The Adventures of a 4-Year-Old and my Microwave.

What is this, you ask?

This, friends, was the result of some creative exploration.

My friend lovely friend Rosina  and her husband came out to Long Beach today for a sonogram for their third bun in the oven. Since the appointment was near my neck of the woods, she asked if I could hang out with her two kids for a little while. Personally, I think they're some of the cutest kiddos i've ever laid eyes on, so I was more than happy to watch them for a bit. We watched Toy Story 3, they helped me grind and brew some coffee, they colored, and I loved listening to all of their little anecdotes. The highlight, by far, happened while I was drawing with Abby. I heard the microwave go off, and I asked Caleb if his pretend food was done cooking. He looked at me and said, "No, iss my cawh." I don't know if he was in the mood for some hot wheels action, but the terrified look that came across his face when the beeps came was priceless. Bye bye, car. It was melty mayhem. I tried so hard not to die laughing in front of the two kiddos, but man did I have a good laugh with Rosina and Benny when they came to pick them up. Now Caleb knows that a microwave is only for edibles--not for his favorite cars.

Just for fun, I decided to take some pictures of them while they were playing and entertaining each other. Aren't they too cute for words? 

 [ The kiddos helped me make coffee :)They wanted some proof, so they could show off to their mama ]

I know, you're probably ooo-ing and aahhh-ing about how ridiculously good looking these two lil ones are. I had so much fun, and I think it would be safe to say that they did too :). I can only imagine what kind of memories are going to be made once baby #3 comes around.
Rosina and Benny, you are great parents with some equally fantastic children. 

Word to [His] Mother!

After writing a reflection for about a half an hour, a quick slip of the finger caused me to lose my whole post as I was typing out the last line. Go figure. I found myself frustrated for a split second until I realized that I could express the heart of what I was saying without taking you on all the semi-relevant tangents my mind went on.

I'm been wowed a lot by how creative and how funny God is lately. I mean, it may seem strange that God would be funny,  but why? If we're made in His likeness, we obviously can't be the only ones with a sense of humor.

This morning, I found myself thoroughly entertained, wowed and amused by the account of Mary visiting Elizabeth in Luke 1: "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." Elizabeth shares with Mary: "When the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy." Baby John leaped for joy when Baby Jesus was in the house (I had to...).  C'mon, doesn't it make you want to chuckle because there aren't words to express how awesome that visual is?! Apart from John's joy, it's pretty awesome just trying to imagine how much joy was going on in that room.

This passage strikes a number of chords, but the most prominent finds its source in verse 11 of Psalm 16. "In Your presence is the fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever." This particular verse has been a constant theme that's been woven into the tapestry of my life for the last couple of months, and i'm thankful that I'm continuing to see how many layers of that there are--if you're curious, the answer i've settled on is that there are infinite levels :D.

Even as a wee babe in the womb of His mother, Jesus already brought about great joy. His presence demands joy would not be an appropriate adage because it would allude to some level of force. Though, we can rest in the fact that His presence evokes joy; It is joy. 

Thank you, Lord--for wanting us to experience greater measures of joy...for eagerly inviting us into your presence.