Cup Runneth Over

The Carrots Make Him Do It

"Finish your carrots. They're very good for your eyes," Rick told the boys the other day.

"Carrots help my eyes to stare," Jack added.

Maybe we should cut back on his carrots.

In July, our pastor encouraged parents to begin bringing their children into the worship service around the age of 5. Since our boys are 5 and 7, we heeded his advice. If we're going to teach our boys to obey, then we must also obey our elders.

We began teaching the boys note-taking skills from the get-go. In the beginning, they made tally marks next to words that we had them listen for. Then, we encouraged them to write down any words that they recognized. They have really come a long way in just a few months.

Liam's notes from last week:
He used the front and back of his paper. That's about 175 words, and he's only 7. Yes, I'm bragging.

What did Liam find important? Here are some highlights:
1. Jesus died for the good of those who believe Him.
2. It's the death of Jesus that satisfied the wrath ("raft") of Him.
3. God saves people.
4. Believers go to heaven. "Not believers" go to "hail".

Garrett's notes:
Garrett is still in the early stages of reading and writing, so I can't decipher a lot of his notes. But he listens very intently, and he wants to know more about the Word. He spells cross as "kros" and wrath as "raf".

Jack's notes:
According to Jack, cross is "cros", wrath is "rath", and death is "deth". Why are his notes so short? Well, I had to take away his pencil, after he tried to make his pencil and paper a helicopter. Why is the paper folded? That is because I had to take his gum away, after he blew a bubble during the sermon. Ahem.

I am so grateful to attend a God-fearing church, and I pray that my boys gain Biblical wisdom as they learn to sit in "big church".

Brotherly Advice

Rick leaves the boys notes at the breakfast table from time to time. It's usually fatherly advice such as, "Obey your Mommy." Or, "Don't pick your nose."

Liam wrote notes for his little brothers this weekend.
"Good morning Garrett. Have a good time on Monday. I love you very much. Be good and do not do bad things. Love, Liam" (Capitalization and punctuation added by me. Liam doesn't have time for such details.)
"Good morning Jackson. Be good on Monday. Be nice and do not get your folder sinde. Love from Liam"

Sage advice from a (mostly) sweet older brother.

Let's Go, Rangers!

When we went to bed Friday night, the Texas Rangers had made this baseball-loving family very happy by becoming the American League champions. When I woke up Saturday morning, I had to check their official website to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

No, I wasn't dreaming. The Texas Rangers are going to the World Series for the first time ever, and Texans are stoked!
Let's go Rangers! IT'S TIME!

Sizing Up

Garrett is 21 months younger than Liam, but his hands are just as big! How BIG will my youngest be, I wonder?

Growing Up

I recently pulled out some of Liam's old clothes to pass down to his brothers. Hand-me downs are a bittersweet reminder of how quickly they grow up.

Garrett today:

May 2008:
Why do they have to grow up?