At week's end, yet again

It is a rather odd Sunday morning around here, the main reason because the G clan is home rather than at usual Sunday morning church. We attended Mass last night and then enjoyed the Knights of Columbus St. Patrick's Day dinner... It was oodles of fun and the kids seemed to have a good time. Of course, I was without my camera to capture, but rest assured... We had our fill of corned beef, potatoes, soda bread, nuggets and mac and cheese. Geoff and I were so happy with our crew--they were wonderfully behaved and waited patiently as we were one of the last groups to eat. I was managing solo since Daddy was helping to serve, so good behavior was even more important. Mama can only do so much! :)

It was a moment amidst Catholic fellowship where I could truly delight in my kids. Knowing the folks around us celebrated children made it even more heartwarming. The sense of community was palpable, one that I remember craving when we first found out about #5. I just wanted to go to church and be among people who wouldn't judge us and would instead lift us up and encourage us on the journey. That's the beauty of God's kingdom of believers here on earth. I felt that support last night and it was so good. GG and I are really cherishing our church these days.

MG had a fan club by the end of the night; a sweet couple at the end of our table could not get enough of her. She sat beside her brothers, ate nicely, drank lemonade, and played with a "button snake" I keep in my purse. It is a handy craft I made at a moms' club event that involves dexterity, color and shape recognition. All the kids played with it at some point last night--a gem for mothers out there and easy to make!

When it was finally time to go I had to peel myself away from the sweet older ladies who were sharing about their large families and marveling at ours (who were now getting squirrelly as we exceeded bedtime). Time to go for the G's...

A fantastic night and a snapshot into our little world.

Also, real quick, a shameless plug for my Building Cathedral girls and our new blog site over at Patheos. I hadn't mentioned it yet... Thanks all!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!