vacation bible school

Last week the kids and I were busy with Vacation Bible School at our church. We look forward to it every year and it is always one of the highlights of our summer. But man, it is exhausting!

Our VBS meets Monday - Friday from 9 am to noon. By 11:30 all of the mom-volunteers are walking around shaking their heads and saying, "I just don't understand how 3 hours can be so tiring." It is tiring but wonderful!

This year I taught Hannah's 4 year old class. I teamed up with the same co-teacher I had last year and we had a great time. My co-teacher has 4 kiddos, the oldest is going into 4th grade but her younger 3 are the same ages as my 3. So, her 4 year old little boy was also in our class. We had 11 kids in all, plus 2 teen helpers who provided much needed extra hands.

This year's theme was "High Seas," so everything was nautical somehow. We learned:
Day 1: God's Word is True, with the story of God freeing Peter from prison. Acts 12:1-19
Day 2: God's Word is Comforting, with the story of God comforting Paul in a storm at sea. Acts 27
Day 3: God's Word is Surprising, with the story of Paul surviving a bite by a poisonous snake. Acts 28:1-10
Day 4: God's Word is Life-Changing, with a story of Peter and John teaching about Jesus. Acts 3:1 - 4:12
Day 5: God's Word is for Everyone, with a story of how a community of believers share. Acts 2: 42-47

We took the kids all around the church where they made crafts, sang songs and danced, ate snacks, played outside and even saw puppet shows. They had a great time!



But for me, it just wouldn't be VBS without someone getting sick. On Thursday night Ethan came down with a fever and so I had to stay home with him on Friday. Turns out, he had an ear infection. It stunk that we had to miss the last day, but what can you do?

On Saturday we realized that Ethan is allergic to the antibiotics they gave him for his ear infection. He developed a terrible rash and some pretty awful diarrhea. Since we had been out at the lake and I was worried about putting him to bed, a 10 pm trip to the after-hours pediatrics office was in order. The doctor there confirmed that his rash was probably a drug reaction, assured me that his throat would not swell shut during the night and wrote him a new prescription.

On Sunday, everyone was tired from staying up so late the night before. Avery had a birthday party in the afternoon and came home running a fever. So, we'll see what the day brings...

happy father's day

I'm not big on sappy holidays and neither is my dad. But, I do think it's nice to have a day to remind us to stop and show appreciation for those we love and the roles they play in our lives.

My dad and I have a particularly strong bond. We have been through some of the worst heartache that life has to offer and come out on the other side the stronger and wiser for it. He is the only person who has known me from the beginning and I take comfort in knowing that he is my strongest supporter. I cannot go for more than a few days without hearing his voice on the phone and am forever turning to him for advice.

Despite our bond, I do not consider us friends. He is my dad and would never want to be anything but. Today, as I reflect on Father's Day, I smile knowing that I will never outgrow my dad and that I love him more than words can say.

car fever

It is really unlike me, but I have the fever. The kind of fever that makes you want to have a new car. Except I don't actually want to buy it, because then I would have to pay for it, and probably somewhere in the range of several hundred dollars a month. No, no that's not the route I want to go. I would much prefer that someone just bring me one, curbside, and hand over the keys. That'd be great!

These days I am dreaming of the Nissan Armada. Have you seen them? They are big, boxy and beautiful! I particularly want one of the dark grey ones. On the inside, they have a navigation system, a DVD player and the most exciting feature of all is the captain's chairs in the second row. Oh, how I dream of the day when my kids don't all have to sit on the same row...within arms reach of one another! With captain's chairs I would no longer have to hear the likes of, "Mommmmmyyyyy! Ethan's pulling my hair!" Ahhh.



Well, that was a fun daydream. But now its back to reality and the goldfish-crumb infested 2001 Ford Expedition parked in my garage. That thing has over 130,000 miles on it and still runs like a champ which is all I really need. And its best feature? We paid cash for it 2 years ago. That, my friends, is a feature that's pretty hard to beat...even for captain's chairs.

party at the park

On Saturday we celebrated Ethan's 2nd birthday with family and friends at the park. Lucky for us, there is a nice park at the end of our cul-de-sac complete with a playground, a pavillion and a built-in grill. It was definately a warm summer day but the kids still managed to have tons of fun on the swings and slides before coming in for a hot dog lunch and then some birthday cake. Towards the end, Ethan was getting pretty hot and decided to play with the ice from the cooler and managed to get himself all wet. It was a fun time and a special thanks to everyone who came out to help us celebrate!

what a day!

For starters, today is Ethan's 2nd birthday. I went into his room this morning with camera in hand and singing "Happy Birthday." I'm pretty sure he was laughing at me and not with me.

Anyway, he had a check-up appointment this morning with our pediatrician. He is perfectly healthy and now weighs in at a scrawny 24 lbs and 9 oz (10th percentile) but is a lanky 36 inches tall (90th percentile). There really isn't much else to report from the appointment since E is such a healthy guy. Ethan's verbal skills are a touch behind schedule but I'm not worried since he is picking up new words practically every day. I am confident that he'll be just as chatty as his sisters in no time...



This afternoon was the last day of swimming lessons for the girls (I cannot tell you how happy that makes me!) So, being that it was the last day, Ethan and I got to go in and watch the girls show us what they learned. Hannah's class was first I am proud to report that she is officially a swimmer! She does great but occasionally runs out of air and so I will need to stay close to help her catch her breath until she gets the hang of it and can do it herself. Avery's class was right after Hannah's and we got to watch all of the progress she has made with her strokes and side breathing. I don't think I can swim as well.



Let me give a bit of history, if I may, Avery has had a loose tooth for several weeks now. It is her first and she is way behind her friends in the tooth loss department. Naturally, she has been eagerly awaiting the opportunity for a visit from the Tooth Fairy. All of this to say that Avery decided in the middle of swimming lessons to pull out her tooth! Oh my! There is nothing like a kid jumping up and down beside the pool and screaming "I lost my tooth!" to take your eyes off of the poor soul half drowning in his attempt to cross the pool.

So, now Avery will finally have her visit from the Tooth Fairy. I hope she's not disappointed...I heard that a kid at her school got $20!