Tonight we have family fun night planned. Hubby is bringing home pizza, and the boys are looking forward to several rounds of Wii bowling and baseball. Caught up in the excitement of our night, my oldest son decided to make a cake to surprise his dad.  At first, he was going to surprise both of us, but he decided that he might need my help in the process. He was so excited, he kept thanking me for helping him, and going on and on about his "first" cake.

The three littles and I were watching as he globbed pink icing onto the two yummy layers. It was going to be a beautiful cake. But I guess God had something more important planned for our evening than cake. Because a few seconds after the last glob of icing was plopped onto the cake, the entire cake tumbled off the table and onto the floor.

Like so many times, I could have yelled about the mess or the foolishness, but the Lord opened my eyes. When I looked at my son, I saw how devastated he was that the surprise he had worked so hard on had been ruined. He let me hold him while he cried and I was so thankful that the Lord had prepared such an intimate moment for the two of us. Its not everyday that a nine year old boy will let his mama hold him.

The ethereal moment passed quickly as his three callous brothers decended on the carcass of his cake like ravenous vultures feeding on his misery.  They looked up at us with pink-stained lips and said "good cake".