makeshift

Today I was supposed to be speaking in church.

And teaching Sunday School.

And helping with a Singing Time activity in Primary.

But instead I'm at home, with two sick boys, their fountains of cascading snot, phlegmy coughs, and irritable moods.

After a long, wakeful night, I woke up feeling far from refreshed, but still wishing I could be at church instead of at home caring for my two sick boys. After all, I spent a lot of time this week preparing for today. And sick children are not fun.

You can't win them all, I guess. (Or maybe you can...after all, I won't be speaking in church today.)

But just because neither Garrett or Caleb are healthy enough to be at church doesn't mean that they -- or I -- can't have a church-like experience at home. And after all, I'm feeling fine.

And so, without leaving the apartment, we pretended to go to church. We sat on couch pillows on the living room floor and "rode the bus" there (singing, of course, "Wheels on the Bus" the entire way). When we got there, we listened to the General Conference talk my own talk was based on. Then we adjourned to the bedroom for nursery, which was complete with playtime (and clean up), a lesson, some coloring, a snack, and singing Primary songs. When it was all over, we rode the living room bus back home, and, once there, we attempted to continue to stick to the Sunday routine of lunch followed by naps. (Judging by the noise from the bedroom, naps are still pending.)

Caleb, who is the sicker of the two, kind of thought the whole ordeal was odd and miserable, but Garrett ate it up and begged for more. Make believe is what he does these days. Of course, actual church is better than makeshift make believe church, but on days like today, you take what you can get. We got an enjoyable morning spent together talking, learning, and singing about the gospel (and a good way to kill time on what is proving to be a very long day), and I'll take that.