somersaults and god

While kneeling on our bedroom floor on the verge of a time-out after being repeatedly told to settle down and go to sleep, Nicholas recounts the events that led to him and Sophia crying.

"I kind of hit Sophia by accident and told her I was sorry, and she kept touching me and then she did a somersault and landed on my eye."

"Sophia, is that true?"

"Yes."

Trying extremely hard not to bust out laughing, to no avail, I giggle out, "Are you supposed to be doing somersaults in bed?"

"No." She giggles.

"Ok, you guys need to go back in and I don't want to hear another sound from you and I don't want to come back upstairs again. If I do, you'll both get a time-out and be in trouble. Understand?"

"Yes." Says Nicholas with a semi-straight face.

"Yes." She giggles again.

"I'm serious, Sophia. If I have to come up here again, you're going to start losing stuff. What do you love?"

"God." (huh?)

"What?"

"God." (and here I was thinking she would say purple fairy wings, princess dresses, etc.)

"Well, don't you love your new flower girl dress? Your purple fairy wings that Kathy and John gave you that light up? Your flower girl basket?"

"Yes. And God."

"Ok, well, if I come up again, you'll lose the other stuff."

Clearly, that didn't go over as well as I had hoped. I should have known. Earlier when we came home from church, she said to me, "You know, Mom, when God is angry with me, he still loves me." Go figure.