Friday, January 30, 2009

Noah's Mom Date

I need to confess, I am no where near a perfect mother. And by that, I mean that I am guilty of some pretty serious sin against my kids, but Noah in particular, and against God. I do not give him the grace and forgiveness that God has shown to me over and over again. I place on him unachievable expectations and respond with harsh words, angry tones and frustration when he does not accomplish what I expect. Thankfully, I realize that I can not love, even my own children, in the perfect way I should, by my own strength. I need help loving them, everyday.

Colosian 3: 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Even in just asking God for help in my weakness, he is faithfully at my side, strengthening me to love my children.

And then recently, almost out of the blue, I am finding that I enjoy my time with Noah more.

He smiles more.
He is delighted in my investment of little moments with him.
He is comforted by my encouragement and praise.

I find joy, more often than frustration.
He has become my gift, as well as my child.
My children and the Lord have taught me.

Leading up to this transformation, in November, we had spent a day at OMSI(Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) and on the way out, Noah took notice the giant posters advertising the IMAX movies playing at the time.

He said that he would really like to see MUMMIES, I think in part because he had recently heard Mummies in the Morning from the Magic Tree House series. I suggested that we take some time to study about Ancient Egypt before going and that it could be a special Mom Date when we went, just me and him. This was a very exciting proposition for Noah.

He patiently waited as we learned about Egypt and Mummies and practiced writing sarcophagus. He even had to patiently wait until after the big 2 week snow storm, and then until after Christmas, and after the relatives had gone home, and then to find a sitter during the day, which ended up being Dad who was off for MLK Day.

We got out for a late lunch at Noah's favorite place: Taco Bell, for his favorite food: quesedillas. He accompanied me to Winco for my fastest trip in and out of the grocery store ever(because I am never able to move that quickly with everyone in tow). I know that might seem like a strange thing to do on a date, but it was fun for us to do together, just he and I. That never happens.



Popcorn, Root Beer for Noah and a Latte for Mom.


The long hike up to the top of the IMAX theater (because Mom is prone to motion sickness). Now, I can hear someone saying "Dates should be fun, not educational!" If I may respond?
One of my greatest desires in the homeschooling of our children is to create a love for learning. So yea it's educational AND fun! hmph!

We saw a great dramatization of the greatest tomb discovery in history.
We saw the mummy of the Pharaoh, Ramses the Great. As the documentary pointed out, he is probably the only Biblical figure that we can know for certain what he looked like. There is also studies being conducted using DNA on the bones of the Ancient Egyptian mummies, that had not been done before. The hope is that this research might someday lead to advancement in the treatment and possible cure of diseases such as malaria. Wow!

Noah was impressed with the oversize screen and is now something of an expert on Mummies. I was impressed with God's work in my heart and am becoming an expert on Noah.

7 comments:

  1. Your blog looks cute:) I usually read blogs in my reader but try to read them on the site at least once every few times. Of course I see it if I want to leave a comment too.

    Because of the leadership qualities they tend to have, firstborns seem to often be a challenge to their mothers and their biggest gift-- at the same time!

    And we are with you, we love doing activities where we learn and have fun at the same time. It makes homeschooling much more fun, enjoyable and easier if we keep in mind that learning IS fun. And if we direct alot of our learning this way, our kids are more likely to pursue learning on their own.

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  2. Oh Sarah, I totally understand. Connor gets the brunt of my frustration and impatience too, and I have been working hard at showing more grace and patience.

    I just went on a special date with Connor last night too. It is such a blast to just get to know your kids individually, isn't it? Even though we didn't do anything that different, I think it helps to just be intentional and give all the attention to one kid.

    You are a great mom, I totally look up to you. Thanks for sharing this blog!

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  3. I'm blessed at your words. You inspire me to remember them :) Keep it up! It's such a blessing to you and your kids that you remember to be human in front of your kids. Hmmm that was supposed to sound encouraging not demanding lol >< I'm messing this up! hahaha okay just know that it's amazing what you did and I pray God gives you the strength to keep it up! You're changing lives!

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  4. You and your family are oh so sweet. Thank you for being so real and for your words of wisdom. This post really touched me today...
    I am planning on coming to mom's group soon! Looking forward to seeing everyone!
    ~Chelsea

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  5. Hi Sarah...I can totally relate too. God is so good though and He will give us all we need and more when we ask. :) It sounds and looks like you and Noah had so much fun. Your school blog looks awesome too. I so miss you and your family! I miss your yummy sandwiches you make too...with horseradish on it :) Love ya and proud to be your sister in Christ!

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  6. I totally relate to this blog entry.. I am having a tough time with Maddy right now. Being stuck in the middle, as I finally able to see it SUCKS! I need to spend more time with her and just more time being nicer to her. Seems like The more I nag...the more defiant she gets! God give me the patients!

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  7. BTW - Christian, he is the easiest, sweetest, loving boy ever! Everyone says what a good job I did with him, but I feel like i just got super lucky :)

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