Sideshow #4

Sunday was a monumental day.  My little family succeeded in fostering and furthering some very typical pastor's-family-stereotypes. 

I had Liam with me in Sunday school again.  I know, why would I even try it after last week's fiasco, right? (See Sideshow #2)  But I'm a slow learner.  Luckily this week's episode served to delight and hopefully erase any lingering disgust from the week before.  As Pastor Daddy is concluding his opening prayer, Liam chimes in by saying "amen" with him.  Very clearly and very audibly.  It's immediately followed by a chorus of ahhh's and how cute's.  This isn't the first time that he's said this, we hear it at just about every meal.  Nor is it the only thing he says, though it is probably his "biggest" word.  But wouldn't you know that the first word people outside our family would hear him utter would be something so very, very churchy.
Still, I can't help it.  I was pretty proud.  And it was adorably cute.

And Lilyanna was "tattled" on to me by another adult for the first time.  Hmmm....yep, monumental day. :)  My first of what will undoubtedly be many instances of others trying to make sure the pastor's kids behave.

My two PK's during a recent game of curtain peek-a-boo.

Sideshow #3

Ok, this is another one from the past, but I hadn't written it down anywhere and thought I ought to.

The following events are true.  Names have not been changed to protect the innocent.  Happenings likely occured when Liam was about four months old.

Perhaps slightly older.  I don't remember for sure, but he was at least old enough that he wasn't sleeping through everything anymore.  So, I had him out of his carseat and sitting on my lap.  And his sister was particularly antsy this day.  Despite my whispered warnings, she continued to play precariously on the pew.  And eventually fell off and into/onto baby brother's carseat.  As she began to wail, I abruptly handed Liam to the lady sitting in front of me with a quickly whispered, "can you hold him for a minute?" even though I'd already thrown him into her arms.

I scooped up the sobbing Lily and carried her out of the sanctuary.  After inspection, some stern correction and a drink of water, we determined that she was going to survive.  As the sermon finished and they began to flow into communion time, I decided it was a good time to reclaim Liam.  And I decided the three of us would be "observing" communion from out in the fellowship hall.  Good thing, because our sweet, almost-potty-trained Lilyanna chose those sacred moments to announce that she had to go potty in a voice and posture that clearly indicated it was already too late.  Amazingly, we had her and the spot on the floor cleaned up before communion finished and people were dismisssed.  It's almost miraculous what you can do when well motivated!

Sideshow #2

Our Liam is an active boy.  And he's at an active age.  Essentially, he is perfect sideshow material.  This past Sunday morning he was a Sunday school sideshow, rather than a third row sideshow.  That is because there is no good option for him during Sunday school.  He can't go to the little preschool class because the near hysterics that he melts into when I leave make it a little impossible for Miss Lynn to continue teaching the preschooler(s).  So, usually he comes with me to adult Sunday school class.  And each week as he tries to climb on the table and eat my paper and squeal when I take the pen away, we discover why most churches opt to have a nursery! 

Now, in his defense, Sunday mornings are really terrible torture for a baby his age.  I mean, about the time we're needing to leave the house each week is about the time he'd prefer to be going down for his morning nap.  But of course he's old enough now that the whole, "just fall asleep on the way to church" thing doesn't work any more.  So he suffers, I suffer, and everyone around us suffers.  Well, once I'd had enough of being used as a jungle gym this past Sunday, I decided to just try letting him play in Lily's classroom while her lesson went on.  Yeah, that lasted about one minute, and then like I said, I just feel like it's total unfairness to the teacher.  So I decided to take the nursery exersaucer, that I purchased at a yard sale this past summer, into the adult room for him to sit/play in.  He loved it!  But the clunky boinging sound it made as he excitedly "exercised" soon caused the teacher's brow to furrow and eyes to narrow in a look of extreme concentration.  Since I'm married to that teacher, I've seen this look before and knew that this solution was proving to be a major distraction to my husband/pastor/teacher, and therefore likely the whole class.  Thus, the active boy was removed from the apparatus and amazingly found contentment by playing with his carseat.

I thought maybe given all these happenings, our church-time escapades might be avoided, but I was wrong to be so hopeful.  Things started out fine.  I had Lily seated in the third row, literally containing her urge to dance back and forth across the front of the church during the worship songs.  (Sometimes we sit on the front row with her daddy and let this desire spill forth, but this morning didn't seem like the morning for it.)  I got Liam situated in his sling and was attempting to lull him to sleep during same said worship songs.  The task was finally accomplished about the time they dismissed the kids for nursery/children's church.  Lilyanna initially exited the sanctuary with the other children only to return about 20 seconds later.  I thought maybe she was a bit shy because some newer children were joining her in the nursery this morning.  She frequently has the room and the worker to herself.  But I quickly deduced by her little hip shakes that she probably had to go the bathroom.  Dilema.  I have a sleeping Liam strapped to my side.  Not exactly conducive to helping a toddler use the potty.  Do I just take care of the issue likely waking Liam up in the process?  Or, do I...gasp...ask for help?  I actually opted for choice #2 and stepped across the aisle to ask kind, Sunday school teacher Miss Lynn if she'd be willing to take Lily to the bathroom.  She was happy to help and I was happy to keep Liam sleeping.  But once again disturbed that we can't make it though an hour of anything without distracting at least one person!

Liam in his sling back in May.  He doesn't sit in it this way anymore.  He rides on my hip now with his feet dangling down below the sling.

Got Snow?

We sure do!  And after a week of absolutely frigid temperatures, the mercury actually rose above zero AND above freezing on Sunday, and we all went out to enjoy.  Here are a few pics of our South Dakota kids snowbunnies.

Liam so bundled he can't quite keep himself sitting upright, and Lily being mistaken for a pile of snow!

Trying out the snow fort.

Dad and Lily challenged the neighbor girls to a snow fight, but then Lily turned traitor and joined the girls' team!

We'll finish off with a couple documenting the ungodly amount of beautiful snow piled in our front and back yard.

Lily's Rendition of Worship

There have been some interesting song incidents around our house lately.

A week or so ago, I heard Lilyanna singing this song: (imagine it in a conglomerative tune of several children's songs)
"And Noah and Jesus, and Noah and Jesus died on the cross and the walls came tumbling down. And what did they do about that? Who did come to raise them? An angel, you see."

Then this morning William was in the kitchen with the kids while they were eating breakfast.  He was singing "Be the Center" and this conversation ensued.
Lily - What are you singing?
Daddy - A worship song - a song we sing to Jesus.
Lily - Well, I don't know that song, and Jesus doesn't need it right now.

Sunday Sideshow #1

Ok, this is one from the past, but let's face it, stories like these were the main impetus for starting this blog.  Everytime I'd relate a story like this someone would say, "Are you writing these down?" or "Please tell me your writing these down."  Something slightly similar to this happens just about every week.  So stay tuned.

There are certain weeks when I find myself longing for a church where I can just drop my kids off at the nursery when I arrive and pick them up when I'm ready to go home! And here is an example of why.

I ready the two kiddos and myself for church, and even though it appears like all is going smoothly and we'll definitely make it on time, it never fails, something seems to happen or time just goes into a warp somehow and I end up screeching into the parking lot two minutes before Sunday school starts. It takes three times that long just to get them in the door, since it involves unhooking one from her car seat and waiting for her to dawdle in while I maneuver the second in his infant carrier and wrestle with the giant diaper bag that holds spare outfits for both children (an obvious necessity with a newborn and a potty-training toddler), a cup and bib and various paraphernalia for the meal that always follows the service, and the obnoxiously over-sized packet of Sunday school materials which I will be presenting to my own child and no classmates.

During our so-called Sunday school class, I nurse the baby and then leave him laying on the floor in the classroom while I run the pupil to the potty. Yeah, good thing she has no other classmates and I guess it's a relief that the lessons for two year olds are about 5 minutes long - we can still fit it all in!

Then it's time for church, and since it's a special missions emphasis Sunday, I have some responsibilities within the service besides the usual "crowd" control. Hmm...not necessarily the best idea on the pastor and I's part. We'll be smarter next time. We don't usually sit on the front row because, well for multiple reasons, but the main one I tell others is because Lilyanna feels a little too much freedom. She does better if she is "contained" by a pew in front and a pew in back. So church is starting and William tells me that he is going to sit up front since he'll have to be up and down a lot. Fair and reasonable enough, except I already have Lilyanna situated in the third row and I've just realized Liam desperately needs a diaper change. My perplexed and pleading eyes say it all and the pastor calmly sits down in the third row to keep tabs on one child while I excuse myself for diaper duty with the other. Thankfully someone else is in charge of welcome, announcements and the initial songs.

I return and during those initial songs we discuss our strategy for the next part of the service, which will involve me. We think we have it worked out and I head over to the other side of the church where I will sit on the front row and read narration to a PowerPoint presentation. The baby, who is awake, and therefore not in his carrier, comes with me. At this point, another man is supposed to get up to read scripture, but was either oblivious to his cue or awaiting an introduction, so William has to hop up and fill in the gap. Yep, that leaves Lilyanna unattended in the pew. Not a big deal, except she starts looking around and sees me at the back on the other side and wonders why she's not with me. By the time William gets back to her, the easiest way to avoid a major disturbance is to have her oh-so-happily trot on over to where I am. So, I hand the baby over to Gwen at the sound booth and Lily and I proceed to the front to read. So far so good -- until she gets bored in the middle of the presentation. Since I'm sitting, her confused questioning of "Mommy? Mommy?" is right at mic level. So the pastor/daddy comes and intercepts her. So much for not creating a major disturbance, huh?

As I head back to my seat, the sound technician quickly hands Liam back to me because she has to go play the piano for the next song! By the time we're all situated again, all I can do is laugh. Definitely a sideshow that originated in the third row! As Lily stands on the pew "playing the piano" on the back of it, and I wonder if my husband has been able to focus at all on conducting the service while tending to family affairs, I wish for the good ol' days of a church nursery!

The two nursery-deprived kids in April 09, approximately the time frame this story took place. (Sorry, Liam, about the pink boppy.)

Hello Twenty-ten

Twelve days into the new year and I'm wondering if a post about the year past will already be considered overdue or out of date.  But since the blog didn't exist on Jan. 1, we'll just have to go with it.

I was recently thinking of some of the blessings this past year has affored us. Here are a handful.

1. A healthy [adorable] baby boy was added to our family in February.

2. William was ordained as a minister in our denomination.  We now refer to him as Rev. Daddy. ;)

3. Our house in Kentucky finally sold (after a year on the market), and we were able to buy one in SD that exactly matched the specifications we'd been praying for and in the exact timing we'd been praying for.

4. We continue to be amazed at the blessing of serving a congregation that loves God and loves us.  Some of the tangible ways they've shown this blow us away.   A freezer full of beef, a car (no, not new - but still, a car!), free child care, crazy-generous monetary gifts.

5. We've been able to make new friends here and have had opportunities to maintain connections with friends from previous chapters of our lives.

6. Everyday we receive God's grace, love and forgiveness.

I guess that is one more than a handful.  The list could go on and on.  Thank you, God!

To Blog or Not to Blog?

This has long been my question.

Why not blog, you may ask?
1. Well, many blogs that I come across are highly philosophical or deeply introspective - and mine likely won't be.
2. Many blogs that I come across are passionately poetic or elequently written - and mine likely won't be.
3. Many blogs that I come across are chronicling the lives of people who are saving the world, altering humanity, parenting perfectly, or crafting creative masterpieces, or somehow managing to combine all those things - and mine definitely won't be.
4. If I don't keep up with it, it will be just one more thing I feel guilty about or pressured by.
5. Because it's hard for me to write something that will be read by other people without editing it a million times.
6. It will just be about my real life, with my hubby and my kids and our congregation. My real life that includes days that sometimes end with me never getting my make-up on, or the kitchen a complete disaster and the pile of projects waiting to be done getting bigger and bigger - and who would want to read about that?

So, then, why blog, as that is the path I clearly have chosen?
1. Because, it's a way to chronicle my real life, with my hubby and my kids and our congregation and our friends. My real life that includes Sunday mornings with all kinds of mishaps and usually a disasterous kitchen. My real life with funny quotes from my kids and my own random ponderings that may not be relevent to anything.  Who cares if no one but my mom reads it, it still begs to be written.
2. Because sometimes I just need to write.  We'll see if this proves to be a good medium.
3. Because in reality, 1-3 above are probably overstated.  The blogs I look at are mostly of people I love and I just like knowing what's going on in their lives. So I'd like to give those who love me the same opportunity to be connected to the everyday ordinary-ness of our lives.

So, here goes...to blogging, may it be all this and more!