27 April 2009

Ever wonder?

Sunday mornings in the Otto family are a bit, how do you say, hectic. Getting three children fed, looking their best and in a church pew by 9:15 am is daunting to say the least. And to accomplish this feat as a solo parent is even more of a challenge. Well yesterday was no different. The kiddos and I were doing great, actually got to church early and enjoyed visiting a bit before taking our seats. Then the fun began...

We have a small canvas bag that we affectionately call The Church Bag. It contains coloring books, crayons, Sudoku puzzles, snacks, and other essential time-occupying items for the girls. During the third praise and worship song Shawn hands me the Church Bag and whispers that there is a spider in it. GREAT! I of course want to know what I'm suppose to do with it!! He really didn't know so on the song went. I placed the insect-infested bag on the ground and watched it like a hawk tracking it's prey. Finally the little black fuzzy arachnid made it's way to the top of the bag and I contemplated my next move. Should I stomp the life out of it or just shoo it out of the bag? Interruption: Abby taps me and says she needs The Bag immediately....no, honey, I don't think you do. To say my girls are arachnophobic is an understatement. The scene of two girls screaming their heads off in the front of church kept running thru my head. Plans B, C, & D were readily available in my mind! Then Em saved the day by throwing a small fit which required immediate attention...Shawn was already up sharing the Truth of the Word of God to the flock so he was unavailable to assist in discipling Em so out I went with her and The Bag. Abby was left in charge of the small one laying quietly in the pew. We ducked into Shawn's office and I calmly explained to Em the appropriate behaviour that she should display in church. Then I turned to The Bag and proceeded to hunt down our Furry Friend. After taking care of him with a Kleenex Em gave me this look like "what did HE do in church!". So in case you ever wonder what goes on in the Pastor's Pew....now you know!!

8 comments:

Jamie Truelove said...

hilarious!! I didn't even notice your chaos above our own...that's funny b/c yesterday when Abby and Ave were playing at the playground, they were both looking for spiders on the slides before they climbed up...they even made Jacob go check it out for them...I don't blame them...spiders are disgusting, hairy, creepy little creatures.

Mandi Knepp said...

I love reading your posts! They always put a smile on my face!

Chelsa said...

eww, spiders make me scream too!

Tera said...

Too funny!! I did see you get up and sneak into the office...first I thought you were going to nurse, but then I saw you re-emerge with Em in your hands. You handle pressure well! ;) See you tonight.

Aimee said...

What a funny story. Thanks for sharing. Our little Leah doesn't last 5 minutes in church before being banished . Does Abby really do Sudoku puzzles or are those for you?

Greta said...

Aimee- Yes, Abby figured out how Sudoku works. Every once in a while I'll have to give her a number when she gets stuck. It's great for church because it takes quite a bit of time for her to finish!!

Keyly Watts said...

Hilarious!! But I'm right there with your girls. If I had seen that spider, I would have screamed right in the middle of Shawn's sermon!! SERIOUSLY!!!!

Have a great weekend !

Tonya said...

Time to update your blog .. we are anxious to hear another Otto family story!

Tonya