16 January 2007

Moments at the Mall

The kids and I ventured to the mall today.  Lukas needed pants...again, and I figured it would do them some good to play on the mall playground for a while.  Before heading to the mall playground, I stopped by an ATM so that I could have some cash to get a bottle of water.  While at the ATM, Lukas climbed onto a marble planter that had a nice wide ledge on it.  He stood with one hand held in the air to the side and the other hand on his chest while he sang "Figaro!  Figaro!  Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!" at the top of his lungs.  It was hilarious!  I was completely distracted and not paying attention while at the ATM, so he had quite a few on-lookers before I made him climb down.  There were half a dozen "serious" shoppers in the jewelry store watching him with pierced brows and looking completely puzzled.  I cannot tell you how funny this was.  It is not every day that you see a 5 year old boy singing opera in the middle of the mall.  Thanks to Tom and Jerry cartoons!

After our little operatic performance, we headed toward the playground only to discover that it still hadn't been put back together.  Santa took over the playground in November, and now it is simply empty.  It is usually an outer-space themed play area with all the planets and a space shuttle.  The kids didn't care though.  They ran around with a bunch of other kids for 45 minutes while I chatted with another mom.  It was a nice afternoon.  Lukas got three pair of pants all on sale, and we had a nice time.

But that's not all that happened.  I have another Lukas story.  Lukas was playing with a couple of little boys who were probably about 4.  They all wanted to wrestle, but I really didn't think that was a good idea with 20 other kids running around, all of them smaller than Lukas.  So instead, they decided to compete for the title of fastest and strongest.  Apparently, when one little boy announced that he was indeed the strongest one there, Lukas informed him that he was wrong because JESUS was the strongest one EVER (emphasis added by Lukas).  I wish I had heard that conversation, but I was busy chasing Ava.  Oh well!  I'm so glad he told me about it though.  It was a very happy, proud moment for this mommy!

It amazes me how much kids absorb and learn when we aren't even sure they are listening.  Obviously, Lukas is learning about Jesus, which is amazing to me.  I always wonder if I'm a good enough example, and I know that I'm not.  I fail daily, but he's still getting it, and that is what matters.  My prayer is that both Lukas and Ava get "it "in spite of me because I truly don't think they'll get it because of me.  I'll keep working at it, and hopefully someday, I'll get there!  I'm sure many of you feel the same way.

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