Church

Friday afternoon as the hurricane approached, we were stuck inside.  By we, I mean me and five children.  Five. Inside.  All afternoon.  They were actually very good and I enjoyed my time with them even if it meant a lot of extra laundry and crawling around on my hands and knees picking up popcorn kernels.  After they grew tired of the forts we made in the den, they disappeared into the living room.  I walked by and found Sam, Landry and Cannon on the couch, deep in conversation.  Sam called me into the room and told me they were "playing church."  He instructed me that I was the preacher and that I needed to go get his "story bible" from his room and come back.  I took my orders and went to find the bible.  I returned and was instructed to sit on the other couch and "preach."  Given the outside conditions, I felt it was only appropriate to "preach" on Noah building the ark.  I watched them from behind my book and soon realized they were pretending to be a family.  Sam and Landry were the parents and Cannon was their baby.  Cannon sat between them completely focused and well behaved.  And then, like "babies" do, he began to fuss and whine (as he was instructed to do by his parents).  Sam stood up, looked at me and said, "Um, excuse me, my baby is being real fussy so I need to take him to the nursery."  "Okay, sure," I replied.  I stopped my sermon so he could escort his unruly baby to the nursery (the kitchen table).  Sam came back in, sat on the couch and said, "Okay, go ahead and preach again."  I wrapped up my sermon and was told we needed to sing before church could be over.  I led my congregation in a rousing rendition of "Jesus Loves Me." 

Cannon's "parents" got him all dressed up for church.  They dressed him in Jack's clothes that were ridiculously too small, but he sure looked handsome in his red, white and blue getup.  Too bad he misbehaved and was banished to the "nursery."

The "parents," who were far too embarrased to have their picture taken together.

Sam is clearly a Republican who embraces his right to take a gun to church.

And this is our choir director.  He only showed up for the service when it was time to sing.  He led the members by climbing on top of the coffee table and breaking it down, pumping his arms and showing off a new swerve move.

And then just a quickly as "church" had begun, it was over.