around christmas time we got keyzia a doll that will pee on the potty....  we were hopeful that it would kind of help her get the idea of it. 

anyways, she gave the baby to her daddy and he was holding it for her....  this is what transpired....

ja:  what's your baby's name, keyzia?

keyzia:  potty.

ja:  patty?

keyzia:  pOtty.
followed by a look of disgust at her father.  apparently, he should have known that the baby's name is potty!!

at 7 a.m. this morning, after being up for a good chunk of the night, i hear my beautiful daughter chattering away in her room...

keyzia:  hi puppy!  i'm happy, puppy!  **high pitched giggling**
((i'm sure puppy must have responded here with some unknown puppyish to keyzia talk that only she can understand))  ((keyzia then responds with various long sentences that i'm sure only puppy can understand, and i happily doze off again.))

8 a.m.

keyzia:  mommaaaa!!!!  i wake, momma!!!

me:  ((roll over, look at the clock, see i can't put her off any longer and stumble out of bed))

keyzia:  i happy, momma!!

me:  you're happy?

keyzia:  okay, momma!!

me:  i'm glad your happy, keyzia.  good morning.

keyzia:  i want my puppy, momma!  i want my cuppa, momma!  whew...  i have everything, momma!

me:  say good morning!

keyzia:  good morning, momma!  i happy momma!  where daddy go?

me:  daddy's at....

keyzia:  daddy at work.  let's play!

and so began my day....

You are interchangeable. Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!

ha!!  it's true, i do need row counters!!

so, i'm sitting here, checking my email this morning while keyzia watches clifford and looks at a book, and ephraim is rolling around on the floor....  when everything seems a little too quiet...  i look over, and keyzia is using her brother as a stool to sit on while she uses the couch as a table for her book!! 

I just posted some new pics to lovin' the leech...

enjoy!!

ephraim was up early this morning...  earlier than usual, but i should be thankful because he went to bed shortly after keyzia last night.  got him up at ten or so to feed him, and i think he slept until 4!  or was it 5?  i don't know...  it's kind of all a blur!

so, first i wake up to ephraim saying, "buh, buh, buh...  aaaaaaaeeeeeee!!"  which is his new favourite word.

then, in i go to get keyzia who has been making noises of her own, and the first thing she does is sing, "bob the builder..."

and, of course, i have to respond, "CAN WE FIX IT?" with far less enthusiasm than is usual considering the fact that i just woke up and stumbled out of bed....

then she replies with, "Bob the Builder!!" and expectantly waits for, "Yes we Can!" on my part.

good morning to me, hunh?

---

later that morning, the breakfast debate continues....

momma:  keyzia, would you like cereal or porrige for breakfast?

keyzia:  goldfish

momma:  silly girl, we can't have goldfish for breakfast!  we have cereal or porrige, which would you like?

keyzia:  i don like cereal.  (we are vey much intrigued by the fact that we can NOT like something....  in fact, we didn't like daddy last night when it was bedtime....)

ephraim:  buh buh buh buh aaaaaaeeeeeee!!  (of course, he has to get his two cents in too...)

ephraim has also learned to say "momma" which is very cute...  except that he only says it when he's in distress of some kind.  "mmmm  mmmm  mmmm  mumm  mmmm  mummm."

sadly, first thing in the morning, i think that ephraim is starting to make more sense than keyzia.

maybe i should take up drinking coffee?

went to church this morning, the whole family had a two hour nap this afternoon, and played with the kids.

now, that's my idea of a perfect day!

Scholars: Crucifixion Portrayal InaccurateFeb 19, 3:57 PM EST

The dearth of information about Jesus' crucifixion makes it impossible to describe the event in accurate detail, as Mel Gibson attempts to do in his new film, "The Passion of Christ," Bible scholars and anthropologists say.

what's interesting to me about these comments about accuracy, is that any other movie, even though it may be based on a true story, is not criticized for it's accuracy.  it is instead called "creative license".  i wonder what the difference is with this one?

i don't think that any movie has seen such controversy as this one.  i'm sure that those opposed to the movie will be upset to find that the controversy is what is going to bring people to the theatres!

will i see it?  i'm not sure.  i have a hard time reading and thinking about exactly what Christ did for me, and yet at the same time, i feel it's the least i can do.  to truly experience some of what happened to Him on my behalf.

i was sent this email that is apparently by paul harvey...

Paul Harvey Comments on "The Passion" by Mel GibsonPaul Harvey's words:

I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion," but I had also read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a Jewish town and owemuch of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a life long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even indirectly encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or actions.

I arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion," held in Washington, DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The film was very briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened. From the gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human and tender portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves, the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, thiswas not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever experienced.

In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic triumph, "The Passion" evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I will never be the same. When the film concluded, this "invitation only" gathering of "movers and shakers" i n Washington, DC were shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully inadequate. We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind that makes heaven touch earth.

One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of the cross. His mother had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she reached to protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the screen) and said "Behold I make all things new." These are words taken from the last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations. Suddenly, the purpose of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that earlier in the film had been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His body, became intensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for love.

At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a question and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a rather diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive. The questions included the one question that seems to follow this film, even though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film considered by some to be 'anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now experienced (you do not "view" this film) "the Passion" it is a question that is impossible to answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised hishand and responded "After watching this film, I do not understand how anyone can insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus. It doesn't." He continued "It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus" I agree. There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it. It faithfully tells the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way. Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another agenda behind their protestations. This is not a "Christian" film, in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story that will deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained fai thful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior than we are all in trouble. History demands that we remain faithful to the story and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it is the greateststory ever told and that its message is for all men and women. The greatest right is the right to hear the truth.

We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which "The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the world. The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor the message, but rather to promote t he kind of gift of love that is MelGibson's filmmaking masterpiece, "The Passion." It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate about "The Passion."

mel gibson seems to have created a masterpiece of art and truth that he has lived a lifetime to create.  it takes great bravery and immense faith to introduce something so controversial to the world.  and yet, would the controversy still be there if the movie wasn't based on truth?  apparently, he has stuck to the biblical rendering of the crucifixion, and simply made it visual for our very visual society.

diane sawyer did an interview with mel gibson last week, and while i missed it, this is a very interesting article.  apparently, from those who did see the interview, diane sawyer kept trying to "trip mel gibson up."  seemed as if she couldn't believe that he believed what he did.  she kept trying to pin him down on potential views of anti-semitism as well, repeatedly asking, "Who killed Jesus?"  "When asked who killed Jesus, Gibson said, "The big answer is, we all did. I'll be the first in the culpability stakes here.""

so, see the movie?  experience the pain?  we'll have to see.  but, if and when i do, i will definitely post the experience!

i'm not really sure...  the past two weeks are something of a blur...  especially on looking back.  the upside to the downslide of the computer is that i sure got a lot of knitting done!

i actually made a sock!  yes, i knitted a sock.  does this mean that i am officially a knitter?  i think so.  now, i know, at this moment my sock is only really good for a person with one leg, but, i am working on the other one!

i also made a secret something for a good friend....  haven't given it to her yet, but it is absolutely divine!! 

and.... i'm working on a poncho for myself based on this design at knitty.  where the colour is different i decided to do a cable in there instead.  and, i'm doing the rest of it in a weird stitch...  will post when finished!