I am amazed at just how smart Alora is. Just the other day, Alora came into the kitchen opened the cabinet under the sink and started pointing at the paper towels and saying, "Su, Su Mama, Su, su Mama." That means, I want that mama. So I gave her a napkin and she went running to her bedroom. Eric and her had been playing in there and so I thought that one of them had spilt something and Eric had sent her into the kitchen to get a paper towel. So I asked Eric why she needed the paper towel, and he said, "Oh she didn't, I think she just wanted to play with it." I said okay. A little while later Eric calls me from the kitchen and asks me to come to Alora's bedroom. When I walk in he holds up a paper towel and asks me to smell it, of course I said no because smells make me so nautious, especially this far along in pregnancy. Well he kept on insisting and so I broke down and smelled. He asked what it smelled like and I said "throw-up." We asked Alora if she had thrown-up, but she just looked at us like "what are you talking about," so we asked her if something had come out of her mouth, she shook her head yes, pointed down her throat and then to the floor. It was so cute to see her make those hand movements. Eric preceeded to tell me that he had noticed the paper towel in the floor and when he picked it up the vomit was under it. Alora had come and got the paper towel from me to clean her own vomit up. Everytime I think about this little story I get a certain little feeling as though she is growing up too fast. I wish I could just stop time and keep her this small forever. But I know I can't and that there are many more exciting memories that we will share ahead. Thank you Lord for blessing me with children. Amen!

The Scary Part of "The Ugly Duckling"

So every week I take Alora to the Library where we exchange books and movies for new ones. Sometimes it's hard finding books for her age level, especially, when there are so many to choose from. Before deciding on any book I try to glance through them seeing if there is anything that would teach Alora something that's not honoring to God. She is learning her colors now, so most books have to do with colors. But just last week Alora spotted a book she just had to have, The Ugly Duckling.(We are working on animal sounds and her favorites are ducks, cows and chickens.) I knew the story and didn't really think anything of it, until I got home and began to read it to her. The story begins by a little duckling being hatched that doesn't look anything like his family and is made fun of so he decides to leave and find some friends who will like him no matter what he looks like. This is where the story goes a little crazy. In this rendition of the story the little duckling asks some other ducks to KILL HIM because he is so ugly. WHAT? What are we trying to teach our children? If you don't like yourself or if someone else doesn't like you go and kill yourself. I told Eric about the book and he read it and was appauled also. As he started reading the front cover he saw that it was an adaptaation from the original story. How scary? So I encourage all you mothers out there to carefully examine the stories you are reading to you children and know that they are sucking in everything that we teach them, especially when they want us to read it to them over and over again.