He will grow up...

I tried to put aside my "to-do" list and sat down in the rocking chair

with my little boy cuddled in my arms.

We shared some sweet moments as lullabies played.

As his eyelids began to droop, I stroked his baby-soft thighs.

His fat fingers clutched my shirt and he fell asleep.

I could not stop staring at his precious face,

and I choked back tears.

Because this is the easy part.

I know, mothering a young toddler is exhausting and demanding,

but it is simple.

There will come a day when he will have to deal with difficult and painful things,

because we live in a sin-cursed world.

As I thought of pain or trial coming to my boy,

my heart grew heavy.

I cannot pray that God will spare him from pain or difficulty,

for God uses those things to build character and help us to trust Him.

And it may be those things that lead Jonah to trust in Jesus Christ

for forgiveness of his sins.

But I can and will pray that God will be with him,

that God will protect and preserve him from every side,

that He will make Jonah into a strong godly young man,

and that God will help me to be a kind, patient, godly mommy to him.

I cannot hold onto him as a baby forever.

Before I know it he will be playing soccer, having sleepovers, climbing trees,

and then going off to college and getting married!

So how thankful I am that God hears my prayers for my son,

and that I can entrust this little boy to God's care.

Boy Book!

What a cute engaging book, especially for boys! We stumbled upon Truck Stuck at our library time last week, and took it home since Jonah is recently fascinated with the vehicles! Sallie Wolf tells the story of a big truck which gets stuck under a "viaduct" in a little neighborhood off the highway. Children are engaged with the story by mostly 2-3 word catchy phrases that rhyme with each other. It's fun to see how the traffic (workers going to their respective jobs) behind the truck passes the time and emotions are transformed from anger and impatience to smiles and friendship. Great book for teaching about "community helpers".

Baby Bites...Sweet Butternut Squash

Check out this "baby bite" that Jonah loves!

It's great for dipping apple slices in,

or enjoying by the bowlful with lunch or dinner

(great food for babies, kids, and adults alike...so yummy!)

Put in pot:
1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cubed
Cover with water and boil 'til very tender; drain.

While still hot, add
2-4 T. butter
generous sprinklings of cinnamon and nutmeg
brown sugar, to your taste
(try evaporated cane juice, coconut sugar, or honey to be real healthy!)

Puree (with a regular or stick blender)

Enjoy!