Yuletide Celebration

We served cookies and wassail, yes we did.  And we liked it.

Know why?

Because Sir Paul and I, Empress Mommadora, got to spend the day together. 

Even if it required selling tasty, overpriced goods to Symphony-goers.

We got to see the show too, which was impressive.  Those musicians are so talented.  And the Gentlemen Singers had such powerful voices.  Sandi Patti - not so impressive.  Seeing her in a sequined football jersey and black tights kind of ruined it for Paul.

Our Day Out in the City also included a failed attempt to visit Paul's Dad's work's Open House (get that?).  When we arrived the doors were locked and six signs (I counted) were posted informing us of the office's closed status.  So I missed out on seeing some airplane engines.  I think that's what I would have seen.

On to a lovely dinner out.  I appreciate the restaurant experience so much more since having children.  As in, it is so dreamy to eat at a restaurant without them.

Then to church.  But not our church.  Our other church.  Don't you have two churches?  On Saturday nights we go to a church about thirty minutes from our house.  This is when I worship.  On Sunday mornings at our primary church is when I serve.  So we went to church #2's Christmas Eve Eve service.  It was so good.  They speak my worship language.

During the service I had a realization.  This will be my Dad's first Christmas.  You know what I'm saying?  As of September, he is now a Christ-follower.  He cares about Christ.  The acknowledgement and celebration of Christ's birth has new meaning for him.  And I think that's so neat.  And then there's Easter coming up too.  Wow.  Merry Christmas, Dad!

After church we hung around in the lobby to wait for traffic to clear out.  So we took self portraits to pass the time.

just getting warmed up

a little more cheese here

ha, this is so fun

And we noticed this neat, neat idea to fill the church's food pantry.  Feel free to steal it and implement it at your church.

 

 Can you read the sign?

You can help with 3 easy steps...

1. Grab a bag and shopping list

2. Purchase items and place in bag

3. Return bag to Collection Pointe

Clever.

With much reluctance, we headed home.  It was just so nice to be away.  And together.  Surrounded by the masses, but alone together.  Like back in the day.  I love my sweet man.


Thank you, thank you dear Nana & Papa for this gift of a child-free day.

School?

School canceled today.

On account of snow.

Rube's up there on top.

Smashing the snow with his

'strong elbows.'

The snow plows make great mounds of snow.

 Perfect Reuben-size sledding hills.

 Peter likes to dig holes and caves in the mounds.

He's very proud of his hole.

Gotta go.  More snow to play in.

Here's The News

Reuben, sadly, did not catch a rabbit the other day.  But, he saw one in our yard yesterday and went into a flurry of excited words about getting Jeremy, Jeremy's hunting dog, and Jeremy's gun and shooting the rabbit.  Tomorrow, it seems, is Rabbit Hunting Day Number Two.  Bible study first, then off for the hunt.


Today we went swimming with some friends at a nearby high school.
Super nice pool.
Shallow kiddy section - I didn't have to get in.
Lifeguards all to ourselves - no one else there besides our two families.
And good friends, both for the boys and for me.
Three hours of *active* fun for five dollars.
We're thinking of a repeat on Wednesday.


I have a headache.  If that's news.

  Peter asked me to make dinners from the Mexico section of my international cookbook.  So far the only thing he has liked is the Cinnamon Creamy Corn Cake.  Unfortunate.  He was hoping to move to Mexico and be an artist when he grows up.  Maybe tomorrow's Black Bean Chili will be redeeming.


We are in the process of updating our homestudy because it is about to expire.  Already been a year.  So papers off to the doctors to reverify our health and lack of communicable diseases.  Papers off to the folks who do background checks to reverify our upstanding citizen status.  A new letter stating our lack of a police record from our local Town Marshal, who also happens to be one of two EMTs in town and came to our house and rescued Reuben with the ambulance last year when he had a seizure.  A few papers here and there.  And another home visit by our social worker in January.  It is nice to be doing something adoption related, even if it is just a repeat of work I did last year.  It will still be a year or so until we are matched with a child.


So to pass the time, Paul and I are going on a date!  Our capital city has a symphony orchestra, probably like yours.  And they need volunteers to help at their Yuletide show on Thursday.  So Paul and I get a day in the city together.  As soon as I secured a place for the boys to be, I just felt so good.  I have something to look forward to.  A break.  A day with my favorite man.  A long day.  Just me and him.  And the orchestra.

A Social Network Christmas

Maybe you've seen this?

But maybe not.

I've never been so moved by Facebook.




Click over here to see it full screen.

Ventings of a Pastor's Wife

This may sound like I'm complaining.  I'm not.  Mostly.

As Paul was called away tonight, it got me thinking about our current life situation as a pastor's family and I am going to use this space to sort things out.  Ready?


Let's say you hear about a pastor's family who divorce.  Or the pastor's wife is a mess with depression but tries to put on a good face for everyone.  She feels so trapped.  She shoots herself.  Or her husband.  That happened a couple years ago.  I know why.  I can tell you what leads to the Model Family explosion.

It's all those other people the pastor is taking care of.  He is so giving and generous to help them whenever they demand it.  Any day of the week.  And at any time of day.  Sometimes, they don't even know him.  But they know where he lives and they have his phone number.  And they don't think twice about asking him for help.

Oh, your grandson suffered an injustice on his baseball team?  That's okay.  Paul can fix it.  You want him to go to the baseball board meeting to confront the coach?  He'll be there.

You are going through a divorce and are sad?  Need to talk to Paul just as I pull one of his favorite meals out of the oven?  That's okay.  We'll share a family meal another night.

You signed our church up to ring the Salvation Army bell in front of Kroger tonight and not enough people signed up?  Paul will go.  Don't worry about us.  We'll, um, spend time together some other day.

Your drunk girlfriend is being irrational and you don't know what to do?  Send out the pastor's wife!  She so knows how to handle these situations.  Just let me change out of my pajamas and I'll be right there.

Oh, not enough people will help out in the nursery during church, or run the powerpoint, or babysit kids during Bible study?  I can do that, and that, and that too.  Where's Peter?  Um, I don't know.  He's probably in the building somewhere.  I don't have time to find him and sit with him during church.  I'm too busy serving others.

You are having surgery and have to be at the hospital at 4:30am and you want Paul there to pray with you?  Every time, he'll be there.

Your son is in jail again and you want Paul to go visit him, and visiting hours are only on Saturday?  No, he doesn't mind the 3-4 hour trip, in the snow.

You are a homeless man who lives in your van with countless cats and you want me to wash your rags?  Sure, no problem.  Really?  I didn't get them clean enough?  And, I don't have enough vegetables growing in my garden for you to pick and eat today?  Hmm.  I'll try to do better next year when you come around.

You want our church to do an advent candle?  That sounds nice.  Oh.  You want me to buy all the supplies and organize the speakers and readings?  I see.

This is therapeutic.  I should keep going. 

Is this why pastors have affairs, pastors' kids turn rebellious, pastors' wives become resentful and depressed?  They are too busy ministering to others?

While we love our lifestyle of fulltime ministry, I just want the world someone to hear how it affects our family.  I'm not bitter.  Most of the time.  I really try to have a positive attitude and a servant's heart.

Sometimes, before Paul leaves to go help someone, he'll ask me, "Is this okay?"  Of course it's okay.  How could I be so selfish to say, "No, don't go help that family.  Don't share Christ's love with them.  Stay home with me."

Is it okay for me to vent like this?

We are working at not becoming one of those pastor's families who fall apart.  (No, we are not anywhere near a divorce, nor am I depressed, and the only guns we have are Nerf.)

It's a tricky balance to be available to love and serve others and try to protect ourselves - our marriage, our family.  We do this by occasionally fleeing, getting out of town on his day off.  No, we will not get a cell phone.  We don't want to be reached when we are away.  I cannot think of any situation that Paul could remedy by returning from a day away with his family.  Sometimes I want to say, "Talk to the coach yourself.  Pray for your own self.  Let your drunk girlfriend be."

But I don't.  I say goodbye to Paul and feed the kids, give them baths, read to them, and put them to bed.  Maybe we'll see him in the morning.

And when we do, we'll be headed south.  Or maybe east.  I'm not telling.

Our Tonight

Looks like a good time, yah?

He just got his new nerf gun confiscated for
shooting the Pete in the head.

Rule #1 - No Head Shots

He was mostly screaming because Paul
took over with his gun.

"Don't use all my bullets, Dad!"

It was more like,

"DON'T USE ALL MY BULLETS, DAD!!!!!!!"
as you can see from the extreme drama in that first pic.

 

Here's the Pete taking cover behind the coffee table.
He learned so quickly.
Like shooting a gun and hiding from bullets is something
boys just know how to do.
Hmm.

Time Out's over.

Rube's back in the game.

Instant smile.

Tears?  What tears?

 

Pete found a new place of protection on the stairs.

Fun, fun.
I see this in our tomorrow.

Early.

Like, I'll probably be awoken to the

shoom, shoom, shoom sound effects.

Thanks to our friends the Duncans

for providing our boys with this manly man training.

Blah

No blogging today.

On account that I'm grumpy.