Acorns & Oaks

Yes, I've been out of the blogosphere for awhile...but it's not because I haven't thought about it! Excuses, excuses, I know...

I've actually found myself heading up the women's ministry team at church and we are in the final stages of launching a blog for our women's ministry - www.springsstillwaters.wordpress.com. Notice I said we are in the final stages...plan is to launch next week, but you know how plans go...check it out when you get a chance - God really stirred our hearts and gave us a vision for a place where the women of the Church can be real, not cookie-cutter. Where it is ok to be in process instead of having it all together. Where we can go beyond just being a "polite" church body into being an authentic church body.

So on to my sweet A&W moment. Yesterday, I was home from work (summer schedule has me off every Friday, woo hoo!)...had big plans to paint A's room...we are in the middle of a room re-do for her 9th birthday later this month. BUT, decided I needed a nap before I tackled that project.

The kids and I had visited the library a few weeks ago and picked up a few books that have just sat...so I picked one up and said "Let's read this one together..." So they climbed up into my bed and away we read. It's a Max Lucado children's book - "The Oak Inside the Acorn". I had never seen it before so thought we'd check it out. Little did I know it would turn out to be a very unforgettable moment...

So the book is all about this acorn who, as he grows, has to leave his momma oak tree and go out on his own and become this giant oak, and he does and he holds swings and tree houses and all this good stuff...great story. So sweet...but when we finished reading the story, I looked at my kids. W is crying, silent tears running down his face, his giant gorgeous eyes all red. I'm serious, folks. These are real, my heart hurts tears....

"W! What's wrong?", I asked.

"Momma, that story is so sad!!! It made me cry."

"What part made you cry, baby?"

"The baby acorn had to leave his momma!!! That is so scary!"

In the book, the momma oak tree tells baby acorn over and over again "There is a giant oak inside of you. Just be the tree God made you to be." So I tell W - yes, he had to leave his momma, but that's what God made him to do, to become the giant tree he was supposed to...this was not helping W's hurting heart at all...

He says "I don't want to ever leave you, momma."

"W, you will have to someday in order to become the great man of God that I know God has created you to be...but it's not today. It's not next week. You have a long time until you have to leave..."

A is listening intently to all of this, very concerned about her little brother...hugging him, loving on him. So I seize the opportunity to lighten the mood...

"Besides, A will have to leave before you do...and that means we'll have 2 whole years just us while she's out becoming the tree she is supposed to be!"

That got a smile...what he didn't know is he had totally made my heart smile.

Man, how I love that boy...the boy who will one day be a man who will have to leave me because there is a giant oak inside of him and he needs to become the tree God made him to be.

And here we go....

I've been mentally preparing myself to have "the talk" with A for several months now....ok, a year. Ever since we were driving down the road talking about winter turning to spring and what our favorite things about that are and A says "it's when the grass turns green, the flowers start coming out, and all the animals start breeding..." A is quite the little science geek and she sees things through that science-filter most of the time....

So, I've researched, talked to people, and read books. Talked to Dear Hubby to get our game plan... tried to psyche myself up, tried to figure out how much to share and how much can wait...I've prayed. Yes. I've prayed. Ok, God...don't let me sound like an idiot, ok? Don't let me scar her for life! And could you just send me a nice little sign when the time is right? That would be nice... My mom never attempted to give me "the talk" until I was 22 years old and engaged to be married. I have nothing to go by here, people. Don't make fun of my need to be overly prepared.

Then, a few weeks ago, AGAIN driving in the car to take W to taekwondo, A&W start talking about babies...and ask me to tell them again how A used to get the hiccups all the time when she was in my tummy and how W used to stick his booty out or kick me in the ribs. Good times, good times...they love hearing stories about themselves in-utero.

A's thought process got to rolling and she stops for a second and says "Mom - how DOES the baby get in there?"

Me: "Well, A...."

A interrupts: "I know God does it, Mom...I mean, HOW does he do it?" Dang...she shot me down before I even had a chance to use the God card.

Did I tell her? No...I didn't think it was appropriate in front of my 6 year old son (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)...so I used a stall tactic...she persisted for a few minutes but eventually got distracted and forgot.

Was that my moment? God, you forgot the sign to give me time to warm up! What if I pull a muscle or something? Besides, I wanted to cover some general girlie information about her reproductive system first! Lay the groundwork....you know. Dang... did I mess up?

This weekend, I got to lay some groundwork...it started out as a discussion about B.O. and deodorant...then we progressed to other changes as you get older - bras, mostly (she told me there were 3 girls in her class who wore bras - this is 3rd grade, people!) - and then a whole explanation of ovaries and fallopian tubes and uterus. We ended up talking about periods and even took a kotex pad apart to see how it works.

A never got weirded out or wide-eyed on me...she took it like a true little scientist. She asked good questions, she asked me when will it happen to her....But she never asked me what it takes for an egg to become a baby. And I didn't volunteer.

I'm holding out for summer....I don't want to deal with parents calling me because my daughter is the one who told the whole class about the birds & the bees.

Sometimes girls try WAY too hard....

It's been awhile since I posted any W-isms. Man, I don't know why because that kid gives me more material than I could ever use. He finds a way every single day to make me laugh.

Here's one from earlier this week, however, which makes me wonder whether I should think it is hilarious or whether I need to have a talk with some mommas....

I pick A&W up from school...as SOON as he gets in the car, W says:

"Momma, I think there's a girl who likes me at school...actually, I think there may be TWO girls who like me...."

Here I am, just smiling away, thinking to myself - awww...of course they do! You are handsome, awesome, and amazing!

But, ever curious as to how his little mind works, I ask:
"What makes you think that, W?"

W says "Well, Annie tells me I'm cute all day long and follows me around..."

Ok, I think - sounds pretty obvious that she likes him. "What about the other one?"

"Katie? Oh, this one is the one I'm not sure about....she plays with my hair. Does that mean she likes me, Momma?"

WHOA!!! Hold up! Playing with his hair? Ummm, that's a little forward, isn't it? What do these mommas teach them? I actually almost lost it...I had to hold in my laugh. And W kept talking.

"And at lunch today, I sat down at my table...and then Katie came and sat on one side of me and Annie sat on the other side and made a W sandwich....next year, Annie is moving to another school, so she should be off my back. Now all I have to do is get rid of Katie."

Well, guess we are going to talk about the fine art of flirting WAY earlier than I ever anticipated. W just shouldn't be so darn adorable, I guess. :)

*Note: Names were changed to protect the identity of the little harlots..oops, I mean flirt-meisters.

A little light reading...

"A" wrote these poems back in the fall...I've kept them on my desk at work because they make me smile every time I think about them...tried to scan them in but having issues...I'll come back and add later...in the meantime, I've typed them out for your reading pleasure:

to mom and dad

LEAVES

I huddle underneath you

in the fall. I sway high

above you in the spring.

I turn greener in the

summer. In the winter

I'm covered by snow.

*This one is pretty deep to me..like a commentary on her life. When she's young, she huddles under her parents, then comes a time in life when she sways high above us (bratty teenager perhaps?), then she becomes more productive (greener) and then is covered by snow in her old age. :)

to: dad

ROCK

I sit on the

ground all

day and night

with nothing to do

but watch life

pass by.

* All I could do is laugh when I read this and make fun of Dear Hubby

to: mom

GRASS

I sway in the wind and

grow tall and thin

also give homes to many

insects.

* And then I read mine...what the heck? I like the growing tall and thin part, but not sure what to make of swaying in the wind or giving home to many insects. Is she making a commentary on my housekeeping habits? :) Now I've changed my mind - no deep metaphorical meaning - they are just about rocks and grass. Period. I hope.