Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 

Lessons We’ve Learned From Our Kids

 8-14-09 Lessons # 13 

·      Benefit to having a 4 year old: you don't need to purchase a paper shredder. Drawback: he's self serving.

·      It's a blessing to see that the boys want to serve by washing my car. It's also a blessing when it rains that evening to re-wash what they washed.

·      Jeremy: "If God is everywhere at once, wouldn't we bump into Him any time we move?"

·      Jeremy: "Can I pour my own juice when I'm older, like 50 years old?"

·      Exaggeration happens -Nico to a friend: "Daddy says that if you shake a soda can and then open it, it will blow up the whole house!"

·      Note to self: the next time you have Jeremy and Nico help with gardening, be VERY specific as to which plants are weeds to be pulled out, and which plants should stay in the ground. P.S. buy Claudia some new flowers.

·      23 story apartment buildings are for throwing paper airplanes or water balloons off of. (OK, Daddy already knew that one).

·      Jeremy: “Worms live in dirt so that's what they eat. We live in air so that's what we eat. Wait, that's not right!"

·      Faith of a child -Jeremy: "I can't wait to die." Daddy: "Why would you say that? Don't you know how much we would miss you?" Jeremy: "Yeah, I’d miss you too but then I get to be with God!"  (See Phil 1:12-26)

 

While at Disney for Nico & Grandpa’s Birthday,  Jeremy got to take part in "Jedi Training" and is now convinced he can use the force on Mommy and Daddy: “You don’t want to discipline me”. So here’s some for you Star Wars fans:     

·      Nico: "If knights had to fight dragons today, they'd use light sabers!"

·      Nico: Ham Solo is captain of the Mañana Falcon.

·      Jeremy: "If I feed a worm a lot, would he get as big as Jabba the Hut?"

·      Nico: "If a bad guy came to our house I'd spin around and around with my light saber and he'd just run away!"

·      Jeremy: "Chewbacca needs to shave like daddy."

Jeremy confronts his arch nemesis,

Darth Vader!
 
 
3-5-09 Lessons # 12 

·  If the toilet doesn’t flush the first time try, try again until you get a really neat waterfall!  

·  Some brands of toilets are self clogging. Daddy: “What did you put down there Nico?”  Nicholas: “Nothing, it just happened!” 

·  Does Walmart sell brothers?: When Jeremy first learned to play "Hide and Seek", he didn't know that he needed to tell others that he was playing. This resulted in half the church desperately "seeking" a disappeared little boy for about 20 min one Sunday morning. From his hiding spot he thought it was great that so many people were “seeking” him!  Once we found him and nerves were quieted down, Nico asked: "Daddy, if we didn't find Jeremy, would you buy me another big brother?”  

·  Desitin (diaper rash cream) has the same basic ingredient found in that white sun block mom used to put on your nose, it's called Zinc Oxide. Talk about bumper to bumper dual purpose material! So next time your skin is getting baked at the beach, pass the diaper cream!   

·  Jeremy: If God is God, and Jesus is God too, how could He have himself as a baby? 

·  Benadryl is a gift from God through pharmacists. Nico didn’t realize he was standing on a fire ant nest until they started biting. By the time we cleaned him off he had about 8 really bad bites and began to turn red and puffy, talk with a swollen tongue and have difficulty breathing. We rushed to the pharmacy for a dose of Benadryl and he was better in ½ an hour. Praise God!  

·  Faulty memory is not only for the elderly. Mommy: “How did you get so dirty?  Jeremy: “I don’t know”  

·  Grownup rear ends can be severely damaged on slides made for little buns. (Daddy was black, blue, red and some nice shades of green for 2 weeks after one particularly painful game of playground tag.) 

·  Snails are really neat, but extremely messy if they get “pet too hard”.  

·  According to our in resident dino-hunters: “Lizards don’t become dinosaurs because they don’t live long enough to get that big”.

· When set at high speed, a ceiling fan can make a Superman action hero fly like in the cartoons if thrown just right! It can also make rolled up socks, hats, quarters and even sunglasses do the same…just not necessarily in one piece.

 
 
  Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 
 
1-16-09 Lessons # 11
 
  • Nico: "I knew that, I know everything!"  Daddy: "Really? Where did you learn everything you know?"  Nico: "I don't know."
  • Jeremy: But daddy, boys are never wrong!
  • Nico, while flying to Chile: “You can hold my hand daddy so you’re not scared when we take off”.
  • Nico: “I didn’t squish the bug, I was just making sure it didn’t get away!”
  • General Wisdom: When planning a trip with two little boys, imagine the number of clothes you think they will need, and then double it.
  • On Change: The town of Pichilemu, Chile (where Claudia and I worked when we first got married) seems a lot dustier than I remembered it now that we are here with two very curious boys.
  • Logic?: Even though different types of food shouldn't touch each other on your dinner plate, it's somehow acceptable (and edible) to mix tomato juice with your ice-cream.
  • Jeremy: “Why does God need our money just on Sundays and not the rest of the days?”
  • Nico: “I thought my pocket would make the caterpillar warm, not squishy!”
  • Jeremy: “If God wasn't born or made, and he's been alive from always, he must be really, really tired by now!”
 
 
10-22-08 Lessons # 10
 
This is a bit of deviation from our normal “Lesson Plan” but something I wanted to share with you. Every night we have “Bible Time” with the boys before prayer and bed time. We’ve been going through the life of David recently and just finished one of the all time favorites of little boys who like to throw things: David and Goliath. At the end we had our normal question and answer time when Jeremy asked “Wasn’t David afraid of a giant?” On previous nights we had read about how David was shepherd when he was only a little older than Jeremy, and had to defend the sheep from attacking animals like lions and wolves. In doing so he learned to use his sling well and saw God’s faithfulness in his obedience. It was during this time that he had been quietly anointed king even though nobody even knew who he was. The boys and I talked about how through David’s experience as a shepherd, God had prepared him for that very moment against Goliath, using an unknown shepherd boy without armor or sward to defeat a battle hardened warrior in his blasphemous tirades against God’s people. From there we follow David into King Saul’s palace only to find him shortly death marked by the king’s jealousy and pursued by the royal army. Still, God was true to his promise and in the end David became king after seeing God’s powerful hand extend mercy over his life time and time again.
 
After the family had finished talking about David’s life and the kids were in bed, I found myself reflecting on how David probably was scared before Goliath, but also knew that God had prepared him for that moment and would do the fighting for him. In the years that followed that event, David got to see how through each challenge God both used David to glorify Himself, but also prepared David for the next trial. This lead me to reflect on my own life and simply thank God that He has done the same through my own, distinct trials. He calls each of us to trust in Him when standing before something that looks really, really big, and to see how He will use these trials in ways that we could never imagine. As I ask God for faith in the face of our own trials, I pray for that same faith for each of our supporters in whatever you are facing at this time.
 
God is good, seek His face and trust in Him. He will answer!  
 
 
 
10-01-08 Lessons # 9
 

It’s School time again:

  1. Economics: In a feeble attempt to explain the concept of “cost” with regards to Disney tickets I tried relating it to something Jeremy seemed to already grasp: “Jeremy, do you remember how long it took you to save up your pennies to buy the Light Saber you got last week? Well it would take 8 light sabers to buy one ticket to Disneyworld”.  After thinking for a second Jeremy responded: “That’s OK daddy, you don’t need to buy me 8 light sabers, let’s just go to Disneyworld instead!”
  2. Logic: Daddy said that my saw is only for cutting wood. The dining room chair is made out of wood. Therefore…
  3. Oceanography: If fishies can breathe in water, what do they do when they get thirsty?  I wonder if  they could breathe in my orange juice?
  4. Memory skills: While a 4 year old may have a memory that goes back 5 years, his parents are often hard pressed to remember what they were talking about 10 seconds before they were interrupted by said 4 year old.  
  5. Bible: How can Jesus be the “Son of God” and the “Son of David” at the same time?
  6. Geography: “Can we go to grandma and grandpa’s (in CA) after nap?
  7. Physics: How can electricity “flow”, I don’t see any water in the light bulbs!

 

 

 Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 
 
 
 
7-12-08 Lessons #8
 
 
  1. “Spontaneous Self-Destruction” happens: "I didn't break it Daddy. It just fell apart while I was holding it!"
  2. Practical Biblical Application: "See my new shoes daddy? Now I can run away from temptation REALLY fast!"
  3. Deep thoughts on Super Heroes: "Her name is Wonder Woman because she wonders about a lot of things."
  4. The phrase: "Clean up time” means that children who normally run at 50,000 RPM's suddenly slow to around 27 RPMs.
  5. Adult logic can’t keep up with a Child’s imagination:   Daddy asked Jeremy: "What do you think that cloud looks like?"      Jeremy: "A Barnstorm".        Daddy: "What's a barnstorm Jeremy?"          Jeremy: "Something that looks like that cloud!"
  6. Favorite Cosby Quote: “Before we had children, my wife and I used to be intellectuals.”
  7. Using a loud, angry voice to say: "Would you stop yelling at your brother!" is counter productive.
  8. Mommy and Daddy may represent God in a young child’s understanding, but children are a particularly effective tool in God’s hand to show us the sin hiding in our hearts, and then to express forgiveness with unlimited hugs, kisses and “I love you daddy…I love you mommy”.

 

 Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 

 

3-14-08    Lessons #7  

  1. When a 4 year old says "I can do it by myself", beware! Especially if it has anything to do with the toilet or breakable items.
  2. Baby wipes do not work for cleaning computer screens or eyeglasses.
  3. Clorox wipes are not substitutable for baby wipes.
  4. It’s important for children to know who their parents are: Claudia asked Jeremy “What is daddy’s name? Jeremy: “Mr. Kevin Abegg”.  Claudia: “Good! What’s Mommy’s name?”  Jeremy: “Mommy Mr. Kevin Abegg!”
  5. When you're impressed by the job you did in the bathroom, the whole world, including strangers at the supermarket, need to know about it.
  6. After explaining to Jeremy that it takes money to buy toys, and that money comes from working at a job, Jeremy concluded: “Then I need to find a job for Nicholas”.
  7. The ponderings of Boys and Men are often the same. A few weeks ago Jeremy asked: “Mommy, are girls human?” (He's promised to let daddy know if he ever finds an answer.)
  8. God's love and joy can be heard in the laughter of little boys.
  9. Further Ponderings: Jeremy exclaims -"Look! I've got hair on my leg!"  Daddy -"Are you turning into a monkey?" Jeremy -"No! I'm turning into a daddy!"
  10. If you give a hundred monkeys (or two little boys) a camera:
 

 

 

  

 

 If you would like to see more of the boy's artwork, click: Jeremy’s Photo Album (With Guest Photographer…Nicholas)

  
Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 
 

12-2-07    Lessons #6

 

·  Fish tanks and cell phones don’t mix. Neither do fish tanks and puzzles, keyless remotes or battery operated toys. Hotwheels are fine however.

·  Unexplained hair loss in a 2 year old does not necessarily mean a disease, just that his older brother is now tall enough to reach the scissors. 

·  At the most inconvenient times a small child can have a very long memory and a very loud voice.

·  "Teachable moments" are more like "teachable milliseconds" with 3 year olds.
·   In the hands of a four year old, a yo-yo holds a strong resemblance in appearance and practice to a certain medieval weapon known as a "mace".
·  Think long and hard before teaching kids how to:

o   Juggle -they will not necessarily choose soft items or padded rooms. 

o   Fish -when a lake isn’t available, the fish tank is very tempting.

o   Use volume controls -the 5:30 clock radio alarm will wake you and everyone else on the block.

o   Use flashlights -they will never be there when you need them or will have dead batteries.

o   Turn off a garden hose -they are smart enough to turn it on again when you are not around.

·  If you want to use the bathroom in private, hold it until the kids are in bed for the night…but even then there are no guarantees!

·  God can, and will speak through toddlers when He so desires, and the faith of a child that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 18 & 19 is a very real and powerful thing.
         
                 #5  Medieval "Mace" vs. a Child's yo-yo.
Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 

7-8-07 Lessons #5

  1. Highlighters are non-toxic but extremely messy when bit just right.

  2. The liquid inside of glow sticks is also non toxic, but makes a child’s mouth look really, really creepy.

  3. All songs should be sung at the top of your lungs even if you don’t know the words.

  4. The "happy birthday song" is applicable on all occasions, especially Sunday morning worship if you apply lesson #3.

  5. The alphabet song can be substituted for the Birthday song in a pinch. Again, apply l

    # 10: Superheros: “SEWER-man”

    and “BAD-man”

    esson #3.
  6. Libraries have a sense of humor. Sign #1: “Please maintain a quiet atmosphere for our patrons.” Sign #2: “Children’s section this way”. 

  7. Squirt guns will never go out of style.

  8. Question: “Jeremy, how do you talk to God?”     Answer: “With my mouth.”

  9. Under the right circumstances, a 35 lb child is capable of producing 4.86 gallons of barf in a very short period of time.

  10. Their names aren’t “Superman” or “Batman” daddy, its… “SEWER-man” and “BAD-man”!

  11. When the car ashtray is vacant of coins, don’t be surprised that the CD player no longer works, the AC vents rattle, you hear at least three clanks the next time each window is rolled down and the seat belt will not lock into its designated, “quarter sized” slot.

 

 

Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 

 

1-3-07 Lessons #4

We are thankful for Things we've learned from our Kids:

 

  1. As a role model, Cookie monster falls short in regards to eating habits and table manners.
  2. M&M's contain magical healing powers for "owies"
  3. More things should be made "unbreakable".
  4. Most "unbreakable" labels are lies.
  5. You should never deny dirt some water when you have the opportunity for mud.
  6. With a cardboard box and a news paper, you can make a first rate pirate ship and hats, just add the word "arrrg"!
  7. When pulled out all at once, there appears to be way more than 100 yards of dental floss in those containers.  The same holds true for tooth paste, bubble bath, toilet paper, talcum powder and cumin.
  8. It is impossible to "hammer quietly" (discovered during re-roofing and nap times).
  9. Contrary to "expert opinions", golf balls will NOT melt, but simply rattle around forever if inserted into a tailpipe and forced down to the muffler.

#6 "We're the Pierats who don't do anything!"

 

 
Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 

 

9-22-06 Lessons #3

    1. If ping pong balls fit all too well into vacuum cleaner hoses, golf balls can be really “wedged” into a car’s exhaust pipe.

    2. When daddy’s not home, you can send a hug by phone.

    3. If at all possible, make sure your next camera is waterproof.

    4. Ice cubes are a lot of fun except when they need to go on an “owie”.

    5. Mommy gets kind of funny about lizards and frogs in the house.

 

 

 

8/14/06 Lessons #2

  1. G

     

    ood puddles should never go to waste, even in your church clothes.

     

  2. The concept of “helping daddy” is relative.

  3. With a pressurized garden hose, the world is at your mercy. 

  4. Carpenters glue can stick more than wood together.

  5. Graffiti never occurs with the washable markers.

  6. “No tears” shampoo is a lie.

  7. Band-Aids are for anything except an “owie”.

  8. If you’re supposed to stay in bed until the clock says “7” AM;  Four Thirty-“Seven” counts...

     

     

     

     

Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com 

 

 

 

 

 

#2 Daddy’s “helper”

 

5-17-06 Lessons #1

 

#6: Hand Cream Covered Jeremy

T he kids continue to be balls of energy that keep mommy on her toes and exhausted by the end of the day, with Nicholas only a few steps behind Jeremy as they dash from room to room in search of their next caper. Here are a few lessons we’ve recently learned from our kids:

 

  1. Batteries won’t flush down the toilet, but business cards will.

  2. The concept of “helping mommy” is relative. 

  3. Even a shop-vacuum cannot suck all the sand out of the sandbox, but it can suck the hair right off the cat.

  4. Tea candles may fit into the fax machine, but you can’t fax them (or anything else afterwards). 

  5. Sharpies are not made for face painting. 

  6. If you keep pumping long enough, even a Costco sized hand lotion will eventually run out… and off the counter…and all over the floor.

  7. God has unlimited ways to teach us about patience and His own love for us as His children.

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Blog: http://abeggloveletters.blogspot.com