As the girls and I were reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin* today, Gabriel ran into the den heralding that Josiah was upstairs in Anais’ bedroom and that he had poured out her rat food all over her room. (Reader please notes, this has happened once before and I thought I remedied him from repeating it by placing the food bowls high above his reach and I made him help me clean it all up.) “Did you give him the bowls?” Mommy asked.

“No!” Gabriel answered.

“How did he get them?” Anais chimed in.

“He just climbed up and got ‘em,” posed Gabriel.

In echo, “He cannot climb the rat cage!” (Okay, the rat cage is 6 ft tall.)

“But he did. I did not give him the food.” Gabriel determined.

We all look at each other declaring in unison, “Nothing is impossible for Josiah,” as we all laughed in belief of Gabriel’s proclamation.

A few minutes later Josiah tots into the den smiling. I asked him about the rat food and he smirks mischievously. Laughter fills the room again.

Later in the afternoon, after picking up David from the airport, I finally take a moment of my day to steal away to spy the mess in Anais’ room. WOW! Anais’ bedroom floor is carefully disguised as a animal cage, a messy one at that.  How did he spread it so thoroughly? Never mind. Let’s clean up. Gabriel and I start sweeping it into a pile and Josiah scoops it up with his tiny hands and pours it into the feed bowls. As we are all working together and chatting along, Gabriel announces, “This is why I am NEVER getting married and having children!” He was serious too. I laughed and laughed. I am still laughing as I write this tonight.

Since little Josiah has occupied our home, TWO of our children have been brought to this thought, “I’m not having children!!!!!” I have no doubt that God indeed chose this little ones name, 2 Kings 22:1-2. He is a great blessing to us and a massive handful; he makes me curious so very often of just how our Father in heaven will use this child with his fierce determination. This directs me in my prayers for him.

*Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin to persuade the people of her country, our country, and the people of her time against slavery. She was the daughter of Lyman Beecher, a persuasive preacher in the early rough Kentuckian days. She is a fascinating author. Both her and her father would be quite interesting to read about.