Lemons

Greetings friends and family,

Spring is here and the lemon tree branches are dragging the ground because they are so full of lemons.  Lucky for us, we have a couple of lemon pickers named Easton and Layla.  Layla has her princess dress, princess gloves, and pink Crocs.  This is her garden-wear attire just for such an occasion!

Easton didn't want little gloves.  He wanted to wear the big-boy gloves like daddy.  I asked the usual question, "Why not?" and obliged his desire.  Sure, the fingers were way too long and they look huge on his little hands, but he was still able to pick lemons and complete the task at hand.  He's a hard worker, for sure.

Our house continues to be a hang-out spot for the young adults from church.  Kendra and I are having a great time getting re-introduced to what life was like back then.  Hearing their stories of no responsibilities, tons of time, and budding relationships brings back memories.  Not that I would ever want to trade my current situation for that, but it's still fun seeing life through their eyes.

Layla performed for the whole crowd and had us clapping and cheering her on.  I think the one silver shoe idea might catch on like Michael Jackson's glove!  Her favorite dance song is, "I like to move it" and she really does move with quick feet!

 For bedtime I told them I would read one book (and only one) for each of them.  They scoured house looking for the one special book for me to send them off to sleepy land.  Layla chose The Little Mermaid and Easton chose Everything Sharks.  To each their own!  I'm not here to judge, I'm here to help them find their passions in life.

The ole' verse, "bring up a child in the way he should go..." has a whole new meaning now that I understand the original intent.  The word "go" means "bent" or "slant".  That means I need to raise Easton and Layla to in the way HE and SHE are bent or slanted.  It's not my job to bend them.  My job is to help them find what that bend is and guide them how to follow their passion...  even if it's sharks.

I wrote down Easton's questions over the course of a couple of days to show you the kind of intellectual thinker he is:

What if we had oranges instead of hands?  
How do planes fly?
What would happen if the space shuttle didn't have rocket boosters?
What do tarantulas sound like?
What does love mean?
Why does hot air rise over cold air?
What causes a volcano to erupt?

That's some deep stuff for a 4-year-old to comprehend or even care to know.  His questions are causing me to really articulate these answers in a simple manner.  Not as easy as it sounds, but the challenge is accepted!

See you soon.