Deep Questions at Bedtime

Last night at bedtime, Emma Claire, Wilson and myself were all piled up in my bed reading stories: Miracles of Jesus, Virtues (the one for the day was "work" and it was the story of Noah), and Baby Moses (pop-up book). Well, we had finished the baby Moses book and Wilson continued to look at it and talk non-stop about it while I tried to read to Emma Claire. We began talking about the word "work" and what it means and she said, "like when I pick up my toys and do what you ask me to."
Then, randomly, she asks "how do you get there?"
Not really, sure what she's talking about, I ask "where?"
And she says, "THERE!" and points to a picture of Jesus in heaven (I'm assumming - He's up in the sky)
And, like I try to always do, I answer her question with a question to get her thinking and I ask her "how do you get to heaven?" (b/c we talk about this all the time)

She doesn't answer right away, so I begin to remind her that Jesus lived a perfect life and died on the cross for our sins and rose on the 3rd day and if we believe in Him and trust Him and tell Him we're sorry for our sins and ask Him to live in our hearts, then THAT'S how we go to heaven.

Well, her answer to that was: "If I learn all my Bible verses everyday and remember them forever, that's how I will get to heaven?"

And I say, "Well, that's really great and all, and Jesus wants you to learn your Bible verses and all, but that is not what gets you to heaven."

And at this point I can tell she is getting a little frustrated with me, and she says emphatically, "NO, how do you GET to heaven?"

And I realize, that in her 4 year old mind, she is literally trying to visualize going UP to heaven. (Remember the pogo stick question?) I tell her I have no idea, that that is something we will just have to wait and see and ask Jesus when we get to heaven, which I hope is a VERY long time from now.

And in the meantime, Wilson is constantly and very loudly saying over and over while pointing to baby Moses in the basket, "Baby Jesus, Baby Jesus!, Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!" Over and over and over again, and did I mention VERY LOUDLY!!!!?

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On another note, while I'm talking (writing) about what my children say, on Wednesday afternoon, on the way to church, we stopped by River Road Park to look at the flooding river - there is a platform - kind of like a dock - that you can walk down steps to and be over the river. Well, it was completely covered with water - to nearly 3 feet within the tops of the light posts. The children loved seeing this and the rushing water. Well, we stayed only a minute, b/c I was a nervous wreck, b/c Wilson kept wanting to touch the water and it was moving FAST!!! On the walk back to the car Wilson started saying "Snake Snake!" It was very windy and cold and all I could think about was getting back in the car quickly, so I just said, Oh there aren't any snakes, it's too cold for snakes. Well, the next day, my friend Ashley took her daughters to see the river too, and while there, several people told them to look out for snakes, b/c they were ALL AROUND!!!!

Do you realize how this makes me shiver and nearly get sick - I think Wilson REALLY did see a snake and I just shrugged it off as 2 year old non-sense - but really, why would a 2 year old just randomly say snake, when I don't think he's ever even seen a snake before, except for maybe at the zoo in a glass window????