Performance Arts

Each day, both when she's waking up and settling down for a nap or bedtime, Kyra practices her art of conversation and singing. She sings everything from Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues songs to worship songs from church or our CDs. She also has long extended conversations with whoever it is that she talks to when no one is around. The other day, she had gone down for her nap with a certain stuffed animal friend who, at the end of naptime, was nowhere to be found. I asked where her little friend had gone and she informed me that she threw him under the stage. The stage? I inquired as to what she meant by under the stage, and she indicated that she had thrown the poor little guy under the bed, which at naptime and bedtime, apparently becomes her stage.

We're Happy!

Kyra and I went to Wal-Mart the other day and as we were walking through the aisles, out of nowhere, Kyra exclaims at the top of her lungs, "Look at us, everybody, we're happy!" It was hysterical. But I'm thrilled to have been able to provide her a childhood so far that she will remember as happy. That makes me happy too.

Story Time

Kyra has a book called "Guess How Much I Love You." In this book, you hear the story of Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare and how much they love each other. Well, the routine is Steven or I will read her a book, then she'll take the book and read it to us. We had just finished reading about Big and Little Nutbrown Hare, when she announced she was going to read it to us now. Things went downhill when she opened to the first page and started reading about "Little Butt Hare." I knew right away that we would need to read the book a few more times to make sure she got the names right....

Kyra Quote of the Day

As spoken by Kyra this morning when I tried to put some clothes on her,

"I want to be naked and dance."

Now That's Service!

Steven, Kyra, and I went to Subway for dinner this evening. As we sat down at our booth and finished up our sandwiches, Steven pulled out a small bag containing the cookies he always gets with his value meal. Kyra asked him what was in the bag. He said they were cookies. She said, "For me?" And Steven said, no they were his, but he'd share a piece with her. So then Kyra said, "Is the manager going to bring one out for me?" We about fell out of the booth we were laughing so hard.

2-year-old Theology

It's amazing to me how much Kyra understands about God even at only 2 years old. She's paying attention to and ingesting things that I don't even realize. She shocked me the other day as we were driving (a long long drive) to church. She was just making two-year-old conversation, talking about her little friend Brooke's new baby sister. Kyra's very into names and which people go together. When we talk about her friend Brooke, she always likes to review what Brooke's mommy's name is, what her daddy's name is, and now what her baby sister's name is. After this chain of events, she then started on her own family. She informed me that her own daddy's name is Steven and her mommy's name is Angewa. Then she asked "What's my sister's name?" I glanced back at her and said "Do you have a sister?" She said yes, so I asked her what she thought her sister's name was. She responded, "Somethin." This response is typical of late. She then asked "What's my brother's name?" I again asked her "Do you have a brother?" She again said yes, so I asked her what she thought her brother's name was. She once again replied with, "Somethin." I asked her if she wanted a baby brother or sister, and she said yes, so I told her she'd have to ask God to bless our family with a baby brother or sister. At this point, she began to talk about babies, and ended up saying, "Jesus was a baby!" I said that he sure was. Then she said, "But he went up into the sky at church." We had watched a video clip portraying Jesus' ascension a few weeks ago that I didn't even know she was paying attention to! Then she went on to say, "But he'll be back in a widdle bit. He wuvs us. And God does too." Out of the mouths of babes!!! It takes some people a lifetime just to get this far in their belief structure. I'm so thankful that she is learning this at an early age. I hope that basic truth always guides her in her life choices. Jesus came to earth as a baby, rose up to Heaven, but he'll be back in a little bit, and boy does he love us!

Vacation funnies

We just returned home from a week long vacation in Michigan to visit family and friends. We had a great time and accumulated quite a few Kyra funnies along the way:

Steven's mom has a Ukrainian girl living with her for a few months while she's in the country. Her name is Anya and Kyra had a great time playing with her. Each night, when we said our bedtime prayers, Kyra would add, "And thank you God for Onion." That still makes me chuckle every time I think about it.

One morning, Steven got up to find Kyra downstairs waving a ginormous flag around and yelling "I'm a Captain! I'm a Captain!"

While we were at my grandmother's house, a friend of ours came over who has a baby who's a few months shy of being a year old. Kyra was thrilled to see Baby Makenna and Baby Makenna's daddy. Kyra is very big on names and refers to people by name incessantly. Apparently, we forgot to inform her of Makenna's daddy's name. (It's Patrick.) So she was playing games with Patrick and laughing like crazy when he got up to put something in the kitchen. She followed him in there and from the kitchen we heard her say "Hey Dude, what are ya doing?" I wasn't quite sure if I had heard correctly, but as she ran out of the kitchen with Patrick not far behind her, I heard her say "Dude! Follow me, Dude!" So apparently, Dude was the best substitute for a name she could come up with. Needless to say, we all died laughing.

For the Love of Taxes...?

Steven's sister Melissa works seasonally for a tax preparation company (for "fun"). The other day, Steven decided to take Kyra to visit Melissa at the tax place for a little while. Kyra had a great time, and was very good about waiting for "Missa" while she was with a customer doing his taxes. When Melissa was ready, Kyra got to play with her and talk to her for a little while. However, when it was time to go, Kyra was quite distraught and wanted to stay there so Missa could do her taxes. Melissa told her she would come over the following day to see her, and would do her taxes for her then.

The next day, Melissa came over, as promised, to do Kyra's taxes. She asked her how much money she made last year, and Kyra said, "One and two." Then Melissa asked how much she had withheld from her paychecks, to which Kyra also said, "One and two." So Melissa told her that she would receive a refund of approximately 2 billion dollars. Kyra was content with this verdict and was glad to have "had her taxes done."

This brings us to last night. During our nightly prayer, Kyra typically interjects as we pray, with things she wants to pray for or give thanks for. I had just finished thanking God for Kyra's friend "Bwooke" when Kyra burst in with "And thank you for taxes!" I had to stifle my laughter, and say through gritted teeth, "And thank you God for taxes." I told Steven after we put her to bed that this may be the very first time ever in all of eternity that God has ever had someone thank him for taxes....

On Babies...

Kyra was reading magazines tonight, and as she flipped through an issue of Parenting, she stopped on a photo of a sleeping newborn. I said "Isn't that a sweet baby?" She just looked up and grinned. And then, since we've been entertaining the idea of expanding our family, I asked her, "Should we have a new baby in our house?" To this, she replied, "I'm reading a magazine right now, we'll have a baby in a minute." If only it were that simple.

Lyrical Stylings

Here are a couple of Kyra's most-rotated songs of late:

Ring Around the Rosie:

Wing A WaWa Wozee
Popta Fo A Posie
Azin da Azin
We Ah Fah Down!
This is followed by much giggles and usually another repetition.

And don't ask me what a "Popta Fo" is. I don't know. =)


The other is The Farmer in the Dell:
A Fahmah inna Deo
A Fahmah inna Deo
I no a day-e-o
A Fahmah inna Deo

A Fahmah takes a wife
A Fahmah takes a wife
I no a day-e-o
A Fahmah takes a wife

A Wipe takes a chy-ode (child)
A Wipe takes a chy-ode
I no a day-e-o
A Wipe takes a chy-ode

A dog takes a cat
A dog takes a cat
I no a day-e-o
A dog takes a cat

A cat takes a mouse
A cat takes a mouse
I no a day-e-o
A cat takes a mouse

Sometimes she inserts the mouse takes the cheese verse here, sometimes not.

Day all wun affa a mouse (they all run after the mouse...)
Day all wun affa a mouse
I no a day-e-o
Day all wun affa a mouse

Just being polite....

We've tried from the very beginning to instill manners and politeness into Kyra. Apparently, it's working a little too well. She excuses herself whenever she bumps into anything, no matter if it's an inanimate object. Today, she was getting out of her seat in the car and as she scooted into the floor and turned to exit, she bumped into the seat with her arm. So she says, "Skooz me cawseat." Then later on, she ran into the coffee table as she was dancing around the living room. She got up and said, "Oh, skooz me tabo!" Hopefully this will translate into people skills somehow in the future. =)

Making Music

Kyra has been expressing interest in musical instruments recently. Her daddy plays his guitar frequently, and she'll go up to him and say "Daddy less pway insumments!" So he goes and gets his guitar and she goes and gets an old broken Beta 58 mic that Steven gave her a while back, and they sing songs together. We figured now would be a great time to introduce her to some instruments of her own. So I ended up getting her a nice set called Band in a Box. It has a hollow wooden rhythm fish with a stick, a tambourine, a harmonica, 2 egg shaker maracas, spoons that are attached to each other with a handle, and a kazoo. She totally loves it! So now her favorite "insumments" are her "woccas and her hambowee." (Maracas and tambourine.) =)

Love and Marriage

I had just given Kyra a bath the other day and was combing her hair when she pointed to my left hand and said, "Dat's your wedding wing?" I said yes, that's my wedding ring. And she said, "Daddy has one too?" I said yes, Daddy has one too. She then pointed to her hand and said, "I have a wing too?" I replied that no, she didn't have one yet, but one day when she picks out a very special boy to marry, she'll have one too. I then told her that she would have to pick carefully and make sure that he loves her very much and loves God very much too. To this she replied, "I marry Uncle Shane?" It took all I had not to crack up, but I said that no, Uncle Shane was already married to Aunt Melissa. So then she asked if she could marry her Daddy. Again, I said no, Daddy is already married to Mommy. About this time, Daddy came in so he could enjoy the conversation as well and asked her what boy she thought she might marry. She thought for a minute and then said, "I marry Stanley.....and Spiderman." Ironic, as she never even watches these cartoons. So basically, she likes them either bald or climbing the walls..... =)

Bwessed Be a Name of a Nord

You may have heard of the song "Blessed Be Your Name." It's on the latest Zoe Group CD, Desperate, which we've been listening to frequently in the car. Kyra enjoys this song, and it has become one of the regulars in her rotation. This morning, she saw a church song book that Steven had left out on the desk, so she picked it up, opened it up, and started singing some songs. I was checking my email during all this, and what she sang was so hysterical, I typed it as she sang. Here are the real lyrics to the song, followed by Kyra's version, which combines some of the verses, and even throws in a line from Here I Am to Worship. =) She's only 2, and she's already picked up on Steven's style of doing medleys. haha So here goes....I hope you know the song, because it probably wouldn't be even half as funny if you were unfamiliar with it:

Here are the real lyrics:
One verse says this:
Blessed be your name when I'm found in a desert place, though I walk through the wilderness,
Blessed be your name

Another verse says this:
Blessed be your name on a road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering,
Blessed be your name

Here's the chorus:
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your glorious name!

And finally, the bridge, which starts out with just the women singing:
You give and take away, you give and take away,
My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name

And now here is Kyra's version from this morning:

Bwessed be a name of a Nord, bwessed be a naaaaame.

Bwessed be a name, in a wand in anoppah pwace, bwessed be a naaaaame.

Bwessed be a name, in a world in a nuppawing, bwessed be a naaaaame.

Bwessed be a name of a Nord, bwessed be a gworious name

You up an nake awaaaaay, You up an nake awaaaaay (sung very high)

He I am a wuhsip, He I am a fall down (don't know how that got thrown in)

Bwessed be a naaaaaame!

Identity Crisis?

At bedtime, Steven called Kyra over to where he was sitting by saying, "Come here, Lady."

Kyra looked at him and said, "No, I'm not a wady. Mommy's a wady. I'm a baby!"

So he laughed and said, "Ok, come here, sweet baby!"

To which she replied, "No, don't say dat, Daddy. I'm not a baby! I'm a girl!"

2...such a confusing age...not a baby, but not a "kid" yet either.... haha


And poor Daddy, when he finally got her to come over and sit by him, he tried to give her kisses and she pushed him away because "No, Daddy, no kiss me, you need to shave...you scwatchy!" She promptly got up, came over to me, touched my cheek and sat down by me, saying, "Mommy, you soft!"

Quotables

What a month! Kyra and I went to Michigan the 17th of November and stayed until after Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time reconnecting with family up there. Steven joined us the day before Thanksgiving and brought with him all the germs he was harboring with a nasty cold. Ugh. We spent Thanksgiving first with my family and then drove north to spend time with his as well. The next couple days, we were at Steven's mom's house with him and Melissa, who were both sick, so naturally we brought it back home with us and I got sick all the next week, then gave it to Kyra, so we currently trying to rid our house and our bodies of germs so we can enjoy the holiday season. In the meantime, Kyra has been coming up with some hilarious comments along the way, so I thought I'd post a few of her really funny ones here. So enjoy!

Steven occasionally grows out his facial hair a bit, and thought he'd do that recently. Kyra had other plans. Multiple times a day for several days in a row, this was her comment:
"Daddy, you need to shave. Go in your bafwoom and shave. Now."

She is getting pretty good at this whole sharing thing, so the other day at dinner, we were having pancakes and she was eating her last few bites. She offered Steven a bite, which he took, because he always complains about never getting enough pancakes. She then offered me a bite, which I also accepted. After sharing with both of us, she looks around the room, holding a bite of pancake on her Sesame Street fork, and says "Who's next?"

Sunday, we had our church Christmas party, so Kyra and I spent the afternoon at our minister and his wife's house to take naps and rest before that evening. Steven, of course, was at church setting stuff up. =) There was a guest bed and a crib conveniently in the same room, so I napped while Kyra read books and sang and eventually started conversing with a framed poem on the wall. I woke up to find her saying this:
"Hi picture! How are you? Nice to meet you! Wanna see my tummy again?" Then she proceeded to flash her tummy to the picture. Random, yes, but funny!

Kyra's newest favorite phrase is now "Not weawwy." Translation: Not really. I don't know where she picked it up, but now it's "Kyra, are you ready for naps?" "No, not weawwy." or "Won't that be fun?" "Not weawwy." Oh my. =)

Her other favorite thing to say is "I'm just..." She uses this mostly when she doesn't want to do something you're asking her to do. We'll say "Kyra, it's time for bed," which she promptly dismisses with "No, I'm just weadin' dis book." The other day in the car, she was not happy to be leaving, and she was crying. It was very obviously not a genuine cry, as every once in a while, she would pause to check on any effect the commotion was having on Mommy and Daddy. When she found there was no response, she'd start up again. At one point, I turned to her and said "We're going home! Are you ready to be back at home?" to which she responded, "No, Mommy, I'm just cwyin." We found that to be pretty humorous!

Favorites

As we were putting Kyra to bed this evening, Steven was rocking her in the chair and started asking her what her favorite things were. She's finally understanding the concept of a favorite thing, and some of her responses were pretty comical. Here are some of her answers:

What is your favorite thing to do?
Church.

What is your favorite color?
On paper. (I was glad to hear this, even though she didn't really get what he was asking.)

What is your favorite song?
My name is Carrot and God made me. (I laughed about this through the rest of the conversation. They sing this in her class at church, going around to each child and saying My name is ___ and God made me. Apparently one of her teachers did not say her name right at some point and it registered in her head as "Carrot." I'm still chuckling about that one.)

What is your favorite food?
Cwunchy sammiches. (Sandwiches made with crunchy peanut butter.)

What is your favorite song we sing at church?
This is How We Ovahcome.

The Bisquick-ma-phone

Who knew baking mix could be so much more useful than just pancakes....? Bisquick has these relatively new single-serving plastic containers full of pancake mix that you just pour water into and shake it up to make pancakes. Well, Kyra has adopted one of my containers from the pantry. She picked it up one day and started using it as a telephone to call each one of the Backyardigans, which is a really cute new show on Nick Jr. Well, the Backyardigans (mainly Tyrone and Uniqua) have quickly become her best buds. She talks to them almost every day on her Bisquick-ma-phone, as I have dubbed it. The conversation generally goes like this: Hewwo Tywone! How you? Gweat!!! Bye! Then she'll turn to me and say Tywone's comin' a my house. He's on Backyawds. I then say Oh! That will be fun! And we repeat the exact same process (and the same conversations) for Uniqua and whoever else she feels like calling that day on her Bisquick-ma-phone. Ah, the imagination of a child...what fun!!! =)

Checking into Rahab

I read the greatest book last night. It was called Unashamed, and was written by Francine Rivers. It was a book about Rahab and the events surrounding her being adopted into the Israelite community. It told her story and the story of the Battle of Jericho in a way that I had never read before. It told of how Rahab used her position and profession to glean information from her "patrons" to stay in favor with the king, and how much she hated what she did. It showed her deep faith in the God of Israel and her desire to become a part of his people, even though she'd never seen any of miracles the Israelites had been witness to. Most of all, it was a story of the power of God and his amazing mercy on the "worst" of sinners. We serve a gracious and mighty God and I am so thankful that he extends that same mercy to me every day. If you're looking for an excellent book that will increase your faith and deepen your love for Him, I definitely recommend this book!!!

Treat or......treat!

Kyra had a fantastic time Trick or Treating (to all of 5 houses). She is so possessive...definitely an only child! We were at her Nana and Papa's house for my Dad's birthday party Sunday afternoon, so I brought her costume with us. We got her all dressed up and asked her if she'd like to go Trick or Treating and get some candy. She said yeah, and headed for the door. However, she only made it as far as my parents' candy bowl sitting next to the front door. She was like Hey, this is easy, and helped herself. She didn't quite understand the concept of going to houses other than your own. =) We finally got her out the door and my parents and sister took her to their next door neighbor's house, and to their neighbor's house across the street. As they came back across the street to my parents' driveway, Kyra spotted some other kids going up to the same house that she'd just come from, so she yelled, "No, that's my neighborhood!" It was hysterical. I guess in Kyra-land, everything and everyone belongs to well, Kyra. =)