Popeye Comes To Church With The Wixom's

Today was the Primary Program at church. For those of you who don't know, the primary program is when the children ages 3-11 are in charge of the main meeting at our church. They all sit up on the stage and take turns giving little speaking parts as well as sing several songs. It's a lot of fun for the parents for a couple of reasons: 1.) We get to sit in the audience and actuall LISTEN to what's being said instead of breaking up fights because so-and-so took their sister's red crayon or because the other so-and-so didn't let her brother win the game of tic-tac-toe they were playing. (Hey, as long as they're quiet, right?) 2.) We get to watch the teachers and leaders of the primary organization break up the fights between kids and, finally, 3.) We get to watch all of the kids and their antics during the hour plus that they're sitting there.

Today was especially wonderful because it's the first year that all three of our kids were old enough to participate. We sat in the middle of the chapel so that we could have the "good seats" for watching the children. It was pretty fun to watch Abbey cuddle with her teacher and then it looked like she was picking the teacher's nose! I was appalled and then started to giggle because I couldn't believe that Abbey would actually do that to someone. Come to find out, after church, that Abbey was facinated with the way this sweet sister had done her eye makeup and was pointing out all of the different colors she'd used on her eye lids.

Ian, on the other hand, was entertaining throughout the entire program. As parents it's our duty to mimick folding our arms and shushing the kids when they happen to look at us. We did so but I think that the effort was lost on him due to the fact that we were turning purple from trying so hard not to laugh. He was placed on the front row and so we had a clear and unobstructed view of him. He'd turn around in his chair, throw his fist into the air as if he were Super Man ready for flight, at one point he squinted one eye and did the funny thing with his mouth so that we all knew that Popeye had decided to find religion.

When the Bishop stepped down from the podium to sit with his wife Ian was conveniently moved to a few rows back so that he wouldn't be such a distraction. I was kind of glad, to tell you the truth. My sides were aching pretty bad by then and I was starting to get a headache from trying to hold the laughter in.