— 1 —
There’s a bookcase thief in our house. The other day Leo started noticing that furniture is disappearing, so we have made a running joke out of noticing what Baba has packed for our move.
“Mama!” Leo yelled one morning. “Come quick! We have a table thief, too!”
We all ran to see that a table had vanished from the living room. The boys laughed about being detectives and how we had to catch the thief. One day we might, but he seems to be working hard and fast to get our belongings packed and ready to go.
— 2 —
Picture of the artist with God, a cross, and a heart (by Leo)
Leo is having a hard time understanding that God has always existed, and that nothing created God. I don’t recall struggling with this as a child, but he is really pushing his parents to explain—and it’s good for me to have to explain our faith.
Then the other day I was giving Leo a bath when the conversation turned to belly buttons. He wanted to know whether God—not Jesus, but God the Father—had a belly button. No, I told him, because God wasn’t born, and he didn’t have a mother. He is God. He has always been and always will be. Forever and ever.
“Then who was the first person who had a belly button?” Leo asked. So we talked about Adam and Eve. He knows the story, but not in that much detail. I explained that I don’t think they had belly buttons since Adam was made of clay and Eve was made of his rib.
So we landed on Cain and Abel, who must have had belly buttons. Then we went and read the story. It would not have been my first choice for bedtime reading. Am I the only mother who feels the Old Testament stories can be a bit dark for children?
— 3 —
The other day Daniel drew a picture and brought it to Leo.
“I made a rocket for you!” he said, beaming.
I held my breath as Leo looked at it with his critical big brother’s eye. He doesn’t even like his own drawings. What were the chances he’d approve of his 3-year-old brother’s?
“Well, it doesn’t look like a rocket,” Leo said, “but it’s still beautiful.”
I was astounded.
— 4 —
Think you like Chinese food? Think again. This list of Chinese dishes you won’t find in China includes some of my favorites.
Of course, it didn’t take John and me long to realize there was no General Tso’s chicken in China. We did eat some delicious food there, but even there we were eating the “Western” Chinese food and not the authentic Chinese food. I had an amazing garlic shrimp dish I wish I could duplicate here, and every breakfast buffet should feature freshly made pork dumplings.
— 5 —
Speaking of chicken, Daniel still has his eyes on the prize—getting his hands on a bird. He wants to catch one so badly. Whether it’s a robin or a sparrow, he calls out, “Get it, Mama!” and goes running toward it. When we went to Clark’s Elioak Farm last week, he talked to the chickens, but they didn’t want him to get too close. He had quite a conversation with the turkey there. But he still has his heart set on holding a bird that can fly. I’m not sure I want to see it happen, but he is determined.
— 6 —
When I serve ears of corn, our boys always take the biggest one on the plate, eat two or three bites, and leave the rest. So this week I decided to break the ears in half before cooking them. I was just thinking we might waste less corn since each boy would still take one piece, but it would be a half. Instead, I realized they eat the half-ear better than a full one. So they’re eating more corn and we’re wasting less. The trick, of course, is breaking all the ears of corn in half, rather than just breaking a few, since they both reach for the biggest piece they see.
— 7 —
And here is a piece I wish I had written—an interview with the mother in The Cat in the Hat. I don’t think the younger Cat in the Hat fans in the house will appreciate this for a while, but I enjoyed it, especially the references to the Man with the Yellow Hat.
Happy Friday! Read more quick takes at Jen’s Conversion Diary blog.