Kendall Conversations vol. 4

Papa is having a birthday, his 57th to be exact.  (Sorry for the detail, Papa, but it's vital to the story as you know.)  Anyway, Gigi was trying to teach Kendall to reply "fifty-seven" when asked how old he was.

Later at home, testing Kendall's memory and concept of abstract numbers,

Mommy:  Kendall, who's birthday is it?

Kendall:  Papa's.

Mommy:  Where are we going when it's Papa's birthday?

Kendall:  We go to Papa and Gigi's house and have cake.

Mommy:  That's right.  How old is Papa?

Kendall:   He fifty cents.

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In the midst of whining since Mommy said no to something,

Mommy:  Kendall, if you continue to lie on the rug and whine you will have to go sit on your bed until you are finished.  No one wants to listen to whining.

Kendall (from sprawled out face down position smack in the middle of the kitchen floor): Jenn Jenn like to listen to whine?

Mommy: No, Jenn Jenn doesn't listen to whining.

Kendall:  JuJu listen to whine?

Mommy:  No.

Kendall:  Nana?  Grandpa? Annie?

Mommy:  No.

Kendall:  Nobody like listen to whine??

Ahhh...It's Amost Here!

There's just nothing like the first feeling of summer.  And for the first time this season Kendall and I busted out the swimming suits because it was just too plain hot to do much else outside.  Love it.  Remind me of that when we hit July and August.  But I'd take the dog days of summer over the dreary, cold weather of winter.

She asked for a spray and then changed her mind.  Fifty some-odd times.

Big Hug, Big Kiss

So, naturally, being a two-year-old little girl lives in our household, we've been working big time on whining and complaining.  It seems like a constant issue.  Everyday I find myself saying the same things.

"Mommy doesn't understand whining.  You will have to use your big girl words to tell me what you want."

"Mommy doesn't listen to whining.  You will have to go sit on your bed if you continue to whine."

And I could continue with numerous variations of the same.  Can I get an amen?

I know, I know, part of this is the mere fact that she's two.  And my job as her mommy is to teach her.  God reminded me lately when I was stressing (and borrowing trouble) that my demanding two-year-old would grow into a demanding, spoiled little adult that SHE'S TWO.  And He gently added, "The reason she's in your care for eighteen years is that it takes that long to raise a child."  In other words, don't place today's issues on her ten to fifteen years from now.  Parenting is a process.  It takes time and patience just as a small seed grows into a might oak. And the fruits of our parenting efforts are not immediate, but they are effective and certain. And here's the nutshell:  be patient. After all, God's had to be a whole lot more patient with me over the years as I've exerted my own adult will and attitudes that needed pruning and refining than I've had to be with my own wee one.  Talk about the plank and the speck.  (Matthew 7:4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?)


Well, one mommy declaration Kendall has heard PLENTY of is:

"Kendall, the Bible says, "Do everything without grumbling or arguing." (Philippians 2:14)

I mean if there's one verse that has been hidden in her heart it's certainly that one.  And I know by faith that I WILL see fruits of this since God's Word doesn't return void. I will.  Mights oaks...

And through my formal education, limited parental experience, and teacherly admonishings to other parents/teachers, I know that two-year-olds can become very frustrated as they're learning to navigate this big world (not much different than adults who just learn to internalizel their little fits).  They need a healthy balance of patience, grace, and clear boundaries and expectations. And so some days, like this morning, I actually decided to take my own advise.

Kendall, as all two-year-olds, gets many orders and instructions each day.  Put your plate in the sink.  Pull your pants back up.  Close the door.  Keep the door open.  Leave the dog alone.  Keep the marker on the paper.  And all the before...you-must directives.  Before you go outside you must get your shoes.  Before you can watch a video you must take a nap.  Before you can go play you must take your medicine. So I try to sprinkle a little humor and fun into it as an incentive.  Maybe by giving some funny commands she'll learn to listen to her parents' words and not see them as pure torture.  We all need comic relief occasionally.

This morning after all her routine instructions and guidance over everything from pottying to breakfast to medicine, she said she wanted to go finish watching her show.

"Mommy, I go watch Cat in the Hat, ok?"

"Ok, but first....you must give Mommy a big hug, big kiss!"

She squeals and throws her arms around me for a big squeeze.  I give her a kiss on the cheek and send her on her way to the den.  Ahhh....Mommy gold star for me!  All's right in our little world.  I have an obedient, compliant toddler.

Screeching breaks. The singing angelic chorus of Hallelujah is silenced.

Here is comes, the dreaded, wrinkled face and mouth set for a big whale of a whine. And my blood pressure skyrockets in like 0.2 seconds and my stomach plummets.  It's only eight o'clock and let round one begin.  (So much for all my anti-complaining campaigns.  Again, my mind zooms lightning speed into the far future before I can reign it back into the present.)

"Mommmm-mmmmmeeee! NOOO! Mommy!!"

"What, Baby?" in the most patient, understanding voice I can muster.

Arms stretched out, "I didn't give you a big kiss yet!!!"

And, bloggies and fellow mommies, that's one whine I think I will quickly pardon for today. 

Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Galatians 6:8-10

Dr. Kendall!!

She finally did it.  She worked hard.  Had a few set backs.  Brought herself and her mama to tears a few times.  But she has overcome.  Yes, Kendall has earned all ten of her magnets to get her coveted doctor kit.  It's been slow going, but slow and steady we're winning the race.  Kendall proudly placed her tenth and final magnet on her potty incentive chart yesterday.  And she earned it as SCHOOL, so Mama was extra proud!

Kendall called Daddy and begged kindly and oh so sweetly asked him to take her to Target that night when he got home so she could claim her awaited prize.  (All the while Mommy is crossing her fingers that Target does indeed still have doctor kits on the shelves.)  Daddy conceded.  And away we went.

 And just Daddy's luck, Target only had the granddaddy doctor kits of them all.  Nope.  None of the cheaper Fisher Price ones that come in the flimsy little black bag.  THIS one has it all:  everything from a stethoscope that makes a real heartbeat noise to a play beeper so Dr. Kendall can be on call at all times.  But what's a Daddy gonna do?

Kendall was so proud when we left the store.  We had to open it and all its eleventy billion parts as soon as we got in the car.  And she played with it the whole way home.

And even more once we got home.  Never mind it was past bath time.  Bath time didn't happen.

 Everyone, including Kendall herself, received a check up.

 Daddy even had some nose spray, per doctor's orders.

Kendall learned how to check "bud peshure".

 And she tried out her new skills on Mommy.

Yes, bloggies, Kendall has her medical license.  Let's just hope her credentials aren't revoked.  That's still a real possibility around here.  Very volatile.

Awesome Creator, Mighty God

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

Apparently last week the moon was a mere 17,000 miles closer to Earth than normal and people called it the "Super Moon".  I don't know those facts are totally accurate as I was told it and didn't investigate any further. But I'm taking people's word for it. Needless to say the moon did look bigger that night so I'm sure those statistics were right.

I stepped outside that night to get a look.  And, no, I didn't have sense enough to snap a pic.  I totally swiped this one from a friend's album on facebook.  I really didn't anticipate it being a big deal to me, but in the moment of staring up into the clear sky and studying the moon and seeing the stars I started thinking.

What a creative Creator we serve.  What an awesome, powerful God.  Have you stopped lately to really admire His handiwork?  Have you let the complexity of it all blow your mind?  Not only did God create all we see, He sustains it with pinpoint precision.  Even the wind blows at His command.  I mean, have you ever thought WHY Earth is the only known planet with life?  Because God perfectly made the Earth and its composition for the human race, and He perfectly aligned the sun and moon and stars to sustain the perfect balance to sustain life.  We're exactly positioned in relativity to the sun to make the temperature within the realm to support life. Have you ever thought how God made every detail perfectly? I just can't credit that to mere chance or luck.  Instead, I am reminded of what an awesome, loving God we serve.

I know we're so used to seeing the moon and none of us have stopped lately to really contemplate it.  Humor me for a minute and fixate your mind on these moon facts in light of its Creator:

 • The rotation of the moon—the time it takes to spin once around on its own axis—takes the same amount of time as the moon takes to complete one orbit of the Earth, about 27.3 days.

• The moon orbits the Earth at an average speed of 2,300 miles an hour (3,700 kilometers an hour).  The Moon travels at different speeds during different parts of its orbit. It moves slowest when it is at furthest distance from Earth. The Moon moves fastest in its orbit when it is closest to Earth.

• The moon's gravitational pull on the Earth is the main cause of the rise and fall of ocean tides.

• The Moon is about 250,000 miles (384,400 kilometres) from Earth.  It would take about 130 days to travel to the moon by car.

• The Moon makes 1 rotation and completes a revolution around the Earth every 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes.  This means the moon's rotation is synchronized in a way that causes the moon to show the same face to the Earth at all times. One hemisphere always faces us, while the other always faces away. The lunar far side (aka the dark side) has been photographed only from spacecraft.

• The Moon's temperature ranges between 123C (253F) to 233C (-451F). It's really hot where the sun is shining and really cold where it's not.

• Unlike the Earth, the Moon does not have a significant magnetic field, and it has no atmosphere.



Does that just blow your mind as it does mine?  None other than a mighty, majestic, all powerful God could have pulled that off!  And I'm reminded again that the God who created the heavens and the Earth also created me.  ME.

And not only did He create Me, but He loves me so much that He sent His Son into His creation to save me from my sins.  {For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16}


And the God who spoke the starry hosts into being knows my name.  {For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 119:13}

And the God who made the Earth from nothing, and me from mere dirt, loves me unconditionally. {But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8}

And not only does He love me, but He has a plan and purpose for my life. {For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11}

And, remember, if you're burdened or anxious, the same God who made the Earth can make a way.  {Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17}


Wow.  What an awesome Creator.  What a mighty God.  What a redeeming Savior.

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In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

Psalm 102:25

By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place.
Proverbs 3:19

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.

Psalm 103:11

For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 

Psalm 108:4