Eden at 2.5

Nobody told me that those first few weeks with a newborn...Sleepless nights. Round the clock feedings. Spit up. Poop. Crying. Colic....would seem like cake compared to parenting a 2.5 year old. Nonetheless, here we are, at 2.5 years into Eden's life and having battles of epic proportions at the dinner table.

Yes, Monday night, she and I squared off in a battle of will-power over a plate of chicken. Would I budge? No. Would she budge? No. So there we were for two hours testing each other's limits. And when bedtime rolled around and I'd had enough, she got up from the table, kissed me goodnight, and went straight to bed without even changing into jammies.

And then I sat down and cried. Not because I felt like I'd given in. And not because I was exhausted, even though I was. But because I think I was finally getting it.

We, as parents, MUST make our children obey. Not because we delight in power and like to rule their little lives, but because it's the foundation of our faith in Christ. Without obedience, we have no relationship with Christ. And without obedience, our children will flounder without NEEDED parental guidance, and then ultimately will not understand obedience to Christ.

So people, teach your children to obey and eat their chicken. :)

Moving on...

Eden is also very very awesome. And actually is a very sweet girl (despite what my above story might lead you to believe!) She's developed quite an imagination and likes to pretend to do "grown-up" things. So the other day she decided she wanted to go to the grocery store. So she gets some shoes on. Puts on her jacket. Grabs her purse. Throws in her pretend cell phone. Grabs a set of keys and announces, "I'm going grocery story. Buy daddy cereal."

So then a person that may or may not have been her mother stupidly thinks 'oh this is cute...lets keep this up' and decides to open the front door. Down the steps they go hand in hand, cute Eden and the crazy person that may or may not have been her mother. Crazy person opens the driver door, hoists Eden into the driver's seat, kisses her farewell and says, "Have Fun!"

Then Eden looks at the person that may or may not have been her mother in expectation to shut the driver's door, to which she doesn't but laughs at how cute Eden is being. Then she says, "Eden, sweetie, this was fun!" Eden confused, says, "I go all by myself." (common words these days)

To make a long story... not quite so long, the crazy person that may or may not have been her mother learned the hard way that building up children's fantasies and imagination does have repercussions, that can include crying, screaming, and confusion on behalf of the child.

So people, teach your parents to think things through a little better.

Lastly, but maybe most importantly... :)

Eden is a finalist in our local Chick-Fil-A Top Fan contest! woohoo!!

Our local Chick-Fil-A has a facebook fan page and is hosting a competition to see who is top fan. I nominated Eden, wrote a short spiel about her, and she's in the top five! So in the next week or so, the facebook fans of our CFA get to vote for her story. If she wins, she gets 52 coupons for free chick-fil-a combos (the equivalent of "Chick-Fil-A for a Year!") So if you are reading this, are a fan of our local CFA, go "like" Eden's story! :)