It's Religious Education week for the kiddos at church. Max goes to class while, much to the little bro's dismay, Nico and Belle either hang out with me at the church or go to the nursery. Nico was incredibly disappointed that he could not join Max at class because he wanted to "go learn about Jesus too". Such a sweetie. St. Michael Catholic Church is definitely a 2nd home for us, especially so far this summer. It's been two years since I've worked there as the Coordinator of Children's Ministry and it's finally time for me to go back to the ministry in a volunteer capacity. Today was a first day for most of us: Max's first time in Religious Education classes, Belle's first day to go to the church nursery, and my first day volunteering in this ministry. It brought back all kinds of memories. All I can say is that it was wonderful to be there giving back to our church in an area I once enjoyed. It was also just so nice not being the one in charge! There was no pressure in making sure everything would run smoothly and making sure everyone was in the correct place. I'm very content now in volunteering my time to a place that I love to be a part of and where my children feel comfortable and happy to be. Instead of directing things I can now be the one being directed and it's just such a relief. I get plenty of time at home being the one in charge trying to make sure everything runs smoothly and making sure everyone is in their correct place. Volunteering should be about giving back in a way that is good for everyone. If you haven't taken the time to give back to your church or community, I encourage all of you to give it a try. Everyone has their own unique gifts that can be beneficial to others, and it can make you feel so good! Okay, enough about that. Chances are I'm "preaching to the choir" anyway :)We spent the entire morning at RE (Religious Education) and then we all came home pooped and famished. I raced around trying to get everyone fed before meltdowns could take control...I was only mildly successful. I was sure that after we ate our lunch that the kids would be totally exhausted and just pass out on the couch for a nap. Okay, I wasn't sure of it, that was just wishful thinking. And it didn't come to be either. If I could have allowed it, I would have passed out on the couch myself. Nevertheless, there was really NO way I could do that. Not just because the kids decided to stay up and play (even though I attempted quiet movie time), but because the house looked like a tornado had come through it. I doubt I'm alone on this one, at least I tell myself I'm not, but any time we have to get somewhere, it is impossible to keep things or get things in order because no matter how early I start, it NEVER fails that we are running out the door at the last second (if not a few seconds too late). Many of those times we forget something. And forget about leaving the house in any condition that would be even remotely okay to bring a guest back to. Usually we have to leave so fast that if someone were needing to come back to our place for something I'd feel the need to rush ahead of them and scramble to at least stack things in piles and throw things into a closet....and no I don't really feel okay about it being this way because my OCD tendencies are screaming with terror that things aren't nice and neat in their places, but at the same time, I have to prioritize. More times than not, playing a game with my kids or fixing a treat for them or even chugging a train in the morning for five minutes instead of loading my dishwasher definitely tops my list of priorities. It goes against my nature in so many ways, but I'm trying to train myself to let it go. I do not by any means let my family live in a pigsty either. It may get disorderly at times, but I also take pride in our home and take the best care of it as time will allow. On mornings when we are staying at home, we have our little morning rituals that we do to tidy up the place. As you have probably heard me mention before, the boys like to help me with laundry, sometimes they help me make beds, pick up their toys, on occasion load the dishwasher, etc. But the biggest help is when they sit on the floor with their little sister and play with her for awhile so that I can do a few things (very quickly since the boys have too short attention spans to do this very long). But I digress, because as you can see today was not one of those kinds of days. I got some straightening up done in the afternoon, but when my oldest son was playing in his room by himself and I came through with some laundry to put away (so NOT my favorite chore), he asked me if I wanted to play with him. He was so sweet and polite I just couldn't turn the kid down. We played with Thomas the Train Lego sets, but we used race cars instead. The cars with the faces were the good guys and the cars without faces were the bad guys. (Courtesy of Max's imagination) Nico joined us shortly after we started and we had a great time "blowing up" cars. When Belle woke up we played with her on the floor. Since she learned how to roll over recently, we've been having fun practicing that with her. We also discovered that she really enjoys looking out the windows at the trees so I spread a quilt out in front of our storm door and let her play where she could peak outside when she wanted too. She LOVED that.
I loaded up the diaper bag with their goodies and they headed out! I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that although excited for them to go see the movie, I was terribly disappointed not to share in their experience. I do believe that having quality Papa time is very important too though. Since having the baby, it sure seems like they are getting all kinds of good quality time. I'm happy for them, and not necessarily jealous, but it would be really nice to get to take the boys out for a Mama and her boys day. Good idea, Mama! I think I'll get to planning that one. Then Fernando can have a daddy/daughter day. In the long run, everything about the evening worked out nicely. I was able to bathe the baby and get her to bed with little distractions, feed myself, clean the kitchen, and start writing before they got back. Then I got to spend time with them during their bath time, and before they fell asleep they told me all about the movie, which they LOVED by the way! I love to see how excited they get about things. It sounds super cute and we may just have to go again so I can see it too!We shared many wonderful moments today, and it is so true that it's the little things that count. I can't even put a number on how many hugs and smiles and giggles and knuckle bumps we gave each other in just today. And the sound of your child seeing you from across the room calling out "Mama!" in an excited voice followed by a full on sprint in your direction, you knowing that you better brace yourself so you don't fall backwards...its just the BEST thing EVER. Feeling so blessed in the moment. Thank you God for moments like these and every DAY I get to spend with my loves.
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