Emma Update

Emma has been really fun recently and very sweet. She just adores her little brother and spends all day taking care of him. She shares her baby with him and I frequently look at Jonah in the swing or bouncy seat and her baby is right there with him. The way she plays with her babies now is just precious as she mimics what she sees done with Jonah. She is so tender and gentle and has such a sweet spirit.

Yesterday in the car Emma told me that she wanted to go to church to sing to Jesus. We talked about how we go to church on Sunday but that Jesus lives in our hearts and goes with us everywhere. She then declared that she would like to sing to Jesus right then and asked me to put on her cd. She sat in the backseat belting out "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart". In the middle of singing she announced, "Mama, I am singing to Jesus." So sweet. She did the same thing in the car today only she explained to her baby, who was on her lap, that she was singing to Jesus in her heart.

Another development in Emma's activity is her reading. "I do it myself" is her mantra and it applies to books. She sits and reads her stories, repeating parts she knows and making up other parts based on the pictures. I love to listen when she doesn't realize I am there. She also puts her baby on her lap and just reads to her. My favorite was when she insisted upon reading to Jonah and read him a story and stopped every page to bend her body over to look Jonah in the face and talk to him in a high pitched voice.

Finally, we have been asking Emma what she wants to pray for before nap and bedtime. She also has been letting us know at meals what we should pray for. This, of course, has provided much entertainment for Mike and I. She, without fail, asks to pray for Uncle Ben every time and if we forget him, she very passionately reminds us. Along with praying for loved ones, Emma has insisted on praying for the lizards (we have them living in our neighborhood), for Holly (the talking parrot at the farmer's market), and any variety of animal that she is thinking about that day. We are really enjoying her!