Nightmare at Church

We've really been enjoying October this year. It's definitely my favorite month, especially when it's as warm as it has been lately. Last weekend, I took the boys to the cabin. Dad stayed home to work extra hours and get homework done for his online college course (he's working on a certificate from Stansford... he's loving it!). Each of the 5-hour drives went fairly well, and they really did have so much fun at the cabin. I don't think I remember either one of them getting bored. The only trouble was church.

While the sacrament was being passed, Nolan started yelling things like, "I hate that! I'm gonna kill him! I'll knock him dead!" I don't know what he was angry about but I had to drag him out as he continued yelling 3-yr.-old obscenities. Not more than 3 or 4 minutes after coming back in, I watched as he stuck his head through the small square opening on the back of his plastic chair. Next, he stuck his arm through. Before I could do anything about it (yeah, you guessed it, folks) he was stuck. I quickly tried to get his arm back through but soon Nolan panicked. He was screaming in terror and it became obvious that there was nothing to do but take him out with the chair still attached to him.

It was so awkward getting out because the chair legs kept clanking along and banging into everything we walked by. He was screaming so loud. By the time we got out to the hallway and I pried him out of the chair he was sweaty and panicked. I was so angry with him and, looking back, I feel bad because I know he was just scared and didn't mean to be naughty. Why is it so hard to find these kinds of moments funny at the time? Later that evening, the bishop from the Alton ward brought Nolan a baggie of suckers because he'd heard about "the chair incident." What a nice guy, although I hardly think the experience deserved an award.

The whole thing was so ridiculous but at least I wasn't the mom just one row up from us whose little girl coughed, gagged, and then vomited all over her. I was amazed that she calmly caught the bulk of it in a little pool between her chest and arm and then quietly walked out without causing a scene. The Dad then used wet wipes to mop up the stray chunks on the floor. It was at that moment that I totally second-guessed whether or not it is okay to let Ezra eat treats that have fallen to the floor during sacrament meeting.

The rest of the trip was fabulous. We had good food and I enjoyed reading The Hunger Games. Do any of you local readers have the second book I could borrow?

The boys at Duck Creek: