Tiny Tots and Tunes

Our church offers a music-type class for kids 3 and under in the fall and spring called Tiny Tots, so I did classes with both Cole and Noah from January to March. I had done it with Cole when he was 2 years old as well, but this time, he REALLY got it into it. He loved the music, dancing, and Bible stories. He also did a great job memorizing his Bible verses for the class. Noah seemed to enjoy his class alot too. He loves music and dancing, and I enjoyed the one on one time I got to spend with each of them in their separate classes. My mom joined us for Cole's last class, and Cole certainly hammed it up a bit with her there. Noah had to miss his last class because of a fever, but he can do it again in the fall. Cole will be too old for Tiny Tots, but he can start to participate in a kid's choir class if he wants to do that. We'll see how that goes :)

Lessons

Most of the time, Cole is a truly sweet boy . . . very kind to Noah and extremely helpful to me. However, every once in a while that sin nature comes creeping out, particularly when he is tired. I know that it is common and normal for kids his age to be selfish and act out, but I certainly don't want to normalize that behavior and have a higher standard to follow.

So, yesterday, after driving almost a half hour to Hyde Park, we went to look around the toy store down there. All was going fine, and Cole and Noah were playing on the Thomas the Train table. Another little girl joined them. Cole took it upon himself to remove from the table several of the toys with which he knew the little girl was playing. She didn't even notice, but I did. We promptly left the toy store and made the 30 minute drive back home after only being there for about 10 minutes. When we got home, I showed Cole in the Bible where it talks about being kind to others. We talked a little about that and decided to try to think of nice things we can do for people each day. I love my kids immensely and probably indulge them a little too much at times, but I am realizing that it is important to gently remind them every once in a while that they are not the center of the universe. I let Cole come up with the ideas, and I wrote each one down on a piece of paper, folded them up, and put them in a bowl for us to pick each day. Some if his ideas were . . . make cookies for neighbors, make muffins for neighbors, send letters to people, buy ice cream for Daddy (that was an everyone wins one :). I suggested maybe of thinking something nice he could do for Noah. He then replied, "Maybe we can write some down for me." I just had to smile.

Grace

It is Missions week at our church, and I was blessed with the opportunity to go to a women's dinner last night with some girls from our Sunday school class. I really didn't know what to expect and was kind of regretting having to leave the boys, especially since I had to work tonight too. Nonetheless, I went, as I really felt the Lord pushing me to go. It was an amazing and convicting evening. The speaker was Gracia Burnham, a missionary who was captured along with her husband by Muslim terrorists in the Phillipines back in 2001. They spent over a year hiding and trekking through the jungle, suffering and starving, along with their captors. Her husband ultimately died during a gun battle, and she was rescued. The most amazing thing about this woman was her attitude toward her captors. Instead of hatred and bitterness, which most would say would be justified, she has compassion and an overwhelming desire to see these men come to know Christ. She has even been in contact with some of them who are now in prison. Hearing her story really made me analyze if I truly understand and practice grace in my own life. It also made me reflect on whether I put my own relationship with Christ above all else. I am still processing everything I took in last night and praying that God would work in me. For this woman to be able to show such grace, she had to truly grasp the depth of the grace God has shown us through Christ. Such grace is what sets Christianity apart. If I hope to show others the love of Christ and the hope he offers, I have to grasp the depth of His grace and be willing to practice it in my own life . . . no matter the cost. Convicting indeed.

Best Buds

It has been so fun to watch Cole and Noah get closer as Noah gets bigger and more interactive. They so enjoy each other's company most of the time. I think Cole was just as excited as Noah when we moved Noah to the "big boy," forward facing car seat. I frequently catch them holding hands when they don't know I'm looking, and I managed to snap a picture at a stop light the other day :) Noah adores Cole and will frequently just spontaneosly hug him or lay on him. Cole is particularly nurturing to Noah as well. I get a good glimspe of how I must sound when I hear Cole saying in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry your belly hurts," as he rubs Noah's back. Don't get me wrong, though; they certainly do fight at times, particularly when one or both are tired. Nonetheless, I am so thankful that they do enjoy each other most of the time and look forward to watching their relationship deepen as they grow up together :) I love being their Mommy!

And More Fort Wilderness

More Fort Wilderness

Fort Wilderness

We took Cole to Fort Wilderness a couple weeks ago. My parents kept Noah, so Cole was thoroughly enjoying being an only child for a night. We rented one of the cabins, and though it was pretty cold outside, we had a great time. We didn't do any of the parks, as Cole just enjoyed taking the monorail around and exploring the different resorts. He and Brian both always have fun at the arcade at the Contemporary. We also had fun taking the boats from Fort Wilderness to various other parts of the property and riding the Disney buses around the resort as well. Cole particularly loved the bunk beds in the cabin. We saw alot of deer around the property too. It was nice to get away and spend some one on one time with Cole. While I did miss Noah and was so happy to see him after the trip, I do see the importance of spending individual time with each of my boys. I remember my parents always being particularly sensitive about spending individual time with each of my siblings and me (and there were five of us!). I always loved those times :)