Interesting. . .

James Christofer Truett is an interesting kid. He is an interesting kid for a variety of reasons, but one of them sticks out more than the others. It started this year at school. There are a couple of boys in his class that like to give him things. By that I mean, they bring him gifts a lot. It all began with the spiderman backpack he came home with last fall. I informed the teacher that the backpack was not JCT's. She informed me that the owner of said backpack insisted that JCT have it. I was uncomfortable with it, but we took the backpack home ~ JCT smiling the whole way. Erik took one look at the backpack, asked whose it was, I told the story, and he, without hesitation, said, "Give it back tomorrow."

Since then he has been given dinosaurs, snakes, toy cars, a robot costume, etc. And, every time it happens, I just shake my head, and say, "JCT, do not keep taking your friend's toys!" But, then he insists, "Mommy, they want me to have them!" And, inevitably, it won't be long before he comes home with another toy.

I was at school with him one day, and when it was time to go, I noticed that JCT was holding a Chick (from the movie Cars) toy in his hand. I asked him where he got it, and he said smiling, "Samuel gave it to me!" So, I marched JCT over to Samuel and said. . .

"Samuel, did you give this car to JCT?"

"Yes," he said.

"Well, don't you think you will want it later?"

"No. I want James Tistifoor to have it!"

"But, Samuel, when you get home and you want to play cars, don't you think you'll miss it? Don't you think you'll want to play with it one of these days?"

"No. I want James Tistifoor to have it."

I pry the car out of my son's hand and try to force it into Samuel's hand. "I think you will want it later."

"NO! I want James Tistifoor to have it!" And, with that he ran away.

I looked down at JCT.

A funny little smile spread across his silly little face. . .

a smile that said two things. . .

1.) SUCCESS

and

2.) 'I told you so'

all at the same time.

Then, just today I was at JCT's preschool for a magic show, and David's mom came up to me. She said, "We have this spiderman riding toy that David has outgrown, and he is insisting that JCT have it."

I just shook my head.

Then, the truth came out. . .

I asked her, "Why? Why does he want JCT to have it?" She said, "Well, David was talking about outgrowing it, and JCT mentioned that he had little brothers who might like it."

Little brothers who might like it. . .

Hmmmmm. . . . .

Then, when he got in the car to go home, I noticed that he had a dragon toy in his possession ~ another happy meal toy he acquired from a friend.

If I didn't know him better, I'd wonder if he was bullying these gifts from his buddies. But, JCT is not a bully. . .

So, either he has really generous friends, or he has a way with words and people.

I'm beginning to wonder. . .

The Big Three. . .

This past Sunday was my little monkey's third birthday. He was so excited, and I was so excited for him!!! We had a little party with our family and the Reynolds. And, for one day, little Lije got to be the center of attention, and he absolutely loved it!! Every part of the day was so exciting for him! Everyone in the family (except me ~ sorry I just don't own anything orange and dressy) wore orange to church in honor of Elijah's favorite color! :-)

I loved watching him open gifts! My little middle man just doesn't get that many new things, so he thoroughly enjoyed opening some new toys just for him!

He wanted a baseball party, so that is exactly what we had!


Here he is blowing out his candle. . . (Joshua is holding him :-)
And, it was such a treat that Lauren (or "Miss Worr-en" as Lije calls her) surprised Lijah and came to his party! Elijah adores "Miss Worr-en". She is one of his Sunday school teachers, and Elijah says she loves him more than I do. He swears she does, but I am not so sure!!!! Mommy loves her little monkey a lot!!!

I love you, my sweet Lijah man! You are an amazing little guy ~ an awesome combination of funny, lovable, strong, confident, bold, tender, and sweet all rolled into one precious little package! And, I am so thankful to call you mine! I love you ~ Mommy

Where Peace is found. . .

The other night Erik was laying under our covers, and I was sitting straight up in bed with the sun on (as he says). The sun is the lamp beside our bed that I read by at night. We had just finished a long discussion about one of the thirty thousand things that were bothering me that particular night. He asked me why I wasn't going to sleep with him, and I said. . .

"I can't sleep! I need to find some peace!"

He laughed and said, "Do you think you're going to find it in that book?"

And, I said, "I don't know, but I hope so!"

And, you will never guess what happened next! I opened the Elisabeth Eliot book that my mom recently gave me. And, at the top of the page I opened were the words. . .

"To Find Peace. . ."

I laughed out loud and shared with my sweet sleepy husband the humor of our God!

I read that page and the next, and I was reminded of something so important!! Peace. It doesn't come from forgetting about what worries me. It doesn't come from working hard to make things right ~ or planning and believing some false illusion of control. It doesn't come from withdrawing and hiding ~ ceasing to live outward. It doesn't come form submitting to defeat ~ giving up. Do you know where we as Christians can rest in the peace of God. . .

In accepting.

As Amy Carmichael said in a poem, "In acceptance lieth peace."

Acceptance of God's will. Accepting whatever befalls, however it befalls us as the will of God. I love the word acquiesce. Acquiesce to His will.

Jesus poured his heart out to His father. He prayed that this cup be removed. But, God did not remove the cup, and Jesus drank deep of it. He accepted.

So, many things that I worry about I simply cannot change. I cannot do a single thing about them. So, why do I worry? Why not just open my arms wide before my God and accept what it is that I cannot change? Rather than fight, manipulate, think on, obsess over and attempt to change that which I am powerless to change.

Peace lieth in acceptance.

I love it, and I needed it that night as I was consumed with worries about the future, about things that today I cannot do anything about, and tomorrow they may not even happen!!! Silly me!! ;-)

The Sweetest Thing!!!

I am a believer in loving on my kiddos like crazy before I tuck them in their beds. I have never been one to just place my babes in their cribs or beds and walk out of the room ~ not that there is anything wrong with that! I just have my little routines ~ unique to each child. I scratch Lijah's head and sing to him. I hold Erik Daniel and sing to him. The big boys I just simply talk to and kiss and hug. But, when they were younger, I had special songs and a special way that I held them. I have done things a little different with each child. I just do what they like best ~ what seems to calm them the most, etc.

Anyway, today I was putting Elijah down for a nap when suddenly Elijah's sleepy face turned into a huge smile. I looked behind my back, and JCT was peeking through a crack in the bedroom door. I asked him to wait for me on the steps. When I left Elijah, I found JCT crying on the steps. I thought, perhaps, I had hurt his feelings???

So, we walked down stairs hand in hand, and I asked him why he was crying. He tried twice to tell me, but I couldn't make out his words for his crying. Finally, when we got downstairs, I sat on the ottoman and put him on my lap. I said, "Now calm down, and in a voice that I can understand, tell me why you are crying." And, he said words that made this mommy's heart cry. He said. . .

"When I was three, you used to hold me and sing to me, but now I am too big for you to hold me like that anymore!!!!"

Now, how many times has my heart yearned to hold Joshua or JCT the way I did when they were little?? It took me by complete surprise that he felt the same way!!!

So, I picked him up and cradled him with his big boy head laying on my left arm just the way I used to and rocked him for a few minutes.

And, he smiled. . . big time.

And, my left shoulder hurt. . . big time.

Man, do I love my big baby boy!!!!

A sweet moment and a sweet memory!

Light in the Darkness. . .

JCT is my thinker ~ the one with all the questions ~ and all the answers!!! :-)

The other night as I was going through the motions of our bedtime routine, JCT asked a question that shook me right out of my auto-pilot like stupor.

I was reading the story of Creation in one of our Children's Bibles. I got to the part about God saying, "Let there be light" and there was, of course, light. And, before I could move on to the next sentence, James Christofer interrupted me.

"Wait a second. I just thought of something."

I am always intrigued by his thoughts, so I asked, "What did you think of?"

He said, "Well, I've never thought of it before, but I guess God didn't create the dark. It was just there, and He created the light."

I pondered his thought, then agreed with him that it never says that God created darkness ~ just that He created light in a dark void space.

I thought about his question for a long time after I kissed his sweet cheek goodnight. Did he have any idea as to the depth of the question he posed? I've heard many times the whole deal about did God create evil? If he created all things then He had to have created evil, right? Then, I've also heard it said that God didn't create evil. God is love, and in Him, because of Him, love exists. But, apart from Him, in His absence, evil exists.

And, JCT's question kind of seems to back that last theory. In God there is light and apart from Him there is darkness. He brought light and love into a dark, empty, void space. Take away the Light, and what are you left with?

For Nana and Poppy

Just wanted to thank you for the fun birthday gift!! Lijah has loved it!! It is a little too short for Joshua and JCT, but it hasn't stoppped them from taking a swing at it, too!!! An appropriate gift from our beloved pitcher of a Poppy!!!!

The Story of My Life Lately. . .

I am constantly chasing this little one. . .He loves to hide, climb, run, and grab everything his cute little arms can reach!! I am nearly pulling my hair out here!!! He is either in the toilet bowl, Rain's water or food bowls (he loves to put Rain's food into his water bowl and watch it float), or climbing up and standing on one of my bar stools with his hands in the fish bowls. I swear he has 8 arms all busy and moving in different directions at all times!!

One of the boys came inside and forgot to bolt the back door. . .

He was outside and on the front porch before I could turn my head! And, then there was the afternoon when a friend called me with a question. While I was talking with her, he opened the baby gate, let himself into the foyer, closed the gate behind himself, went upstairs, into his big brothers' room, climbed to the top of the bunk bed's ladder, and laughed at me when I walked in and screamed!!!

We are months away from being two years old, and I am beginning to fear what might lie ahead!!!!!!! Please, Lord, keep him safe!!!!

Hangin' in There!

A Spring Weekend

Playing in the dirt with Daddy. . .I think Daddy enjoys the dirt as much, or maybe even more, than his little boys!!

I am amazed every year at how the entire world goes from lifeless, empty, and dull to vibrant, full, and beautiful in literally one week's time!! The change happens so subtly that unless you pay close attention, you will miss it entirely. But, at the same time, the change happens so fast that it makes me shake my head in amazement!!!


Last week as Erik was driving Joshua to school one morning, Erik prayed out loud, "Thank You, God, for how you make all things new ~ just like You do with souls who come to You. You fill dead things with fresh, new life!" And, from the backseat Joshua said, "I've never thought of that, Daddy! I've never thought about how spring is a lot like what God does to our hearts! I've never thought of it that way!" A little spring revelation!!!


Budding flowers are my favorite ~ almost more than their end result ~ beautiful spring flowers!! It is as if they are saying, "If you think this is beautiful, just wait and see how beautiful we will be when God opens us up!!!"
Our land is full of blooming things and happily buzzing insects. If only I were as fond of the insects as I am the blooms!! But, I. am. not. I think winter is beautiful in its own way. I love the barren trees and the cold, cozy temps. But, watching God turn an overcast barren land into a land filled with sunshine and bright abundant life is nothing short of a miracle. I marvel at this work of His hands every year. And, no matter how many years I have watched Him do it, it never gets old. It never ceases to amaze me.

Hard-working hands. . .

Each year, when spring comes, I remember the first time we visited this place we now call home. Nine years ago we came here searching for the perfect home ~ the first home we would buy together, the place where we would one day watch our children play. It was springtime, and the land was so beautiful to us. It still is ~ even more so because it has become a part of us. Four bouncing baby boys have come home from the hospital to this place. We have watched them grow and run and play and conquer little worlds here on this land, our sweet, sweet home. And, spring reminds me of the young couple who came searching for a place to call their own. We welcome you, sweet season!!

Swamped!!!!

I haven't posted in a while. . .


Literally. . .

as you can see. . .

we have been. . .

SWAMPED!!!!!! :-)