Teaching Me Everyday

Benjamin and Bella and I were having lunch together today and Benjamin wasn't very interested in his food, so he was taking forever!! He'd put a spoonful in his mouth and it would be 5 minutes or more before he'd finish chewing it. I was losing my mind. However, in the middle of it all, he made the thinking pose - head cocked to the side, resting on his palm, looking pensive. He does this regularly, probably imitating me when I'm working on the computer. "Are you done eating?" I asked, for the hundredth time. "I'm thinking," he said. I knew he would tell me what he was thinking about, so I didn't ask. "I'm thinking on Jesus," came the answer to the unspoken question. I always love to hear him say this, but today it was more meaningful that usual. I was trying to hurry him along and he was taking the time to to think about Jesus. I hope in the eternities I'll be granted a view of what exactly he thought about at those moments and how he pictured Jesus in his mind. But no matter how his images look, I was touched that my two year old little boy, who could be thinking about tigers or trucks or pirates or dinosaurs, was instead thinking about Jesus. What a great example to me.

Truly a Mom

Ever have one of those moments when you think, "I can't believe how ridiculous I'm being, and yet my kid loves it, so here goes!" I had that today. Benjamin was playing his ukulele and having fun goofing off when he "discovered monsters." He told me that we needed to run away from them. I suggested that he go hide in the closet and he insisted that I hide with him. So he and I got in the coat closet with his ukulele. Of course, once inside, he decided to play it again. I told him that he shouldn't play, but rather be quiet, because we didn't want the monsters to hear us and discover our whereabouts. However, he was insistent, and so he began to play. Not satisfied, he told me to sing along. So, here I was, crammed in the coat closet with a 2 year old and his ukulele, hiding from monsters and being asked to sing. What does one sing in such a situation? Mele Kalikimaka, of course. The Hawaiian Christmas song seemed appropriate when being accompanied by a ukulele. I could hardly sing, though, between bursts of laughter. What we won't do for our kids. Benjamin loved it and proudly declared that the monsters had fled. I tried to take that as a compliment.

The Possibilities are Endless

I think most moms watch their kids' behavior and wonder what they'll grow up to become. Right now I think Benjamin will either become an engineer


or a criminal


He played Blokus unaided for nearly 30 minutes. He rearranged the pieces and tried to get them all on the board together. It was amazing to see my little maniac sit still and concentrate on such a cerebral task for so long. However, on the other hand, he seemed way too comfortable in the back of that police car at the safety fair. Of course, this isn't my only evidence of possible future incarceration. Just prior to this picture, he stole the cop's sunglasses out of the car's console, and despite the cop's cry of "Come back here with those! They're prescription!" he took off with them! In retrospect, I should have gone after him, but I was laughing too hard to think of it. The part of my brain that says, "Your 2 year old just ripped off a cop!" shut off and the part of my brain that is still seething over all the times I've been pulled over said, "Stick it to him, Benjamin!" I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of the cop running after him across the lawn. Maybe I'm the potential future criminal.

On the other hand, Benjamin might just be destined for a future in Hollywood. I'll let you decide that one.





His final option as of yet is fashion designer. He discovered a bag of giant rubber bands in Kelly's office things and adorned us all in beautiful ribbons of rubber. Bella was perfectly happy to pose with me, but wasn't so pleased when Benjamin tried to force her onto his lap.



I guess that's the beauty of youth - the possibilities for your future are endless.