Ready for church!

Two cuties ready for church!

Isn't she the sweetest! We love to watch these babies of ours wear the clothes our older two wore....we distinctly remember Reagan being JUST as cute in this dress the Easter we were in Quantico, VA. That year for Easter we thought we'd just pick a random church and go......little did we realize (ok, we realized, but it would have been rude at that point to turn and leave) that we had walked into a VERY Southern Tabernacle Church. It was memorable, to say the least......some highlights were: Reagan shouting "hallelujah!" and shaking a tamberine coping all of the animated black women in the church, the fact that we were definitely the minority, which didn't bother any of us, yet it did give us a new perspective. The fact that Kelly Attwood who came with us (along with his wife Kristina) had JUST shaved his head, so there he sat with a big bald white head in the middle of this very African American centered church....shaving his head had 'seemed' like an ok idea the day before...lol. Good grief that was years ago but we still remember that day like it was yesterday! To top it off Reagan decided to take her dark skinned baby doll that day, fine and dandy until she pulled the head off during the service....all in all the church members thanked us for coming and asked us back!

I'll happily report that Addison wore the dress to a Southern Baptist church as well, Temple Baptist Church, where we go and LOVE. TBC....broke from the Tabernacle side of things in the 1950's....so they tell me. Whatever that means!

Religion as always been an unspoken (ok, perhaps not so unspoken) bone of contention between Scott and me, having grown up with two different religions as kids. Before we married I considered converting to Catholicism but decided to be true to myself and my heart and realized that doing so (converting) would be to solely please others, which I thankfully decided wasn't a valid reason.

Many discussions, 15 years together, nearly 12 years married and four kids later......we've concluded that we don't really like or need a "label" for our religious preference. We are Christians, simple as that. We've found a church that teaches the Bible, with a preacher that teaches from not only His word, but his own personal life experiences (which we find VERY important) and that has awesome music.

Temple Baptist Church has a wonderful children's ministry and an even more wonderful Women's ministry. I attend MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) and a Bible Study on alternating Mondays. I can truthfully say it has saved me from myself. Daycare and breakfast are provided on Mondays for these things and it is while Brett is at their preschool. Adult conversation, spiritual and life guidance and friendships are a bonus, as well. I LOVE it!

On Sundays the babies go to the nursery and the older two each go to Sunday school and enjoy it thoroughly, while Scott and I attend the service in peace together. I feel we are in a good place....it was something that has been missing from our routine (not our home or our hearts). We decided that we were doing our kids an injustice by not attending church regularly and letting them experience Sunday School and the church community we got to as kids.

We made the right choice. I know this because I am happy and because I have not yet gotten through a song set on a Sunday morning with a dry eye...it's that awesome. I know because Reagan says she wishes everyday was Sunday! I know because Brett (who tells on himself often) told me the other day he needed to tell me what he did....preparing for the worst (such as I broke this or that) he told me this, "Mom, this morning when I woke up I got on my knees and prayed." I then listened to him repeat his prayer....so incredibly pure, innocent and sweet.

Well, I didn't start out with the intentions of this being a confession of faith, but I guess it was. My new favorite quote..."I'd rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is." Albert Camus

Amen.