Tonight we were out to eat, just Ry, William, and me. In the middle of a busy, colorful new restaurant, William sat on Ryan’s lap and just stared at me as I ate. With the hint of a smile on his lips. And absolute love in his eyes.
My little baby loves me.
The other best part of the night?
When Ryan said, on our way home, “You’re my best friend.”
I’m so blessed. Thanks, God.
A baby lays on the kitchen table, staring quietly out the window. I’m on my hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. My nano plays the songs I programmed, and I’m drawn to a moment of devotion, of hearing…
Priceless treasure, Jesus the Christ
The jewel of my searching demands my lifeSo I bow to You, and I kneel to You, You have my heart
Oh, marvelous Savior, You came down from heaven to us
Oh, beautiful treasure, You made us His daughters and sons
Oh, that we could reflect You, show You to the world that You love
Jesus the ChristYou are my gain in death or in life
My quest is to know You, my god, my delightJesus, whom have I in heaven, but You
And having You, I desire nothing on earth ( — charlie hall )
Those words arrest my heart. I’m impassioned again to live for this marvelous Savior. My soul cries out with this modern psalmist:
Oh, that we could reflect You, show You to the world that You love…
That’s all I want. To show Jesus to the world that He loves.
Here. Now. To this little bit of the world that He loves:
Oh, Lord, may they know Your love through me.
Hello, you adorable little man.
You are so, so sweet.
In fact, I just can’t stop taking pictures of you.
Look at those fingers, those lips, those cheeks…
…and those eyes!
Goodness, I love you.
I’m sitting on the couch, nursing William. Jameson’s disappeared from sight, and then I hear the crash of dishes in the kitchen. Oh dear. “Jameson, please come in here with me, okay?” He skips into the living room, big smile on his face, saying, “Mmm, Mama!” Sure, bud.
An hour later, after everyone’s down for naps, I go out to the kitchen to tidy up and spot my small saucepan on the floor. And what in the world is in it?… Then I spot the [opened] envelope of carrot seeds. Jameson had spied the colorful veggies pictured on the front and figured — hey, why not cook this up for dinner? That was his “Mmm!”
That boy.
Love ‘im.
The cries of a waking baby crackle over the monitor, and I leave the breakfast table to retrieve my little love. I find him, squishy and warm, burrowing his way out from under my down comforter. His pilot cap is hooked behind one ear. And I’m not sure why, but there’s something irresistibly adorable to me about a baby with one ear popping out of his cap.
Must. kiss. him.
Saturday afternoon, and then Sunday, too, found Ryan on his knees, trying his best to get a childhood train set up and running for Jameson’s enjoyment. It took two days, but he finally got everything greased and oiled and firing. The rest of us watched with anticipation — and it was one of those, “Hey, this feels like a real family!” moments.
Maybe we just are [a real family.]
Most assuredly, Ryan is a real daddy.
He’s our hero.
I love watching Jameson’s imagination grow and develop. I love that recently he’s discovered “train tracks” in the lines of our hardwood floors, the borders of the oriental rugs, the pattern of the kitchen’s linoleum. Suddenly, his train can choo-choo all over the house, unhindered by pesky things like wooden rails. (Of course, this means watching your step. Nothing like the feel of a small toy underfoot!)
I adore William’s chubby-cheeked profile when he sleeps. It’s perfect. Actually, he’s perfect. I confess: I kiss him and smoosh him and pinch him all. day. long. All day. And then I watch him grow. Suddenly, he grabs for toys. He talks at them. He arches his back when I’m taking him out of the car seat, in that, “Here, Mom, let me help ya out,” sort of way. He’s interacting with the world, with us, and it’s amazing. Wasn’t he just brand new? When did he have time to learn all of this??
I love, love, LOVE being a mom, because I LOVE these babes.
(How could anyone deny that we are masterpieces — every one — of a Great Artist? Surely every mother must know: this child was fashioned by God!)
Ours was served on brown rice rather than millet. Just the same: yum. Simple, too. (And mine included 2x as much garlic, because that’s just the way I roll these days, and the generous amount of curry that Bri recommends, sauteed with the garlic and onion to boost the flavor.)
Jameson got A Child’s Garden of Verses for Christmas, and I just love the illustrations. There are certain books that instantly bring me back to the wonder of childhood, when I would pore over the details of each picture, wanting so badly to be in the page. Fujikawa does it for me.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
I know that’s about money, specifically, but a few days ago I read it on a morning when I was feeling pretty much on empty — but with a husband and children who need me to sow. He reminded me: He’s the God of never-ending oil, right?
I have no seed worth sowing without His grace, anyway.