I Did It By Myself!
Greetings to everyone.
At church, during the recession, children who choose to do so can follow behind and wave ribbons. At the end, they run back in and cluster around the pastor, then shout "Go forth and live for Jesus!" This officially closes the service.
Xavier, from time to time, joins in. Always Daddy has to go with him; he's been too timid to do it alone.
Today, as the children were lining up outside the sanctuary, I pointed them out to Xavier and asked if he wanted to "do the ribbons" this morning.
"Yes!" Xavier said, then he ran down the aisle and out to where the other children gathered.
I stayed in the pew, but kept a watchful eye on him.
Xavier got his ribbon. He marched behind the recessional waving his ribbon with the other children. He exuberantly ran forward with the crowd clustering around the priest. He shouted out "Go forth and live for Jesus!" with everyone.
He ran back to me, his face radiant. "Daddy, I did it without you. I did it all by myself!"
His excitement made me smile at his growth toward independence. I also had a little foretaste of the sadness at his becoming more independent. Our little boy is growing up!
Roses For Momma
Greetings to everyone!
Tomorrow, Rebecca leaves for six and a half weeks. She got in to SOS. This is definitely an answer to prayer.
Things did not look promising, and she needed to get into the March class. She needs to complete the class before she can pin on the rank of Major. She also had to take the class before her a certain deadline, or she would have to spend 18 months completing the class on-line.
Rebecca got the call last week telling her she was in. We had less than eight days to prepare.
We started breaking the news to Xavier. Momma was going to school for seven weeks. He and Rebecca have really started forming a strong bond in the last few months, so we didn't want to slow that momentum!
Today, after picking him up from soccer practice (which he has Mondays after school), we had to make a stop at King Soopers. When I told Xavier where we were going, he said "I want to buy Momma flowers."
I thought to talk him out of the idea, since Rebecca would have less than 12 hours to enjoy them. I suggested getting flowers when Rebecca came home. Xavier would not be swayed.
Once in the store, Xavier ran around the corner to the cut arrangements and near instantly picked red roses with a spray of Baby's Breath. He did not even look at the rest of the arrangements, though I tried to get him to look.
I then suggested another rose arrangement, one nearly identical to what he had chosen. Nope, he made his choice, and he stuck to it.
Birthday Shopping
Greetings everyone.
Uncharacteristic excitement overtook Xavier a few days ago. He learned Daddy's birthday was coming.
He wanted to pick out a cake and Mommy told him he could. They went to Costco where Xavier saw a chocolate sheet cake with a rainbow, clouds and sun. That was the cake! No matter it was half a sheet.
Having checked off the cake, Xavier wanted to make a birthday card. He and Mom came home and went to his room.
Daddy came home before he had finished all his preparations. That led to a telling of Daddy, "Don't go in my room. It's a surprise."
Xavier kept his secret until about an hour later. Compelled, he had to show me the card. He went so far as to open the envelope for me and pull the card out.
The store-bought card (bought because of the googly eyes on the skunk) had inside a pop-up rainbow arching between two cottonball clouds with a sun colored behind. I learned that he had planned the card and told Mom it had to be a popup, and she needed to help him because he did not know how to make a popup card.
I knew nothing of the cake at this time. Though later in the evening, I did learn he picked out my cake. Again, he held out as long as he could in keeping his secret.
On Wednesday, I picked Xavier up from the lady who watches him after school. When we walked in the door, Rebecca had the cake out, candles on it and lighter at the ready.
Upon seeing the cake, I instantly understood the inspiration for the card. He recreated his cake design in his card.
What greater gift could he give me than such thought and labor as this?