Harper's Prayer

My sweet Big Girl is learning a lot at preschool and church.  I can't thank them enough for the ways they pour into my Harper Mae.  Because of a prayer (song) she has learned at Cave Spring Baptist Preschool over the last three years, she now volunteers to pray at nearly all of our meals.  Here's a little snippet of one I caught on video.

Welcome back, Christmas Tree and Elfie!

Elfie's back. Back again. Elfie's back. Tell a friend. 

It's officially Elf on the Shelf season around here, as Elfie made his arrival on the night of December 1st.  Yes, I realize most people's elves probably arrived in the morning, but December 1 was a Monday, so a hectic weekday morning was not ideal for his annual debut.  So, since it was 70 degrees outside (isn't that craziness?  I'll take it.), we let Harper know that he was waiting until it cooled down in the evening to come from the North Pole.  

He appeared by the little Christmas tree in Willa Kate's room, with the Elf on the Shelf book and some Elf pajamas for each girl.  He said, 

"Hello, Harper and Willa, I'm back, it's me!  

It's your favorite friend from the North Pole, Elfie!  

Here's a little gift, some new jammies, 

To wear as you decorate your Christmas tree!"

 

Poor little Elfie didn't know that our house would be 76 degrees inside when he bought matching fleece footed pajamas for each girl.  We won't tell him that we found both girls nearly naked when they woke up sweaty the next morning.  Ha! 

We did Elf on the Shelf last year with Harper, but Willa Kate only being 9 months old didn't pay much mind to it.  This year, she has so excited to go with big sissy each morning to find where "Elf on the Elf" (as Harper calls him) has landed.  The idea is that each day, he watches the girls and then leaves every night to report to Santa, only to return before they wake to a new location in the house.  You'll see on Pinterest and about every other blog you read, creative ideas for all the messes these little elves make in their downtime each night.  They drive cars, do snow angels in flour, have a snowball fight with marshmallows... But, since so many of those things involve messes that I'm essentially making for myself, and since I have two little elves named Harper and Willa who make more messes than I can keep up with, we have opted to keep things simple and have Elfie just reappear in a new location each morning.  The girls wake up excited and so it is just fine for their age.  Maybe when they're older and need a little more entertainment and convincing from Elfie we'll have a Pinterest board dedicated to what our mischievous Elf can get into.  But, don't quote me on that.  Ha.  

 

I also got some of our Christmas decorations out, and our tree went up!  Since the presents I have wrapped are on top of the hutch in the dining room (so that little hands don't begin unwrapping them already), I put these pretty lighted letters that spell "HOPE" under our tree.  And we love it.  When Harper came down to see the tree all lit up, she asked what the word spelled and I told her.  What a sweet time to get to lay on the hardwood with her in front of our tree, and give her a butchered, rambling explanation of the idea of Hope.  But, what a gift to be able to tell her that Hope is why we celebrate Christmas.  Having this at the base of our Christmas tree symbolizes the Hope we have in this season and that it truly is the best Gift ever given.  Hope for a struggling marriage.  Hope for a mom missing her sweet child.  Hope for exhausted parents.  Hope for families battling addiction.  His coming to earth immediately gifted us all with the Hope of Heaven.  How sweet a reminder.  

Harper the Ice Queen

Harper has had a lot of fascinations over her four years. She's been in love with Dora, trains, Sofia the First. More recently, she's been into the Barbie movies. But none of those compare to the adoration she has for Elsa the Ice Queen from Disney's Frozen. Anyone that has children (especially girls) under age 7 is saying "amen."  Sam and I bought the movie on Harper's Roku as soon as it was available because we thought it would be a good way to reinforce sisterly love, since at that point we were a bit worried that Harper may never like Wills. What better way to remedy that than a Disney movie with catchy songs and an emphasis on family loyalty?!  ;)

Well, Harper more than took the bait. She along with every other four year old girl is obsessed with big sister Elsa (which I don't totally understand since younger sister Anna seems to be more of the protagonist of the movie). Over the summer, I've learned to do an "Elsa braid" (don't try sneaking in two braids like Anna. She'll call you on it.). I know every song to the movie soundtrack, including the disc of extras that weren't even in the movie. 

Well, last night at Target, we spot an Elsa costume, complete with sparkle lights and a button to push for it to play "Let It Go."  I told Harper I would be willing to provide her with some chores to do at home to earn the dress, but we went ahead and put it in the cart since I don't end up at Target more than once a month (tragic, huh?). 

As we are finishing up our shopping, Harper starts telling me that she wants blonde hair like Elsa (she bemoaned even more that baby sister got the blonde hair). She wants her eyes blue like Elsa's and her hands to be like Elsa's. Then she said, "I want to be Elsa."

Wow. It is such a hard thing to hear your child, whom you see as strikingly beautiful and full of potential, lament not being someone else even just from her little four year old perspective. 

After a quick prayer for Wisdom, I told Harper that I'd never want her to be anyone but Harper Mae Fertitta because that's exactly who God designed her to be, and there will never be another. She is special and thoughtfully, wonderfully made. I hope she always knows that God built her to do big things. That she can do something even greater than freeze cities or build ice castles if she will surrender her will and life to Him. She has the spark within her. And I love her to pieces. I told her, "you already are my girl, filled with fire and ice."

Sleeping Sisters

I wonder how many times ( in the four hours that I have been home from work) I have said:

"Don't hit your sister."

"Stop touching your sister."

"No 'ugly talk,' Harper."

"Willa Kate, don't tell Mommy no, please."

"Stop bugging your sister!"



I am not sure one could count how many times those words were uttered in our house, in the car, in the parking lot, in the gym, in the store.  I keep praying for the day that I will look over and they will be playing together nicely, basking in each other's company and eternally thanking me for giving them a sibling.  Actually, I just hope to see a day when they can coexist peacefully in the same room!  :)  My sister Leah and I are so. close.  (even with extra punctuation and bold lettering, "so close" is an understatement) that I just really, really want that for my girls.

I will never forget the day that I went to Greensboro to have an early elective ultrasound to determine the gender of our sweet second baby.  Sam was at work, desperately hoping for a boy.  And then there were Leah and I, chitchatting on our cell phones the whole way to the appointment, talking about how much we would explode with joy over a second iteration of "Flea & Fal" (our nicknames for each other).  I'm sure at the time Sam probably hated our praying for a little set of sisters, but how could we not wish for the gift of a sister for Harper Mae when we know how much laughter and love sisterhood has brought to our own lives?  (Mom, I hope you are reading this and feeling extremely appreciated for having two girls less than two years apart who have managed to be best friends despite the years of cat fighting, hair pulling, boy stealing, clothes negotiating (free and easy access ring a bell?), and our chief business of general parent annoying.)

So some days, I get little glimpses like this that melt my heart, and remind me that there is a little relationship there.  And the only thing that will tie them together is the hand of God, the grace of God.  So, that is one of my most fervent prayers for these precious children of mine-- to know the deep love and loyalty of family.

And then other days I just have to pray for bedtime.   :)