The kids didn't wake up until quarter to 8 yesterday, which was the most amazing surprise ever and they were so rested and happy when they woke up. I was worried that since they had a (kind of) late bed time the previous night that they'd wake up earlier and be grumpy for the day. Nope!
BUT, them waking up so late meant that we needed to pedal to the metal because our church starts at 9:15 and it's no easy feet to do all the morning routine stuff in just over an hour with two kids. There are diapers to change, potties to run to, breakfast to have, and always a fight to put on church clothes with Joey. And a whole lot of nagging to get Stuart to hurry up. I used to get the raw end of the deal, which meant no shower, no time to find anything decent to wear, and hurrying everyone out the door and feeling super grumpy.
I don't let that happen to me anymore. I go and have a five minute shower close to the time we leave and assign a job to Stuart for one of the kids. (ie get Joey dressed or get the diaper bag ready) and spend a couple of minutes picking out what I want to wear. Make-up is always done in the car. and I go to church feeling somewhat put together and guess what? It feels fricken great. When I look in a mirror after I go to the bathroom, I think to myself "dayum, girl!" instead of "omg look at my hair."
It's so important for me to spend a little bit of time getting myself ready. Honestly, that usually just means showering and not putting on the clothes I find on the floor. It sounds so simple, but with two toddlers in the house, it is a daily effort.
Anyway, my outfit was adorable yesterday and I felt good.
We had the best time at church. I. LOVE. church. I've always loved church. No matter what season of life I'm in, no matter how I'm feeling when I get to church, being at church is... the best. I love being challenged in my faith and challenged to live better, be kinder, and love others. Having this weekly reminder that I'm not alone in my struggles and be with a group of people who are all trying to be men and women after God's own heart inspires me and energizes me for the week ahead.
After church, Stuart and I went to a class called 'Alter Ego' omg the most lame pun-name of all time. But, it was an awesome class that just wrapped up yesterday. We've been going to it every other week because on alternating weeks we volunteer in the two's room. It's nice because it's not such a formal setting. You sit at tables of 8, eat breakfast together, then listen to a talk and have a discussion and then pray together. I think going to classes at church is so important for that reason. You get to know a variety of people on a deeper level and form such a great community through it. In my opinion, there are not many things more intimate than praying with someone. It's powerfully intimate.
After the class, we picked up our little sweeties. I never realize how much I've missed them until I pick them up from nursery/class. Frankie is so funny. She sees us and starts walking the other way! She loves nursery! It's so cute! There are these two dog stuffed animals there that she apparently finds as soon as we drop her off and clutches for the next three hours in someones lap. :) one year old's are the cutest.
Picking up Joey, his teacher told us that he was crazy good and that he had been an awesome listener (we never really get any report of how he did when we pick him up. Just that 'Joey is so sweet.' or whatever) and that he'd earned a 'super star kid' sticker. We were so proud of him!!
The kids are always starving when we pick them up from second service because they've been in their respective classes for 3 hours and had two tiny snacks. I've started bringing big snacks for them and feeding them in the lobby before we get into the car, because otherwise it's crying and whining all the way home. As I shoved muffin and grapes into Joey's mouth and fig bar into Frankie's, the two of them played together so nicely in the water fountain. Normally I wouldn't let them, but no one was around and they were being so sweet with each other that I didn't care.
When we got home, it was bottle and bed for Frankie, and four books, a bowl of grapes, and bed for Joey. I always sing Joey the National Anthem before nap (US) and now he sings right along with me and he has the cutest singing voice of all time. The only thing he does silly is at the end of the song he always sings "the land of the duckies, and the home of the pigeons" which is hilarious and I always sing that version, too.
For the past few days, I've been doing the Pledge of Allegiance before nap, too because they do it at Cubbies at the beginning of every club night and Joey was asking me about it. Since he only was doing it once a week, he wasn't memorizing it and all the big kids were saying it, so he wanted to learn it, too. At Awanas, all the groups meet in the courtyard and stand in a big square. Cubbies are obviously the youngest, and it goes all the way up to 6th grade (I think). Anyway, they always have these adorable opening ceremonies every week where two people come out with flags: one American flag, and one Awanas flag. Then the whole group says the Pledge of Allegiance, and then the Awanas Pledge. I don't know the Awanas pledge yet, but that's the next one I'll teach Joey.
Yesterday at nap time after we had done the anthem together, Joey said the Pledge of Allegiance all by himself and it was the. cutest. most. grown up sounding. thing. ever.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America -
And to the republic for which it stands.
One nation - Under God
Indivisible -
With liberty - and Justice - For all."
And he leaves dramatic pauses where I put those lines because that's how I'd been saying it in a super stoic voice when I say it to him. Adorable! My little American boy.
Frankie napped for FOUR HOURS and Joey napped for THREE AND A HALF HOURS. It. was. awesome. I had an ultra long bath, hung out with Stuart, and bummed around watching TV and eating corn chips. The perfect afternoon of all time for a pregnant person.
Stuart started installing our new ultra thin car seats to see if they would fit three across in our tiny Mazda 3. We don't want to buy a new vehicle right now. Not because we don't have the money. Because it's SO annoying to care about a vehicle and have to go test drive stuff and blah blah blah, so we want to avoid it at all costs for as long as humanly possible haha.
He thinks we're going to be able to fit three across, which is amazing!!! and is going to be ultra crazy to try and get a newborn, less than 2 year old, and three year old all in there each time we go out. I just assume we'll be going out a whole lot less than we do right now, which I'm totally okay with.
Having a new baby sounds so exciting and fun and I know Frankie will be such a good sister and Joey, at the nice age he's at, will be such a great big brother! Ahhh, it makes me tear up just thinking about this sweet little family of ours.
When the kids woke up, we decided to go to home group at a friend/pastor's house. There's always dinner and they have two boys with awesome toys. They have cars from Cars, guys. Joey's obsessed. It didn't take any convincing on his end. I made a cookie bar and Joey helped me peel a million tiny Rolo's and little Reeces cups to chop up because we didn't have any chocolate chips in the house. On the way there we bought some ice cream, and off we went.
Some guy from China had brought an awesome noodle dish that he made and it was a little spicy, but that didn't stop Frankie from devouring it. The only problem was that the noodles were super long. She was hilarious eating it.
Joey's dinner consisted of egg rolls and taquitos because he refused to eat anything else. Annnnd I was there to hang out with the adults, so what did I care? I met this girl there that's giving a TED Talk this week! How cool is that?!
Matt and Sarah (whose house home group was it) are super nice and I really like hanging out with them. The only downside of making friends with pastor-y people from church is that they're r-e-a-l-l-y busy and probs don't have a lot of time to hang out because they're always doing ministry/outreaches. BUT, Sarah is a runner and she used to ask me intermittently to train with her and I was always either pregnant or had a tiny baby. And now is no exception. I'm hoping to run with her a bunch next summer after this baby is born because it would be really nice to have a close Christian girlfriend. That's one thing I really miss out here. I have a lot of good friends, but none that I can connect with on that level. It's just a different type of friendship. And I miss it.
Anyway! We were there until so late! The kids didn't get to sleep until nine!! After that, I finally watched (most of) the third presidential debate and then it was off to bed! :)
The end.
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