Adventure Sunday

Sunday afternoon, Mandy and Bill took the kids to a farm stand about 2 miles from here and came home with a pumpkin for each of the kids. Funny, isn't it, how a little adventure like that really gets the kids so excited over something as simple as a nice little pumpkin.

Sunday morning saw us doing something really new though -and for us, quite adventuresome too! Mandy and I took both Kurtis and Maya to church with us!

When Maya was a newborn -two weeks old -we started taking her to church with us and did that until May 0f 2006. She had done fine, was learning to behave a little bit, to sit fairly quietly throughout the service and we were really pleased with her progress about that.

However, when Kurtis was three weeks old and we decided to go to an evening service, all that peace and quiet -and attending church too for Maya -came to a halt when she went into a mini-meltdown as we drove into the church parking lot and then, escalated to a major meltdown as soon as we set foot inside the narthex of the church. From that day on, and for the next thirteen months, Maya stayed home while we went to church! She was, for whatever reason we will probably never know, terrified of the church!

But a year ago this past June, we managed to take her to a service and she did fairly well. Since then, she has been going to church with Mommy and Gram and getting better and better at her behavior most all the time too. However, Kurtis has been a horse of a different color -and because he is loud -really, really loud -doesn't care much for being restrained much of the time and well, pretty unreliable, we have always left him at home to sleep and Daddy would get him his breakfast when he woke up, in his own good time ya know.

However, this Sunday, Bill had things he wanted and needed to do, fairly early in the morning and Mandy debated initially if one of us would go to services, take Maya and the other stay home with Kurtis or if we could possibly give it a shot to take him with us.

We decided this day had to come sooner or later and may as well try to tackle the issues head-on and do it now. So, off we went with both kids in tow! We took two vehicles too because Mandy had to stay after church with Maya for Sunday School so when we went out to church, Maya rode out with me but after church, I took Kurtis, went to get the Sunday paper and a few groceries we needed and came home.

Kurtis did pretty good, all things considered. No, he didn't last the entire service in the sanctuary but when he started to get a little loud, Mandy just got up and took him out to the narthex or down to the library where they do have a speaker and you can sit there and hear the service while keeping little kids there so they dont disrupt the sermon and songs, etc., for other parishioners. She took him out twice and then managed to come back in with him in time for communion and then the recessional hymn.

At home -as well as in public -Kurtis is much different than Maya was though around people -be it family members he knows really well or strangers, his reactions to them can vary by the minute. One time, all smiles and friendly and in the beat of the heart, he can turn to being as miserable as can be, crying, screaming and not wanting anyone, regardless WHO it is, to touch him or speak to him. Today, he was apparently in one of his better moods, as he didn't immediately turn away from anyone who tried to say hello to him and kick, scream and rant but instead was very pleasant and friendly. Yay, yay! First church service was, all told, a success then!

Mandy was a bit worried though how Maya would react if she had to get up and take Kurtis out during the service but, ever the optimist, I said I thought she was doing well enough with church now that she wouldn't have a hissy fit if Mandy disappeared and that I would be able to keep her with me and also, keep her occupied and quiet.

Well, that sort of worked. She stayed with me -only giving a bit of a questioning look when Mandy took Kurtis out the first time. Then in a few minutes, she started to talk to me, asking me where they went and why. So I was trying to whisper my answers to her and keep her occupied with her coloring tablet and such. Usually, during the service, she has learned to try to whisper -well, as much as it is possible for Maya to whisper, that is -but this morning, she would usually only semi-whisper her questions and then, after thinking over my answers, would make her responses to me in a much louder voice.

Whisphered by Maya -"Where'd Mommy 'n Kurt go?" - Gram's response: "Mommy took Kurtis out because he doesn't understand how to be quiet in church and you know, we have to be quiet, and whisper." Maya -in a louder voice "I wanna be noisy too." And a little later, she asked again where Mommy and Kurtis were and I told her that Kurtis wants to run around and we can't do that in church. Again, in a voice well over a whisper, "Well, I wanna run around too!"

It was a very nice service today though -and a special event within our church too as it was Confirmation Sunday with three young people being confirmed today. One was the grandson of our neighbors down the street, another was a young man from the adjacent village to ours and the third, was the Kylie, the daughter of our next-door-neighbor and a young girl who Maya knows quite well as Kylie frequently would be over here with Katie. The kids did their parts in the service with no problems and after church, there was also a special cake in their honor too.

Walking out, after the end of the service, I glanced arouind us and didn't see Maya anywhere so asked Mandy where she was. Mandy said "Oh, she's over there" -pointing to the narthex -"with Alena and Oscar!" I always have to giggle when we mention "Oscar" who is our next-door neighbor's daughter's boyfriend because you see, his name is actually Chris but for some reason, unknown to any of us, from the first time Maya ever met him, no matter how many times we have told her his name and such, she always insists on calling him "Oscar." Fortunately, he's a very good sport about it, doesn't seem to mind at all her own name for him and for that matter, on some occasions in church when she has been restless, if she saw Alena and Chris there, she would leave Mandy and I and go sit between them.

We had a nice supper tonight -roast beef with kluski noodles cooked in the gravy and with the meat, plus a real treat for Mandy, my son and me -baked acorn squash! That's a vegetable my son-in-law isn't crazy about but Clate, Mandy and I love it! So we were able to really pig out on the squash since Bill didn't indulge in any of it which left of course, that much more for the rest of us to enjoy.

After supper, I had intended to sit and watch tv a while and work on my tablecloth I am embroidering however, my body decided differently for me and I promptly fell asleep in the recliner. I woke up after sleeping in the chair for about 3 hours to Mandy taking a picture but her focus wasn't on me -thank you very much for that small favor, dear daughter -but rather of Chino, the kitten, who was sleeping with me -laying on my outstreched legs as you can maybe see by these photos.




Yeah, Chino was totally relaxed, sound asleep and slept through all the picture taking done by Mandy!

Here's a couple other photos now too that Mandy took this afternoon while the kids were out in the yard, enjoying the fall weather while it lasts!



I just love this picture of Kurtis - his little sweater with the shirt underneath -looking so cute and very preppy!

Hope you all enjoyed a nice autumn Sunday with your families as I did!

Now, judging by the weather forecasts for the coming week, winter is about to arrive as snow is being predicted here sometime over the next two days or so. I doubt it will be any accumulation or anything like that -just a warning of what's around the corner for us though perhaps.