Noah and the Flood and Don't Forget the Animals

I have always hoped that Noah would follow the pattern of Noah and the Ark verses the wicked King Noah, but I am not sure I knew what that would mean. Noah loves to take showers in the mornings prior to attending school, (although if he had his choice, he would still prefer to stay in bed.) Some days he will just stand up and lean against the glass and let the warm water flow over his "I'm just not ready to get up" body. I usually wash his hair and he insists on 2 or 3 washcloths to protect his eyes from the "tear free" soap. He'll toss one down and grab another. Then it is his job to finish up--neck to toe. I then leave to go get ready myself and pack his lunch.

Before leaving the bathroom, the washcloths had covered the drain and Noah thought standing in a puddle was rather fun. I pulled the washcloths to the side so the water could drain and then explained to him why he needed to be careful.

While brushing my teeth downstairs the thought came--"Go check on Noah." The thought may have even come again, but I knew Rick was in bed and if Noah needed anything, he could and would ask his father. So, I brushed it off. It wan't long before I heard a noise... a rush of some sort and I could not figure out what it was. I stepped out into the kitchen and water was pouring out of the light fixture. Immediately, I yelled "Noah!' but what was yelling going to do? The flood was here and I did not take steps to prevent it. Sure enough, by the time I got to the top of the stairs, there was innocent Noah sitting in his puddle of water.

What I learned from Noah: You can't leave him with cookies in his hand and not expect him to eat them, you need to take them away--remove them--be firm. I should have taken his wash cloths.

What I learned from Rick: It is not a good idea to soak up water on the carpet with a navy blue towel and a few other things.:)

So, we were out looking at homes and Rick decided to call one of his friends that happened to live in the area. Rick and Noah (dressed as a Pirate???) stopped at his door. The gentleman was more than happy to walk us through his home, no his lodge, no his mansion, no maybe his museum. I could not fully appreciate the mass of his home until he stood at his own majestic door. He looked the part of the needle in the haystack and believe me when I say, he is fit. He does everything extreme--helicopter skiing, big game hunting in Alaska...so it was unusual for me to picture him so small.

We stepped into the family room and I felt as if I had lost 20 pounds in comparison. There upon the whatever foot walls were mounted animals of the wild. I wish I had taken the time to count the variety of heads and asked the names of each. I could recognize a few deer, antelope, buffalo, rams, cougars...mind you, these are animals that he has killed and not just trophies he had purchased at Cabellas.

Then he took us to the lower level--Noah was in stuffed animal heaven. There before our eyes stood a full size Mountain Ram and full size Brown Bear. Noah wanted to pet them and climb on their backs, but I said emphatically "NO!" and not why it is not a good idea as I had done earlier with the flood. Noah does have a love for animals of all sorts and now we know where to gather the animals for the next flood, but what about the Ark? Easy, we stepped into the lower level garage and there was a nice sized boat to enjoy while on their elegant houseboat in Powell. We are covered:) The home was ornate and decorated in grand scale. Noah kept asking me if certain things were real gold. I think he was on a treasure hunt and I hope we did not leave with anything belonging to Rick's friend.

What I learned from Noah: Dress like a Pirate, have an adventure and discover a treasure like a pirate and if there is a flood--we have a Noah, some animals, and Jeff's houseboat in Powell.

Yard Sale

I have been going through our closets and toys for items to sell. Rick's unemployment and the recession has taken it's toll. "Kid 2 Kid" will take items that are in good condition and buy them from you. I started rounding up the items. Some were hard to part with like Noah's high chair, but rediculous to hold on to--when would I ever use that again? Noah could see what was going on and I'm not so sure he was happy that I was going to sell some of his toys and clothes. He can barely get his big toe in his Cowboy Boots and he swears that they still fit him and he will wear them tomorrow.

I then went over to "Kid 2 Kid." They were looking over the items when my phone rang. "Mom, how do you spell yard sale? I want to have a yard sale today?" "Hunny, I'm busy at the cash register, I'll be home in a moment to help you then."That answer was not satisfactory enough. He continued his pleadings and I was left with no choice, I had to hang up.

By the time I arrived home, Noah had gathered a box full of stuff. I guess he didn't have such a hard time parting with toys when money was involved. Each item had a homemade price tag carefully placed on it. There was a wood plaque with the words "Yard Sale" in large black letters. I was really impressed with his ingenuity. If only Rick or myself were as ambitious as he was, we might not be in this delimma.

I convinced him that a yard sale needed time, planning, advertising and so forth and that weekends are better. I knew he would be disheartened if he didn't have customers and he was selling things like his "Happy Meal" toys. The next weekend it happened to rain, so we have been able to bypass the yard sale for the time being.  One day, maybe one day...

What I learned from Noah: He is an entrepreneur in the making.

Treasures

Have you ever looked in a child's treasure chest? Noah has one and he is constantly sneaking off items to put in his treasure chest. Many interesting things have transpired in effort to help us through this economically difficult time. Rick put his cars up for sale and we have decided to rent out the basement. Someone did purchase the Land Rover and Rick was grateful he did not have to see it drive away. I think he treasured that vehicle. To me,  cars are still just machines that get you from Point A to Point B. To Rick it was an accomplishment and he kept it spotless.

We also have someone to live in our basement apartment. I needed to bring up a few things and also organize to accommodate our guest. While organizing the play room, I came across Noah's Treasure Chest. I took a peek inside, curious as to know what my Noah's great big heart values. All I could think was "Oh to see things through the eyes of a child."I don't think there was anything in there that was more than a few dollars at most. There were also a few "ah ha" and "so that is where that went" moments. Basically what it came down to is he is just plain grateful. No matter the price, be it a rubber toy from the dentist or his jeep from Santa Claus--it is the greatest and he is sure to express his appreciation enthusiastically.

It caused me to wonder--What do I cherish? What would I put in my treasure chest? Do I have an appreciation for the little things as well as the great things? Do I view all things in their own right as a treasure or do I take things forgranted. I remember when Noah was 18 months old, he would point out everything. He was discovering this bright and beautiful world. Noah pointed out things that had become mundane to me and yet when I stopped to look, I was in awe. Since that time, I have tried to slow down and live in the moment. In this face paced world, that is not always easy. Everyone seems to want me to keep up with them and I just want to smell the roses.

The other night, my wonderful parents were in town. They make such a big deal out of my small successes. I cherish that. I watch them with my Noah and that is a treasure among treasures. If you could see the eyes of Noah when he finds out his grandma and grandpa are coming, then you would understand the treasures that they are. How fun to be able to celebrate Grandpa's birthday. Grandma took us to dinner and that was treasure.

I know there is a list of things that have yet to be accomplished, but I hope I will also take the time to recognize and store the treasures and then go through my treasures every so often.

Somewhere in the scriptures it says the Lord gave the beauties of the earth to gladden the heart and to please the eye. Wow! He did that for me. Next time I see a brilliant sunset, a glorious flower in bloom, the peaceful waters, have mom and dad come for a few hours and see the expressions of Noah's face, I will thank the Lord for giving me one more treasure.

Thank you for the beauties of the earth and sky...moments to treasure.

What I learned from Noah:  He is my treasure!

What I learned from Noah:  Treasures don't have to be costly, infact, the real treasures aren't and that everyone should have a treasure box. Having a treasure box is a reminder to be grateful and to remember--"I am so blessed...just look at my treasures."