Tag - Elijah

A Celebration of Seuss

March 1, 2016

March 2 marks the birthday of author and illustrator Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known as “Dr. Seuss.” His books, full of whimsical and wacky characters, silly, made-up words, and fun, quotable rhymes have introduced generations of children to the joy of reading and inspired their imaginations.

While I grew up reading and loving his books (I even used The Cat in the Hat as the basis for an essay on contentment in high school), having children means that I’m getting to enjoy them all over again. From the time Elijah was just a few months old, we have been reading Dr. Seuss books to him, and now to him, Josiah, and even Isaiah, at nap time, bed time, and random times throughout our days.

(This post contains affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission when you purchase through the links. See my full disclosure for details.)

We started out with a couple of Bright and Early Board Books, which are abridged versions of Dr. Seuss classics and perfect for toddlers. I’m pretty sure one of the reasons that Elijah knew his alphabet before he was two was due to how many times we’d read Dr. Seuss’s ABC. In fact, I could quote the entire book from “Big A, little a, what begins with A?” all the way to “A Zizzer-Zazzer- Zuzz, as you can plainly see.”

We slowly added to our collection of Seuss, mostly by searching through the children’s books at thrift stores. I don’t know who is giving away these treasures, but when I can snag books like The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and The Foot Book for 50-cents or a dollar, I get really excited! We’ve also bought some brand new for birthdays or Christmas.

The Seuss influence soon began showing up beyond Elijah’s alphabet. Around three-years-old, he created a sort of game, where he would randomly call out rhyming words. For example, we’d be in the car, and he’d say a word, such as “bee,” then he’d follow it with “me” and “tree,” and when Brad and I joined in with words, he’d giggle and keep going.

Elijah LOVED the rhyming in a Seuss book. His favorite book for a while (and one of my all-time favorites still) was One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. His favorite sentence was one that I would rattle off very quickly, causing him to laugh and ask me to repeat that page over and over (thus why I could rattle it off!),

“You never yet

met a pet, I bet,

as wet as they let

this wet pet get.”

With all this affinity for words and reading, Elijah’s done very well in school with his reading (he’s consistently reading beyond his grade level), and he loves reading to us in the evenings.

One of the first “big” books that he wanted to tackle is the trickiest Dr. Seuss book I’ve ever read (and I’ve read pretty much all of them): Fox in Socks. It’s the only book that I have a love-hate relationship with because it’s a frustrating, tongue-twisting challenge every single time I read it.

However, Elijah, who literally cut his teeth on a Dr. Seuss board book, read it like a champ. I was so proud and impressed.

In case you’ve never read this one, which you totally should, here is just a sampling of the tongue-tangling rhymes in the book:

“Luke Luck likes lakes.

Luke’s duck likes lakes.

Luke Luck licks lakes.

Luke’s duck licks lakes.

Duck takes licks

in lakes Luke Luck likes.

Luke Luck takes licks

in lakes duck likes.”

(And if you’re thinking, “That one’s not too bad,” you’re right. I didn’t pick the hardest parts to share. I want you to actually WANT to read the book to your children.)

Not only is Elijah reading these books for himself, but he loves reading them to his brothers, which is sweet to see. They like to giggle together over the crazy words and silly stories.

When I told Elijah today about Dr. Seuss’s birthday, and how old he would have been, Elijah said, “I wish he hadn’t died yet. He probably would have had more ideas for different stories.”

As imaginative and creative as the man was, I’m certain he would have.

After all, he’s the one who wrote,

“Think left and think right

and think low and think high.

Oh, the thinks you can think up

if only you try!”

In honor of Dr. Seuss, March 2 has also been designated as Read Across America Day by the National Education Association. You can find activities and ideas on how to celebrate with your children here.

You can also find lots of whimsical fun at Seussville.com, the official site for all things Seuss, including games, crafts, and ways to bring the joy of reading to your children!

WHAT’S YOUR FAMILY’S FAVORITE DR. SEUSS BOOK?

Our “Vision Verse” for Our Children

February 8, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: Our Vision Verse for Our Children. This Bible scripture pretty well sums up everything we want to teach our boys about following God and His will for their lives.

Several years ago, I began leading the children’s ministry at the church where my hubby and I attended at the time. We were in a small church, so I usually only had a handful of students. However, no matter the size of my class, it was important to me to give them all a solid foundation in the Word and a realization that God not only wanted a real and personal relationship with them right now, but He could also use them no matter their age and had great plans for their futures as well.

Part of instilling that message was the “Vision Verse” that God gave me for the children’s ministry, which was Daniel 11:32b: “The people who know their God will be strong and take action.”

For the first month or so after I started teaching them, we learned this verse, complete with motions (kids always learn stuff better with movement), and we talked about what it meant.

Lately I’ve been thinking about that verse again, and how it’s the same vision my husband and I have for our own children now. Over the next few weeks, I plan to introduce this vision verse to our boys and share with them the same things that I taught my students about how it applies to them.

The People who KNOW THEIR GOD

Since we are “the people” who should know our God, Brad and I want our children to understand how we can know God, how we spend time with Him, and how having a relationship with Him and truly knowing Him is different than just knowing ABOUT Him. It’s easy for children who are always in church and surrounded by Christian family members, Christian music, and Bible stories to know a lot ABOUT God.

The crucial point, though, is KNOWING HIM personally. And they can start that NOW, even at very young ages.

We want our boys to love God with all their hearts, to be able to pray and talk to Him on their own (and WANT to), to know His voice and recognize His leading, and to understand the importance of reading their Bibles. We want them to know what the Bible says about God and His character – His love, His goodness, His mercy, His holiness, and His justice.

Will BE STRONG

As children of God who know Him well, we should be strong. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, the same Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). Because of this, we can be bold and courageous in our faith, and we are empowered to face temptation and choose obedience to God.

Both of our boys are strong-willed, like their mommy, and they are all about being strong, like super heroes, so this part shouldn’t be too hard for them to grasp. We want our boys to know that since God is with us, we can be powerful, tenacious, determined, and tough warriors who can live a life of no compromise, one that is holy and different from the world.

And TAKE ACTION

Once we truly know Him Whom we have believed, we are bold and courageous to take action, whatever that might be. It could be as simple (and difficult) as being kind to someone who isn’t nice to us or going wherever God asks us to go to reach the world with His love.

We don’t want our children to be content sitting back and doing nothing for God. We want to encourage them to use their gifts and talents in whatever ways He leads them. Our desire is for them to be active in their church, active in sharing their faith with others, and active in pursuing God and His purpose for their lives.

As parents we have the honor and responsibility of laying the spiritual foundation for our children. And while I have always aimed to give my all in teaching my students in the past and my preschool Sunday school class now, my biggest, most important ministry is to our little boys. Brad and I want to make certain that they truly KNOW their GOD, so they can BE STRONG in Him and TAKE ACTION whenever He calls them to.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL VERSE FOR YOUR FAMILY?

I also have a verse that has become my “Mommy Motto.”

*Note: I chose an easier translation of the verse for the children to learn. In the King James, the entire verse is this: “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Exploits is a cool word, but a little harder for young children to understand and remember compared to “take action.”

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Why I Capture Our “Everyday”

February 4, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: Why I Capture Our "Everyday" - Getting pictures of my boys as they play and do ordinary, everyday things allows me to save and savor the moments and hold onto the story of their childhood.

Last week Elijah stayed home from school a couple days because of an ear infection, and I was given an opportunity to do something that I haven’t done nearly enough in recent months. Not only did I get to snuggle a little more with my big boy, but I also got to grab my camera and capture some moments of my two boys just being together.

I love adorable pictures of them dressed handsomely and smiling happily, but those perfectly posed shots rarely tell as much of a story as a simple picture of my children playing on the living room floor.

There is something so precious to my mommy heart about a candid moment between my two little guys as they build a tower or “race” their cars along the lines of the area rug.

It’s grabbing a piece of my “every day” and saving and savoring it.

Most days, by the time Elijah is home from school, I’m working on dinner, finishing up laundry, or some other housekeeping task while the boys are playing, so I usually miss out on just watching them and seeing how they interact (although I can always hear the giggles and little arguments). It’s not often that I get to sit and witness these seconds of their growing up together.

So one day last week, I was able to get belly-down to the floor and listen as Elijah, a typical older brother, directed Josiah on how they were playing with their castle, knights, blocks, and the random character toys they’d pulled from the toy box. I watched Josiah grin in awe and admiration of Elijah’s stair-buildings skills. And even though I didn’t take a picture of it, I saw Elijah’s frustration when Josiah accidentally knocked over parts of that stairway and his patience as they worked to build it back up.

: Building a stairway to the king.

: Pegasus is going up.

Sure I could have spent less time on the floor, just snatched up my phone, and taken a couple of shots, but that’s not what I wanted. Phone shots are almost always more for everybody else, for quickly sharing something, or in a pinch, catching a moment when my real camera isn’t nearby.

Of course, some people only think of taking out a “real” camera for special events – birthdays, weddings, trips to the zoo.

I like my camera for pictures from those things, too, but what I treasure are the pictures of my boys in the seemingly mundane, ordinariness of something they do every day.

Because it’s simply them being them. (And I LOVE them)

Playing together.

Photographs like this require me to slow down a bit and really pay attention to everything going into the picture.

These moments aren’t meant to be “just point, shoot, and post.” It’s about recording the story for them and for me.

Through my camera lens, I get to hold onto to this time when they imagine silly scenarios and create fantastic worlds together. Even though they seem so little now, I know it won’t be long before they are grown.

I want to take every chance that I can to treasure each day with these precious gifts from God, to notice the details of their average day, and capture the moments of their childhood while they are still children.

Of course, once I’ve gotten some pictures, I put my camera down and join their playing.

I don’t just want to capture their memories. I want to be a rather big part of them, too.

If you’d like to get better photos of your family, you can read my 4-part series, How to Take Better Pictures of Your Kids.

One Question I’ll Be Asking My Children (& Myself) Everyday

January 21, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: One Question I'll Be Asking My Children (& Myself) Everyday. Inspired by the book "Raising Grateful Kids an Entitled World" and in an effort to remind my children to think about others more, I'll be asking them this question at the end of each day.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which mean that at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission when you use the link.

Yesterday when I picked up Elijah from school, I did the same thing nearly every parent does when they see their children at the end of the day: I asked him, “How was your day?”

I actually hate that question. It’s so cliché, but even more so, it never really invites real conversation since the only answers you are likely to get are “Good” or “Fine.” Somedays Elijah will be really excited about something that happened, such as when he “clips up” to purple (the best spot on their behavior charts) and gets a prize. Otherwise, he doesn’t elaborate much with that question.

So, I generally try to ask more engaging, open-ended questions, such as, “What was the best part about today?” While that has been a decent question to get Elijah sharing, I wanted to be asking questions that encouraged him to see his day in a new way.

Since reading Kristen Welch’s (We are THAT Family) new book, Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, I’ve found myself rethinking certain things that I say and do as a mom and how that sets my children’s expectations and attitudes.

For example, asking Elijah if he had a good time or fun day at school (or church or his grandparents, etc), reinforces the idea that he should always be having fun or made to be happy. Hmmmm.

As Kristen shared,

“I bought into the lie that it’s my job to make my kids’ childhood magical and fun, to guarantee that every day will be an adventure all about them.”

If that’s how we think, that’s what our children will expect. They will think life is 1) all about fun, and 2) all about them. Neither is true.

Kristen explained it this way,

“I think this requirement of being happy all the time is where entitlement thrives. In my parenting poll, when I asked, “What do you want most for your kids?” there were two main answers: I want them to follow Christ, and I want them to be happy. Sometimes both aren’t possible at the same time. Think about it. If we fix every problem, cater to every need, and bend over backwards to keep our kids happy all the time, we are setting them up for a false reality because life won’t always offer them the same courtesy.”

Sure, it’s an innocent question. Will he have a good time and fun at those places? Hopefully. However, he’s not going to school or church to be entertained or amused or comfortable. He’s going to learn and grow. (PS: Adults, church and school are not for YOUR entertainment or comfort, either. That whole “learning and growing” thing is for us, too.)

Spending time with family is not just about him, either. Is Grandpa fun? Yes. Will Grandma feed Elijah? Most likely. Does Elijah have to be the center of attention, or doing just what HE wants to the whole time we are there? No. I want him to be aware of others, even considering others before himself. I hope that I am doing the same.

So, instead of asking questions that make Elijah feel as though everyone else’s world should revolve around him and every day should be super awesome just for him, I want to ask him questions that shift his focus a little bit.

Yesterday, God put this question for Elijah in my heart.

While we were working on his snack, I asked him, “So, did you get to help anybody today?”

He paused for a second, and then his face lit up. LIT UP.

“Yes, well, sort of. I tried to help Harley with her coat, but I had my gloves on, so I couldn’t zip it all the way.”

Today, his answer was, “No,” somewhat sadly. Then, “No, wait! I DID help someone. I helped Julian tie his shoes.”

Do I want him to feel as though he HAS to do good deeds all day long? No. It’s not about works. It’s about awareness and perspective.

What if my asking him this one question each afternoon causes him to look for opportunities to reach out and help others every day? And what if my asking him that question does the same for me?

It’s just a reminder to think of others at least once during our day.

Then maybe one day when I ask him “What was the best part of your day?” and “Did you help someone today,” the answer to both will be the same thing.

That would be pretty cool.

—

For more of my thoughts on Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World:

How My Children Remind Me to Pray With Gratitude

Why We Don’t Need More This Christmas

You can pre-order Kristen’s book, which releases on January 26, by visiting RaisingGratefulKids.com or from Amazon, Christianbooks.com, or Barnes & Noble. If you’d like to read the first chapter, you can find it here.

Going on a Date with My 5-year-old

January 18, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: Going on a Date with My 5-year-old. I didn't realize how important some Mommy and me time was to my son until I scheduled a date night for us to spend some time together, one-on-one. His excitement proved that it was something very special to him.

When Elijah brought home the flyer for a “Me and My Gal” night at his school, I admit – at first I dismissed it as something I didn’t particularly want to do. I doubted that he even paid any attention to the note about a glow-in-the-dark themed dance/game night for the boys at his school to bring their “favorite girl” (mom, grandma, aunt) to, and that was fine with me.

However, I didn’t throw the note away.

The next day while I was cleaning the kitchen, I looked at the note again, and I felt as though God wanted me to ask Elijah about. In my heart, I immediately knew that this would be important to him and important to my relationship with him.

That day he came home and mentioned the “glow party,” saying that he wanted to go.

The more I talked to him about it, though, I realized the main reason he wanted to go: he wanted to be with me.

Then as I thought about that, I decided that we had another option in addition to “go to the party” or “don’t go.”

So, I gave Elijah a choice: we could go to the school event (where it would be somewhat awkward for us because we didn’t know anyone else going, where it would be a later night than he was used to, and where we wouldn’t be as free to just be us with all the dancing and games planned), or we could go on a “Mommy-Elijah date” where he got to plan what we did and where we went.

Elijah proved my theory of “just wanting to be with Mommy” correct. Without hesitation or second thoughts, he chose to do a date night, just us.

He also immediately suggested that we should go to the Japanese steakhouse for our date.

If only.

After explaining that not even Daddy usually got to take me there on a date, we discussed a more appropriate budget, and he made his second suggestion: going to get frozen yogurt. (We would have let him pick something a little more expensive, but that was what he wanted).

Then he proved that even though he’s only 5-years-old, he knows the way to a girl’s heart.

He said, “Then we can go to Hobby Lobby, if you want, Mommy. “

IF I want to go to Hobby Lobby? Hahaha.

Frozen yogurt and Hobby Lobby? Sounded like a great idea to me.

For the next couple of weeks, his world only existed on time that was measured by when our date night was. He counted down the days, he told everyone about “getting to take Mommy on a date,” he wrote about it in his journal at school, and he reminded me every day that we had a special night coming up.

At one point, I thought I might have another thing on the night we had picked, and he was nearly in tears until I realized it was a week later.

I honestly never thought he would latch onto this idea as firmly as he did or that time with Mommy was something he was missing so much.

I probably should have. I mean, I’ve often thought about how we definitely want to do that as the boys get older. But I should have known he needed that to start now.

He’s still adjusting to being in school all day after having spent pretty much all day, every day with me since he was born. His time when he gets home is spent playing with his brother, eating dinner, reading his homework book, and getting ready for bed. There hasn’t been much Elijah-Mommy time, and definitely not as much as he was used to before school.

The day of our date I don’t know how his teacher got him to focus on his work at all. He was bouncing from the moment he got out of bed in the morning until, and especially when, I picked him up in the afternoon. He told his teacher where we were going, probably for the fiftieth time that week, bless her heart.

And then we were off…well, after we dropped Josiah off at his “date with Grandma.”

En route to the frozen yogurt place, Elijah told me that “tonight is going to be amazing.”

He was so desperate for time with me that yogurt, Hobby Lobby, and a stop into Target for something we needed at the house was “amazing” to him.

Clearly, we need to spend more one-on-one time together.

However, it was a delightful evening. We tasted different flavors of yogurt, then filled our cups with our favorites and topped them with a few items from the multitude of offerings, including berries, waffle cone pieces, and whipped cream. Elijah added a gummy frog to his because his teacher said that’s what she liked from that yogurt place. (You know, during one of the many conversations he had with her about his date with Mommy.)

While we ate, he talked about his day, much like he would any other day. There were no deep discussions, no major life advice shared with him. Just us being together. And it was wonderful.

He brought money with him for Hobby Lobby…$1.25…so he could buy something…for himself (Some date.) He was thrilled when we found a stamp with the letter “E” in the clearance items for only $0.75. We were able to get him a child-friendly ink pad for only about $1 or so (using their weekly 40% off coupon) – Mommy’s treat.

After we’d wandered through the wonderland of Hobby Lobby long enough, we headed to Target. When we were checking out, he whispered to me that he was going to ask the cashier for two stickers, one for him and one for me, “since we are on a date.”

I’m not sure if the cashier heard him or not, but seconds later, she actually offered him a sticker before he could ask.

“Can I have two? I’m on a date with my Mommy, “ he told her.

Of course, the lady smiled and happily gave us two special stickers. Elijah just beamed.

I’m not sure if the night lived up to Elijah’s “amazing” expectations, but I know he was a very happy boy.

Something that to me was so simple and that started with something that I almost completely ignored meant the world to him.

So much so that the next morning, he was still glowing and measuring time by our date.

He climbed into bed, gave me a hug, and said, “It’s the day after our date, Mommy.”

I asked him then and there if he’d go out with me again.

Do you have special date nights or times with each of your children?

Earlier this year I shared my thoughts on Elijah’s first day of school in the post, Embracing the Moments of “Mommy Sadness.”

Elijah and the Clean Water

October 2, 2015

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Life in Lape Haven: Write 31 Days - Out of the Mouth of Babes - Elijah and the Clean Water. Responding to needs with prayer and action.

One day last summer, then-4-year-old Elijah was being especially whiney and demanding, complaining about things that he “needed,” such as new toys. Being a stubborn child, he can be rather argumentative when he thinks he’s right (I can’t imagine where he gets that!), so I decided the best way to deal with it was to show him what real “need” was about.

A quick search through YouTube brought me to a video from World Vision that focused on a young woman in rural Africa and her daily trek to get clean water for her family to drink.

After watching the video with him, we talked about how we are very rich compared to so many people in the world, and while he was busy complaining about getting more “stuff,” some children just want the very basic necessities to survive, like food and water. He initially suggested that they just go to the store and get some, but then I reminded him of how poor they were and how that isn’t an option for them as it is for us.

Elijah has always been a generous boy. He loves giving people gifts he’s made – cards, crafts, etc. – for no reason at all. His kindergarten teacher has received something from him nearly every day this year, even though I’ve told him that he doesn’t need to take her “gifts” all the time. And this past weekend, he HAD to give a picture he’d drawn of LEGOs to the guy who worked at the LEGO store.

Seeing how thankful others were for a simple drink of clean water definitely touched that giving heart of his. That night when we prayed, he asked God to “give all the people of the world good water.”

But he’s taken it even farther. The day we watched the video, he told me, “I will try to save money so I can give it to them, so everyone can come to Ohio and have clean water.” He even talked about saving money so that he could travel to them and take them money and water.

Then last fall when he heard that both of his grandpas would be going on mission trips (One to Belize, and one to Grenada), he raided his piggy banks. He told me that he wanted to send his money to help the people get water. Even when I explained that clean water might not be an issue for those countries, or at least in the areas where his grandpas were going, he still wanted to send money to help in some way. So, we divided his change into a couple of sandwich bags and marked them with his grandpas’ names.

Photo courtesy Grandpa Lape

I was so proud of my little boy and his big heart. But I don’t think anyone was more proud or excited than Elijah when he was able to give his money to his grandpas, knowing it would go to those in need.

His exuberance in giving was convicting. He was the epitome of the cheerful giver of 2 Corinthians 9: 6 & 7, and a sweet echo of the widow who gave her two mites (Mark 12 & Luke 21).

I love that when he saw a need, he responded, not just with prayer but with action, too. He knew, trusting with a child’s faith, that praying meant God would help, but he also decided that HE would help however he could. I am praying that this is a lifelong pattern for him.

Of course, being a child, he still has his moments of “give me” and “I want.” (Then again, so do we as adults.) However, to this day, he continues to pray every so often about the “people who don’t have water.” This lets me know that seeds of the Great Commission are firmly rooted in his heart. He has the beginnings of an awareness of what true need is, and he has grabbed on to the joy of giving to help reach those needs.

Recognizing another’s need and caring enough and being willing to give and sacrifice to do something about it – that’s God’s heart. And it’s encouraging and inspiring to see it being mirrored in my child’s.