Weekends Are For

Weekends are for hanging out with big sisters and staying up late.  On Friday night, Isabelle and I caught up on this season of Project Runway and made chocolate chip cookies. River joined in on the party and even showed us his first real smile!  Isabelle is so good with him and it always surprises me how big she looks and how mature she seems when she is holding the baby.  My first baby, now a young lady.  

Weekends are for sleeping in, by infant standards anyway.  With no alarm clocks going off, no school buses to catch, and no schedule to keep, we were all able to sleep in until 7:30 on Saturday: baby included.  What a dream life!  We have a cosleeper for our bed that fits right between Shawn and I but, most nights, River ends up right next to Mama.  Who could resist those lips and that chin dimple?  Certainly not me!

Weekends are for cooking with my husband.  This guy: he's the best friend I could ever hope for.  Going back to work will be hard not only because I will miss the babies but because I will miss spending my days with Shawn.  We have had so much fun together these last few months and I am grateful to have a dude whose company I love so much. Our new favorite past time: waiting until the kids go to sleep to bake a batch of brownies, bring said brownies to the couch, eat and talk and watch whatever we want on TV.  Those are our date nights these days and let me tell you: we cherish them dearly. Someone recently told me: enjoy this time with your husband, even though it seems hectic and crazy and you don't get to be alone very much. Enjoy it anyway because it is special in its own way.  I agree, a million times over I agree.

Weekends are for getting dressed up in your Sunday best and going to Mass as a family. Getting a family of five dressed and out of the house and in our pew by 9:15 am on Sunday is not an easy task by any means but we do it every single week because it is important to us.  We need that spiritual check in every week, we need that time together as a family to be still and present with Christ.  Did you know that Catholic churches do not have nurseries or daycares for children?  That our children sit in the main church and participate in the entire service from the time they are infants?  One of my good friends asked me about this recently, astonished that this was even possible.  How can young children be expected to sit through an hour long church service?  WHY would you even want to do that?  The philosophy my mother always gave me of why we do this: because children are a part of the Mass just as much as adults.  Because they should be allowed to enjoy the celebration of the Eucharist just as much as we should.  Because Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these". Is it possible for them to sit still and behave?  Yes, it most certainly is.  Even though that means I sometimes spend the whole Mass shushing, rocking, giving "mom" eyes, stepping outside, taking potty breaks, etc.  That is my vocation as a mother.  And all of those lessons in discipline and patience are rewarded in moments such as the one we had yesterday when Brees sang "Alleluia!!!" so loud that the entire congregation turned to look at her and smiled and gave her the thumbs up.  I looked down at a sleeping River, Isabelle on the alter serving next to Father, and Brees reciting her Our Father and I knew that we are doing something right.  All of the normal parental guilt aside, we are doing something right.