God's plan for little people

Elizabeth woke up while I was reading the Bible this morning, so I invited her to join me. Watching the eager little eyes as the realization dawned that those “letters and numbers” were telling us God’s words (as she later explained to her Daddy and me) was a joy to my heart! Hoping she would begin to realize that truth, I had read Psalm 1, the passage we’re currently memorizing with her. I then told her I was going to read the Habakkuk passage, and she responded: “Though the fig tree should not blossom?”

We've been explaining God's hierarchy of authority, too. Children must obey parents; parents must obey God. That's God's plan! As I was again admonishing her about the necessity of obedience this afternoon, I noticed John Mark’s Bible on the piano bench within easy reach. So I turned to Ephesians 6:1 and read it to her. She later completed the first part of the verse. “Children, obey your parents…”

This evening as we were telling John Mark about our Bible reading, Elizabeth paraphrased in a very understanding way:

I reminded her that “God says: Children, obey...”

“Your mommies and daddies…”

I added: “In the Lord, for this is ________.”

And she exclaimed: “My plan!”

K-3 Girl!

Adding to all the excitement of K-3 is the necessity of taking lunch and snacks in a backpack! (Thankfully, we had one we'd gotten free with a book order awhile ago.) As soon as I showed it to Elizabeth, she exclaimed: "It has juice pockets!" And so one learns that other kids take little juice boxes to school. We may have to do so as well from time to time... Opportunities to teach contentment abound!

Camping!

We joined PaPa and Grandma and the Aunts at the campground last weekend. This was Elizabeth's first overnight camping experience – and our first experience sleeping in the Suburban! It was an adventure and a learning experience!

(Yes, the pictures do show an appropriate bias!)

Chuck E Cheese's!

I'd never been to the place. Neither had Elizabeth. But she was sure she wanted to go. Apparently, the kids at school talked about it a lot. (Peer pressure starts early, eh?!)

We were getting low on Pull-Ups – a requirement for K-2 (and church). And my favorite stores hadn't been running any spectacular sales lately. (I haven't paid real money for diapers since I started really couponing at CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, etc. in mid-summer of last year.) So, I decided to go "cold turkey" (or, as we say in Uruguay, a lo criollo) with potty training and use "big girl" clothes. No transition apparel. And Elizabeth got the idea amazingly quickly – with the "help" of two accidents! By the end of the first week, she was consistently going to the bathroom on her own. (No, I'm not going to write any books, based on my experience with one easily trained child! But I am very, very thankful for an easy transition!)

And that's where Chuck E. Cheese's comes into the picture. Although Elizabeth had graduated with honors at home, she was reticent to "tell" her teachers at school when she needed to go. She mentioned Chuck E. Cheese's to John Mark and me, and the light bulb went on! "If you tell your teachers and stay dry at school..." And the rest is history!

We had a blast at Chuck E. Cheese's. (I so enjoy being Mommy to my precious Little Punkin Spice!) We shared one small pizza (pretty good, actually!), and they gave us five free game tokens. We sat in the toddler play area, and Elizabeth was happy to "ride" with Barney and Bob the Builder – even though the vehicles weren't even moving! And we spent our five tokens on three rides and two pictures – and had a great (fairly frugal) time!

And Elizabeth graduated to K-3 on Monday, June 1 (because she stayed dry at school on Friday, May 29, the last day of the 2008-2009 school year!) She was obviously excited!

And there's more good news! Chuck E. Cheese's is currently running a promotion – 10 free tokens for completing a Reward Calendar! We'll probably be going back!

Empty Nest

Our baby birds have grown up fast! Four days after discovering the wide-open beaks in the bush, I took this picture:

By the next day, they were out of the nest and perched on various branches throughout the bush. (Look at the fuzzy feathers on its head – looks like it's wearing a wig! Hee! Hee!)

Two days later, they looked like they were ready to take off into the wild, blue yonder. (I didn't actually get to observe the flying lessons, unfortunately.)

And now they're all grown up, and the nest is empty!

Lions, and Monkeys, and Bears! (Oh my!)

Elizabeth has been enjoying quality time with PaPa and Grandma, who are here on a short furlough. Time spent making memories together has included trips to the Zoo and Flea Market.

Thank-you, PaPa and Grandma, for attendeding Elizabeth's End-of-the-Year Program, too!

Standing there, looking cute, was about the extent of participation this time...

She did know the songs by heart and sang them at home for days preceding the program! Oh, well! We'll learn...

Happy 65th Birthday, PaPa!

We love you!

It was her life…

These were very dark days ten years ago... And there are still dark moments as the memories of those events linger... My heart is too full to even know how to begin to express the value of the life she lived, the consequent loss we suffer, the lessons we’ve learned and are learning...

The words of the song we planned to sing at our wedding in honor of my parents (the music score was not available) best describe what I am at a loss to even begin to describe:


Before I took a breath, before I took a step,
Unnumbered prayers were spoken, were spoken just for me.
And as I rested peacefully, there in your loving arms,
You dreamed of what tomorrow would bring
And what my future could be.

You watched me as each tiny step grew stronger;
You guided me through choices I would make.
And though I didn’t know the road that I would walk,
Your prayers would always light the path I’d take.

Your hands reached down to lift me when I’d fallen.
Your arms would hold me when I was afraid.
Your eyes could see right through the dark and stormy clouds
And point me to a brighter day.

Your steps would set a path that I could follow.
Your words of hope my broken dreams could mend.
Your heart of love would always show me Jesus,
But it was your life that led me to Him!

My childhood days are gone, and time keeps moving on.
It seems as though the months, the years, quickly slip away.
The life of faith you offered, examples of God’s love,
Is the life I long to share with my children today.

Your hands reached down to lift me when I’d fallen.
Your arms would hold me when I was afraid.
Your eyes could see right through the dark and stormy clouds
And point me to a brighter day.

Your steps would set a path that I could follow.
Your words of hope my broken dreams could mend.
Your heart of love would always show me Jesus,
But it was your life that led me to Him!

And it’s still your life that leads me to Him – to Jesus!

I love you, Mommy! I rejoice that I have so much to thank God for – and that one day we will meet again in His presence!