sunday brunch

i forget exactly how the idea of having sunday brunch began in my mind.
i wish it was just to enjoy cooking in my amazing kitchen with my amazing kids on an amazing morning. 
but i know there were many motives. (that one included!)

pat and joshua were going to be gone. we are usually gone from 8:30 am - 12:45 pm on sundays for church. i love so many things about our church. so so many. but it's always hard for me...for my introverted self. i come home completely DONE. either exhausted from trying to put on that "sunday face" most people want to see. or exhausted from being real with people and opening up my wounds.

this particular sunday, i also had a baby shower that afternoon...and we had a birthday dinner celebration for pat's dad. i just knew i couldn't handle that whole long morning at church.

rebekah LOVES youth group and it's at the second service. so i knew we'd skip the first service and go to the second. this means sleeping in (yay!) and a slower morning. and she LOVES to cook and help me with stuff like this...so i knew she'd love it.

we are going camping in a month with some friends and i wanted to test some recipes for that...to get a little braver with our food that weekend. {see? i'm being brave all OVER the place ;-)}

and i'm about to leave my kids for a big trip. so it was a little guilt induced bribery or something? like, "when i've deserted you for 6 days, remember how i made you donuts AND poppyseed bread with sugar drizzled all over it?"

i already had 10 million lists and grocery lists going all over. seemed like i NEEDED something else to plan for and make another grocery list for ;-)

so. there you have it. MANY reasons for choosing to create a yummy brunch for us on sunday morning!

donuts. just biscuits fried in oil. SUPER healthy. {i had none. and it took no self-control so it's nothing to be proud of. i poured an ENTIRE container of oil in that pot and that's all it took.}

 then you shake the donuts in a bag of cinnamon/sugar mixture.

 wha-la! kids LOVED them.

 but that almond poppyseed bread?? totally my weakness. i had some. yes, yes i did.

it really was a glorious morning. windows open. music blaring (pat doesn't like it loud. but he wasn't here. so it was LOUD.) these people are so precious.

i was feeling so good. like it was such a beautiful morning. then i had bailey take this picture of rebekah and i..."the chefs". and realized, UGH. maybe bailey would have wanted to help in the kitchen?? she was playing so WELL and happily with the other boys the whole time, i never thought to ask her. but shesagirlandneedstolearntolovetocooktoo! ivetotallymessedupandneglectedher. ohno!! then i spiraled all the way to church...aren't our minds CRAZY?!?

 but He was so gracious to me. when i went to look at my pictures of the morning. this was the picture that my phone showed me first. it was from this past friday evening. while we were waiting for lincoln and sawyer's football game to start. bailey asked me to play cards with her. i said, "yes." we plopped down on the field and just played. it's so hard to get it right all the time with all of them. but i do know that i'm doing my best. every moment. every day. that's all i got. and i put the rest in His hands. and trust that it's enough. TRULY.

{and next time i HOPE i remember to at least ask her if she wants to help make brunch...}