We are not taking the stroller

Today, as usual, Aidan asked where we were going after I took my shower. I told him we were going to the mall. He sat for just a minute with a smile on his face. He then said "we aren't taking the stroller." I asked him what we were going to do with Luke? Without hesitation, he said, "you'll put him in the carrier." Patting his chest. "And I will walk and we will all go on the escalator!" Brilliant! The way he presented this grand idea, you would have thought he had been working out the plan for days. Maybe he has. Actually it has probably been 7 months. That's how long it's been since we've been to the mall without the stroller. Every time we go, which isn't even that often, Aidan asks to ride the escalator. My answer is always, no because we have the stroller. The saddest part was that we went out to the car...got all strapped in the car seats...and nothing. The car was beyond dead. My door had been slightly cracked...must have been enough to leave a light on. Talk about a sad boy! They were real tears of sadness. Not even a real tantrum. He just sobbed there in his car seat. I must say he handled it all very well considering the excitement he had about finally riding the escalator after all these months. He pulled himself together and got out of the car. He rode his bike outside for a while. Without any pouting. I was a bit sad, too. It is such a fun part of my job, seeing my 3 year old get totally excited about stuff I don't think twice about.

I thought about the scene. That is me sometimes. Just really sad when my plans don't work out. When God says, No, not today. Sometimes I throw a fit and melt down, but sometimes it is just plain sadness because I thought it was such a great idea. I wondered if God gets that little pain when we cry over our sadness. But I realized that God sees the bigger picture..what's better because of the No. All I had to offer Aidan was riding his bike in the driveway instead of riding the escalator. I'm sure we will make it to the mall soon. Aidan doesn't give up on an idea very easily.

First Game

It has begun! Soccer is just the beginning I am sure. Aidan is a total sports nut. He started soccer last saturday and is loving it. Everyone we meet hears that he is having his first soccer game. I'm not sure how many games will go by before he stops this or stops referring to them as his first soccer game. Everyone is quite gracious and listens to him tell about it. His biggest concern at first, after the game, was that he fell. They are all 3 or 4 years old...there was lots of falling! He later realized he didn't make a goal and was also upset about that. It was actually a fun game to watch. For the most part everyone paid attention and tried to run after the ball. At the beginning, though, there were two boys, both named Aidan, who liked just to run and follow the lines on the field. After about 4 minutes into the game, they caught on and ran with the ball. I'm not sure he understood what the goalie was to do and before his game had said he wanted to be goalie. When the game started, the coach asked Aidan if he wanted to be goalie and he said an emphatic NO! We'll see. I'm sure there will be more stories to share.