Shoeboxes

This is the time of year when our church participates in the wonderful program of Operation Christmas Child.  It's always interesting to see the response of my boys when I remind them of why we do this and how blessed we are to have so much.  One of my strongest hopes and prayers for my children is that they would understand true and humble kindness.....(just ask my hubby).  I pray that they would have kind hearts and show love the way Jesus did.  That they would have a desire to show kindness to people from every walk of life, every social class.  oops I'm just a step away from my soapbox. :)  ok, i'm back on track......we picked up our empty shoe boxes at church on Sunday and I told them to be thinking about what they want to put in their boxes.....that we would make a trip to the store this week to fill them up.  Oh Jack....my always thinking, always practical, the world is black and white child.  He came to me yesterday and told me he had decided what he wants to put in his shoe box.  Matches...."Because they probably do not have heat and this way they can start a fire to stay warm."  A saw....."so if they don't have a house they can cut down trees to build a new one."  A tape measure....."so they can measure the wood for the new house they are building".  A hose nozzle..."so they have something to water their garden."  Gummy vitamins..."because they taste good and they keep you healthy."  An inhaler..."in case they have asthma like me."  And a baseball..."because I think most boys like to play baseball."  And that is a perfectly clear picture of my firstborn in a nutshell....or should I say, a shoe box.  love that boy!

Field trip fun with Chase and his friends....complete with rain, gale force winds, and lots of mud!  Fun!!

one of his best buddies

when the combine shows up to cut beans across the road you must disembark your bicycle immediately and crouch low to the ground....because it is just that exciting!  He proceeded to get his lawn chair and set up camp in that same spot so he wouldn't miss a moment of harvest time.

Oh Luke....you will survive toddlerhood.  I promise :)