One of the things I love about our church is that they do the music at the end, so after we take communion they bring all of the kids out to worship with their families. It is so sweet to me to be able to include Scarlette in that part of the service. She loves to clap and dance and sing along and after every single song she yells out “IS DERE GONNA BE ANUDDER SONG? ANUDDER SONG IS COMING NEXT?!” I’m pretty sure it’s her favorite part of church, right after snacktime.
I was raised in a fairly strict church culture where we barely even swayed in service but sometimes now I get a little charismatic and raise my hands in the air. I know, right? Me and my rebel ways. During praise and worship I had Scarlette on one hip and the other hand lifted up. I watched as Scarlette raised both of her little hands in the air while singing along enthusiastically. And I was feeling a bit teary eyed, all moved by the moment and such, when she leaned over and whispered “Mommy? Who we waving to wite now?”
♥
KA: Scarlette, what did you learn about at church today?
Scarlette: King Nebundapuhgedder
KA: King Nebuchadnezzar?
SCARLETTE: Yes, dat da one. King Nebuspamebber.
KA: Let’s try again, can you say NEBUCHADNEZZZAR?
SCARLETTE: Nebadaspagezzer.
KA: That’s closer. Nebuchadnezzar.
SCARLETTE: Actuawwy I don’t wike dat name. Dat name too hard. Wet’s just call him King Robert.
Sorry, writers of ancient history. We’re just going to call him Robert.
♥
Scarlette’s Sunday School teachers are always catching me after service to tell me some shocking thing that my child said in class, like that Jesus lives in my underwear drawer. This Sunday her teacher told me that they were talking about listening to your parents and Scarlette piped up with “YEAH! WHEN I DON’T WISTEN TO MY MOMMY SHE SAYS…” and that for a brief moment in time she was slightly terrified about how Scarlette might finish that sentence. Luckily, Scarlette ended with “DAT SHE IS BERY GWUMPY WHEN SHE DOESN’T GET ANY WAFFLES.”
I have no idea what she is even talking about, unless by “waffles” she meant “coffee.” And also her teacher is right. I breathed a huge sigh of relief because let’s be honest: THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH WORSE.
♥
Typically when we get to church the bells ring out to strike the hour. What you can deduce from this is that I almost always barely make it to church on time. You try getting Scarlette ready in the morning, that’s what I am saying. It’s like she feels compelled to do elaborate interpretive dance any time I attempt to put an article of clothing on her body. Anyhow, I don’t even know where the bells come from, the courthouse or the old church building nearby but they are almost always ringing as we walk into our building. Today we were a little bit more than late and missed the bells. Right before we walked in Scarlette stopped and asked “HEY WHERE DOSE BELLS GO?”
So I told her that we must have missed the bells and she said sadly “Yep. I weally gonna miss dose bells.” When I told her that the bells would be there next week she shook her head somberly and said “I don’t fink so, Mommy. I fink dey behind my bed.”
It is slightly possible that the night before I pulled her bed out from the wall and retrieved seven hundred and forty two missing puzzle pieces, nine tiny figurines, all of the plastic easter eggs we own and three of my makeup brushes. And also that she overheard me grumble loudly to J that “behind Scarlette’s bed were ALL THE MISSING THINGS EVER.”
