!" and Sophie looked kind of disgusted and said, "Hey! She's a baby sister!" I adore these two.

Sophie has memorized three verses, including references, and can recite them perfectly...when she feels like it. We learned Col. 3:20 (obedience), Hebrews 13:5 (handling fear), and Psalm 111:1 (praising the Lord). She had a sticker chart for the verses and got a cupcake necklace when she completed the chart. She has a very tender heart and we have had some good talks lately when instruction and correction have been necessary. I've been using this chart, Wise Words for Moms by Ginger Plowman, to help me know what to say to her. It may be easier to implement with older kiddos, but the overall idea has been very helpful. It's very easy to tell her what to "put off" but harder to take the time or know how to teach her what to "put on" instead. I had been convicted about only dealing with her negative behavior and feeling like being a good mom was making sure her behavior was under control--especially when out around other people, lest they think I'm a terrible mother!--when really my goal should be so much greater than that--getting to her heart! It's not about me feeling proud of her versus getting embarrassed by her.



And to wrap this up, here is Sophie next to her pumpkin that she got at preschool. Surprise, surprise, she picked a pretty one. :) She wanted a picture next to it and this is her own pose.

In the second one, she wanted to pose while I took a picture of her with her candy. She is funny.