From the Mouthes of Babes

After teaching the story of "Jacob and Esau" in Children's Bible Hour tonight, I decided to quiz Norah to see how well she was paying attention.

A: Norah, which of the twins was Rebekah's favorite?

N: Jacob.

A: Good.  And which one was Isaac's favorite?

N: Esau.

A: That's right.  And which one was red and hairy?

N: Esau.

A: Uh-huh.  And which one was a good cook?

N: Jacob. He made some stew and he made Esau give him his birthmark.

A: (laughs hysterically and debates over whether to correct this misunderstanding, or let it ride in hopes of equally amusing future Bible story teachers)

Recently overheard while eavesdropping in the car...

N: Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a queen.

E: Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be LIGHTENING McQueen.

(Another day..it seems that Eli frequently dreams of what he'll be when he grows up while riding in the car)

E: When I grow up, I want to be a dinosaur.

N: Eli, you can't be a dinosaur when you grow up.  You have to stay a human.  You can't be an animal if you are a boy.

E: (with a little more edge to his voice) But I want to be a dinosaur when I grow up!

N: Eli, you can't be a dinosaur because dinosaurs are extinct.  So, if you are a dinosaur, you will ex-STINK!  Just pick something else.

Finally, this one made me choke up a little...it's not funny, but it's so sweet,  I definitely don't want to forget it.  Saturday was a really full day for me.  I had errands to run all over town (on a home game weekend, which meant they took far longer than if I would've gone any, other day), then came home to an empty house (my wonderful Mom R and Grandmother had N&E ALL day, God bless them!) and cleaned what looked like the wreckage of a natural disaster, in effect, restoring peace, calm, and cleanliness to our house, then finished up some overdue sewing projects.  By the time Jason got home with the kids, we were all worn out from a fun (and/or uber-productive) day.  We fed and bathed the kids, Jason was getting Eli ready for bed, and I was doing the same with Norah.  It was at this point that Eli came up to me, gave me a big, calf-high bear hug, and said the words that I know I will treasure for years to come,

E: "Thanks for all of the wonderful things you do for us, mom."  

I was completely floored.  Well, to be honest, I thought he had to have been delivering a message from Jason.  So, I asked Daddy if he had prompted the sweet boy, and he declined the opportunity to take credit, saying that he wasn't even sure what Eli had told me, but that whatever it was, was straight from Eli's own heart.  I stooped down and gave E another, big hug and told him thank you...he probably had no idea how much his simple statement meant to his haggard, old mother, but I can guarantee you I'll be holding onto it for a while!