Month: April 2012

Moose and Chickadee

Of all of our children, we were most unsure of how Moose would react to having a new baby in the house. He knew that a baby was going to come live with us, but beyond on that, we didn’t really know what he understood about that, or what his feelings were.

Nothing could have prepared me, then, for the look of absolute wonder on his face when he came to visit us in the hospital the afternoon she was born. He was so gentle and caring with her, that I knew right then that a special relationship was being formed.

I wasn’t disappointed. When we got home from the hospital, he took on the role of protector. If she cries even a little bit, he is right there, worried about her. When other people are visiting her, even people we know well, he watches over her, and makes sure they don’t get too close, or hold her for too long, (if they are “permitted” to hold her at all!). He checks on her as soon as he gets home from school each day, and asks to hold her and kiss her frequently.

My favorite moment between them, however, came shortly after we got home from the hospital. Chickadee had fallen asleep, so I laid her down in her crib, and slowly made my way downstairs, (stairs are a major exercise after a c-section!). When Moose saw me, he did a double-take, realizing that I wasn’t holding Chickadee. And he immediately asked about it: “Where’s the baby?” I told him that she was in her crib upstairs. He looked completely appalled, and in a very serious voice, said, “By herself?!?”

I love that he was shocked that I would leave her alone upstairs, even in a safe place like her crib. I really love that his default assumption is that Chickadee should always be with me, or the family. And I love most of all the way he watches over her, to make sure she’s OK and loved and not lonely. He never ceases to surprise me, and his love and concern for his new baby sister are one of the best surprises I could have hoped for!

Opening Day

We didn’t make it to Busch Stadium for the Cardinals home opener today, (although not for lack of trying!), but we did enjoy our traditional Opening Day dinner of ballpark foods!

We had hot dogs of many kinds, besides the ubiquitous plain dog. Chili dogs…

Chicago-style…

Even a replica of the Busch Stadium bacon-wrapped dog!

We also had brats…I like mine with grilled onions and spicy mustard!

There were nachos, of course, with a wide variety of toppings to choose from…

Beverages included beer and root beer, depending on age and preference. For dessert, we had the ice cream cups we remembered from our childhoods, minus the tiny wooden “spoons.” We also had Super Pretzels in the freezer, and cheese sauce and mustard for dipping, but they were forgotten in favor of the nachos. I’m sure the children will take care of those tomorrow!

We might not have been at Busch Stadium today, but it sure tasted like we were there!

The Jesus Tree

Here is our completed tree, with all forty-eight symbols attached, (you can definitely tell what parts of the tree were easier for the children to reach!). I’m going to leave it up for as much of the Easter season as possible, but the tape on the backs of a lot of the symbols is starting to wear out, so if the symbols keep falling off, I’m going to have to put it away. Next year, I may get some spray adhesive–according to the instructions that came with the kit, you can lightly spray the back of the symbol before placing it to help it stick, but it’s not permanent. I am a little worried about it pulling up the fibers of the banner too much, but we’ll have to see, because tape didn’t really cut it, especially for some of the heavier symbols.

I know I’ve said it before, but this was a fantastic activity. I really liked the suggestion in the kit to read out of a standard Bible in the morning, and a children’s Bible in the evening. While I don’t think a simpler version of the story was always necessary, hearing the story multiple times, and in different ways really makes it “stick,” and is good for discussion. Same logic applies to reading the story from multiple Gospels whenever possible–it may be repetitive, but you also pick up extra details you might otherwise have missed if you stuck with only one Gospel reading. I’m going to use this pattern of morning Bible readings and evening children’s Bible readings with our Jesse Tree next Advent, as well–I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me before, but I’m glad I have the idea now!

I’m not going to lie–putting together this project was a huge commitment. Between cutting and assembling the banner and all of the symbols, and creating a reading schedule for the children’s Bible readings, I probably put between 20 and 30 hours into creating this resource–and that’s with having patterns for all of the symbols, and the Bible readings prepared for me! It was well worth it, however, because of how much we enjoyed it and learned from it, (yes, even I learned some new things as we went through the Scripture readings!), and knowing that I’ll be able to use it for years to come really puts into perspective how worthwhile the effort put into it was.

The Jesus Tree–Day Forty-Eight

And so we’ve come to the end of our Jesus Tree readings and symbols. Actually, we should have been done yesterday, but I wasn’t ready to stop, and Easter Monday seemed worthy of a reading, so I added the story of Jesus appearing to His disciples in the locked room, and then later to “Doubting Thomas,” found in John 20:19-29.

This has been a great addition to our Lenten observances. I encourage you to find something similar next year, whether it’s purchased from a kit, or made on your own. It’s a great opportunity to spend time together as a family, learning more about the life of Jesus, and what He came to do!

Quote of the Day–Easter

This was in our bulletin this morning in church, and I think it’s a great explanation of what the celebration of Easter means to Christians, and how we celebrate:

Easter begins the season of “alleluias.” They have been omitted during Lent in the contemplation of Christ’s suffering. But now death has turned to life. The “alleluias” of the congregation soar heavenward.
The stone has been rolled away. The tomb stands open wide. Christ’s resurrection makes possible the rolling away of the stone of eternal death for Easter people. But something more, the huge stone of despair, discouragement, doubt, and defeat can be rolled away from each Christian’s heart.
We adorn our sanctuary with white paraments and Easter lilies in celebration of this new life in Christ Jesus.

The Jesus Tree–Day Forty-Seven

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Today’s readings were, of course, about the Resurrection. They were found in all four Gospels: Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; and John 20:1-18. To be honest, between the Easter Vigil last night and the Sunrise and Festival services this morning, we had heard most of these selections, so for the Jesus Tree, I just cut to the chase, and read from The Story Bible. I did this partly because we had just heard these readings, and partly to make time for two additional readings I wanted to get to today–the Emmaus Road passage found in Luke 24:13-35, which takes place on Easter evening, and The Very First Easter by Paul Maier, an excellent book which tells the whole Passion story, and concludes with the Ascension.

Only one more day of the Jesus Tree left, and only because I created an extra symbol to go with a reading for Easter Monday. I can’t believe how much we’re all going to miss this part of our day, but at least we can look forward to doing it again next year!