I asked for this?

My boys

When I was pregnant, both with my first son, Jimmy and with my second, Noah, I prayed every night for God to give me a boy.  Of course when people asked “Do you want a boy or a girl?” I gave the standard answer: “As long as it’s healthy, it doesn’t matter.”  But it did matter.  Secretly, I wished for a boy. 

I never have liked dolls, or playing house, so I cringed at the thought of having a little girl and attending a tea party.  I’d much rather dig for worms and go fishing.  Imagine my joy when God gave me a boy – both times.  I was so thrilled!  I immediately set about planning the many fun, (outdoor!), adventures we’d have. 

Noah was such a pretty little boy, for the longest time, everyone thought he was a girl.  I rarely dressed him in anything but blue for the first two years of his life to make it clear that yes, he’s a boy.  But on his first Easter, shortly after his first birthday, I couldn’t resist dressing him and Jimmy up in white suits.  They looked so lovely. 

I took a few pictures and then went to warm the car up before leaving for church.  My husband, Jim, was getting dressed in the bedroom right next to them, so I thought nothing of leaving the boys in the living room, since I would only be away for a couple of minutes. 

I was gone for no more than five minutes. 

What do you think?

When I returned, to my horror, I found Noah sitting in the middle of a huge potted plant, holding our very hairy cat down on his lap, pouring pancake syrup all over himself and the cat, and, naturally, the wood floor beneath the plant.

There was syrup, potting soil, and cat hair everywhere! 

With only fifteen minutes before church started, there was no way I’d be able to clean him up, (never mind Niles, the cat), in time to make it to services.  Indeed, it took about an hour to bathe Noah, and then another two hours, (and many scratches), to get Niles looking halfway normal again.  Add about a week to remove the syrup from the grooves in the wood floor.  Needless to say, Noah missed his first Easter Sunday service.

I’m sure that wasn’t the first time I wished God would’ve given me girls, but after nearly thirteen years of many such moments, I can’t imagine life would be that much different with girls. I would’ve only had to endure changing pretend poopy diapers on baby dolls, and I would’ve missed seeing the joy on my boys’ faces when they caught their first fish.

I am so grateful for my boys, syrup, cat hair, and all!

~~~~~~~~~~

These carrots are one of Jimmy and Noah’s favorites.  They’re great for Easter dinner, though they can be made any time, and it’s a good way to sneak veggies into your children if they have a sweet tooth. The best part about it is that you can make these two ways, depending on whether you have a couple of hours or just a few minutes!

Deanna’s Candy Carrots

Slow cooking version:

• 1 small bag baby carrots, rinsed
• 1 Tbs. each: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves
• ¼ cup Karo syrup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ¼ cup water

Combine all in heavy saucepan and cook on medium-low heat for ½ hour.  Turn heat down to simmer and cook for 1 hour, or until carrots are tender-crisp.

Quick cooking version:

• 2 cans Del Monte sliced carrots, (don’t drain)
• 1 Tbs. each: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves
• ¼ cup Karo syrup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all in heavy saucepan and cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes.  Can be simmered up to an hour for more flavor infusion.