Here is a picture of Aaron at Camp Tejas Christian Camp.

He is the skinny kid in the back – the only kid standing up.

My guess is that he is grossed out and wondering why in the world he is supposed to be rolling around in the mud.  

I have to confess that when I look at this picture I can't help wondering why this is considered fun. I wonder who decided that boys like mud? I don't really know many that do. My boys like to be clean.

"Like why?"

The girls at camp got a better deal. They got to play in a pool full of bubbles.

I was watching Band of Brothers with Mark again recently. This picture reminds me of that...sigh.

Aaron is ten today. Where have the years gone?

How we love him. Thank you Lord for these precious years may we never take them for granted.

Bless him, Lord, and grow him up into you...

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,…we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. –Colossians 1:3, 9-12 

Why is it that the minute I sit down at the computer I have five kids vying for my attention?

Bethany - asking me crazy questions pertaining to Aaron’s birthday.  “What day is it? When will Nana and Granddad and Aunt Kel be here?  How will we have cake if we are going to the movie (Prince Caspian) tomorrow? (We are going to have cake tonight.) How will we go to dinner tomorrow if the movie is late? Will you hold Bess and Ben? (No, I’m going to stay home and you guys are going to go.)  When will Dad be home?  Is he on his way?  Can I have a brownie?" Etc., etc., etc., etc., over and over again.

Caleb - asking to read to me and then reading from Phonics Pathways as though it is a fun and exciting book to read from and not a phonics primer and now reading from the Animal Antics phonics readers. Asking, “Why is the Hot Dog still hot if he is in the water?”  (I don’t know because I wasn’t listening. I sure hope he was reading the words right.)

Bess - asking for everything under the sun, pulling the labels off the salt and pepper shakers, coloring all over my prayer notes, and wanting to sit on my lap.

Ben – asking for…well, not really, more like crying for…me (that’s my cue, gotta go, free time is over - sigh).        

And,

Aaron – Okay, so Aaron is the only one who isn’t here.

My poor brain is so tired I can barely focus let alone write anything…so trying to divide my attention between all these little ones and type…well, it’s just too much for me.  I give up. (This is happening every time I sit down.)

Sigh.

Now, Caleb is making some kind of strange noise…mmaammmammmammman…to get my attention and Beth and Bess are racing around the room. I think my brain is now going to explode.

Children are a blessing from the Lord.   

The manager (or the man I assume was the manager) came over to our table and haltingly told us that a man had been watching our family and had noticed how well behaved our children were and that because of their good behavior he had decided to pay our tab of over $40!

To say we were shocked and surprised would have been an understatement.

And what a lesson for me! Because in my eyes the children hadn't been behaving all that well; Caleb kept putting his feet in his chair and turning around and Bess kept playing with the straw in her cup. To me they were not being very “good” at all. Not “bad” but still requiring way too much of my attention. I was only seeing the "bad" while he was seeing the "good".

This man blessed and encouraged us in ways I can't even explain and he humbled us by his simple, yet profound gift and he reminded us of the need for us to be bestowers of such gifts upon others.

Maybe I should have entitled this angels among us.