Enjoying the Journey

One of my non-New Year's resolutions, was that I wanted to commit to taking EJ out on a date once a month. I used EJ's birthday day which is the the 7th, and then marked on my calendar every 7th of every month until July.

EJ and I have gone out on dates before. Usually, we just go somewhere for lunch and talk. Sometimes, I might then go on an errand or two with him. Other times we have gone for a walk or gotten ice cream together. The point is to have mommy and EJ time and to make sure that I focus completely on him. (This can be rather hard, since EJ is proned to talking non stop all. day. long.)

Today, we went to Panera Bread and ordered lunch. He looked a little older to me this day. Every once in awhile I have this moment where I realize that my boy maybe 4 BUT he is certainly NOT a baby anymore.

I need to get better at coming up with meaningful questions to ask him. It's better if I sort of direct the conversation, otherwise we could be talking about anything from this to "rhyming lessons." And trust me, I am about to pull my hair out if I spend one more moment going over every living thing that rhymes! Or having to explain death, dying and heaven AGAIN....

I say I have to get better at questions, because I asked him some of my standards this afternoon. "Tell me what you learned about in church the other night." Or, the one we are really emphasizing due to this circumstance, "what do you like best about the new house?" And finally, when I am feeling a bit lost for good conversation, with my 4 year old (Okay, I really did just write, good and conversation and my four year old all in one sentence, right?) I ask him the infamous, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

And today he answered like normal, with one tiny little extra!

EJ: "I want to be a Daddy!!! And a teacher, just like Daddy Jack!"

Me: "That's cool. What do you want to teach?"

EJ: "I want to teach kids about God!"

Me: "Wow, that's really neat."

But on the inside, I was doing jumping jacks, thinking "yea, that's my boy!"

On the ride home, he told me about teaching kids about God and Jesus and miracles. "Do you want to hear it, Mama? Do you know about God and Jesus and miracles, too?" Then he reminded me that before he begins his career in teaching he wants to get married and be a daddy.

And that was totally worth it all!

Posted in: on Sunday, January 07, 2007 at at 2:34 PM