This just gets funner and funner!

I got through college babysitting. I think I've mentioned this before. There was a sweet family that kind of took me in under their wing, and I grew very close to the children. They were very young at that time, 3 and 1, but already were showing what ultimately would be their personalities. The boy, eager to learn, energetic and sweet, the girl reserved and quiet, but once she felt comfortable she was all in. I learned many things from them and their Mom. She was middle aged mom married to a Methodist priest. She was an excellent mother to them. She worked part time, seemed to be balanced and happy. She always seemed to be working on something with them, puzzles, games, drawing, or writing notes.

The one thing that struck me the most was how much she incorporated reading into their childhood. There were lots and lots of books around their house and the children loved to be read to. There was an adventure in each book. I spent countless hours sitting in their floor reading a book to them. When the oldest was in early elementary school, I remember their Mom telling me that she read chapter books to him. This was amazing to me. The fact that she would take this amount time with her child each and every day was selfless, but the fact that he loved that time together was priceless. I remember thinking: I'm gonna do that when I am a mom.

Nearly 10 years later, here I am a Mom. I began collecting books before I was even pregnant with my first child and had hundreds of Little Golden Books from various yard sales and thrift stores. I will never forget the gift she sent for my first baby: 3 books out of the Dr. Seuss Learning Library. So her passion for reading carried on to me and my children.

I guess it was when Josh was about a year old, we began introducing a routine of reading a book every night before bedtime. We would sit in the nursery, in the yellow rocking chair and read books like "Goodnight Moon, The Going to Bed Book, I Love You This Much, The Goodnight Book and The Good Morning Book" At first I remember it feeling awkward, but soon he began to listen and turn the pages. Now I at ages 4 and 6, reading is an integral part of our bedtime routine and something they look forward to every night. Each gets to pick out a book to read, we lay on Mommy and Daddy's bed together and either Daddy or I read the books to them. Then a bible story.

When Josh turned about 5, he seemed to be having a hard time falling asleep at bedtime, so I decided to try to read a chapter book to him after my youngest went to bed. It was a way to incorporate some special time with just him in the day. He loved it. I thought at first he was just amusing me to get to stay up later, but after reading to him he would ask questions that proved to me he had been listening. Now he is 6 1/2 and we have read many many chapter books together. It has become a treasured time in which we both look forward to each and every day.

By far the most meaningful books we have read together has been the CS Lewis series, Narnia. We only started these this summer and we are on the 2nd in the series right now. I was hesitant to read these to him, worried they would be too deep, boring, wordy or I would lose his interest. In The Magician's Nephew, the first in the series of 7, there is a very moving chapter about the creation of Narnia. I can't even explain into words what it was like reading this aloud and thinking about God and how he created this world. I never dreamed that my 6 1/2 year old son would make the same connection, but I remember him saying "Mom! That sounds like when God created the Earth!" That alone was a very powerful and moving moment for me.

I am so glad that throughout my life I have had so many examples of great Mothers. From each of them I take different things...I'm so glad Laura gave me this example. It is a true gift in my life that I will treasure forever.

As we finished our chapter of the 2nd in the Narnia Series, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," last night, Josh got up from the couch and my arms and turned around and said: "Mommy, this just gets funner and funner!" His eyes wide and face lit up. My heart...was full.



books we've read: *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Adventures of Buster Bear, The Boxcar Children books #1, 2, and 3, Superfudge, Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, Junie B. Jones First Grader at Last, *Junie B. Jones Toothless Wonder, The Tale of Desperaux, *The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane, *The Magician's Nephew, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlotte's Web, Peter Pan

*our favorites

Pictures that Captured My Heart

Late June my youngest son, Samuel, turned 4. I have really tried to be diligent about getting pictures made at each birthday and then periodically, get Joshua and Samuel's taken together. Most of the time I go to a typical portrait studio, and they have done a great job, but sometimes they start to all look the same. So, I wanted to do something a little different this year for Sam. Something a little more personal and reflective of who he is as a little boy, and who they are together as brothers.

Almost as soon as Joshua could talk, he was pointing and screaming at the trains we would see. He called railroad crossings signs "ninga ninga's" Since he was only 18 months we have been visiting the Heart of Dixie Railway Museum in Calera, Alabama. A wonderful train museum with running diesel and steam engines, a museum area and a train yard. He loved it every time we went. We even celebrate Christmas there on the "Polar Express" each year, and Thomas the Tank engine also comes there each spring. When Sam was old enough he began to go to. His obsession with trains was as big Joshua's. Most of their childhood so far has been tied to trains. Train toys, tables, movies, parties, books and music. All trains! So I really wanted to have pictures made at this beautiful train museum.

A wonderful, and very talented friend of mine from work very graciously agreed to come with us to take pictures. I had seen some of his work before and knew he would do a great job. Plus, I knew in seeing how he interacted with our patients at work, that he would really be able to get along with Josh and Sam and get to their real personalities in the pictures.

We went on July 3rd, a Saturday and it was a very hot day. Young-Bin came over and got acquainted with the boys for a few minutes, then we all rode together to Calera, only about 20 minutes away. The boys were so excited as soon as we had the Museum in site! We were there for a little over an hour. We intended to ride the train, but they had changed the schedule to only have two runs and we had missed the last one. So we just wondered around the property looking at all the things around.

A few weeks after our fun time at the museum, I got an email from Young-Bin, with 3 of the pictures attached. I opened them and they brought tears to my eyes. I could hardly wait to see the rest of them. He told me he was putting together a book with many of the pictures in it. This Wednesday he brought the book and the CD in to work and gave it to me. I was overwhelmed at the photos. They are exact glimpses of their personalities. The pictures are beautiful and artistic, but personal and meaningful too. So here are some of my favorites:

The train yard is a favorite. We always like to explore all the different ones they are working on.
I love the way Sam is looking at Josh in this picture. It is how he looks at Josh most of the time, as if to say, "What is he doing? Because I want to do that too!"

Since no more runs were scheduled for the day, we had the opportunity to wonder down the track a bit. They loved running and running. It was nice and shady back there so we were able to cool off a little.

Being a Mom of boys, I have learned to pick up all types of critters!

I love this picture because Josh is holding my hand, which is a rarity now that he is 6 years old.


This is Sam's typical questioning face. We see it all the time. I can hear his little voice saying "what? what?"


I love this picture because of the innocent look on Sam's face, and also because of the symbolism of them walking away from me.


They love this old caboose and the lighting in the picture is phenomenal. It is like a piece of art to me.


This is one of the old restored steam engines at the museum. It's beautiful. I am hoping to uses the previous two as art work in their playroom or their rooms.


I love that this one shows how tall Josh is getting and that he lost his two bottom front teeth this summer.


I'm not sure I have a favorite out of all these pictures, but this one sure comes close. I noticed right away how sweaty Sam was here. He and Josh had been running hard down the track. It is again an accurate portrait of how they are each and every day. Sam goes goes goes all day, seemingly endless energy. I love the youngness of his face here.

I could go on and on about each and every one of the nearly 60 photos that Young-Bin took that day. He didn't pose them or set them up, he just took them. And somehow, intuitively knew which moments to catch that were really and true portraits of their personalities. To have these memories to treasure is priceless to me, and a gift.

Big Strong Boy

Tonight, my 6 year old was able to turn my mood completely around. He's so strong and brave, as you can clearly see in his muscle picture here. But it was actually in a moment of fear that he was able to touch my heart. You see I had stomped up to go to bed after fuming over a comment someone made that I allowed to bother me. I was very forcibly brushing my teeth when I heard a little voice behind me say, "Mommy?". It was Joshua. "What is it honey?" If I'm being honest I was annoyed to be disturbed during my fit. "I was feeling a little scared and wondered if I could lay with you for a while in your bed?" I stopped. It suddenly hit my just how fleeting moments like these were going to become in the very near future. So I agreed and picked up a book for us to read together.

We read, "just in case you ever wonder" by Max Lucado. This book is a sweet reminder of how I will always love him and God will always love us. Josh was not surprised by this information, but he was comforted by it. He then told me how excited he was to be with God in heaven one day, and that he knew it was a very special place. I said "How do you know it will be a special place." He told me that God has told him all about it in his dreams. I said "Wow, you must be a very special boy if God talks to you in your dreams." He said "I am a special boy! He talks to me every night Mommy!" And he's right. He is very special. If I could stop and listen to the things God tells me every day, and every night, instead of fuming, throwing a fit, worrying or being pitiful I might hear some amazing things from God. Then again, He knew what he was doing when he gave me these strong boys.