A boy and his Bible

Today our church presented all graduating kindergartners with a Bible of their very own. Isaiah already owns three Bibles so he was a little less than excited when we told him about this Bible.  Therefore we prepped him to have an appropriate response.  Just a polite "Thank you"... not... "Thank you...grumble...grumble...I already have 3 at home...grumble...grumble..."

Turns out he was very excited about the entire process.  Joe and I on the other hand should have prepared ourselves (and hearts) a little more.

(decorating his Bible bag)

What we thought was going to be a simple 5 minute "here is your new Bible" moment was actually a one hour "parents write in Bible (including underlining favorite or meaningful passages for your child) and pray with your child and Bible then present the Bible in front of the group with a special message for your child" event!  Yikes.

We were totally caught off guard.  Which added to our underlying stresses (me = crabby, clingy baby pulling my hair, Joe = feeling unprepared for tomorrow's test) did not make for the ideal Bible dedication scenario.  Sorry Isaiah.  We really hope and pray we didn't mess this one up too much!

 

 



It really was a lovely little "ceremony" in which the children were encouraged to read their Bibles and to learn the one and only Truth so that no matter where they go they will know God's word. 

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6)

 

 

(A drawing on Isaiah's Sunday school wall. I am a monster! And Isaiah is a tick?!)

At least I was dressed appropriately for this monumental event:) That was sheer coincidence. I was just so excited to wear a dress as it is finally  Spring-like outside!

 

Thankfully we will be re-presenting this Bible to Isaiah in front of the entire church on Mother's Day.  I am sure by then Joe and I will be able to get our act together and plan a coherent and meaningful Bible dedication for our first born child!

 

Boy Stuff

Boy toys and playing with boy toys...to put it lightly they just aren't my thing! I try. Really I do. But good guys and bad guys and battling are just beyond me! And all those Lego kits with all their pieces drive me a little bonkers. I can handle all of it for approximately 5-10 minutes and then my creative play ideas run out...

And then when all those toys and parts end up in one pile on the floor...well that really is the end of my "fun mom"interactions.

Thank goodness my husband knows how to play boy toys. He truly is Isaiah's favorite playmate. And for that I am ever grateful. Because I am much more in my element with baby dolls and dollhouses!

 

Addendum: The other morning I was on the phone with Lego costumer service at 7:30 AM because the boy just HAD to build the bonus model of his Lego creator motorcycle set...The Roadster. The instruction manual implied I would find the "bonus" instructions on their website...no such luck! Costumer service was great and they gave me the "code" to get the instructions.  And then I think she chuckled at me a little as she said, "I hope your son enjoys building the Roadster!"  Not funny lady. And yes he did enjoy it...while I enjoyed my favorite caffeinated beverage.

The Drop Off {mad} Dash

For me the time between 12:15 and 12:45 pm contains some of my ugliest, worst moments as a mother. It is during that time that I speak some of the harshest words to my children. I am not patient and I am easily frustrated. I can be downright rude and unkind to my children. I truly despise this about myself. And I want to change. I pray every day that I will do better. And some days are better. Yet some days are ugly and leave me in tears. I have questioned why God blessed me with 3 beautiful children when I clearly do not deserve them during these times.

So what happens from 12:15 to 12:45? That is the time every {week} day that I have to load up all the kids and drop Isaiah off at kindergarten. Sounds simple enough, right? Yet inevitably something goes wrong and we are running behind. A lost boot or mitten. A diaper MUST be changed. School snack wasn't packed or a library book is misplaced. It snowed and the van has to be uncovered. Or Charlotte's legs quit working. (This happens a lot!) Two year old legs sometimes just don't work right:) Add to all of this the fact that I {unknowingly} bought Isaiah a winter jacket that is he unable to zip himself. It is a small thing, but it can be the straw that breaks this camel's back. And all of this work is done in order to drive 1.2 miles to his school. It seriously turns me into a crazy person.

One day last week I was shocked to discover that we only had 3 minutes to get Isaiah to school once we were all loaded in the van. I was shocked because the loading process had gone so well, without a hitch really! So I thought we had plenty of time. Not so much. I guess we were slow pokes. I drove like a mad woman to get there just in time. I told Isaiah he could unbuckle as soon as we got in the parking lot and he could jump out of the van as soon as I opened the door {via button - I love my automatic door}. And then he was to RUN as fast as he could to the door and knock (if no one was there). Usually I walk him part way to the door.

Well he did just as I instructed. He unbuckled and proceeded to be launched forward onto his backpack once I stopped. Oops! He was struggling to get his backpack on so I told him just carry it and RUN! And boy-oh-boy did he RUN. He was running like a man on a mission. Probably the fastest I had ever seen him run. Unfortunately he was running down the sidewalk PAST the door he was to enter. I started honking trying to get his attention. But every time I would honk he would just lift his hand and wave at me {without looking back} as if to say "I got it mom".

After a moment's hesitation I began driving after him. So there I was driving, honking and calling his name out the window all with the door still open!  Charlotte didn't know what to think of my crazy antics.  Eventually Isaiah stopped and realized his error.  He then ran BACK to the door while I reversed to the door to make sure he made it safely inside. He did even though it was now 12:36.  Which means his teacher was there watching us the entire time.  I am sure we put on a good show:)

I drove out of that parking lot laughing so hard that I had tears streaming down my face.  Charlotte was utterly confused.  She didn't know if I was mad, sad or happy!  If only drop off was this fun every day...