Quick Update

(Thanks for the inspiration, Megan)

Today we took the kids to church with my parents. I don't take them to church very often, being a germaphobe and a generally lazy person. The last time we went, there was a parish picnic afterwards, with bouncy houses and train rides and music and a bunch of cute girls, so now anytime the word church is mentioned Brendan's eyes light up and he says how he likes church and the big party afterward. Some outtakes from Mass this morning (good thing we sat up near the front):

- Brendan, shouting (well to me it's shouting, to Brendan it's just the normal volume of his voice) matter-of-factly midway through the priest's homily, "Mom, I'm not having any fun"

- Brendan, looking up at the larger-than-life-sized statue of Jesus hanging above the alter, "What's that womans doing up there, Mommy?" "That's not a woman Brendan, it's Jesus." "Oh. Well how's he going to get down from there?"

- Brendan and Liam singing at the top of their lungs. One, we're Catholic and nobody else sings. Two, they don't know the words to any of the songs, so they're just singing gibberish mostly out of key. Doesn't bother them at all.

- Brendan moving the carseat and my purse away from the woman sitting next to us in the pew, giving her a very stern look and telling me, "I don't want her to steal this. This is ours." Throughout the entire rest of the Mass he kept glancing over at her and squinting his eyes accusatorily.

At one point my Dad tried to have Liam come stand next to him and Liam squirmed away. Later I asked him what he was doing and why he didn't stand near Grandpa. He said he thought Grandpa was trying to make him walk up the path (aisle.)

Fortunately we passed a cemetery on the way home and for the first time ever Liam noticed it and asked me what it was. "So, they bury your whole body except your bones?" "No, they bury your bones too." "Oh, so everything except your skull?" "No, every single thing, including your skull. Just not your soul." "Well how could they not bury your soul?" At one point I told him how my mom's mom and dad died and their souls are in heaven but their bodies are in a cemetery. "What, Great Grandpa M is dead?!" "Yes Liam, that's why you've never met him." "Well I didn't know he was dead, I just thought he lived far away!" Every time the conversation veered toward Heaven or God, Liam would make sure we brought it back to which parts of your body will and will not get buried. After about 35 minutes of this conversation we came to a stalemate. I'm sure Liam's going to have great dreams tonight.