Sometimes, my kids drive me crazy with their constant fighting and screaming. My two boys are very competitive. They struggle for dominance in all aspects of life. However, there are other times when my boys do things that completely surprise me and bring cheer to my soul.
One Saturday morning, the sun peeked in through the blinds. I lay under my covers and stretched my limbs. I did not want to get up. Yet, I needed to get up or else I would not get the kids to Sabbath school on time. "Ugh. Mornings are so hard." I thought to myself. Slowly, I crawled out of bed and into the shower. Even with hot water pouring over my head, I could not shake the cobwebs from my brain. After my shower, I roamed about the bathroom in a zombie-like state.
As I leaned toward the mirror to put on mascara, I heard little voices coming from the kitchen. "Oh no! The kids are up. I'm not ready for them to be up." My mind complained anxiously. I fully expected them to fight over some toy in the living room or place each other in headlocks while running down the hallway. Either way, the peace of the morning seemed over. I hurriedly finished applying the mascara and threw my hair into a pony tail. Then, I tiptoed to my bedroom door.
From my door, I saw the most amazing sight. Son #1 and Son #2 were dressed in their Sabbath clothes. My youngest son sat patiently at the table while my oldest son served Cheerios into two bowls. They spoke kindly to each other as Son #1 opened the refrigerator door to retrieve the milk. Son #1 carefully poured milk into each bowl and then returned the carton to its shelf in the refrigerator. Then, my oldest son placed both bowls of food onto the kitchen table.
Both of my boys bowed their heads and Son #2 began to pray. "Deaw Jesus. Tank you for da food. Tank you for tomowow. Bada bada bada Amen!!!!"
The boys began to eat their food and chat about their morning. Suddenly, Son #1 popped out of his seat. "Oh! I forgot worship!" He shouted. His younger brother began to babble excitedly as Son #1 grabbed the Bible from the counter. When my oldest son returned to the table, both of the boys settled into their seats. Son #1 opened the Bible to the book of Psalms and found one of his favorite verses. He sweetly read the verses to his younger brother. Son #2 listened intently, quietly chewing his cereal. Once the worship was complete, Son #1 carefully placed the Bible back onto the counter and returned to his seat. The boys continued to talk and eat until they had finished all their food. Finally, they placed their dishes in the sink and made their way to the bathroom to brush their teeth.
From my hiding place behind the door, my eyes grew misty and my heart burst with love. It was wonderful to see the boys behaving well. I was also thrilled to see them developing their own personal relationship with Jesus. This is a morning that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The Popsicles
One sunny weekend, the boys and I made juice popsicles in our plastic popsicle holders. First, we began by digging out the pitcher from the bottom cabinet. Son #1 quickly opened the cabinet door and spied the needed pitcher. Son #2 hopped up and down beside the freezer door as I searched for the frozen orange juice concentrate. As soon as I found the orange juice concentrate, the boys dragged kitchen chairs to the counter and climbed onto the seats.
"What are you guys doing?" I asked playfully.
"We're going to help you make the popsicles!" Son #1 shouted with excitement.
"I make popsicles!" Son #2 echoed with delight.
"Alright." I said as I relinquished the ingredients and stepped back to monitor their work. "Are you guys ready?"
"Yeah!" They both screamed. Son #1 began to remove the lid to the juice concentrate while Son #2 jumped on the chair. As soon as the lid was taken off the juice concentrate container, I helped my oldest son squeeze the frozen contents into the pitcher. Son #1 grunted as he tried to shake the frozen orange juice out of the tube. "Mommy!" He yelled in frustration. "I can't get the orange juice out!"
"Hmm. Let me help you." I replied as I grabbed a spoon from the utensil drawer. Together, we scooped the remaining contents of the tube into the pitcher. Once empty, the tube was ready to be filled with water.
Son #2 was dancing impatiently on the chair waiting for his turn. He eyed the empty tube and chattered. "I wanna pour da water! I wanna pour da water!"
"O.K. You can pour the water." I responded while turning on the sink faucet.
Son #2 cheered and held onto the small container with both of his chubby hands. "I did it!" He said proudly as he poured the water into the pitcher.
"I wanna do the next one!" Son #1 said as he tapped me on the shoulder.
"Alright Baby." I instructed my youngest son. "You need to give the juice can to your brother."
Son #2 pouted for a moment but was persuaded to give up the container. Son #1 smiled and thanked his younger brother. Then, he proceeded to meticulously fill the can to the top. Once full, Son #1 poured the water into the pitcher. Finally, it was my turn to add the last can of water. I quickly finished my task in order to have the boys mix the contents of the pitcher together.
My two boys grinned as I handed each of them a mixing spoon. They took turns mixing the concentrate and water. Periodically, I could see the boys peeking into the pitcher to see if the frozen orange juice had dissolved. I giggled to myself as I watched them work as a team. Sometimes, there was a bit of shouting but it was resolved fairly quickly.
Eventually, the boys finished mixing the contents of the pitcher. We carefully poured the orange juice into the popsicle containers and placed them in the freezer. Then, the boys ran outside to play. Several hours later, I removed two refreshing, orange popsicles from their containers and presented them to my little boys as they played in the backyard. They both screamed with joy. Son #1 and Son #2 immediately began to lick the frozen orange treat. They sat beside each other on the concrete patio silently eating their popsicles. After some time, Son #1 finished his popsicle and ran to the grass to play. Son #2 quietly watched his brother as orange juice dripped onto his hands. With his eyes half closed, my youngest son savored the remains of his popsicle as the warm sun melted it onto his clothes.
"What are you guys doing?" I asked playfully.
"We're going to help you make the popsicles!" Son #1 shouted with excitement.
"I make popsicles!" Son #2 echoed with delight.
"Alright." I said as I relinquished the ingredients and stepped back to monitor their work. "Are you guys ready?"
"Yeah!" They both screamed. Son #1 began to remove the lid to the juice concentrate while Son #2 jumped on the chair. As soon as the lid was taken off the juice concentrate container, I helped my oldest son squeeze the frozen contents into the pitcher. Son #1 grunted as he tried to shake the frozen orange juice out of the tube. "Mommy!" He yelled in frustration. "I can't get the orange juice out!"
"Hmm. Let me help you." I replied as I grabbed a spoon from the utensil drawer. Together, we scooped the remaining contents of the tube into the pitcher. Once empty, the tube was ready to be filled with water.
Son #2 was dancing impatiently on the chair waiting for his turn. He eyed the empty tube and chattered. "I wanna pour da water! I wanna pour da water!"
"O.K. You can pour the water." I responded while turning on the sink faucet.
Son #2 cheered and held onto the small container with both of his chubby hands. "I did it!" He said proudly as he poured the water into the pitcher.
"I wanna do the next one!" Son #1 said as he tapped me on the shoulder.
"Alright Baby." I instructed my youngest son. "You need to give the juice can to your brother."
Son #2 pouted for a moment but was persuaded to give up the container. Son #1 smiled and thanked his younger brother. Then, he proceeded to meticulously fill the can to the top. Once full, Son #1 poured the water into the pitcher. Finally, it was my turn to add the last can of water. I quickly finished my task in order to have the boys mix the contents of the pitcher together.
My two boys grinned as I handed each of them a mixing spoon. They took turns mixing the concentrate and water. Periodically, I could see the boys peeking into the pitcher to see if the frozen orange juice had dissolved. I giggled to myself as I watched them work as a team. Sometimes, there was a bit of shouting but it was resolved fairly quickly.
Eventually, the boys finished mixing the contents of the pitcher. We carefully poured the orange juice into the popsicle containers and placed them in the freezer. Then, the boys ran outside to play. Several hours later, I removed two refreshing, orange popsicles from their containers and presented them to my little boys as they played in the backyard. They both screamed with joy. Son #1 and Son #2 immediately began to lick the frozen orange treat. They sat beside each other on the concrete patio silently eating their popsicles. After some time, Son #1 finished his popsicle and ran to the grass to play. Son #2 quietly watched his brother as orange juice dripped onto his hands. With his eyes half closed, my youngest son savored the remains of his popsicle as the warm sun melted it onto his clothes.
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