Ring Around The Rosie

We have been busy playing games lately. Makenna and I taught Maryn Ring Around The Rosie and Duck Duck Goose the other day and she loves it! Ring Around the Rosie is definitely her favorite though... she just squeals with delight and claps her hands every time! She'll stand back up before Makenna and I even get the chance and stands there with her arms outstretched ready to go again :) Makenna has recently been enjoying Hide And Go Seek and Red Light, Green Light. Hide and Go Seek is quite amusing though... if I happen to find a really good hiding place I can almost guarantee you that Makenna will be hiding in the exact same spot on her next turn :) Or like the other night when she came up with a clever hiding spot (covered up with a pile of towels next to the hamper) so she hid there for at least four turns in a row ;)

Maryn has entered a new level of mobility. She doesn't just have the ability to walk, walking is now her preferred mode of transportation :) But with that said, we have also come upon the stage where her face looks like she's gone a few rounds in a boxing ring. I remember this stage with Makenna too. Since Maryn is now confident in her walking skills, but still not 100% steady on her feet, she has ended up with a lot of bumps and bruises. Currently she has a bruised/fat lip, a mark across her eyebrow and a scab on her nose. Rough times! I just have to continuously remind myself that it comes with the territory... she has to learn how to be independent sooner or later and I can't constantly be holding on to her. That's not healthy for either of us.

We have been teaching Makenna to pray lately. Since she could talk she has always said repetitious prayers before meals and bedtime prayers, but we wanted to teach her how to be thankful to God and have conversations with God. She has really grasped the concept quite well. She always wants either Josh or I to pray first but then she will follow up with a very long, drawn out prayer that has some very important, tear-jerking subjects as well as some off-the-wall make you chuckle subjects (that apparently must be important to a 3 year old). Some of her sweeter, more insightful prayers have been "Lord, thank you for making this world" "Lord please keep my Daddy safe on his trip to exercise tonight" "God, please make MarBear feel better" "Dear God, thank you that Mommy stays here with me." We knew the concept was really sinking in when she got an ouchie on her foot the other night and she very confidently stated "It will be okay Mommy. I'll just pray to God that He will make it better." And to go with the prayer theme, little MarBear has even come to know the importance of prayer in our house. She has caught on to folding her hands when we say our prayers at the dinner table. As a Christian Mom that has no deeper desire in this world than for my children to know Christ, this is an amazing moment in my life and an answer to prayer.