Goodbye naps.

Elna hasn’t taken a nap in at least a month.  I’m so sad about it.  I’m not quite ready to give up my only free time during the day.  For the first few weeks Elna didn’t nap, but was at least pretty quiet and entertained herself with her books or baby dolls.  Then one day she some how found some nail polish in a closet in her room.  I didn’t realize there was nail polish in there (obviously, I hope!) and until that day she had never gotten into the closets.  When I came in to get her at the end of the nap she was very proud of her work:

Unfortunately she also got it all over the carpet too.

Not too bad for her first time painting her own nails.

Maybe I should stop taking pictures?  You should know that she thinks I took them to send to Daddy because he would be so sad about it.  But still, the pictures maybe only encourage it.  She didn’t see me take the next pictures:

This was her art project the next day during nap time—permanent marker on the wall and artwork.

Also all over her clock.

The marker pretty much came out of everything, but not the hearts artwork that Brian and I had made when we decorated her room.  Where did she find the permanent marker?  In the closet, of course.  In my defense, I didn’t realize there was a marker in there.  It was inside my church bag which I didn’t think she could get to.  But after two strikes, we wised up a little and finally tied up the doors.  As we were scrubbing the walls, Brian tied up the doors so that Elna could see that she couldn’t get in there anymore.

As Brian was putting her to bed that night, Elna said in the sweetest and most sincere little voice (she seriously can be so sweet sometimes):

“Thank you for the bows, Dad” (the ropes that tied the doors shut)

and then she went on and said “Sorry about the painting.  I was trying to write my name and Daddy’s name, and Mommy’s name.  But it didn’t work.”

The next day I came into her room and found the doors open.

I had told her before her nap that if she took a good nap or played quietly without getting in the closets, that we would go to the park afterwards.

After he nap I explained that we wouldn’t be able to go to the park because she didn’t take a good nap.  She thought for a minute and then said:

“Okay.  Hmmm.  I’ll think about that Mom.” 

After a little thinking she said:

“I have a good idea.  I’ll get my shoes on and you can stay in here and I’ll go out the park!”

 

Oh, Elna dear!  What are we going to do?

 

But while we are talking about cute things Elna says, here are few other things she has said lately that make us laugh…

To me:  “You’re the cutest mama I’ve ever seen in the whole world.”  

And for Family Home Evening on Monday night we talked about the 10 lepers and gratitude.  When she was about to say the closing prayer (she insists on saying  all of the prayers and leads the music too), I told her that when she prayed maybe she could just thank Heavenly Father for all of the things she is grateful for.  This is what she said:

“Heavenly Father, I’m thankful for that, and for that, and for that, and for that, and for that.”  She was entirely sincere and not joking one bit.  We think she was just thinking in her head of all the things she was thankful for and that’s what came out of her mouth.  Funny, funny girl!

 

I’m praying for patience, and unfortunately I fail all of the time, but I really really love this girl of mine!