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Boys and girls are just innately different, aren't they?! I speak only from my own experience of having first a daughter and then two sons, but wow, what a difference! I say this because of what happened today with Bryson. I was about to take my two boys for a power walk when I realized both of the tires to my jogging stroller were flat (that should tell you how often I actually use the jogging stroller). I called my husband to have him explain via the phone how to use his air compressor. I was very proud of myself as I successfully followed his directives. As I finished up I peaked around the front of the stroller to see Bryson eating a large piece of foam...yes, foam! What in the world?! I realized that he had taken the cover off of headrest and proceeded to bite 4 chunks out of headrest. He just looked up at me with his big blue eyes, totally oblivious as to why my face looked the way it did: shocked, confused, and a bit irritated. What is the child thinking? He does get enough food.My daughter would have never done anything like this. When Hailey was only 9 months old I could trust her with my jewelry box. She would sit on the bathroom floor carefully examining each necklace while I showered. Not once did she break or harm any of my most delicate pieces of fake bling. On the other hand Bryson just looks at my jewelry and it needs to be fixed. In fact most things in our home that are broken are due to his curious little hands.Is it this way in other homes? From what I hear, I think it is. It must be one more evidence of God's creative design. These innate differences between boys and girls could very well be what leads to much of the tension between men and women. But despite frustrations and destroyed objects I have to remember that God indeed created with purpose. So next time you have a heated "discussion" with your spouse, pray that God would help you see their perspective...because indeed "men are from mars and women..." you know the saying.
So I am addicted to Pandora.com (listening to it right now!). If you haven't discovered this gem you have to jump over to this site and type in your favorite artist or song for a personalized, FREE radio station. It is great! My favorite "station" right now is "Sara Groves" radio. She is a Christian artist with a natural sound. With that said, the music was streaming at dinner (over the chaos; when my husband works nights I think listening to music gives me a sense of not being alone with three preschoolers.) A song titled It is Well by Jeremy Camp came on. It is an old hymn that he has redone but it just blesses me. There is one part that talks about Jesus' return. I said to my kids, "This song is talking about when Jesus comes back." My 4 yr. old said, "Come back where?" "To earth," I said. (Side note: I have a Masters in Divinity and my nerdy side loves to sit and talk theology....but it just doesn't work that well with a 4 yr. old!) The conversation continues, "Why will He come back to earth," she innocently asks her mother who hasn't talked to many adults all day and needs some intellectual conversation. "He will return to bring all who love Him to heaven," I said as I held back a Calvinistic debate. "How will we know He is back?" "Well, the Bible says that there will be heavenly trumpets that sound and then Jesus will meet us all in the sky," I say, "Do you know how a trumpet sounds?" Hailey and Bryson then blow their imaginary trumpets. "How will we get in the sky?" she asks. "I guess we will have new bodies that somehow fly." Silence falls across the dinner table...this is a rare occasion. Hailey looks up at me with her big brown eyes, "Mommy, I'm scared." "Oh baby don't be scared, mommy is with you. And when it does happen daddy and mimi and pawpaw will all be there too. You won't be alone." "Mommy, I'm scared." Then Bryson, the 2 yr old says, "I sared." At this point I can't help but laugh. "Guys, there is nothing to be scared of." "I don't want to fly," says Hailey. "God knows you perfectly," I say, "Maybe He will send you a helicopter." "I'm scared. I'm scared." "I sared. I sared. Fly. No. Fly. No." "OK, OK, everyone calm down. There will be no flying tonight, we are going to just go take a bath. Is everyone ready for a bath? How about some ice cream?"I think I will hold off on more end time conversations.
Funny thing happened... As I have mentioned before I am a "cloth diaper convert," meaning that I switched from disposable diapers to cloth diapers 5 months ago, just after my 3rd child was born. So, I finished working out the other day and went to pick up my kids from the gym daycare to find my infant with a cloth diaper snapped around his neck...yes, his neck. Why, you ask, would a bulky cloth diaper, faintly stained in one area with poo, be snapped around his neck? This was my question as well. However, I held in my hysterical laughter and simply asked, "Was there a problem?" "He was drooling so much that I thought a bib would help," said the childcare worker. "Yes, a bib would be wise, " I said. ("But this is a diaper!" I thought.) Trying not to embarrass the woman, I simply said my thanks and led my three children outside. Once we were out of her sight I unsnapped this monstrosity, allowing my son's poor neck to see the light of day. I looked at him and said, "I am so sorry." He just smiled at me and did the baby dance.
