Friday, June 22, 2007

Thunderstorms

Last night reminded me why I love being a parent.

R had had a very exciting day: he and A went on a field trip with R's school to the Aquarium and had a great time, especially seeing the penguins and getting to ride on a school bus. Later, they followed a bunch of fire trucks to a house that had been hit by lightning in our neighborhood. They went to the library to check out some new books, and then they went to watch the commuter trains go by before coming to pick me up at the T station. (It was a stellar day for vehicles!) All of this excitement meant that R missed his nap.

When I got home, R was nutty and silly. He climbed all over me, and pinned me down to the floor so he could make raspberries on my cheeks. With a very concerned look on his face, he kept asking me if I was feeling better (I've been battling some kind of stomach thing this week). We had dinner, bathtime, and then headed upstairs for stories and bedtime.

I read him two stories, and he was about to nod off on my lap. But then we heard thunder and saw a few big flashes. So I took him downstairs to my office. We opened the blinds all the way, turned off the light, shut the door, and sat on the floor to watch the "show." The first lightning we saw was a huge, jagged fork. R was thrilled (and I was, too)! A came in to join us, and the three of us snuggled on the floor, listening to the pouring rain and thunderclaps, and watching the lightning through both windows. R was stretched out on my lap with his head resting on my chest.

When things calmed down a little bit, I took him back upstairs, opened his bedroom shade, and we laid down on his bed to watch the rest of the storm and go to sleep.

It was amazing. Just being together, all snuggled up, and being thrilled at the wonder of God's world. I love that R isn't afraid of thunderstorms and gets as excited as we do by them. And, I thank God for moments like that of inexpressible joy.

P.S. I am totally on board with the no-nap thing now. R fell asleep by 9:30, slept through until 5:30, fell back asleep when I came in to soothe him, and then I had to WAKE HIM UP at 8:15 so he wouldn't be too late for school. I was actually able to take a shower and do my devotions without interruption! Unbelievable! So, thank you, Lord, for that as well!

3 comments:

LEstes65 said...

OH MY GOODNESS I love that picture! That sounds like the absolute BEST way to spend a storm.

NoVA Dad said...

Such a wonderful family moment; that's going to be one of those times that each of you will treasure for many years to come.

Great picture, too!

Wanda said...

How precious. I have missed reading your post while I was gone.
Good to be back! Darling Picture!!