If I had a Song....

If I had a song I would sing it to you
If the words came easy, I know what I would do
Sing to you---all the night through---
If I had a song, I would sing it to you.

And in this song there would be a forest
Enchanted and lovely and lying before us
With paths to explore, and secrets to keep.
If I had a song, I would sing like a creek.

If I had a song I would sing it to you

If the words came easy, I know what I would do

Sing to you---all the night through---

If I had a song, I would sing it to you.

And in this song there would be fish that shine

With scales that glimmer like silver spun fine

Darting beneath the folds of the blue

If I had a song, I would catch one for you.

If I had a song I would sing it to you

If the words came easy, I know what I would do

Sing to you---all the night through.

If I had a song, I would sing it to you.

And in this song, there would be graceful deer

Grazing in beauty without any fear.

With eyes that reflect the morning like dew

If I had a song, I would show them to you.

If I had a song I would sing it to you

If the words came easy, I know what I would do

Sing to you---all the night through.

If I had a song, I would sing it to you.

And in this song there would be a wise owl

Perched in a hollow tree, while the wolves howl--

As mysterious as the harvest moon

If I had a song, I would sing you this tune.

If I had a song I would sing it to you

If the words came easy, I know what I would do

Sing to you---all the night through.

If I had a song, I would sing it to you.

And in this song there would be me and you
Marveling at what the Lord God can do
And even should this land turn cold and dark
We know he's still there---lighting a spark.

And when there are no more songs to sing
Should the words escape us, on fleeting wing
Still in the silence, He's there beside us
And everyone knows He doesn't need words to sing.

"Winnie-the-Pooh" Quotes

It was hard to choose quotes from this book---mostly because it is the entirety of each story that is funny or charming---or at times insightful (even for a bear of "very little brain")---and you lose the magic when you try to extract one bit from the whole tale---but I tried to find a few stand-alone quotes anyhow.

Stuart and I would sometimes read this one to Miriam together---one of us holding the baby--the other one reading---and maybe we're just completely sleep deprived---I don't know---but we often found ourselves laughing somewhat hysterically at this book.  Neither one of us have ever read this book before now---but we both enjoyed it.  It is full of humor and warmth--and the good natured banter of close friends.  I'm so glad we have a kid now---it gives us a valid excuse to read kids' books.  Everyone should read this book.  You'll be a happier person after you finish it.  :)

"Then why can't you call him Winnie?"
"I don't."
"But you said---"
"He's Winnie-ther-Pooh. Don't you know what 'ther' means?"
"Ah, yes, now I do," I said quickly; and I hope you do too, because it is all the explanation you are going to get.


"I don't know. But something tells me that they're suspicious!"
"Perhaps they think that you're after their honey."
"It may be that.  You never can tell with bees."


(Rabbit to Pooh after Pooh's south end got stuck in Rabbit's burrow)"And I say, old fellow, you're taking up a good deal of room in my house--do you mind if I use your back legs as a towel-horse?  Because, I mean, there they are--doing nothing---and it would be very convenient just to hang the towels on them."

"Because my spelling is Wobbly.  It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places."

"Pooh," said Rabbit kindly, "you haven't any brain."
"I know," said Pooh, humbly.

"Hallo, Rabbit" he said, "is that you?"
"Let's pretend it isn't," said Rabbit, "and see what happens."

"I'm not asking anybody," said Eeyore.  "I'm just telling everybody.  We can look for the North Pole, or we can play 'Here we go gathering Nuts and May' with the end part of an ant's nest.  It's all the same to me."

And the last and smallest friend-and-relation was so upset to find that the whole Expotition was saying 'Hush!' to him, that he buried himself head downwards in a crack in the ground, and stayed there for two days until the danger was over, and then went home in a great hurry, and lived quietly with his aunt ever-afterwards.  His name was Alexander Beetle.

"An Ambush," said Owl, "is a sort of Surprise."
"So is a gorse-bush sometimes," said Pooh. 


"It's a little Anxious," he said to himself, "to be a Very Small Animal Entirely Surrounded by Water.  Christopher Robin and Pooh could escape by Climbing Trees, and Kanga could escape by Jumping, and Rabbit could escape by Burrowing, and Owl could escape by Flying, and Eeyore could escape by---by Making a Loud Noise Until Rescued......"


"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh.  "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," he said.

Smile if you have stinky britches.....

Usually gets me a good smile!

Miriam's Lullaby

I know that I have this lullaby posted in pieces randomly throughout this blog---but I just decided that I'd really like to have this lullaby posted on here in its complete form.  So please excuse the repetition.

All the stars, the bright moon too

They keep their watch over you

They wait for you to close your eyes

They sing you gentle lullabies

Lullaby, o lullaby

They sing you gentle lullabies

The breeze in the trees

Sighs through all the darkened leaves

The waves on the sea

Croon their weary melodies

And this song of wind and light

This song of quiet night

Will cradle you in peaceful sleep

As God above your counsel keeps

So rest your head and close your eyes

The angels sing you lullabies.

Within this room the light is pale

It leaves a faint and golden trail

Shapes are blurred, lines unclear

Edges soften now that you are here

Lullaby, o lullaby

This room is filled with lullabies.

Beyond these walls a sleepy sun must rest its eyes

Clouds in muted colors drift across the shadowed skies

And this song of love's delight

This song, this joyful night

Will cradle you in peaceful sleep

As God above your counsel keeps

And nature's voice will harmonize

With heaven in sweet lullabies

Rest your head, close your eyes

And listen to the lullabies.

So there you are, so small and frail

Each tiny feature etched in fine detail

And when your fingers deftly twine

In trust unspoken 'round mine

Love's design will loose a cry

That echoes in sweet lullabies

Deep within your heart may seeds of faith be rooted well

That in sadness or in joy, God is the same, Immanuel

And His hand will guard your sleep

In dreams so still and deep

While lullabies that ebb and flow

Hum and sing in voices low

From love's well, that never dries

But ripples out in lullabies

So rest your head and close your eyes

And listen to the lullabies

The Tragic Ballad of Gerard the Giraffe

So---I like to sing animal songs to Miriam while we play with her stuffed animals.  But I don't have a good giraffe song---so I thought I'd write my own.  Unfortunately, it came out rather disturbing.  This happens every time I try to write a children's poem.  Oh well---maybe Miriam will think it's funny when she's older.

Once, in a zoo
There lived a kangaroo
But he wasn't involved in this story
Nor was the turtle or calf
But rather, just one giraffe
Who dreamed of his own selfish glory.

Gerard the giraffe
Loved to laugh
At monkeys and zebras and lions
When they couldn't reach
A big tasty peach
Gerard snatched it without even tryin'.

The monkeys said: "boo"
And flung some of their poo
The zebras grew wild and crazed
The lions didn't much care
Meat was their preferred fare
And Gerard just munched on, unfazed.

"Don't blame me," he said
As he happily fed
"For the neck God gave me to wear.
It's glorious, yes?
You're just jealous, I guess.
Poor short necked creatures, there there."

Then out of nowhere
One brave monkey dared
To jump on a zebra's back.
The zebra reared
and the monkey appeared
To launch an aerial attack!!

"Arrg!" said Gerard
When the monkey hit hard
Right on the side of his hide
But when the monkey slid down
Helpless, to the ground
Gerard just laughed till he cried.

"You're a monkey, you claim?
But you're a bird brain!"
Said Gerard in an arrogant fashion.
"What a hare brained scheme
Who'd ever have dreamed
Of a monkey with such ill advised passion?"

As Gerard grew ever meaner
Ears around him grew keener
And the birds' and hares' voices  united
"As if we lack good sense!
Why, what an offense!"
"We'll show you who's dumb," they decided.

All it took was one wren
To pick the lock with a pin
And one strong hare to push open the door
And that which protected
Gerard from being digested
Suddenly was no more.

With the gate flung wide
The lions crept inside
To attend to a quite pressing matter
They licked their jaws and swiped their paws
And thought how they wished they were fatter....

Once upon a time
A giraffe in his prime
Was unfortunately devoured
And the peach of his bragging
And rather rude nagging?
The lions all found it quite sour.

The First Smile Picture

Miriam lovin' her music time.  It's very difficult to get a "smile" picture--especially when I'm the only one here---but I was determined and my perseverance paid off.  The "Bicycle Song" is always a big hit.  

Five to Six Weeks

I've missed my weekly updates---mostly  because Miriam is becoming increasingly "busier" during the day.  Seriously---this little girl plays hard.  She likes to be awake for 3-4 hours at a time during the day.  And she engages you the entire time she is awake. There is little that gets done until she goes down for a nap---because she is very expectant of constant interaction. She is smiling frequently---and I think she's trying to laugh sometimes---whenever her smile is followed by a long, high pitched---"oooooooo"  She thinks diaper changes are hilarious now, grinning and baby laughing throughout most of the process--which is a nice change from the screaming till she changes colors things she did when we first brought her home.  Music time remains a big hit---and the surest way to calm her if she's upset.  We jokingly refer to the "magic rattle"---which is actually her 18 month old cousin Joshua's rattle that he left over here after a visit---but if you shake the magic rattle in time to the music---Miriam is entranced---and again, if crying---this usually stops it instantaneously.  Other Miriam faves---the "airplane hold" while bounced to (and here's a shocker) more music---baby sit-ups, where we lay her in a blanket and, holding the blanket close to her head, pull her gently up into a sitting position---she thinks this is funny too---as your face comes predictably into view with each sit-up--she smiles as if saying to herself "There you are!"; tracking her red ladybug from side to side; and cuddling with Mom and Dad with a paci at storytime.  She tolerates her swing more than she used to now---and will catnap in it long enough for me to do the dishes or run a load of laundry, which is nice.

She is super cute when Stu comes home from work.  Yesterday, when he walked in she started kicking her feet, grinning, and "baby laughing."  Ummm yeah, can you say adorable?  I told Stu---that has GOT to be the best part of your day.  Of course, that fact was already written plain as day all over his face---so no surprise when he agreed with me.

We have songs for all her stuffed animals---and she likes it when we bounce them around and have them "talk" to her as their songs play....that sounds really strange when written out.....hope we aren't scarring her psychologically or anything with our own weirdness.....ah well, she was bound to find out we're weird sooner or later, I guess.  The song for her turtle that she's holding onto in the picture:  "I have a tiny turtle; his name is Tiny Tim; I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.  He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap--and when he went to bed he had a bubble in his throat.  Bubble bubble bubble.....pop"

Other milestones---hmmm--Miriam does a great job holding up her head.  She will tolerate tummy time--- only if Mom or Dad does Tummy time with her now.  She slept through the night Sunday night---which delighted Dad and terrified me at first.  But it's all good.  Baby girl plays hard---and baby girl sleeps hard in turn.

She's gorgeous, as you can tell from the picture---and again---she is more gorgeous today than she was yesterday; she will be more gorgeous tomorrow than she was today.  And so on and so on.  I'm not biased or anything---but I do think she is in fact the prettiest baby in the world right now.  

Life in our home right now is like a puzzle box turned upside down---and all the pieces have been scattered into a non-recognizable pattern which doesn't even begin to resemble the picture on the box.  And yet, somehow, it is indescribably more beautiful---more lovely---than even the picture we had in our heads of what this would be like.  God has blessed us immensely.  And the only thing to complain about in regards to this time is that it is going far too quickly.