We've had a good few weeks. Graham had a week off from work so we enjoyed some time with family near Ottawa and we spent a night in Cobourg on the way home to give Isaac some time at the beach. It was always exciting to go to a hotel when I was little. In addition to a pool and a complimentary breakfast, one of the most exciting parts when I was a child was the cable television. We might see Little House on the Prairie or the Waltons on TV. We don't have a television at our home but Isaac has seen DVDs. I thought it would be fun for him to watch some TV at the hotel so we asked him in the morning if he'd like to watch cartoons. He answered, "What are cartoons?"
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One morning when we were at the breakfast table, we were comparing our feet for some reason:
Mommy: "Kohen, one day your feet will be bigger than Mommy's and so will your brother's."
Isaac: "Because I'm going to be a daddy."
Mommy: "We pray that you'll be a daddy but what do you need before you can be a daddy? A wonderful, godly ..."
Isaac: "Wife."
Mommy: "Yes, we'll pray for that."
Isaac: "Just like you."
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While driving on the way to the park I hear the following from Isaac in the backseat:
"I know why it's called a dandelion. It's dandy and the petals are its mane."
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I asked Isaac what he liked best about going on the bus with daddy to his work. He answered, "All the time I spent with Daddy."
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Isaac was getting in trouble for banging on his bedroom wall with his feet so he was told he couldn't put his feet on the wall. He put his feet under the sheet and then proceeded to touch the wall with the sheet.
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Isaac often makes up words and definitions. For example, "manbon - a cottage that can drive on the road." I wish I'd written down all his words. I could make him his own dictionary.
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Isaac was swinging at the park with Graham and he said, "I love the world."
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Graham and Isaac were reading a book in which there was a body of water. Graham said, "Isaac, maybe that's a pool or a lake." Isaac replied, "Daddy, I think it's a lake because it has fish." :)
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Isaac enjoyed attending Vacation Bible School this week for the first time. I'm hoping that this was good preparation for leaving him at school in a couple of weeks.
Kohen is now over five months old. I recently introduced him to the exersaucer and we're both happy he has a new place to go. He loves attention and has been giving away lots of smiles to strangers. He loves being upside down or up in the air riding on my legs. On Thursday he started pulling himself forward with his arms for the first time. He will be very happy to have more mobility.
Kohen has also started eating a little rice cereal. He's doing quite well at the eating, though I'm trying to figure out if he's reacting a little to the cereal for some reason. By "quite well," I mean that he gets food all over his face but some goes into his mouth and he hasn't gagged at all. I don't imagine rice cereal will be his favourite food but it's all the doctor said to give him until he's six months old.
For our anniversary last year Graham and I made mugs at a pottery place. I put "E & G" on the bottom of my mug but after Josiah passed away I'd always wished that I'd added "I & J". I also put a heart on the inside bottom of my mug. I was looking at the mug this week and saw a perfect "J" made by half of the heart (upside down). The straight part on the other half of the heart will be the "I". That was a nice gift.
They say in the grief workshops that going over the "what ifs" is an important part of grieving. It's just over two years since Josiah's first open-heart surgery. I was reading the August 2012 posts and remembering. This resulted in a lot of "If only ..." and "What would have happened if ...?" and "We should have ..."
It is great to be able to read the blog posts. I see the importance of memorials like the one the Israelites built after they crossed the Jordan. Perhaps it is easier to trust in God's power, control, and sovereignty when one is going through the tough times. At these times it is clear that God is our help and our strength and our only hope. It may be harder later - when the desired ending doesn't arrive and time goes by - to remember all that God did. When I read the old blog posts I can see many opportunities when I would have liked God to step in and change something, but I can also see how He was always there with us and helped us in countless ways. May the blog posts be a memorial of God's goodness to our family. God blessed us with Josiah. I will always wish he wasn't a distant memory - until we meet again.
Isaac, Kohen and I went to Isaac's school today to have a picnic at lunch. Tonight at dinner Isaac asked if we could go back to his school. I'm happy that he's getting used to the idea (sort of). I'm going to miss that dear boy.
Thanks for your prayers!
Blessings,
Elizabeth
1 John 5:12
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
