I Had My Bellybutton Surgically Removed

So my family has a "game" of sorts, where we'll randomly poke each other in the stomach, and if we hit the bellybutton, it's like extra points. My sister and I were playing with our cousins, and a poking war began, mostly the other three girls against me. When I tried poking one of my cousins' bellybutton though, she turned to me and stated: "I don't have a bellybutton. I had surgery and got it removed."
I love the way kids think. They really do say the darndest things.

Rock-A-Bye Baby

I just love having a baby fall asleep while I'm holding them. It's so relaxing, having them snuggle into you. Of course, it's also a real workout. Especially if the little darling will fuss the second you sit down or try to put them in their crib.
The baby girl I just babysat loves to be held. And she loves to be moving while you're holding her. So I was walking around the house and talking to her. No, I'm not completely crazy - she was talking to me too. She's actually very talkative and was able to hold up her end of the conversation with a lot of "hey"s and some mostly incoherent babbling. It was really, really fun. Until she started getting super tired. Then she went completely rag doll on me, flopping all over the place. So I got to keep walking around, trying to keep her from flipping over in my arms, and not being able to stop or sit down. But even though it was tiring, I loved it. Every time she thought I was going to put her down, she grabbed me as tight and she could and cuddled her face into me.
It helps that I'm a major pushover when it comes to really little kids. =)

Following Our True Leader

Today at church there was a very interesting message that's completely relevant to today. It really made me think, so I thought I'd share.

Pretend you're playing follow the leader. Are you going to follow the leader and flap your wings like they are?

Or are you going to sit in a recliner, saying "I'm flapping my wings in my heart."?

Now pretend you're playing Simon says. When Simon says "Go clean your room," are you going to come back and say "I memorized what you said. I'm even going to have some friends over and we're going to study what it would be like to clean my room."?

You can laugh, but follow the leader and simon says are a lot like listening to God. You can't just act in your heart, or memorize what He says. You need to do what He says, and follow His will.

Racial Profiling: Animal Edition

Did you know that a pigeon can be a spy? And can be arrested? Yeah, neither did I.

But here you go. A spy pigeon. Oh, the things you learn in Spanish class. [Not Spanish, of course.]

Jolly On A Good Day

Why do I have so much fun hanging out with kids younger than me? I'm talking just a few years younger (like 3 or 4), but still. It's like they don't have so much to worry about, so they can just have fun more. Sometimes in high school, stuff just gets to you. That's especially when I'd rather pretend to jump back a few years, act like I'm not really a high schooler. It's nice to take a break from growing up for a bit.

This weekend alone I had a ton of fun with a 5th grader, a 7th grader, and two 8th graders. I still love my friends, and loved being able to party with them, but it definitely didn't hurt having more people to talk to.

And here are some random facts from my weekend:

1) My best friend has a tae kwon do medal. She's never taken tae kwon do. And apparently she never looked at this medal she won in 3rd grade... at a science fair.

2) My friends say the funniest things. It's good to laugh. =D

3) A Walk To Remember is a good movie.

4) Three-headed moat monsters and envelopes with eyes are fun conversation starters.

5) Jolly is a bird. On a bad day, he looks kind of like a snow ball with a beak.

6) Albert is the coolest mug ornament you'll ever meet.

Giggling Solves Everything

Awana is the best. My sparkies really love me! I got to sign one girl's "friendship book" today, and another girl gave me a "friendship pin" to put on my shoelace that she made at girl scouts. I also got to laugh with a boy with an amazing indian/ninja headband and made new friends from another room. Even one person who's usually a pain was incredible today, and somehow managed to make me feel better. =)

That, plus my amazing friends, made up for a pretty terrible day. I couldn't stop laughing after awana, and ended up sitting on the floor for awhile just trying to stop. One friend sang a hilarious song to me, which made me laugh harder. Then my mom started tickling me, and soon most of my friends had joined in, and I was once again on the floor, laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. I helped my friend make her brother blush. I chased some of my younger friends to give them the "cheese touch." I waved like a crazy person across the games circle. I got a million hugs. And I got to smile all night.

I couldn't ask for better people to love me.