This is Not the Promised Land

Mommy: "Honor, you need to clean up your section since you followed me downstairs."

Honor: "Aw, but I just wanted a piggy back ride!"

Mommy:"Well, now you're down here, clean up your section."

Honor: "But I don't want to."

Mommy: "Honor, what is the 5th Commandment?"

Honor: "I don't want to say it."

Mommy: "Fine. I'll read it for you. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

Honor: "But that promise was for Moses! I'm not going to the promised land!"

Well... I have taught the children to read their verses in context...

That's Random

As I was passing out food at lunch today, Connor looked up at me and in all seriousness asked:

"After lunch can you make me a wooden helmet?"


Sure, right after I make the wooden sword and shield...

Faith of a Child

Honor: "I know what my name means, it means to be honorable."

Mommy: "It means to adhere to that which is right or to stick to doing what is right."

Honor: "And I am going to live up to my name!"

Mommy: "That would make me very happy."

Connor: "And I am going to be a wise counselor!"

Mommy: "That would make me happy too."

Connor: "What is a wise counselor?"

Mommy: "It is someone who listens and gives wise advice."

Connor: "Like telling people about the Bible."

Mommy: "Yes. It is the source of all wisdom."

Connor: "And if people don't know Jesus, I will tell them about Jesus."

Mommy: "That would be very good."

Connor: "I will go around reading my Bible to people who don't know Jesus."

Mommy: "Okay."

Connor runs to the bookshelf, grabs his Bible and sits down on the floor. Samuel sits down in front of him.

Connor: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless... Samuel, listen! This is very important! ... and He saw what He had made and called it good. ... Samuel! Come back here!"

Connor walks over to me, dejected.

Connor: "Mom, I was trying to teach Samuel about Jesus, but he wouldn't listen to me."

Mommy: "Well, that happens sometimes."

Connor: "I will try again tomorrow. I will read him a chapter of Genesis everyday until he knows Jesus. Then I will read my Bible to other people so they can know Jesus too. I will never give up!"

*******************

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

~Matthew 18:1-5

A is for Apple, Airplane, and Adam

Connor: "Mom, I know why A is the first letter of the alphabet!"

Mommy: "Why?"

Connor: "Because it is the first letter of Adam and he was the first man created!"


I love how my son connects the dots!

Let's Be Literal

Answer choices: EAT, WATER, AIR, SUN

Mommy: "Bird is to nest as fish is to:...........?"

Ariana: "EAT!"

Mommy (chuckling): "Okay, let's see if we can figure this out. What do birds do with nests?"

Ariana: "Well, they sit on them and then they pop eggs out in them."

Mommy: "Um...yeah. Okay. Let's try this again. Where do bird's live?"

Ariana: "In a nest."

Mommy: "Yes. Now where do fish live?"

Ariana: "OOOOOOHHH! WATER!!!"

Thus ended our analogy lesson for the day.

Four Years Old Already!

"Wow!"

"Wow!"

"Wow!"

This was my baby boy's response every time he unwrapped a new birthday present this evening. I love this age! The pure delight on his face each time a gift was opened made everyone around grin--if you were watching him, it would be impossible not to smile in response to his joy at each new car. And yes, the cars were the big hit. Grandma scored huge with a bunch of noise making emergency/construction vehicles. Samuel wanted to sleep with them tonight, but I thought having a light-up, noisy ambulance next to your ears is not necessarily conducive to a good night's rest.

When we got home [from the party at Peter Piper's Pizza], Samuel got to "open" his big present from Grandma in Iowa...a new bike! He has been using his siblings' bikes for so long that it was about time he got his own. He didn't want to get off the thing--whether that was because he loved it so much or because he didn't want to go to bed, we'll never know.

My favorite present to watch him open was actually a card from Grandma D. Although the card was sweet, Samuel's opening of it was sweeter. On the cover, the card said: "You're not just a boy who's another year older..." and inside it said: "You're another year bigger, and stronger and bolder! Happy Birthday! Love you, Samuel! Grandpa and Grandma D." When Samuel first looked in the bag, he immediately noticed the card. "Oooh! A letter!" Despite Daddy's insistence to just get on with opening the presents, Samuel opened the envelope, lifted out the card and "read": "Happy Birthday to me!" and inside he "read": "Love Grandma and Grandpa!"

He makes me smile.

Pompous Proposal

Overheard:

Ariana: Sir, it is appropriate that we get married.

Connor (reading a book in silence): ...

Ariana: We can't get married now. You line up all the boys you know and I'll marry one of them.

Connor: ...

Ariana (pulling on his sleeve): Come on! It's time to get married!

Connor: ...

Ariana: You can bring that Spiderman book too...

Connor leaves with Ariana and goes downstairs.

Aliens Vs. Monsters

This week our church is having its Vacation Bible School. Today was the first day and the kids are already having a blast. The theme for this year's VBS is Operation Space: A Close Encounter with God's Word. I am thoroughly impressed by the sets and decorations those much more talented than I created!

Anyway, Honor won a little prize at this morning's VBS. It was pink, which immediately made it the best thing ever. It had a suction cup and a spring so it bounced off tables. All the kids thought it was fantastic.

Until she lost it.

Honor was quite distraught at bedtime to realize she wasn't going to be able to put it in her little cubby hole of treasures. She even prayed that God would help her find it first thing in the morning.

After her prayer, Honor wanted to make sure I understood exactly what it was she lost...in case I should step on it in the middle of the night. You must imagine the following very serious conversation taking place with Honor making the most pitiful face with the saddest little voice ever...

Honor: "Do you remember what she looks like?" (All of Honor's toys are "she"s)

Mommy: "She's pink, isn't she?"

Honor: "Uh huh... Do you remember what her hair looks like?"

Mommy: "No, Honey, I'm sorry. I can't think of what her hair looks like."

Honor: "Well, it sticks up and then bends over like 3 little hills. And it's orange."

Mommy: "I thought she was pink?"

Honor: "No, her hair is orange. She's pink. With one big eye."

Mommy: "Oh. So, she's an alien?"

Honor: "No. Aliens have three or four eyes. She's a monster."

Oh. Thanks for the clarification.

Religion and Samuel

We use Keys for Kids for our morning devotions. After each lesson, the children go through and try to figure out what today's "key" is--the moral of the day's lesson. Usually Samuel's response (no matter what the lesson) is: "Um...Obey your Mommy and Daddy!" to which I always reply, "Yes, Son! Great job!"

Today's lesson was about false teaching and how one little bit of bad can destroy the truth. They used an ant on a bologna sandwich as the lesson aid. Samuel's key for today was, "Never eat bologna sandwiches!" Hmmm.... sort of...

After lunch today, I gave the kids a special treat--30 minutes of tv time. This was purely for selfish reasons...I was tired and wasn't ready to teach afternoon lessons yet. Anyway, I allowed them to watch one episode from their Ten Commandments video series. Honor chose "Life and Seth Situation".

Samuel: "I like this one because it's all about sword fighting and songs."

Oh...and the 5th and 6th Commandments...but that's just incidental.