Prayer and Cookies

December 14th- Bake Cookies for a Neighbor

Don't worry, folks...we were done with those cooking utensils did not touch the dough after they touched this little girl's mouth:)

Tomorrow we will take the cookies and have the kids deliver them to our neighbors.

Just wanted to jot some things down so I never forget them. Nic and I have really been working with Hayden about learning who Jesus is. It is hard for a little kid. They don't really understand what we we are talking about with someone they cannot see. We have a little devotional that we read with her at night and we talk about Jesus all the time. I always ask Hayden if what she is doing would make Jesus happy. She has been struggling a bit with acting our in public, and yes, I know she is only 3. But I wanted to start young. We pray a lot and thank Jesus for everything we have and for each other. Because of her late start with talking, she doesn't really say her own prayers, but loves to pray. The problem is, I want her to know who we are talking to when we pray and why we pray.
The other day I read on one of my friends' FB wall about her little girl praying and thanking Jesus for living in her heart. It was very precious. Like I said before, I know Hayden doesn't fully comprehend when we talk about and who He is, but I thought that was a great thing to always talk about. So, the last few days since I read that post, we have been talking about how Jesus is everywhere....that He lives in our hearts. I didn't really know how she would respond to it. Last night I was cuddling with Hayden and asked her if she loved Jesus. She got a huge smile on her face and said, "oh yes! And He loves me too!" I then asked, "who else does He love?" She responded with, "Bubby, and mommy, and daddy." It melted my heart. I am always praying for my children...that they will strive to know God and follow Him. That they will love Him with all their whole hearts and one day when they truly understand what it means to ask Jesus into their hearts, that they will. This is one of my strongest prayers.
Tonight, after we prayed before dinner, I asked Hayden, "where does Jesus live?" I didn't really think she would respond with anything. But to my surprise she said, "in my heart!! And in mommy's heart, and daddy's heart!" Just watching her whole face light up melted my heart. So, Brittany, if you are reading this, please tell Sienna 'thank you' for putting those special words in a way my daughter would understand:)
Speaking of prayer, Colt has finally caught onto praying. He will now fold his hands and say "pray". So, 2 nights ago, we prayed about 20 times during our dinner.
You might ask me why I am so fixated on prayer and helping my kids to learn how to pray. The answer is simple for me. It is a way to communicate with God. It is a way that I can not only bring my worries, fears, etc to Him, but it is a way to thank Him for the many blessings each day and to adore Him. It is a way to stay close to Him.

Ok, so some more things to record...
-Bubby is now saying "socks" and "shoes" clear as day.
-He is also saying, "I luv oooo." Love Love Love that little boy!
-Some other sayings- "I go bassetball game" (he is constantly wanting to watch basketball), "Iss dark out", "Cean up, cean up"
-Hayden told Nic and I tonight she was going to the beach with her boyfriend. We have NO idea where she even came up with this and let's just say Nic wasn't too thrilled about this piece of information.