Sweet Memories, These Tiny Kids Are Learning So Much

August, 1994: About this time we had two more people join our home—Renato, an exchange student from Brazil, and Murray’s brother Morgan.

August 31, 1994: Last night, Renato let Rhoda in to eat and Sarah, still nervous about the cat, said, "That boy let the kitty in; isn't he goofy?"

After that, Goofy Boy became Renato’s permanent nickname.

September 7, 1994: I was wiping the kids' hands after breakfast today and Caleb said, "Mommy, you don't wash my sins away; Jesus does."

September 13, 1994: Sarah hurt herself today, so she wanted me to rock her, and she was sitting on my lap in the rocking chair. I said I would sing one more song, then I was getting up. I asked if she wanted to sit at the table and play, or to lay down. She said she wanted to lay down. I asked if she wanted to lay in her bed or in the big old chair. She said, "On your lap."

October 4, 1994: This morning I was getting all the kids up to take them down to breakfast. I was going into the girls' room to get Sarah when she hopped out of bed and said, "Oh! I forgot to get up!"   

Rebecca is getting the idea down good that the Bible tells us how to live our daily lives. This morning she asked me if the Bible says we can only wear hair pretties when we go bye-bye. I said no, that was just one of Mommy's rules.

Often I ask Sarah what her name is and she will often say "Sarah" or "Sarah Elizabeth McKinsey." Today I asked her, and she said, "My name is monster cookie."

Morgan spent a lot of time cutting and trimming the yard this morning. Rebecca asked what he was doing, and I said he was working hard. She said, "If he's working hard, then he's a Daddy."

October 19, 1994: This morning Rebecca said to me, while sitting on my lap, "Mommy, everybody in the world--it's magic--when you sit down you have a lap, and when you stand up, your lap's all gone.”

October 26, 1994: This morning I was giving Sarah a bath, and I asked her what her name was; I asked if it was Sarah Elizabeth McKinsey. She said no, that it was Frog McKinsey. I asked, "What do you say little froggy?" She said, "I don't know. What does I--me--this little froggy say?"

At supper, Rebecca said she was too full to finish her food. Caleb said, "I'm never full." (A man after my own heart.)

November 3, 1994: Tonight when we were praying, Sarah said to tell Jesus we would die in a minute. I said that someday we'd die and go to Heaven to be with Jesus. Caleb asked what we would ride to Heaven. I said that Jesus would carry us in His arms. Caleb said, "I want to hold the Holy Spirit's hand.”

In the car tonight, Rebecca was talking about how she'd like to get a big dog. Caleb said, "I want a lion."

November 28, 1994: The other night, Murray took the kids to the mall. Rebecca saw a lady in a bridal shop, all dressed in a wedding gown, with veil and all. She asked, "Daddy, is that a real angel?"

Saturday we were opening Christmas gifts at Grandma Mumberger's house. It was Sarah's turn to open a gift, and we told her to open one. She was happy. She tore the paper off carefully, opened the box, and then quickly took the gift out of the box and threw it at me. Then she said excitedly, "Look what I got!" and showed me the empty box.

November 29, 1994: tonight Sarah was carrying Murray's paper-back book. I asked what she had, and she said it was a Bible. I said it was Daddy's book. She said clearly, "It's similar to a Bible."

December 22, 1994   Sarah always asks if she can do things when she gets bigger. This morning the kids were talking about school, and Sarah asked, "When Rhoda (the cat) gets to be a kid, can she go to school?"

December 28, 1994: The other day Renato was talking to his Mom on the phone, in Portuguese, of course. Rebecca asked, "Why is Renato talking to his Mom in Portuguese? She already knows how to talk it. Why is he teaching her?" He only talks Portuguese to us when he's teaching us.

Tonight, Sarah was on the floor playing with the kitty: "Give me five, give me five." (She’s a lot more comfortable with the cat than she was a few months earlier.)