Sunbeams and Starlight

 Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, to shine for Him each day...

 In every way try to please Him, at home, at school, at play.

 A Sunbeam, a Sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam.  A Sunbeam, a Sunbeam, I'll be a Sunbeam for Him.

Yes, indeed, it is true!  We have ourselves a cute little Sunbeam!  {In our church we have an organization for the kids called Primary that's kind of like a Sunday School.  The Sunbeam class is the youngest class in the Primary and whoever is 3 years old at the beginning of the year gets to move on up out of the Nursery.}  I was SUPER nervous about Jane entering the ranks of the big kids this week due to the fact that she kind of can't sit still to save her life and I'm starting to think she might have a touch of ADD.  It also didn't help that she hasn't been overly enthused about moving out of Nursery and away from her snacks and toys and ability to roam wild and free.  Hahaha.  Thankfully, today was a success on two counts -- we made it to church with our new 9 AM starting time AND Jane made it through her first day of Sunbeams! Success, indeed.

Not so successful?  Last night's sleep-capades.  Because over the course of the night we had not one, not even two, but THREE roommates with us while we tried to catch some Zzzzs.  Jane was the first one up {at 11:30} and it took me almost an hour to get her to calm down and go to bed.  And by bed I mean the Pack n Play that has now taken up permanent residence in our bedroom.  Grace woke me up about half an hour after that, JUST as I was drifting off to sleep, to complain that she was itchy.  It was a supreme tender mercy that she didn't throw a full-on fit and instead just curled up on the toddler bed that was so conveniently placed right by the side of our bed and drifted back off to sleep rather quickly.  Around 3 o'clock I was awoken by the sound of Alex crying and as I stumbled out of bed to go and get him I realized Sophie had come and climbed in our bed at some point and was sound asleep.  {She was, of course, on Scott's side of the bed because they all know that he will let them stay.  If they come to my side, I will kick them out quicker than you can say "Jiminy Cricket!"  Hahahaha.  This is mostly due to the fact that Scott is a SUPER deep sleeper and I am not.}  After rocking Alex for a few minutes, I put him back down, transferred Sophie to her own bed, and fell back asleep for only a few more hours until it was time to get up for good and start the day.

 Our new roomie.

I'd like to say this was an isolated incident, but it probably won't be.  Jane has taken up almost permanent residence in that Pack n Play and I think she's probably just a couple of dresser drawers away from being a full-fledged roommate.  I've joked with Scott that perhaps we can slowly start moving the Pack n Play closer and closer to the door, until we finally just put it out in the hall and maybe that will do the trick, but who knows?  For now, though, I'd rather her in there than in OUR bed with us.  And if only Sophie fit, too, we'd be all set.  Hahaha.

In other news, Scott put up some bunkbeds in Grace and Jane's room yesterday and our resident creative director has already worked her magic and made it her own.  Between her artwork, the Christmas lights, and her brand-new desk and bean bag chair, it's become a real cozy little spot with lots of personality.

In closing, I'd just like to state -- for the record -- that we went the WHOLE entire day without any electronics for the kids.  AND they still had fun!  {Reverent fun, of course.  Hahahaha.}  I'm rather shocked myself and perhaps I'm going to jinx things, but No Junk January is off to a fantastic start.  Hahaha.

{No Junk January is what I have deemed this month in order to detox from the copious amounts of sugary treats and candy and junk food we've indulged in over the course of the holiday season.  We are also throwing in electronics as part of that detox plan.  More details to come...}