Clergy Family Confidential

On Sunday the boys made an Advent wreath in Sunday School. This isn’t earth-shattering news since ’tis the season I guess. I was pretty surprised they actually worked together to make a single Advent wreath for the family. I was pretty sure we’d end up with dueling Advent wreaths on our dining room table (”You lit his first!). But, no, we have a single wreath adorning our table. Of course, being PKs (priest’s kids) they couldn’t just go the traditional route. The two holly branches are sticking straight out forming what looks like a two-pronged weapon. And I did nearly gouge some poor kid’s eyes out leaving Coffee Hour on Sunday. When Bryna asked the boys about their unique design, they told her they wanted it to look like a reindeer. Hmmm. It actually does.

Zack and I spent Saturday afternoon in Rye (an upscale NY suburb and home to Rye Playland). We were there for the 31st annual Rye Turkey Trot. And trot we did, running a 5K race (3.1 miles). Zack, Ben and I have started running together on occasion and the boys  have done a few kids races the past few months — a quarter mile “fun run” in Central Park and then a community one mile race in Croton. But this was the big one. 3.1 miles for a six-year-old is a long way to go; those skinny little legs were churning hard. But amazingly enough, Zack ran the whole way! I was impressed. His favorite part? The water stop. As we approached it, I told him it was the one time in his life he’d be allowed to litter. He picked up the pace, grabbed a cup from the volunteer, took a sip, spit some out, took another sip, gargled, and then dramatically tossed the cup to the curb. With Zack, style is key. That was also the case at the finish line. After a strong finishing kick, he lifted his arms heavenward, did a 360, and knelt down. Kind of a combination victory dance and touchdown celebration. Hey, he earned it.