For Such a Time As This

I am a teacher…in a public school….where they say God is not allowed.  But, ask any God loving public school teacher and I feel certain they will disagree.   It is true that we are not allowed to “force” our beliefs on our students….but we are allowed to share our beliefs.  We are allowed to live out God’s calling in our lives.  We are allowed to live a Godly life and we are allowed to show Christ through our words and actions.

Three years ago I began mentoring a fifth grader.  Jamari was a tough kid, with a lot of attitude.  The first day I met him, I observed him in his classroom when he walked over to me and said “You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”  Wow!  I had my work cut out for me. 

Our story continues far beyond the school house walls.  Throughout the year, Jamari became more than “just a kid I mentored.”   As I got to know Jamari better, I got to know a very smart and funny, but very angry young man.  Most of our staff knew Jamari in some capacity...and that’s not usually a good thing.   

For the year I worked with him, he became “one of my own.”  I talked to Jamari a lot about my own two boys, and I talked to my own two boys a lot about Jamari.  Without knowing each other, they had become brothers. 

As you have probably heard (or at least figured out while reading this magazine), our church is a Worship Plus 3 church.  That means we are called to Worship Plus 3 (that is, Worship plus Grow, Serve and Invite).  Being a large, very active church, it is easy to find places to worship, grow and serve on any given day.  While my husband and I worship and serve in the Contemporary Service, our boys worship in Sunday school.  I am part of a women’s Bible study, which allows me an opportunity to grow in my faith.  Our boys attend SPLASH on Sunday nights, which gives them an opportunity to grow and serve.  While we were very good at worshiping, growing and serving, we weren’t doing our part for inviting.

This was almost too convenient and completely obvious.  Without reservation, I invited Jamari to join my boys at SPLASH one Sunday night.  Knowing that his mother had no transportation, I also invited to pick him up “on the way.”  As the word traveled throughout the staff at my school, I was met with questions, like “Don’t you know where he lives?” and “You’re not going out there by yourself, are you?”  Fortunately, I work with a staff where I heard more of “That’s awesome!”  and “Ohmygosh, he will love it!”

As my family and I drove out to pick Jamari up, my (then) four-year old son asked me why we had to pick him up.  I explained that not everyone has a car, but we were lucky enough to have one, so “it would be nice if we could pick Jamari up.”  We talked for a few minutes about thanking God for giving us jobs so that we can make money to buy things like our car.  As we turned into Jamari’s neighborhood, kids came from all over to see who we were; many of whom I recognized from my school.  Jamari climbed in our car and I was finally able to introduce him to my two boys. 

Jamari had a great time at SPLASH and asked to go back.  After taking him several times, it dawned on me…instead of enduring all the stares every time we pulled into his neighborhood, why not invite them to come with us?  So, we did.  We ended up taking three of those boys several times to SPLASH.  They loved it!  They loved getting to know my boys and my boys loved getting to know them. 

As they spoke about it at SPLASH, Jamari started asking me about camp.  I talked it over with his mom and decided to invite him to go to camp.  We were able to offer him a scholarship to cover part of the cost; and many of my school staff members donated money to help offset the cost as well.

I met Jamari’s mom and dad at our Fellowship Center to see him off.  After camp, I heard from him frequently the rest of that summer.  His mother told me he had the time of his life, experienced things he would never otherwise have experienced, and almost immediately asked to go back next year. 

I wish I could tell you that Jamari and I have remained close.  Unfortunately we lost contact after he started middle school.  Sometimes God does that.  He puts people in our lives for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).  My time with Jamari was meant to invite him to experience God’s love.  Had I not met Jamari, I never would have met the other boys who were also invited. 

I pray that Jamari and his friends have a place of worship, are surrounded by others who will help their faith grow, are encouraged to serve and yet others who will invite them to experience that which he experienced here…even if “for such a time as this.”

News from the Ball Park

Just a quick update from the ball park:  We survived our first week of games and both boys seem to really have fun playing!  Harper played his first game Monday night, Warren followed Tuesday night...and both boys had games Thursday night.

And, just in case keeping up with two boys wasn't enough, my long-lost sister's two boys also had games...and she was out of town, which meant I was mom-on-duty trying to video everyone.  Luckily, her youngest is on Harper's team...and her oldest was playing against Warren.  So, although it was four boys, at least it was only two fields.

Warren is doing great!  He seems to be a strong hitter, a super fast runner and is....getting better in the out field.  After watching him turn around during the first game, I quickly realized we needed to have a little chat about paying attention when you're in the outfield.  The good news is that he has been "on the ball" every since.  He has his little ready stance, with his glove up every time now!

And Harper is really making progress.  He's not quite as into the game as Warren, and doesn't really seem to enjoy practicing....but he is all about putting on that uniform and playing the game!  The biggest problem he has right now is that he very easily switches from left hand to right.  He seems to be more comfortable batting left handed, but throwing right.  We're still working on which direction to run after you hit the ball....that'll come, right?   

Play Ball!

Well, we finally decided this was the year to take the plunge!  We decided this was the season to try baseball.  So, we are jumping in with both feet.  That is....with both boys!  While we made Warren wait until he was at least of school age, we decided the exercise might be good for Harper and it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and let him try.  Warren is trying his hand at coach pitch, while Harper is tearing it up with t-ball.

Before we registered, of course I did my research, spoke with lots of parents and decided we would start with Lakeland City Baseball.  I checked the website and found the date registration opened and marked it on my calendar.  When it was finally time to register, I jumped online and signed the boys up.  Shortly after, I received a phone call from the President of the league congratulating me on being the first person to register this season.  (Those who know me are probably not at all surprised.)

Those who know me, also know that I live in a pretty happy little bubble.  When we decided to register both boys, it never crossed my mind that maybe, just maybe they would have differing game and practice schedules.  And so begins spending my days at the ball park. 
 

We started the morning off with Harper's first practice at 9am.  Oh boy!  Let me preface this by saying that when we play at home, we literally have to drag him outside to play with us.  He would much prefer sitting and playing with Legos.  But, the good news is that he seemed to enjoy it today.  One of his buddies is playing on his team, so he was looking forward to that.  He hasn't realized that his good buddy is a really good little player.  So, while Harper tries to figure out the game, Hunter just blows on by (see the video below).

Warren, on the other hand, is definitely hooked and seems to be doing really well.  He practiced last evening at 5:30 and again today at 1:30...and wanted to get there early today to get a few hits in before practice started.  While he was a good little hitter and runner, playing the outfield was another story.  I still can't figure out who else was out there with him....but clearly someone was, because he was carrying on deep conversations with this "person."  So deep, in fact, that the coach had to call him back to reality to get him to field the ball.

He has also very quickly caught on to the phenomenon of sliding!  I don't know anything about baseball, but I just always assumed the players slid to narrowly escape getting out.  After this weekend, I have realized that the players (mine, at least) slide just because they can.  Because it is a lot more fun than running over a base.  Because you can slide on your knees and really mess up your pants, or you can slide on your bottom and mess up the backside, but it is especially cool if you slide on one knee and side leg.  It seems you can cover more area with clay that way.

But, despite scrubbing and washing the white pants three times in two days times two boys, we are excited to finally join the ranks of our other baseball playing friends.  We haven't hung up the gymnastics suit just yet, but we have high hopes of at least getting our cute t-ball and baseball pictures!

Picture Perfect Letterboxing....or not

This weekend, we ventured out and tried something new.  We went letterboxing.  Several weeks ago, Warren and I were introduced to this new hobby and decided we needed to try it with our family.  So, we chose a family name ("Music Hunters") and purchased our family stamp and convinced Harper and Chris to try it with us.  (I guess I should be honest and admit that I really was the excited one.)  Anyway, we decided to make a day of it.  So, we found clues for the letterboxes on the north side of town in Gator Creek Reserve, packed lunches and headed out.

Chris will freely admit that I have a tendency to build things up in my mind.  I set high expectations, which nothing can ever live up to.  I imagine events panning out as if in a movie....picture perfect (see picture on the right, which was somewhat staged and taken as soon as we got out of the van to get started).  Very rarely, if ever, does that happen.  This was one of those times.  I was very excited to actually get outside with the boys and walk some trails, while going hunting for letterboxes.

As we drove into the reserve, we came across a huge turtle crossing the road.  I could not have planned that any better.  And, that's where my picture perfect fairy tale ends. 


 





We got out of the car, sprayed the boys down with bug spray and headed out.  Warren started reading our clues and as we headed to clue #1, Harper said "Mommy, I want you to carry me."  What?  This was not part of my plan!!  Both boys were supposed to be skipping along the trail, looking for snakes and other wildlife.  (Remember the first picture, above?)  Luckily, we did see a second turtle, which diverted Harper's attention for a few minutes. 
We easily found the first (of five) letterboxes and exchanged our stamps.  Harper continued to ask to be carried....though that quickly became more and more of a whine, until Chris picked him up so we could keep moving along.  (Keep in mind that Harper is a very solid 48 pounds....and we were only about 0.1 of a mile into the at least mile long hike.)  Again, not part of my plan.  At this point, I imagined the boys to be sooo excited by finding the first letterbox that they just could not wait to find the next one.  That wasn't quite how it actually went.

However, we continued....because I made them.  The second clue told us to "seek the 0.2 mile marker."  Easy....or so we thought.  After we walked what felt like half a mile, we decided we had passed it and should turn around.  We started working through the clues backwards, until we found letterbox #5!  Now, at this point, Chris was carrying Harper (who was being eaten alive by mosquitoes...and he is, of course,very allergic to bug bites) and Warren and I were carrying the water bottle, hats and letterbox bag.  Chris kept Harper on the trail as Warren and I made our way through the woods to find the letterbox.  We set our hat and water bottle down and exchanged the stamps.  Bad move!  As Warren and I were stamping, Chris decided to go ahead and take Harper back to the car because he was getting bitten so badly.  (That wasn't quite how I envisioned that going either.) 

So, being a good sport, Warren continued along with me to find the last three letterboxes.  We easily found the next two, leaving one letterbox left.  And, after searching and searching, Chris texted and suggested we come back to eat lunch in the van and head home.  WHAT?  Seriously?  Problem #1, we were not leaving without finding all the letterboxes.  That was not in my plan.  Problem #2, Chris and Harper were sitting in the van while Warren and I were hunting the letterboxes.  This was suppose to be a great, fun, family activity.  Problem #3, we were suppose to enjoy our lunch on a blanket in the reserve (not in our van).  Problem #4, I forgot to pack a blanket.  Ok, so...after partially admitting defeat, Warren and I decided to head back to the van.  Along the way, we did spot a pretty big snake in the middle of the trail.  The snake seemed to be playing chicken and after realizing he was not going to move, we decided to tip-toe around him. 

Once back at the van, I just couldn't swallow coming so close and not finding all five letterboxes.  I decided to head back out one more time, by myself.  Um, hunting for letterboxes, in a nature reserve where we just passed a big snake, by myself, was definitely not part of my plan.  But, after using three different apps on my phone (thank goodness for my compass, the letterbox app and my Runkeeper to tell me the distance traveled), I found the last letterbox!     

With that, I joined the boys in the van, grabbed my sandwich and we headed home.  No, we didn't eat lunch on the picnic blanket that I didn't bring.  Though it didn't go as planned (what does?), my heart still felt full as we pulled in to our house...

and realized we left Warren's Ninja Turtle hat and my Tervis water bottle back at letterbox #5.  Given that the reserve is at least 13 miles away, this was definitely not part of my plan....which, at this point was par for the course.

So, this was the story of my life.  The best laid plans.....while our first family letterboxing experience didn't quite go as I had envisioned, we still spent time together and, trust me, made lots of memories!  And in the end, that's what it's all about, right?  

(Just in case you're wondering...Chris and I left the boys tie dying t-shirts with my brother and sister-in-law while we headed back out to the reserve and on the trail to rescue the hat and water bottle....and yes, we found them, right where we left them!  Don't you love a happy ending?)

The City That Never Sleeps

I know that for the last six years, this blog has been about our boys.  However, this June 7th, Chris and I celebrated our ten year anniversary, so forgive me while I take a minute and document our celebration.  Those of you interested in the boys (which I totally understand), you might want to stop reading now.  Otherwise, feel free to continue.

This trip started about ten years ago.  When Chris and I got married, he planned the entire honeymoon.  I knew nothing about it, except that we were going somewhere.  He told my mom where we were going, so she could make sure I packed appropriately.  When we finally ended up at the Ashley Manor Bed and Breakfast in Cape Cod, we made a vow to go on another trip for our ten year anniversary.  It didn't matter where....but we promised ourselves we would celebrate by taking a trip.

So, as this ten year anniversary approached, Chris was busy planning another trip.  In keeping with tradition, he tried to keep it a surprise, until I tore the meniscus in my knee and he wasn't sure I'd be able to do much walking.  It was then that I found out we were going to "The Big Apple" (kid-free) to celebrate ten years of wedded bliss.

We are fortunate enough (spoiled, some might say) to have both of our parents right here in town, so we can easily divide and conquer.  My mother kept one boy; my mother-in-law kept the other.  We left early Thursday morning and arrived in New York around 9am, ready for our first NYC cab ride...or so we thought.  YIKES!  New York driving is something I don't think I could ever get used to.

When we got to our hotel, we felt like fish out of water.  The Paramount is a very trendy hotel, with dark lighting, very modern furniture and very, very small rooms.  After we got checked in, we spent Thursday walking around Times Square and just being tourists.  Thursday night, we headed to Broadway to see Wicked.  And, while it was a wonderful experience, we both thought a) we should've seen something we hadn't already seen two times and b) the Tampa and Orlando companies are just as good, if not better than what we saw on Broadway.  Nonetheless, it was fun to dress up and see a show on Broadway.

After the show, in true New York fashion, we went to dinner at 10:00pm.  We went to a highly recommended Italian restaurant, Becco's, where we sat next to and divulged way too much information to two men I am still convinced are part of the mob.  Nonetheless, dinner was delicious and the mob-like conversation made for a great night.

Friday morning, we left the hotel at 5:30am in hopes of making it to The Today Show.  You can't visit NYC and not see The Today Show.  The only thing standing in our way was Hunter Hayes.  He was playing for the Summer Concert Series...which translates into thousands of screaming teenaged girls.  But, we are not quitters.  We were literally the last people they let into the plaza, but we were able to watch the whole show.  We even saw Al Roker up close....and made it on camera, holding our sign that said "Hi Boys! Love from NYC."  Ya, we were tourists.

We spent Friday walking around, sight-seeing (Rockefeller Center), then changed into our Tampa Bay Rays shirts, jumped on the subway and headed to the Bronx for the Yankees game vs. the Rays.  After we survived the non-Rays fan on the subway, we had a great time at the game, although the Rays lost.  And after some "counseling" from friends, we stayed through the end and saw Mariano Rivera warm-up and close out the game.  (Although I have no clue who he is, apparently, it's a pretty cool thing that we got to see him.)

Saturday morning we headed out to see the 9-1-1 Memorial.  While beautiful, it wasn't as emotional as I was expecting.  We then took advantage of being outside Times Square and just spent time walking around.  We walked around the financial district and saw the Statue of Liberty while in Battery Park.  We also went to the Guggenheim Museum, which was a bit of a disappointment.  We were excited to see the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, only to find out it was basically a bunch of letters and photographs of him.

And, we sat on a cute bench in Central Park and people-watched.  It wasn't as picturesque as I had imagined (a la "You've Got Mail"), but it was cool just being there.

Saturday evening we completed the tourist trap by going on the tour of the NBC studios.  Without seeing any "stars," Chris was star-struck just being in the Nightly News studio...the highlight of the whole trip, for him.  We are both big NBC fans, so between The Today Show and the tour....we were just in awe.  We capped off our trip with another late-night dinner at The Smith, near The Lincoln Center.

We could not have asked for a better trip!  And, then, to come home Sunday, to two bright-eyed, smiling boys!  We were reminded, one more time, how lucky we really are.  Thank you, to all of our friends and family who have supported us over these last 10 years.  Heck, we really oughtta be thanking you for your support (and encouragement) over the last 23 years...with many more to come!  Stay tuned for the 20th anniversary!

When I grow up...

Although this post may not be exciting to many, I thought it was pretty neat and wanted to be sure and document it.  This afternoon at lunch, I randomly asked the boys what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Harper said "I want to be a doctor, like Dr. Cornett."  And Warren replied, "I want to be a coach, like Coach Corn.  I think I'd be a good coach."  Harper retracted his statement and said "No, mommy, actually, I want to be....well, ya, I want to be a doctor, like Dr. Cornett."

Oddly enough, as I was moving some pictures from my phone to my computer tonight, I came across these two pictures.

 This was taken back in the fall.  Warren tucked his shirt into his sweat pants and started jogging, and said "Look, mom, I'm Coach Corn."  

And this was taken awhile ago, though I'm not sure exactly when.  As Harper was playing dress up, he put on the stethoscope and told Chris that he was Dr. Cornett.

Coincidence?  Maybe.  But, though I'm not rushing it, I sure can't wait to see what they become when they grow up.

When the boys were born, I wanted to write a letter to include in their baby books.  Something they could read when they grew up that would let them know how I felt about them.  But, when I heard the song, "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts (which was released only 3 months before Warren was born), I felt like they stole my exact thoughts and wrote them out much more poetically than I could have done.  So, while I don't know what the boys will be when they grow up...maybe Warren will grow up to be a coach, like Coach Corn?  Maybe Harper will grow up to help hurting people, like Dr. Cornett.....but whatever they become,  this is my wish....
 
I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow 
And each road leads you where you want to go  
And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose 
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you
 
And if one door opens to another door closed 
I hope you keep on walkin' ‘til you find the window 
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile 
But more than anything, more than anything
 
My wish for you  
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to  
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small  
You never need to carry more than you can hold
 
And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to 
I hope you know somebody loves you  
And wants the same things too  

Yeah, this is my wish
 
I hope you never look back but you never forget  
All the ones who love you and the place you left  
I hope you always forgive and you never regret 
And you help somebody every chance you get
 
Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake  
And always give more than you take  
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

My wish for you 
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to  
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small 
You never need to carry more than you can hold
 
And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to 
I hope you know somebody loves you 
And wants the same things too  
Yeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah

Harper-isms

I don't want to miss out and forget to give Harper some "blog time"...so with that, I bring you some recent "Harper-isms."

To begin, this past Sunday was my turn to be the parent helper in Harper's Sunday School class.  I have to give it to his Sunday School teachers.  Ms. Alyna and Ms. Shannon are two of the best.  They work hard to keep the kids active and having fun, but they also weave in the weekly Bible curriculum...not easy with a class of 3 year olds I learned.  On this particular morning, the Bible story was on loving one another and showing love to each other.  (How fitting, as Sunday was also the morning Westboro Baptist Church chose our church to picket.)  Anyway, Harper was all ears as Ms. Alyna shared the Bible message.  He was one of the few to actually remain seated and participate in the lesson...very loudly, I might add.  So, when Ms. Alyna asked the kids "Who knows where love comes from?"  Harper did not hesitate to shout out his answer.  "Lovebugs!"  So, maybe weaving in the Bible story is a bit harder than I imagined. 

Fast forward two minutes to music time.  As the kids crowded together on the small carpet, they were ready to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider."  Harper loves music and this time was no different.  He stood up and started belting the song, complete with hand motions.  That is...until the sun dried up all the rain.  Not only did the sun dry up all the rain, but the sun also smacked Harper's friend in the face. You might be thinking, as I was, "This would be a perfect time to model 'showing love."  And, you would be right.  However, Harper was more interested in showing love to the spider than his friend, apparently.

Also this week, Harper surpassed his brother in weight.  Harper (who is 3 years younger than Warren, mind you) weighs 47 pounds, while Warren weighs 44 pounds.  And this weekend, I figured out why.  On our way home from lunch Sunday, I glanced in the rearview mirror to find Harper stretching his neck to either side.  I asked him what he was doing, to which he replied "I'm just exercising, Mom.  This is how I exercise my neck.  But some time it might just come off."  And, I believe that is the extent of Harper's exercising.  My kind of kid!

Finally, leaving Chick-Fil-A tonight, with balloon animals in tow, Harper's green dolphin says to Warren's Orca whale, "Don't kill me.  I'm your best friend, remember?"  To which Warren's whale replies, "Um, Harper, I think you mean brother."  Harper's response:  "Oh ya, but it's the same thing."  I hope so, sweet Harper, I hope so. 

 

Buckle Up!

As I sit here on my last day of Spring Break, I cannot believe that Monday we return to finish up the last nine weeks of school.  This year has been filled with major learning, especially for Warren.  We are so impressed with the things he is learning in Kindergarten.  Not only is he reading like a champ, he's blowing us away with his math and science.  And, equally important in our household....he is learning so much about music and the arts.  He comes home telling us about crescendos and decrescendos and tempo.  Just last week he asked me if we could listen to some jazz, because Ms. Cunningham played some jazz for them in music and he really liked it.

Outside of school, he has been taking a boys gymnastics class this month at the YMCA.  It's been wonderful!  There are four boys, ages 5-12, in the class, with two instructors (one of which is a boy).  He has class just one hour, one night a week for a month.  Then, it starts over again.  It's not competitive at all and he just loves it.  In fact, he sat at home today (during Spring Break) and drew pictures of the rings and the balance beams.

Tuesday night, during one of the breaks, his teacher spoke with Chris for a few minutes.  She said he really has "natural ability" and "strength" and "follows directions (hers anyway) really well."  She said that if he seemed to enjoy it, she would recommend he continue at the Y for another month to learn a few more basics, then he should probably move to a gymnastics club!  Exciting stuff!

But wait!  I have boys.  Boys aren't supposed to be interested in jazz music and gymnastics.  Where are the loud guitars and cute t-ball pictures I had imagined...and that all my friends have?  No, leave it to my boys to listen to Duke Ellington and have pictures in leotards.  Well, I'm learning, yet again, that I don't need to compare my life to my friends' lives.  It's not my plan that is important here; I'm not driving this boat.  God's at the wheel and He's got a much bigger plan for us, I know.  And I'm slowly (very slowly) learning to move aside and let Him take the wheel.  Buckle up!    

A Heart Full of Love

With all the hype of Les Miserables right now (which, I might add is well worth the hype), I thought I might steal a quote.  Tonight could easily have been my own "Les Miserables"...minus all the French Revolution drama.  Chris was teaching a percussion class at Harrison, which left me with both boys.  I had to stay at work until close to 5:00.  So, my afternoon went something like this:

3:00 - start tutoring sessions
3:15 - leave to pick up Harper
3:45-4:15 - wait at the bus stop for Warren's bus, which is supposed to arrive at 4:00 (with Harper in car seat)
4:15 - rush across the street to school when I see the bus pull into the school parking lot; leave Harper in the car, while I jump out to make sure the bus driver knows I'm there
4:20-4:45 - attempt to finish up work, while entertaining the boys in my office
4:45 - head to running club
5:15-6:00 - hung out with Harper and my friend, Jessica, while Warren and his friend, Jack, ran during running club
6:00 - dinner at McDonalds, with Jack and Jessica
7:00 (or whenever we made it home) - bath time
7:30 - breathing treatment for Harper
7:45 - story time
8:00 - bed time

Oh, and, did I mention that I woke up at 4:30 this morning to run the lake with my friend, Stephanie?

So, while that looks and sounds like all kinds of "les miserables"....it was anything but.  I was reminded of how incredibly blessed I am to be the mommy of these two little boys.  Instead of dreading having them at my work and thinking "How am I going to get anything done?"....I got to prance them around and show them off to my friends in my office.  And they could not have been more perfect.

And in the car....they have both really gotten into pop songs.  I will be the first to admit that I generally live in a happy little bubble.  I normally listen to Joy FM...and only Joy FM.  But, lately, I've been testing the waters with pop stations.  And, I am happy to report that not only is my bubble expanding...the bubble my boys live in is expanding as well.  We have our own little dance party in the car...and I like it....a lot!  (Warren started riding the bus from his school to mine and, along with that, comes a lot of new experiences.  I've realized that while I can't shield them from everything, I can talk to them about what they experience and teach them how to handle those things their eyes are opened to.) 

And, at running club...instead of chasing Harper around, checking my clock and thinking "How much longer?"...Harper sat like an angel.  And, when he wasn't sitting, he was being his adorable self and entertaining Jessica and me with his version of "Jesus Loves Me Grass."

And at McDonalds....I watched as they showed both of their very distinct personalities...in a good way.  Little Harper is so friendly towards everyone.  He is so simple and blind to differences.  We could all learn something from his childlike innocence.  And Warren....he is quiet, sensitive, but confident.  While Harper is very social and goes with the crowd, Warren is a leader.  He does what he knows is right.

And at home...as I tucked them in bed, I heard (as I do most nights) "Mommy, will you hang wif us?"  And most nights, I'm sad to admit that Chris and I draw straws to see who has to 'hang.'  (Aside from the fact that Chris wasn't home...) tonight was different.  There was no place I wanted to be more than hanging with them.  So, I laid down on the floor with my iPad, just like we do most nights.  And in a few minutes, Warren climbed out of bed and snuggled beside me, on the floor with just a pillow and a blanket.  Harper wasn't too far behind.  So, there we lay.  Just the three of us....snuggled close to one another, covered with blankets.  And, just when I thought my night couldn't have been any better, Warren took his blanket off and covered me and said "Mommy, I just want to be kind and give things to people who don't have things."  With that, he fell fast asleep.

Harper wasn't quite ready to sleep yet, so he and I went to the family room to rock for a bit.  He settled down soon after and told me he was ready to go to bed.  As I tucked him in and kissed him for the millionth time, he said "Mommy, Jesus is in my heart." And, as my old pastor and dear friend says "and that's the truth!  Amen!"