Goodnight Love Girl

This weekend, Max and I went to see my parents and my grandparents in North Carolina.  It was a quick day trip, so we left Chad and Gabe behind.  Before I left, I hid love sticky notes all over the house in Chad places, like on the milk carton, on his computer screen, in his work clothes, etc.  He was at work when we left, so he came home to the little reminders.

Chad then decided to write notes back to me, and hide them in Lauren places.  When I got home, I started finding notes immediately.  The first couple were "normal" love notes-- like "I love you"... then I started to find some funny ones.  I opened a drawer and found one that said "sweet love".  Then I opened the cleaning closet and found one that said "Even when you makes us clean, we still love you".  I chuckled, thinking Chad just wanted some variety in his love notes.

Then on Saturday night, when I climbed into bed, I found a love note on my pillow.  This one made me laugh out loud.  So I had to quiz Chad on what exactly these notes meant and where they were coming from....

Apparently Gabe thought this whole hidden love note thing was great.  He helped Chad find the notes I had left him and gathered them up, then he insisted on writing some for me.  Come to find out, Gabe is a little cupid and should go work for Hallmark or the Valentine's Day heart company.  Chad did the actual writing on the love notes, but Gabe came up with the wording.

My last note of the day said "Goodnight love girl".  The next morning, Gabe came in and hung it on the mirror above my toothbrush.  And every time I've seen it since, I've smiled. Yes, because it's sweet, and yes, because he got to see me and Chad loving on each other even though were already married, and yes, because I'm a words person and I think it's hilarious and cute and funny, but mostly because it reminds me that he IS watching.  And Max will start watching really soon.  And everything we say and do is being etched in his brain and teaches him the way life is "supposed to be".  So, if we mess up, he's going to see that, and we're going to have to make sure that we tell him that we messed up, and let him see us "make it right". Ah, pressure!

Parenting is hard.  And for each kid we have, there are two more eyes watching us try to do it well... but it keeps us on our toes, and it gives me awesome names like "Love Girl". (Chad has continued to call me "Love Girl" several times a day.) My prayer is that Gabe can't help but ending up at the feet of Jesus after it's all said and done.  And hopefully God is able to use both me and Chad to get our boys there.  Gabe has already asked Jesus into his heart, and he will be baptized in May, but it's the daily walk and the day to day decisions that he needs Jesus the most for.  I pray that I continue to learn how to be more like Christ, so that as Gabe and Max continue to mimic me, they are being like Him as well.

Gabe is an incredible kid, and he's great entertainment too.  Let me know if you need any love notes or pet names for your significant other, I'll send Gabe your way.

(This is Gabe helping with yard work... and because he has been watching his Dad do stuff like this, he asked if he could borrow my ipod while he worked "to make working more fun".)