all in good fun... oops!

When Erin was 4 years old. I wanted her to wear a green outfit and she wouldn't do it. I tried everything to get it on her and no luck.


Eventually an idea took hold of me that I thought was GENIOUS!


I got on my cell phone, dialed our home number, asked for Erin and pretended to be....


Ariel ...because she wears green!


Well, it worked. Erin donned the green attire and we all lived happily ever after.



Now ------ Hear the screaching brakes? The record being yanked off the player? Me crying out nooooooooooooooo!



Our story has come to -- a twist.


Erin has asked me several times about the magical day that Ariel called ... "Mom, was that really Ariel that called me that day?"


And of course I say "Yes!"


Well, turns out she tells people at school about this story and they call her a liar. Now what do I do with the poor little thing and her poor little feelings?



This leads me into another part of the twist in our story..

Over the weekend Erin was trying to explain to Gina that God lives in Heaven (the sky) and also in her heart. (Gina was totally under the opinion that God lives in her stomach and spends his time scavenging for food. Really!)


Well anyway, while Erin was explaining the omnipresence of God to Gina she said "it's like a made up story."



What the?


Of course, I tell Erin it is not a made up story. Then I think of him. Know who I mean? The big guy in the red suit. Then there was the tooth fairy that just came to her bedside a couple of weeks ago. And straight ahead... we have the giant bunny that breaks in and delivers hard boiled eggs.



What have I done????? What have we done Matt?



(Insert the word "Crap!" here because I use that word alot.)



The easter bunny's on his way.


This is only the first of many tooth fairy visits.


Santa's already working on this years naughty or nice list.


...And heaven forbid she doesn't want to wear green on St. Patrick's Day...(because I have a way to fix that!)



...Now I am understanding why some people don't go down this road with their kids.



I don't want to go back and tell her I lied about all that stuff!!!



So...Here's the fix:

(Why was I worried? It's an easy one!)

Erin and Gina have heard and will hear many times over The Greatest Story Ever Told. And they'll know it's not a made up story because it will become their story.


Day-in-and-day-out we will use our faith ....to get along, grow together, work, pay bills, feed ourselves, love each other, forgive each other, encourage one another, wake them up, tuck them in.


And they will be confident that we didn't make this story up ...even on that fatefull day that they finally realize there's no such thing as......