Joy

A few weeks ago, I took both boys to church by myself. It was a feat that required AJ's maturity to sit in a pew by himself for large portions of Mass while I was busy making friends throughout the entire church with Teddy. It happened to be Gaudete Sunday, which celebrates joy. I heard enough of the homily that it resonated soundly with me.

The first takeaway for me was that the version of Gaudete means to rejoice in the command form. It's not an option only when we feel like it but a command to find the joy always. Not just when things are easy. Not just when your child sits nicely through church. Not when everything is great. Instead, always find what is great in everything and rejoice in that.

The second, though, that really hit home was the quote from Pierre Teilard de Chardin:

"Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God."

One of the things that we've found in common with other parents of CDG-PIGN kiddos is the extreme happiness of our children. They are the most exuberantly happy children (unless they aren't, of course). In fact, one of the girl's nickname is Joyful Julia.

If you know Teddy, you know what I'm talking about. That ear-to-ear grin with dimples all the way simply because he embraces the happiness of the moment, whether that's seeing someone he loves, sharing the fun of something incredible (like his toy vacuum) with another person or doing something incredible like playing with AJ, rolling around with me, being tickled by Dave or something else that others might find ordinary. Teddy lives life fully with joy.

So I nearly teared up in church as I snuggled Teddy (to hold him still for just a moment) and said, "That's you, buddy. You're proof of God's presence every day."

And then I missed the rest of the homily because we had an usher we had to go visit. But at least I heard enough.

Widows' Weekend

In Wisconsin, hunting season is a strong tradition. Although I've hunted in the past, I don't sit still well at all, so I hadn't hunted for most of the years prior to having our children. (And now with children, sitting alone in the woods for hours on end suddenly sounds much more appealing.)

Every year, though, I'd make my way to my parents' house with the boys usually after opening weekend and spend the week there until Thanksgiving evening. We'd bake, cook and entertain our family and friends who were hunting. This year, though, is the first that the boys are in school, so that week-long stay isn't really an option (that and Teddy's genetics appointment in Milwaukee Wednesday morning).

So we spent this weekend (known as Widows' Weekend because of all the men hunting and wives left behind ... although plenty of women hunt) hanging around Oshkosh. There was a Grinchmas celebration yesterday, so we spent the better part of our day enjoying that.

Really talented face painter!

We went to breakfast with the Grinch, and both boys enjoyed it thoroughly in their own ways. AJ thought he was all cool eating the roast beast (ham), and Teddy played under the tablecloth, tried to kick the table over, tried to knock his chair over and still enjoyed the food.

This is how you eat, right?

 We got our picture taken with the Grinch, and Teddy was not a fan. He broke down in tears, even on my lap. I may have been laughing, and AJ was keeping his cautious distance from the Grinch. If only Dave were in the picture, I think it would be our Christmas card photo.

One of my favorite pictures of me and the boys!

Then AJ got his face painted while Teddy checked out the coat room. There was no one in the coat room, and it worked out perfectly to let Teddy do his thing while AJ got his cool Grinch face painting.

Teddy hanging in the coat room.

After a break at home for a nap (since we were all up before 5, Teddy kindly obliged and took a snooze) and lunch, we headed into the chilly weather for a horse-drawn wagon ride. The line was long and slow, but both boys were perfectly content watching the crowd, the dancers and everything else. I was impressed ... and thankful ... they waited so well for nearly an hour. The wagon ride was everything AJ hoped it would be, and Teddy had fun, too.

It was in the 60s the day before ... 30s for the Grinchmas celebration.

Sometimes, when Dave is gone, it's worth the extra effort and hassle to do these things to make the days more enjoyable. I know that means I should take the boys to the Children's Museum today, but we'll see if I'm up for that challenge. I already managed church, which is a rare feat, especially 1 adult to 2 children. Despite Teddy wiggling around, crawling under the pew, walking around the front of the pew and laying on the floor ... in addition to standing, sitting, eating snack, drinking his drink, being held and everything else ... the lady behind us afterward said the boys were well behaved and did great. I laughed and apologized for the entertainment we provided, and she said she'd much rather we be present than stay at home. That kind of encouragement makes it much easier to struggle through the service, and I'm grateful for it.

Now, when will Dave be home? I mean, it's nearly 10 ... a.m.

Gratitude

Dave had to leave early for a work trip, which meant we either skipped church or I took the boys solo. At the last minute, we decided to head to 11 a.m. mass. (And by we, I mean, AJ didn't overly protest when I said that's what we were going to do.)

Teddy wasn't in agreement with this plan and fought me from the minute we arrived. Nothing held his attention for more than a minute, and he wanted to be everywhere except by me. When we finally got to the sign of peace, the lady next to us kindly offered her hand for Teddy to shake. And he grabbed hold and wouldn't let go.

Her response made it worth making the effort to attend church. She asked if Teddy would like to go by her for a bit. She held out her arms, and Teddy flung himself into them. She held him, flipped through the song book with him and had her wonderful teenage son smiling and making Teddy grin. For the first time since we got to church, Teddy was happy. Those 5 minutes or so gave me the opportunity to be grateful.

So to the lady who held Teddy, thank you! I mouthed that to you when Teddy came back to me, but I didn't push my luck with squirming Teddy and left church immediately after communion. I missed the opportunity to properly thank the woman who made church more meaningful for me today than the homily, which I barely heard while juggling Teddy.

And to the woman who came to church with 4 little ones all by herself, you amaze me.