Marina

Marina made her presence known in Liturgy yesterday morning, by knocking over one of the choir stands--complete with giant binder and lit candle--in a giant resounding crash somewhere after the Great Entrance. Hearing from friends after the incident, I found out that one of the doctors who attends our church thought that there was a fainting incident/medical emergency, and leaped halfway across the Nave before discovering that it was just Marina knocking things over. My friend Alexis told me later that he had been praying, "God, I'm having a hard time paying attention here. Could you help me out?" BAM. So, I'm trying to look at the incident as an answer to prayer, not the minor catastrophe that it was. At least the candle went out right away, and we didn't burn the Cathedral down.

It seems to me that my kids have some kind of "Sunday of Orthodoxy" radar that they like to use to interrupt worship. Last year was the infamous "The poo-poo is coming out of my bottom!" incident. What will next year bring?

Speaking of Marina, that girl is talking! She says new words all the time, and is at the age of repeating whatever is said, but only the last couple of syllables. Yesterday, I pointed out an icon and said, "That is the Theotokos." And she repeated, "To-kos." It was very cute. She also says "Hello!" now, but as she can't pronounce the L sound, it comes out as "Hewo!" In any case, she is proving herself to be as chatty as her big sister. I am unsure as to how their Dad and I are going to get a word in edgewise over the course of the next two decades. Maybe our next kid will be the strong, silent type.