The Eucharist goes in your mouth

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS and boy am I pumped! It's the beautiful Christmas mass with the singing and the holiness and the adorable dressed up kiddos, it's Santa bringing presents. it's family time and having a birthday party for Jesus. I just love it.

Not to mention my husband has apparently gotten my "the best Christmas gift ever" (besides Jesus, of course) and won't even give me a hint as to what it is. Naturally I am a basket case over not knowing and have nagged him non stop to give me a hint. He won't. He's adorable. I've made up a story that he is giving me a dolphin that I will call Patrick. Sure, it may seem unreasonable to ask for a dolphin in a 3 bedroom apartment in the cold northeast but we have a really big bathtub.

We went to the mall Friday to see Santa and had to wait until after his lunch break was over to get in line. The Santa booth was right by the personalized ornaments and so I found the girls an ornament with two hearts that said BFF in the middle. I had them place one of their name's in each heart because they are BFFs and I think it's precious so I hung it in a very prominent spot on the tree as soon as I got home.

But back to the trip to the mall.... FINALLY Santa appeared and we were FIRST IN LINE. Madeleine was excited until it was "go time" and she came down with a massive case of nerves. The picture ended up being Juliette half passed out in Santa's arms, Madeleine on my lap looking PISSED and me smiling for the camera. Not one we will be prominently displaying for years to come but definitely one that we will bring out to embarrass them in front of friends.

In between refusing to look at the camera and staring at the floor Madeleine would turn to Santa and say, "Santa... trains please!" The kid at least knows how that part works.

Today was the final Sunday of Advent and another mass where I missed almost all of the new responses peeling Juliette off the pews and convincing Madeleine that this was NOT a good time to tickle the baby. However, when Madeleine does pay attention it is an amazing thing. During the consecration I told her, "Look at the priest. He is turning the bread into Jesus' body!" She looks at me, eyes wide, and goes, "NO WAY!"

Later I asked her if she knew what the Eucharist was. She nodded. She goes, "The Eucharist goes in your mouth." She may not know that the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus but she knows that the priest puts the Eucharist in your mouth. I'm very proud of her.

And that's been my weekend so far... not too exciting but I am very joyful.