Ever since the Baby was born back in October, we have been completely inconsistent with our church attendance. In fact, with the exception of Christmas Eve, I haven’t been to church since early fall. The Spouse has taken the “big” girls to our church on the Sunday mornings when we could pull that off over the past few months, and they both visited Mimi’s church a couple of times during Christmas. But, basically, we’ve been out of the habit for approximately 12 weeks now.
Honestly, I’ve been so consumed with things related to the move and adjusting to life with a newborn that I haven’t thought much about our absence. {I’m convinced that putting a newborn in a busy nursery in the winter is a certain way to contract some obscure virus}.
But, it has recently come to my attention that the Toddler has been missing church. More specifically, she’s been missing the snacks.
Here was the conversation that unfolded in the car on Saturday as we drove by a random church on a random road near where we live…
The Toddler: Do they have fish at that church?
Me {assuming we’re talking about real fish that live in aquariums}: Ummm… I don’t know. I’ve never been to that church.
The Toddler: I “tink” they have orange fish.
Me: Well, maybe they do.
The Toddler: I like orange fish. I want to go to church and eat orange fish.
And, this is when it occurred to me that our whole conversation was really about Goldfish. As in Pepperidge Farm brand Goldfish crackers like those served in the toddler classes during snack time at our church.
You see, the Toddler is what you might call a “seeker.” Only she’s not seeking more information on the Gospel. No, she’s seeking the best snacks. And, right now, Goldfish rank pretty high on her list.
And, there’s a reason the Goldfish are such a treasured treat.
You might recall the non-homogenized milk debacle of last winter. I get these notions that it’s my personal responsibility to make sure we’re eating wholesome, unprocessed, natural food around here as much as possible. Frequently, this results in mutiny. But, I’ve had some degree of success with sneaking organic substitutes for crackers and cookies into the pantry. I have a special affinity for the Annie’s Organics brand of food products for children. Annie has completely sold me on her all-natural ingredients and refusal to put artificial coloring or preservatives in her products. So, I buy the Goldfish look-alikes called Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies {available at a Target near you} for snacks at home. And, until recently, I really thought I had convinced the girls of their tastiness.
But, as it turns out, it’s easy to love a cheddar bunny… until you taste a Goldfish.
And, the Toddler has tasted and seen that they are good. Perhaps even better than a bunny.
So….
On Sunday I talked the Toddler into going to church with the Spouse and the Preschooler by assuring her that she would get to have her new favorite snack once she got there.
You can imagine her disappointment when they served animal crackers instead of Goldfish this week. Who knew there was a snack rotation?
You can also imagine my surprise when she returned home from church wearing this ensemble:
This would be a stranger’s sweater… presumably from Easter, that the teachers must have pulled from the lost and found pile to put on her when the class went outside for playtime. That’s all fine and good since I didn’t have the sense to send her with the proper outerwear. But, how is it that the Spouse didn’t notice that she had acquired a new layer when he picked her up?
Me: What is this sweater that she’s wearing?
The Spouse: I have no idea. I thought it looked kind of strange.
Me: Yes. Because it’s not ours. Did they put this on her at church?
The Spouse: I don’t know where she got it. It’s just what she had on when I picked her up.
So… either the Toddler stole the sweater from a classmate or someone put it on her to keep her warm on the playground. It’s anyone’s guess.
And, now I must get a floral sweater back to its rightful owner… and buy some orange fish.
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