Sunday Dinner

When Sean and I started our family, we wanted to have certain holidays that we protected for "just us," meaning we would choose to stay home as opposed to traveling to see extended family.  The Sunday celebrating the Resurrection of Christ is one of those holidays.  As our family has grown over the years, we have sought different ways to start traditions to celebrate this important day.

This year, we found ourselves at home have family dinner around the pot roast that had been cooking all day.  I think many mothers have dreams of quiet family dinners with fun and lively conversation.  Maybe a little manners instruction thrown in.  Certainly a civilized atmosphere with warm, fuzzy family memories being shared. I am sure these sorts of dinners happen at someone's dinner table.

They do not happen at mine.

Here is a small glimpse of what we experienced tonight at Resurrection Sunday Dinner:

- Joshua came to the table dressed as Optimus Prime.

- Anna came as Snow White.

- Matthew, upon being seated at the table, took one look at the sweet potatoes and yelled "YEEECCHH!"

- We had allowed the kids to make a tent for lunch, which meant the dining room table was covered in a red bed sheet.  Rather than take it off, we decide to leave it as a tablecloth.

- I served portions of food to each child.  Only 1/3 children ate any of it.

- Anna asked "Would you like me to tell you a story?"  Hoping to direct our attention back to what the day was supposed to celebrate, I said, "Actually, I'd like us to tell the story of the Resurrection."  Anna said "OK!"  and proceeded with the following story:

"Once upon a time there was a Resurrection Sunday.  There were three kids named Joshua, Anna, and Matthew.  When we woke up, we got lots of presents and drew pictures on the windows and ate candy.  Then they all sat down to dinner.  The end.  Wasn't that a good story?"

- While Anna told that story, Matthew climbed down from the table, retrieved his large green dinosaur, brought it back to the dinner table, and proceeded to make it eat my arm.

- After Anna was finished, Joshua decided to tell the real story of the Resurrection.  However, someone must have been charging him per word, because he told the shortest version of the story EVER.

- While Joshua was telling his story, Anna suddenly appeared with Woody from Toy Story, who then accented Joshua's story by spontaneously yelling "THERE'S A SNAKE IN MY BOOT!"

- Matthew then got a hold of Woody and make him dance against the back rails of his chair, thus adding a loud CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK to the cacophony of sound.


- Sean, in an attempt to bring the conversation back around to Jesus, asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was.  Joshua's answer was "the gravy!"  (We had a biscuits and gravy breakfast at church this morning.)  Anna's was "smelling my feet!"  (I have no explanation for that one.)

- All three children started singing "DAYENU!" at the top of their lungs.  This is a Passover song we learned at church years ago that we sung last Friday night at our church family Passover meal.  It is loud and highly repetitive. 

And to top it all off...the roast was dry.

And you know what?  I don't care.  I love my family.  I love the joy that He has given us.  I love that my children are growing up with the knowledge of who Christ is and what He's done for us.  I love that we have the opportunity to have family dinner and share in the mayhem together.

And if that means Optimus Prime comes to my Sunday Dinner...then it's worth it.  It's worth it all.

Happy Resurrection Day everyone!

Conversation

Joshua: "Daddy, why did Jonah go to Tarshish?"
Sean: "He was running away from where God told him to go."
Anna: "I will go to Ninevah if God tells me to!"

I love my kids.