Saturday, May 17, 2008

Trips, Trucks, and Too Much Excitement

We took Oliver to Kansas to see Nana and Papaw for Mother's Day. It was wonderful!! The best gift for me. The best trip for Oliver. He was showered with attention and sugared with kisses. I couldn't have imagined a more enjoyable time! We, of course, loved visiting with my parents and showing Oliver off to everyone at church. (Word had spread that we were coming. Really, that Oliver was coming!) But what really stuck out to me was just how over-the-top excited my parents were for their grandson to be there. They bought him a new wardrobe. Hats and clothes and shoes and more! (We can hardly wait to see him in the little swim trunks! So cute!!) They bought him a great little mobile for his car seat. (It actually kept him entertained often during the 13 hour trip home.) The day after we got there, they went out and got him an activity center - the kind he can stand up in, spin around in, and play with all the toys - because he's such a mover and a shaker. (So spoiled!) But the biggest display of grandparent craziness was Oliver's room. That's right. . . Oliver has his own bedroom at Nana and Papaw's house. Complete with a crib bought just for him. Adorable construction truck bedding. Diapers. Wipes. Trucks galore. Decorations and more! They went nuts. We melted with gratefulness. It was quite a surprise. There were even blocks with his named spelled out sitting on one of the bookshelves. It was too much! Too sweet! Too cool! And too overwhelming! Talk about making us feel special. Oliver is a blessed little boy to have grandparents like that. Of course, I grew up with them as parents so I kind of already knew what he'd have to look forward to!! Our trip was great. The visit flew by. It was one of those times in life when you wish time could just stand still. Unfortunately it didn't. We had to head home. Good news is that we get to see them again in a few weeks at our family reunion! I think we've got enough memories and pictures to keep us going until then!!

On the way home, I started thinking about my parents and their excitement over Oliver's visit. I wondered how many of us live with such excitement about our God. Does He consume our thoughts and dictate our actions? Do we smile every time we think about Him? Do we long to spend time with Him, eager to be in His presence? Do we tell everyone we know about Him? Do we clean out areas in our lives to make room for Him to dwell there? In fact, does He have His very own place in our hearts, or does He have to share space with other "gods" in our life? Is He the center of our attention? Is His name written on us, displayed proudly, like the blocks in Oliver's room? Hmmm... makes me think. How about you?

5 comments:

Brad and Amy said...

I'm so glad that you got to visit with your parents. Just wait until he is old enough for them to fill him full of cheetos and m&m's . . . my girls never come home from my parents' house without orange smeared faces, bouncing off the walls from the massive amounts of chocolate consumed. Gotta love Mimi and Pawpaw! By the way, I love keeping up with you through your blog and getting to see all of the adorable pictures of Oliver that you guys post! I love you and miss you! Pray for me as I try to make it through these last CRAZY two weeks of school.

realitymomma said...

HOW ROTTEN!!! That is hilarious that your mom eve nmade a room so well done for him. I think he has it made for a while. He will want to go to Nana's and Papaw's all the time - who could blame him?

You will have to post a pic in the swim trunks...

Happy Mama said...

Isn't it fun to watch your child be adored by your family? There is just something about it. I LOVE all the adorable pics of Oliver- he is SO precious! The bucket hat is my favorite. I know you had an amazing Mother's Day! I am just so happy for you and Jarrod- Mr. Oliver is a blessed little baby! :)

Unknown said...

It was so fun to see "the room"! Oliver is definitely spoiled being the only grandson on this side. But, hey, he's worth it!

Oliver also has a beautiful and very caring Mommy! He's a lucky little fellow to have you as a mom!

You are such a great wife and mom!

Another great post!!!

I love you very much!!!

Jennifer said...

I don't know if you remember me, (Jennifer Milby) I lived with Amy Walterscheid. I have been so blessed at reading your blog. We too received a miracle after years of infertility, and now the Lord is gracing us with a second blessing in just a few weeks. Your Oliver is absolutely precious!