December 23 – “A most … educational day”

Did you know there is a new game available for play on your iPhone?  I know.  Not very alarming news, right?  But in this game, which the boys have been playing off and on ever since they have been here, and which they taught to their Dad up at the hospital yesterday, involves a radical new approach to educational gaming.  In this one, as I understand it, you create viruses which in turn cause epidemics.  Your goal, again, as I understand it, is to destroy the world.  It uses principles of epidemiology and sociology as well as evil genius strategy.  All the elements to be both educational and … frightening. 

We had lunch with Dad at the hospital yesterday.  Now this is Texas Children’s in Houston, so no bland hospital fare for us.  Oh, no.  We went to the in-hospital McDonalds.  The walk down there from the 14^th floor was quite eventful.  Noa just couldn’t believe there was a “Matt Donald’s” at the doctor office.  And it’s quite different being in a skyscraper.  Noa was gazing out one of the windows - a long way up there.  I suggested that it was a very long way down, and then I asked, “Don’t you think it’s pretty scary looking down like that?”  Without a hint of hesitation she replied, “Oh, no.  I can totally Spiderman that thing.”  Wait.  She’s how old?

The elevator rides presented yet another level of excitement.  See, Nana doesn’t particularly like enclosed spaces.  Well, Nana hates being in enclosed spaces.  And she is not all that excited about being in an enclosed space that travels up and down on a single cable.  So when the doors closed and all the boys started jumping up and down she was … less that appreciative. 

We also stopped to see the interactive train exhibit.  After all that other excitement this one was kind of anticlimactic, though.  The boys pushed all the buttons, and Chris and I located some of the more creative placements.  The ski lift.  An ice skating rink.  Spiderman.  Godzilla.  Charlie Brown.  An entire clan of Rubber Duckies.  Noa was hoping for a ride but she couldn’t get through the class wall.

When we finally made it all the way back to our house, Noa was helping unload the car.  But her load never quite made it past the front porch.  See, she deposited whatever she was carrying at the Precious Moments manger scene in our front yard.  Her shoes.  Josiah’s sleeping bag.  When asked why she wasn’t taking them into the house, she replied very simply, “Because these are gifts for the baby Jesus.”  Of course they were.  She skipped happily into the house and Chris quietly brought the gifts inside.

Ephesians 6:19 says, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel”

Father, thank you for a three-year-old’s gifts to the Baby Jesus.  Makes me wonder at mine …  Amen.