You know the saying “It’s the little things”? Well, it’s true. Very true. I have been thinking so much lately about this – and yesterday I was in the middle of it. And it was awesome!
Matt heard that the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) cars were going to be racing in the area, so he called & asked what I thought about going. I do like watching those races (really, they are FUN!), but I just didn’t think that Eli would want to sit through the whole thing. So Matt called Jed, who said he’d be interested in going – and they took Brett & Trevor along and had a “guys night out”. :)
This meant that Eli & I got to have some 1 on 1 time after I got home from work (and picked him up from Grandma L). Since it’s been about 100 degrees most of the week, we tried to think of some things to do inside. First we made some supper (mom gave me some awe-some sweet corn when I stopped by – THANKS mom!), and then we switched the laundry. Eli decided it would be a good idea to walk to the train tracks – so we headed outside.
We walked east & it was so fun just to talk to him and listen to all of his stories. He’s so dang cute when he talks because most of the time he’s so expressive. It’s also the time of year when the planes are out spraying the fields – so he got to see 6 airplanes while we were out there. He thought that was the coolest. When you’re 4 years old – sprayer planes are just as cool as any other kind!
He got a little tired before we actually made it to the tracks, so we turned around & started to head home. Most of the way back, we talked about what it means to be thankful – and how we should remember to thank God every day. For whatever reason, he just seemed like he “got it” in a way that he hadn’t before. Maybe I made that up in my head, but I think he caught on. Anyway – we ended up sitting on the sidewalk in front of the house for about half an hour after we got home, and we made “Eli & Mommy’s Thank You List”. I adore that little boy so much more than I could say (and I feel the same way about his brothers)! But I wanted to capture our lists here so someday he can look back and see what he was thankful for when he was 4. ;) Eli started, and we took turns telling each other (and God) what was on our list. (*Note: I couldn’t figure out how to get the lists side by side, so it seems like this post is a mile long!)
Eli’s List
- sky
- shooting stars
- pretty clouds
- Heaven
- lightning
- toys
- Reese’s Pieces
- rainbows (in his words, “that I saw at Grandma Langstraat’s house next week”) ;)
- snow angels
- camper
- sprinkler
- bird baths
- tomorrow
- tree house
- if we can buy a snowboard
- birds
- cheese pizza
- ABC books
- Christmas tree
- Mickey
- purple flowers
- ice cream
- Grandma
- baby kittens
- cousins
- coke
Mommy’s List
- family
- rain
- Jesus
- friends
- food
- sunshine
- rainbows
- seasons
- home
- grass
- today
- Bible
- our country
- saving us / forgiveness
- farmers
- jobs
- Christmas
- beds
- church
- senses
- fireflies
- moon
- eagles
- neighbors
- safety
- blessings
So those are just a few of the things we came up with. He also thought that while we talked to God about these things, we could also have Him say “hi” to Grandpa L. (*tears*)
Then we went inside and had root beer floats & watched The Veggie Tales “It’s a Meaningful Life” movie. And then we snuggled up and fell asleep on the couch. The night was precious and I would not have traded that time for anything in the world.
(oh, and all of the other boys had a great time at the races too!)
Thank you, God for blessing me in so many ways – and for making these “little moments” a very BIG deal. Please forgive me when I take things (and people) for granted & help me to always know that these little boys are watching and learning from my words and actions. Please help me to live each day for you. I love you. Amen.
