want to hear something hilarious?

My church is having a yard sale tomorrow and so I spent all day assisting with the sorting and pricing. I had some boxes left over from the yard sale my family had in June and since my items were already priced other people were taking the things out of the boxes and putting on the table.

So I totally forgot all about this:

(This is not me. Image from here) I never looked this put together with newborn twins. Plus my stomach, post twins looks nothing like this unfortunately. 

My hands free nursing bra from back in the early days of Eli & Emerson's life. I pumped exclusively for about the first 6 months and I was pumping 18-12 times a day. So this (as awkward looking as it is) was a life savor for me.  

However, to the untrained eye it just looks like a really inappropriate bra with strategically placed holes. As we were arranging the tables one of my parishioners picked it up and exclaimed, "What in the heck is this?"

I about died laughing. Because it's incredibly awkward and um... just weird looking. Even I think so, but it's an incredibly valuable tool for the pumping mother.

Then another parishioner grabbed it and put it on her face and said, "Maybe it's a mask?"

Bwhahahah again I about died. I explained the purpose of the bra, and they both looked relieved and then suggested and I label it with specific information as to its function. So I did with a really large tag.

There was a time in my life with this would have been embarrassing for me but these days I don't care. I just thought the entire thing was hilarious. It's a weird looking item of clothing, I don't blame them for giving it the side eye. (But it was also expensive almost $30 so I really do hope some other young mother can get some use out of it). 

I can only imagine what kinds of initial thoughts they must have had about me, their pastor, upon first seeing the item. 

Cooking with Gram...

Last weekend when my in-laws were here my Mother in law baked chocolate chip cookies with Eli & Emerson. Well, actually mostly just Emmy. Eli has a much shorter attention span, plus he doesn't really like getting things on his hands (and so after dumping in the brown sugar he was kind of over it). Emmy was adorable though. Sitting on the counter in her, apron (which I made in 7th grade home ec.) cooking with her gram.

Cooking with Gram

A deep love...

My very first love in life is books. I can't remember a time in my life without books, they're just a part of who I am. When I'm upset, sad, or having a bad day I turn to my books for rejuvenation. (This sometimes leads to accidental orders from Amazon).

Marcus also knows this about me and so throughout our married life on several occasions he has surprised me with a novel. This is way better than flowers. I'll take a new book any day. While in the hospital on bedrest with Eli & Emerson I often sent Marcus on hunts in my schools libraries, he even went to a book signing for me at my request.

I recently started reading The Shadow of the Wing by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'm literally only a few pages into it but I'm already in love. A book about books what could be better. In just the first chapter alone there are already so many amazing quotes.

So I'm going to share a few with you now because after my day (see previous post) I need something that brings me joy.

"I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day" (4).

"Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens" (6).

"In this shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody's best friend" (6).

"Under the warm light cast by the reading lamp, I was plunged into a new world of images and sensations, peopled by characters who seemed as real to me as my room. Page after page I let the spell of the story and is world take me over, until the breath of dawn touched my window and my tired eyes slid over the last page" (7).

"Once, in my fathers bookshop, I heard a regular customer say that few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of the words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory to which, sooner or later-- no mater how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget-- we will return" (8).

*sigh* beautiful.

This is one book that I actually wish I could read in its original language. If only my spanish were up for such a task.

Estoy Frustrado...

On August 12th we went to the doctor to get a referral to an eye doctor for Emmy because her left eye turns in. We followed all the proper procedures and hoops for our insurance. Went to that ridiculous doctor, waited forever, and got a referral. (Or so I thought).

Today, almost a month later was Emmy's eye appointment. We loaded up the car, got to the doctor, checked in, only to be told that Emmy couldn't be seen because she didn't have a referral. What!! The doctor we saw on August 12th set up this appointment for us. The entire purpose of that appointment was to get a referral per our insurance, and yet a month later only at the time of the appointment we find out they didn't actually send a referral at all.

It was a lovely way to waste an hour. So now we get to go back to the doctor again and repeat the exact same thing we did on August 12th and hope we get an actual, proper, referral this time. I'm so over health care BS. It should not be this difficult. My 2 year old daughter has an eye that crosses-inward. Who knows how that's affecting her but it's getting worse. We need someone to see her.

We already rescheduled with the eye doctor without the referral because if we didn't book today we were looking at a wait time into December. As it is her next eye doctor appointment is October 31st.

Then as an added bonus our tire was flat from two nails. So we waited over an hour for our tire repair.

Fun times today.

Learning to be a pastor...

I spent yesterday and today at my denominations conference center getting an "orientation" on being a new pastor. Ever the student, I was the awkward person asking all the questions (how is it possible other people didn't have questions)?

I actually had a lot of questions about all the "grown up" stuff like pensions, retirement accounts, health insurance, social security, finances of the church, where my role is in all of that. So much information to figure out. Besides I figured they were inviting questions about such things and I just happen to have a few handy.

I ended up getting to connect with some other young clergy, which I really love. The average age for pastors in my denomination is around 57 (I think it's possible I made that number up but the avg. age is much older than I am), so it's nice to find other young clergy to talk too. Overall, not a bad way to spend a couple of days. I do like clarity and information (it's just how I operate) so I appreciate forums to learn and ask questions as I can figure it all out.

And since this is a post about my job I thought I would post a few pictures from last sunday that my MIL took while I was serving communion.

Children's moment (I've obscured the faces of those children that don't belong to me)

Breaking the bread

The cup.

We use grape juice in my denomination, so whenever I take communion somewhere with wine it's always a shock to the system. I much prefer the grape juice.

A few months ago I took my confirmation class to an Episcopal church for worship. I told them that they use wine and they were all super excited about this (Middle schoolers are funny. Apparently getting alcohol even if it's a tiny bit on a piece of bread is exciting). However, after the fact they all thought the wine tasted horrible. I'm telling you once you're used to grape juice the wine just shocks the system. 

Eli and Emmy after the service hanging out in a pew. 

Labor day Weekend...

We had a good labor day weekend. Marcus parents came to visit this weekend and Eli and Emerson were beyond exciting to have their Gram and Granddad here. They left this morning after breakfast and Eli and Emmy have been asking where they are.

On Saturday we took a drive to a nearby community to attend the local fair.

They did some fishing (Emmy wasn't catching anything so she just reached in and grabbed a fish)

Then they both fell forward. 

Eli and his Granddad looking at some birds

Me and Emmy

Eli & a goat

Eli and a sheep

Emmy seeing a real pig. All day she kept asking for the pigs. 

Another up close look at a pig

Some fair refreshments to cool us down. 

Eli & Emmy went on their first ride. 

Sunday we had church, Emmy and gram made cookies and we just sort of hung around the house. It was a great weekend and it's always nice when the in-laws come to visit. 

Small things...

Just some small things I want to remember or comment about.

Today I found a video on you tube (while search for videos about trains because both Eli & Emmy wanted to watch the "Choo-choos") and I saw an alphabet video.

It went like this, "A is for apple ah, ah apple, B is for Ball buh buh ball... etc etc."

Eli was so intent while watching the video and he kept trying to imitate the words and the sounds. He was really good at "ah ah apple, hu hu hat, and pa pa pig" He was so focused on every sound, letter, and image that came on the screen.

(Just a side note, trying to write the sounds of each letter was an interesting experience for me. I didn't know how to spell them hopefully you get the idea).

Then later he was walking around singing "ah ah apple, ah ah ball" he's so cute.

****
I've recently shared with you what Emerson's crib looks like with all of the stuff she puts in there before bed. Tonight, we overlooked the fact that piggy (her most favorite thing in the world) was not in the crib. She went down okay but then a few minutes later she started crying really really hard. I went in the room and through her tears she whispered, "pig, pig, are you pig"

It was the saddest thing I've ever seen. When I brought piggy into her she was so relieved and laid right back down. Dear lord please never let us lose the pig.