Prayer time

Try this one on for size, all ye who dare to be Scrooges: 

"Dear Jesus...I believe in your Holy Spirit.  Oh, and I believe in your Christmas Spirit.  Amen"

Amen.

Merry Christmas!!

rock, paper, scissors...

[walking around the corner into the kitchen]

C:  "Mommy, rock, paper scissors...", he said ominously..."for a brother." 

Hmm, ok.  I hear rock, paper, scissors is the best way to solve major life decisions - including adoption. 

Rock.  Paper.  Scissors.  Shoot. 

Me:  "HA!  I win.  Girl."  I grinned. 

He glowered at me.  "Best outta three..." I'm telling you.  This kid shoulda been a cowboy. 

[Fast forward to the part where I beat him again...in rock, paper, scissors.  Geez.  What kinda mom do you think I am?!  lol]

Me:  "You do know that your dad is actually the one you should be talking to about this, right?  He's the one that really wants a sister for you." 

C:  "What?!"  He looks as if he has just been betrayed by more than just genetics and DNA.  The very essence of the 'boy code' has been compromised. 

I left him to chew on this thought for a while.  He's comin' around...but I am pretty sure he wishes that rock, paper, scissors game had gone his way.  ;-) 

If only...

C was helping me do yard work today (much to his dismay...) and as he was piling weeds into the wheelbarrow, he said, "Mommy, I wish adoption only cost $1 from Taiwan.  Then we could do it a whole bunch of times."  I agreed with him whole-heartedly.  :-)  When I asked why that was what was on his mind, he answered sheepishly..."Because then I could get a sister AND a brother."  (If you can't tell...he's totally not digging this girl thing as of late). 

Thinking I could prod a bit more, I asked him, "Why do you want a brother so badly?" 

"Mom."  Insert dumb look here.  "So we can be twins."   

my geo whiz

Another blast from the past...

I was having a "moment"...you know, the mom moments...when you have just cleaned everything up and collapse on the nearest piece of furniture?  C did what little boys do...dragged his toys back to the living room.  He contentedly played with them for a while, and then did what little boys do...got distracted and left them there. 

*sigh* 

"C...please come pick up your toys from the middle of the living room." 

Ever the people-pleaser, he comes skipping back into the living room.  "Yeah, mommy?" 

I repeat my request, as patiently as possible.  Toys.  Middle of the room.  Pick 'em up, cowboy.  I'm beginning to wonder why he's looking at me so quizzically.  Silently, he shrugs his shoulders, picks up his toys...and moves the to a different spot in the room. 

"C, what are you doing?!"

"Mommy, that wasn't the middle of the room.  This is the middle of the room." 

Technically - geometrically or geographically or whatever geo you want - he was right.  Hard to argue with the mathematical mind.  :-)

random ramblings

things i need to never forget: 

Quite some time ago, C was sitting in the corner of the living room, talking to himself and playing.  He looks up at me and says, "Mom, why do pirates steal other people's shi#?"

?!?!?!  "Um, what?"

"Why do pirates steal other people's shi#?" 

Lord in heaven.  Please tell me I'm hearing this wrong.  "Buddy, what do you mean?"

[He sighs, because let's be honest...moms just don't 'get it' sometimes]  "You know.  They have shi#, but then they steal someone else's shi#..." 

"C, are you trying to say SHIPS?" 

"That's what I said.  Shi#s."

[Maybe we just need to say 'boats' from now on...]

who knew?!

Driving home from West Virginia last weekend, C pipes up from the backseat...

"Mommy, when you die, do you want to be buried, or do you want to be blown up?" 

"Uh..."  I don't even know how to answer this.  Who knew these were the two options?!  "Buddy, I won't have to worry - I'll be with Jesus by then.  So, you can decide." 

"Oh."  Settling back into his seat...he seemed to be pretty satisfied with this answer.  I'm wondering if I should be worried...

honest heart

C is a normal little boy.  I certainly love that about him.  :-)  And every once in a while, he gets in trouble at school and has to "pull a card."  They have a system of green (good), yellow (warning), red (note home) and blue (sent to office).  One week, particularly recently, he had 3 yellow cards in a 4 day week.  I wasn't very pleased with this, and so Joshua and I sat down with him to discuss his consequence at home.  We've talked in length with him about what his "job" is at school, and especially since I'm a teacher, what our expectations of his behavior are.  Josh and I both understand that there is a whole mess of little boy in him that is dying to get out sometimes, so we talk about each instance as it happens. 

Well, this particular week was just crazy.  So, we told him that we felt like he would lose his new DS for the weekend.  He was of course devastated about this, so I asked him what he would have done if he were us. 

"Well, I would take it away for....4 weeks." 

Josh and I both looked at each other and laughed - apparently he wasn't catching on to the fact that 2 days was WAY better than 4 weeks.  :-) 

Later that night, to get to the point, we went to a friend's house to play Risk.  They have two little boys that C adores playing with, so it was a family night.  When we got there the kids ran to the basement to play and we set up our festivities at the dining room table. 

About an hour into the evening, C came upstairs and asked if he could talk to me.  He came around the table and started whispering into my ear.  It seemed that his friend had a DS in the basement, and he wanted to play it.  I mean, technically, this wasn't HIS DS, so it didn't really fall under the category of his consequence.  ;-)  I am pretty sure when C came up the stairs, though, he knew what the answer was going to be.  Yep, no matter how cute you are, the answer is still "no."  Though it wasn't the answer he wanted, C smiled, hugged my neck, and skipped back downstairs. 

I didn't think much about it at the time, but later that night, I was struck at what an honest heart my little guy has.  He could've played that DS in the basement all night long, and I would never have been the wiser.  But he chose to respect Joshua and I...and God...in the process.  I don't know if it was something we did as parents, or his natural sensitivity to spiritual things...but I am SO honored to be his mama...

*love*

bucket filler

c's school does a behavior program called being a "bucket filler."  i was new to the idea, so he's been filling me in.  basically, there's a puppet (who happens to be a talking bucket.  :-?  yeah.  okay.)  who tells the kids that the whole point of this behavior program is to do nice things for others...hence, being a "bucket filler."  bullies, i've been told, are "bucket dippers."  this is a big deal, people.  a really big deal.  if you get caught being one of the aforementioned bucket fillers, you get your good deed read over the announcements, and your picture on the wall with the puppet.  this is akin to the nobel peace prize for kindergartners.  :-)

c has been angling to get the award all year.  every day, quite literally, he does something and then says to me, "mommy, did i fill your bucket?"  kisses, feeding the dog, opening doors for me...you name it, he does it.  [these people really know how to indoctrinate young children!] 

one evening at dinner, after asking me several times already that day if he had filled my bucket, c asked if he could pray for dinner.  of course, we told him he could.  we bowed our heads, and geared ourselves up for what would become the prayer of the year.  he really outdid himself.  i think our meal was blessed, our family was blessed, third-world children were blessed...  *laughing*  as he lifted his head, he looked at joshua and i with a smug, all-knowing look. 

"bet that filled God's bucket." 

sure did, mister.  sure did. 

top chef: mommy edition

[at the dinner table]

"dear jesus, thank you for this day.  thank you for letting us spend time together as a family.  and thank you for this...uh...."

[looks at his plate critically and then up at me with a squinty eye]

"mom...what is this stuff anyway??" 

[sigh] "Corned beef hash and biscuits, buddy."

"Yeah.  Thanks for THAT, Jesus.  Amen." 


Could there be a sweeter compliment?  *laughing*  At least he cleaned his plate! 

O-H.....I-O...!!!!!

[praying at bedtime with daddy]

"dear Jesus, thank you for this day, and thank you for letting us spend time together as a family.  oh, and thank you VERY much that today is the last day of college football.  amen."

Go Buckeyes!!  lol 

[we won't tell him its not really the end of college football...but if it is "well with his soul"...we'll leave it as is!]

sweet spirit of adoption

a sampling of sorts: 

[viewing a video on Thanksgiving about adoption...C's jaw dropped when he heard that there are 145 million orphans in the world]


whispering to me during service:  "mommy, that's a lot of people that need a family.  i'm glad we're adopting." 


me too, bud.  me too. 


[praying tonight before bedtime]


"and dear God, please forgive me for dumping out my Clear Blue bottle to give the money to Aunt Sarah and Uncle Matty for their adoption.  i knew You would be ok with it." 


[a conversation one evening]

C:  "mommy, why haven't we adopted yet?"

"buddy, its really complicated...we're going to.  but sometimes God's timing isn't our timing.  mommy has to pray for patience, too..."

C:  [very matter of fact]  "sometimes i run out of patience.  but then i ask God to fill me back up again, and He does." 

i was blown away by his very child-like answer...and then i realized how right he was.  it really IS that easy...


Psalm 37:5-7a
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.