Grins, Giggle, and Tears

There have been several things that have happened this past week that have caused both tears, giggles, laughter, happy taste buds, and sweet ponderings. I am going to try to squeeze them all into one post!:)

First of all, if you are looking for a killer French Toast Recipe, look no farther!:) The secret seems to be adding flour to the egg and milk combo...but we have also found that buying the dollar french bread at the grocery store and using it instead of sandwich bread makes it taste restaurant worthy!

Along the lines of food...I have had so much fun listening in on the two boys eating their lunch together. On the first day they opened up their packages of Star Wars fruit snacks (thanks Uncle David and Aunt Michelle) and they must have spent 20 minutes just playing with them and imagining they were fighting battles before even the good guys lost and ended up in the boy's bellies!

But what really had me cracking up was the day they got Cheez-Its with their lunch. I heard Titus say, "Caleb, keep your Cheez-Its...we can use them for communion later." Sure enough, not long after that, Titus said, "And when He had given thanks, He broke the bread and said...". It was all I could do to keep from giggling out loud as I washed dishes and listened.:)

Titus isn't the only one to say things that make me laugh. Caleb has a way of using words or expressions a bit different from the way they were intended to be used...but they leave us giggling, none the less. Yesterday was one of those times. We were at the house of friends from church and the kids were having fun swimming in their pool. We made Titus and Caleb keep their life jackets on. After a while, Caleb got out of the pool, took off his life jacket and asked if he could "go in the pool and see if he could drowned".:) Of course, he meant swim instead of drowned...but I think his reinterpretation of words was actually a bit closer to exactly what WOULD have taken place!:) He caught me off guard, though, and had me laughing!

I also had a couple moments of "near tears" and they both happened this morning. The first was as I stood at the door and waved the kids off to the school bus. It was actually easier on the first day when I left them in their classroom then it was in that moment. A 5 minute walk (without mom) to wait at the bus stop (without mom) was just a bit too much "growing up" for my mommy's heart. Corny? Yep. Real? Yep.

I had some sweet moments of "refocusing" as I sat down with my little men and read to them from the "Jesus Storybook Bible". My eyes filled, my heart was blessed, and the Gospel came alive, yet again, in my own heart as I pray it comes alive in my kiddo's, as well. I know I have mentioned it before, but if you don't own the "Jesus Storybook Bible"...would you go right away and buy it regardless of the ages of your kids?!!!! It's some of the most precious words I have ever read outside of the actual word of God...I am not kidding! But just in case you doubt me...here is a glimpse from the story of Abraham and Isaac that I read today with the boys:

"...a few year later, God asked Abraham to give Him a present. Abraham liked giving presents to God. He gave God his animals. They were called "sacrifices" and they were a way to say "I love you" to God. But this time God didn't want a lamb or a goat, God wanted Abraham to give him something more - much more....

Early the next morning, Abraham and Isaac set off. They climbed the steep, stony trail up the mountain. Isaac carried the wood on his back...

Many years later, another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on His back. Like Isaac, He would trust His Father and do what His Father asked. He wouldn't struggle or run away. Who was He? God's Son, His only Son - the Son He loved. The Lamb of God."