Thomas

Any parent of a toddler boy( or anyone who has played with Jonathan in the last month) can probably already guess what this post is about just by seeing the title.  Thomas (the train) is a source of pure enjoyment and obsession for Jonathan right now. I can't quite understand why...the books, video, and the trains themselves aren't that interesting.  Jonathan has always liked trains and trucks, but not to the degree he cares for Thomas. And although I am not a huge fan of characters and name branded toys, Jonathan's love of Thomas has been a wonderful conduit for experiencing life. How you ask? Well...

1. Boots

Jonathan hates to wear boots, specifically rain boots. But what he hates even more is getting his feet wet. So when we learned we were moving to the Seattle area, I was  a bit concerned how my outdoor loving little man was going to handle the rain. I tried all sorts of different rain boots out in MD and he cried when I put him in any of them. Aahh...but I hadn't tried Thomas the Train rain boots! Last week at a consignment shop in Edmonds, WA we found Thomas rain boots and success! Jonathan didn't want to take them off and walked around the store giggling "Thomas shoes, Thomas shoes". And despite that it has only rained twice in the past 3 weeks we have been here, his "Thomas shoes" have gotten a lot of use. He likes to wear them in the sunny weather and "water them". It is quite a fascinating experiment for him...you mean I can pour water on my shoes and my feet don't get wet? Brilliant!

I'm looking forward to many puddle jumping days, once the rain starts coming.

2. Meltdowns

Jonathan has done really well with all the transition and change. He has watched all his toys being packed away, lived in an empty house, then stayed at a friends' house for a few days, and then moved across the country to a completely new house with new people. I have been so proud of him and his adaptability.  But he has had his share of meltdowns since we've moved. On one of the first days out here, Jonathan was very upset for an unknown reason and none of us could console him. That is until...Thomas! Nate's Aunt Nancy (who we are staying with) pulled out her now grown son's  old Thomas the Train toys during this meltdown... And the tears, kicking, and screaming magically stopped. Silence and interest ensued. And everyday for the past few weeks he has played quietly with these Thomas trains while all his other toys gather dust. Mmm peace and quiet.

3. Prayer

One of our bedtime routines is for us to say prayers. For awhile I just prayed and Jonathan said "Amen". But the last week or so I've tried to model and include him in the prayers. I thought I would start out by having him repeat prayers. So the other night I started...

Me "Dear Jesus"

Jonathan "Dear Jesus"

Me "Thank you for Daddy"

Jonathan "Thank you for Thomas"

Me "Thank you for Nana"

Jonathan "Thank you for Thomas"

Me "Thank you for our house"

Jonathan "Thank you for Thomas"

After he was in bed and the door was closed, I sighed. But then the more I thought about it, I smiled. Nate's and my prayer and deepest hope for Jonathan is that he would come to know and love Jesus as his own. We want him to own his faith and not just do it because that is what Mommy and Daddy do, but because he loves Jesus. We want him to approach his Heavenly Father with such ease and freedom as he did the other night, and to share and pray for the things on his heart (like Thomas!). May these prayers be the first of many to our wonderful Saviour from our precious son.