Falling Down...Getting Up

I was listening to a radio program while in the car last night and the speaker's following definition caught my attention. Spiritual Growth = the process of a Christian falling down & getting up...all the way to heaven.

I seem to be a high acheiver when it comes to the "falling down" part. And sometimes (okay, OFTEN) that leads to discouragement and/or negative self-talk. You might be familiar with the a few of these self-condeming phrases? Loser! If only others knew the REAL (insert: lazy, emotional, clumsy) you! You call yourself a Christian? You're overwhelmed with ONE child when others are caring for 3/4/5 kids; how pathetic!

The definition reminded me that growing towards who I really want to be starts with a really, really simple step: getting up! I might not be able to instantly transform my life & eliminate my current struggles/shortcomings but...I can choose to take the first step. I can refuse to let Satan distract me with discouragement. I can refuse to let my thoughts rule my actions/self-worth. I can refuse to stay down.

Today, I choose to get up! Every time I fall. All day long.

All the way to heaven!

An Apple-Picking Adventure...

In celebration of the first day of fall we went apple-picking at a small orchard in my hometown. Here are a couple pictures of Xander after he was convinced the apples ON the tree were much more desireable than the bug-infested ones BENEATH.

Oh...this is a good one. I just KNOW it...

Careful...careful.

I don't want to drop it on the ground (with all those other BAD apples)...

Silly branch...out of my way. I'm busy finding good apples.

Whew...that was hard work! Definitely need a ride back in this wheelbarrow here...and perhaps a bright yellow apple to snack on.

A Child's Curiousity: Listening In

A Sunday School teacher shared with me a conversation from her classroom this morning which made me chuckle. It went something like this:

Child (out of the blue, totally unrelated to the story being read) asks: "I was wondering about Xander...that boy with Blake & Christine all the time."

Teacher: "Yes? What about Xander?"

Child: "When he grows up, will he grow up white?"

Boy or Girl?

I was chatting with a friend today who explained, after her daughter was mistaken for a boy recently, she's routinely included a bright & girly hairbow to Zoie's attire. I shared that Xander, even though dressed in very gender-specific clothing, has on more than one occassion been referred to as '...oh, such a beautiful girl...' MUCH to his father's utter dismay.

This conversation reminded me of a picture I took the other day as our rough-and-tumble boy was exploring the drawer with my hair accessories. While I think, in general, our little guy is ALL BOY, this pictures could possibly plant a small seed of doubt in one's mind (not so visible in the picture is a headband & hairclip but he would not stand still long enough to get a good picture of the 'girly-evidence).

Goin' For A Spin...

After careful placement...(right there...steady...steady)...

...Xander takes his sippy cup for a spin!

Kohl Children's Museum...

Now...before you flee from this post b/c of the word 'museum' in the title...wait! This place is NOT your typical museum. It is completely interactive and fun, fun, FUN! If you are ever in the Glenview (IL) area, I would highly recommend stopping by. Check out their website here.

Earlier this week, Alexander and I met up with Grandma and cousins: Emily, Elijah and Moriah to spend the afternoon exploring the exhibits. Here are some pictures of our time together.

A 'group shot' outside by the very unique jungle-gym equipment.

Driving around town. This room even had a carwash (sans water) but really cool.

Moriah checking things out and deciding what to do NEXT.

Elijah LOVED this excavator (this IS an excavator, right Jonah?)

The doctor is in; how may I help you? :)

A petite 3-year old with NO FEAR. All the way to the top!

Xander and Mr. Turtle.

A Child's Perspective

I was reading a book for a few minutes this afternoon ("Any Minute" by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford) and came across some words that spoke powerfully to me.

In the story, a mother & her son were rushing down a busy city street. The mother was attempting to soothe her guilt-ridden conscience by spending time with her son. In all reality, she was simply dragging him thru her own daily schedule. Let's pick the dialogue up here...

"The Chicago Board of Trade clock gawked down from the end of the street. As he watched, the clock's minute hand jerked from Roman numeral III to Roman numeral IV.

"Mom. Did you see that? Another minute just went by."

She'd been gulping her coffee in great mouthfuls, hardly stopping to swallow as they'd hurried along. Upon hearing his words, she picked up her pace.

"No, Mom," he said. "I didn't mean we were supposed to hurry up and catch it. I mean, we missed it."

So often I need to remind myself to let go of my in-order-to-be-purposeful-I-must-be-running-helter-skelter mindset & simply spend time with my son. Though I love him to pieces, this does NOT come naturally to me...but I am trying.

This week we've spent extra time outside. Every morning we have rocked & read books, a whole PILE of books. Our usual 2-minute walk into the YMCA (me walking while carrying Xander) has turned into a 10+ minute adventure filled with curb-jumping & investigating rocks along the way. We're wrestled more. Cuddled more. Giggled more.

Oh...I pray that I can continue to align my priorities so that I do not miss a minute of the joy of being a mom.