the Smith's go to church.

anddddd Rocky puked on Jacob - it wasn't that much puke;). anddddd Homer said 'butt-crack' and cried when the 'scary lady' asked him to participate in collecting the donations. Not entirely sure where Theo was in all of this?!;)
So basically, we nailed our first night at church;)

guys. We went to Church. For the first time...as a family:) It's something that's been on my mind for some time now. Since Homer's gotten a little older and especially since we made the decision to send him to the private Catholic school in the fall - he'll be in kindergarten, full days, starting in September. So there's that!!!!. And a few other things, like feeling more like a grown-up these last few years and feeling like I want to find a place in my community and...I don't know?! I don't know what it is I'm looking to get out of this, if anything...but I felt compelled to go. And I'm glad I have a husband that supports that, even if going really isn't something he felt compelled to do:)

soooooo, we're not Catholic. And we're not especially religious. We have our beliefs and we can appreciate what the Catholic school brings to the table for Homer. Jacob and I both feel like the class sizes and the opportunity for Homer to get more attention and help or discipline, if needed, just seemed appealing and right for him and his personality. We feel super lucky that it's even an option. And really only an option because I've been diligent enough to set aside what will be needed for his tuition, over the course of the last year.

sooooo, we're not Catholic. Courtney is. She converted when she married Dave, 15 years ago. Jacob is as well, but was never Confirmed. 
My sisters and I were baptized Methodist. There have been times in our lives that we attended church but not locally and not very often. BUT being Methodist is something I feel proud to be. I feel like it's a good fit for me and any time I have attended a Methodist mass, I felt like it suited who I am and what I believe. 

because Homer will be attending a Catholic school, he'll be attending mass weekly with the rest of the students. He will be taught about that Catholic religion. I respect those beliefs and we're comfortable with Homer learning about that. But mine and Jacob's beliefs don't fully align with those of the Catholic church. SO what we hope to do, by attending the Methodist church weekly, is to introduce the kids to another religion. Eventually, they'll decide what works for them and what doesn't. 

and I'm actually kinda excited to learn about the Catholic religion right along with Homer. Right now we listen to him and his 6YR old cousin argue debate about Jesus vs. God and whether the world is flat or round...it's pretty adorable listening to them and hearing that they already have such strong convictions at such a young age. Good lord, they really are sponges:)

blah, blah, blah...Catholic, Methodist...round, flat...God, evolution...potatoes, poe-ta-toes, right?;)

when we came home from Church tonight and talked about how we could be better church-goers next time - by not being sassy out of our mouths or on our faces;) - and talked about what we had heard and learned....Homer said that he felt like crying...not because he was sad, but because "I was so happy to know that Jesus is all around us":) 

a part of me hates the growing-up thing and the learning new things, thingggggg the kids are constantly doing! But more than that, I love who they are becoming and I love that moment AFTER the sassy mouth and the sassy face, when I doubt anything I'm trying to do is sinking in...that moment AFTER that, when he says something that makes me think it's all gonna be okay:)

so whether you go to church or don't or believe or don't...I really have nothing to say about that. Tonight was Night1 for us. We're trying church on. We're going to see if it's a good fit. Theo said she liked the songs:) And Rocky threw a toy across 2 pews - the kid has a great arm!;). What I do like, is us going together. And even though Jacob and I are mid-fight right now - which meant we walked there in silence and let the kids sit between us - for the 5 total minutes we were actually able to listen to what was being said...and exchange a smirk/glance when the guy a few pews up sang like his life depended on it;)...we silently pulled our shit together:) So maybe church isn't all bad;)

we live 2 blocks from church, so walking is the obvious choice:)