Vacation Bible School Finale

The kids have really enjoyed VBS this week. Tyler enjoyed himself, but not nearly as much as Danielle. She is going to have so much fun at preschool this fall! The theme for the week was Avalanche Ranch, which seems to be one of the more common VBS programs this year. Everything had a western flair to it. Today was their last day. Danielle said she enjoyed the crafts the most. Tyler enjoyed the games. They both could retell the stories to me and seemed to learn a lot. It was a very good experience.

Today their story was about Naaman, the leader who washed himself in the Jordan River in order to be healed of his leprosy. For one of their activities, the kids got to "give" leprosy to a partner with a marker. They were supposed to go home and wash 7 times to get it off. (All of the craft ideas were from the curriculum the church purchased. I think maybe the creator of this idea didn't have children.) Tyler and Danielle enjoyed being afflicted, as you can see. It's all over their arms, faces, and clothing. Unfortunately we had plans after VBS and had to go out in public. People at Wendys laughed and commented about me leaving my kids alone with markers (as if). But, Tyler & Danielle corrected them by announcing they were covered with leprosy. Fortunately, I don't think most people really know what leprosy is any more. I did try to wash the marker off, but it will probably take 6 more washings.

Last night the kids had a little program to demonstrate their songs for the parents. (There was a screen behind the parents showing the music videos so the kids could watch & follow along.) Here are some things you need to know before viewing the videos:

1. The program was late and cut into the kids' bedtime (hence the yawning)
2. Tyler can only perform nicely when he's wearing a tie and dress pants
3. While not exactly what we expected, Tyler was at least entertaining
4. We are still trying to find an effective allergy medicine for Tyler
5. There were children that behaved worse than mine.

Enjoy (and laugh!)

Practice before the show

Sleeping Beauty, as "Read" by Danielle

Danielle wanted to "read" Sleeping Beauty to me before she went to bed last night, and she wanted me to record her. I had to break the "reading" up into several clips so the file wouldn't be so big, that's why there are 6 videos. To play them all, it will take about 5 minutes. For those of you who don't always understand "3-speak", I've attempted to translate. There were a couple spots I didn't understand either! (Please excuse Tyler's screams in the background. He was throwing a fit about going to bed.)



Sleeping Beauty
The red sun went up and the roses bloomed while the thorns growed on the roses. Next the king and the fairies came to see how the queen and king were doing. Then they went to their castle, the queen and king’s castle to see Sleeping Beauty and it was their baby. And the fairies wanted to see Sleeping Beauty then the fairies wanted to see the king and queen’s baby that was Sleeping Beauty but the witch wanted to kill Sleeping Beauty.



There was a long line of mans that wanted to come in. And the fairies wanted to have a spell on the baby. Then the witch came to get to make the baby disappear to the castle. Then, then they catched, then the witch leaved. The soldiers stealed her away. Then the fairies came.



Then the king and queen saw their wheels were on fire. Then Sleeping Beauty weaved up the stairs upstairs. Then she saw a spinning wheel and she touched, then she touched it and she fell asleep. Then they ate dinner instead cause they were so hungry. Then the witch saw a bird flying and and they saw everyone sleeping.



Then the prince saw some ladies. The prince rided on his horsie aside his ladies. He had ladies. But then then the man saw his horses and girls. Then the prince saw something ahind this bush. It was the witch and her bird.



…to kill the man but …It was really hard to (?) growed all up in a dragon. Then she blowed fire at him. Then she put a sword in him. Then then he got hurt. Is that the dragon? Then he had these horns and these hands and the feet. Then the prince went to everyone’s castle, and he thought everyone was sleeping.



That’s the king and queen. That’s all of the people they don’t know. But then they follow the stairs upstairs. Then they went into the room where Sleeping Beauty was. Then he kissed her on the lips then she waked up. Then the prince bringed her to her mom and king, to queen and king. Then the roses bloomed again then the leaves started to fall off so as the prickers.

Amen

VBS

The kids are looking forward to starting Vacation Bible School (VBS) tomorrow. Ron and I both have fond memories of attending VBS when we were younger. I have been disappointed that our church doesn’t offer VBS but not so disappointed that I wanted to volunteer to organize one. Tyler’s old – Danielle’s new – preschool is affiliated with a church, and they offer VBS. So, the kids are going all this coming week. This also means that I will have 2 hours to myself with NO KIDS Monday through Friday this week. I’m not real sure how to behave…but I’ll figure it out quickly!

The kids registered in advance and were able to request a buddy they’d like to be placed with in class. Tyler’s best friend Megan requested to be in class with him. He is so excited about getting to see her EVERY day.

I am so entertained by the “relationship” he has with this little girl. He blushes and bobs his head when he talks about her. He wants me to retell the story of her calling him her boyfriend and then covers his mouth and giggles afterward. She declared on the playground one day that she's going to marry him when they grow up. ("I didn't know she was going to do that, Mom!") When we gave her a ride to her gymnastics class a couple weeks ago, she hopped in the car and handed Tyler her bags. “Here, Tyler. Will you please hold these for me?” Without saying a word he grabbed them, held them in the car, and carried them out again for her. At the school picnic on his last day of preschool, she dropped something under a picnic table. He immediately dropped to the ground, crawled under the table, and retrieved it for her. She was very grateful and he was very gentlemanly. They’re only 5 yet it seems they’re already falling into certain “roles” within their friendship.

After his bath tonight he was wiggling around a bit while I was trying to comb his hair. I told him he needed to stand still if he wanted his hair to look nice for Megan. He immediately snapped to attention and barely breathed while I finished his hair. (Of course, he’ll have bed-head by morning, anyway.) When I was done he said, “I want to look really good tomorrow, Mom. Perfect. I want to look perfect for Megan.” He thought for a minute and then continued, “ I want to wear a tie. And a belt. I want to wear a tie and a belt. I want to wear a white shirt and a tie, black pants, black shoes, and my belt with the black side turned out. That’s what I want to wear.”

I could just envision him showing up to Bible school dressed in his Christmas clothes (which is pretty much the outfit he described). While he’d certainly look handsome, he’d be a bit overdressed for the occasion. Careful not to discourage him, I explained that VBS is kind of like school; you need to wear clothes that will allow you to play and get dirty and have fun. I suggested he choose a nice pair of shorts and a nice shirt instead. He agreed it would probably be a good idea to wear something a little more casual, but decided he wanted to pick his clothes out himself. I’m eager to see what he picks. This should be a fun week for them.

Ice Cream after T-Ball

Tyler had another t-ball game today. (He's playing first in this pic.) Sadly, we're nearing the end of the season all ready. I have really enjoyed watching him play. Today wasn't one of his best games, but overall he has improved since his first practice. And he seems to enjoy himself, always a plus!

After the game, we usually go out for ice cream or milkshakes to celebrate Tyler's hard work. Tyler's not real crazy about soft-serve ice cream, though, so he was really excited when our neighbor suggested we try some place up the road a bit that serves "hard dip" (as Tyler calls it). It was good, it was cheap, and it was H U G E.

Flowers for Great Grandpa

This spring the kids and I decided we would plant seeds and decorate flower pots to take to my grandpa's grave. My grandpa would never let anyone treat his lawn for weeds because he loved the way the dandelions looked, so the kids picked yellow marigolds since they kind of look like dandelions.















The kids planted the seeds in April. Marigold seeds are perfect for preschoolers because they sprout quickly. We had little seedlings within a couple weeks.


Last week the kids decorated their flower pots. I did not tell them what they should draw on their pots, but I really enjoyed listening to them explain what they were drawing. I wanted to be sure I would remember their explanations years from now, so I got a couple clips of them explaining their creations. I thought I would share those too:











Finally, we transplanted the plants this week and took them to Great Grandpa's grave today. (In the first picture Tyler was screaming because the sun was in his eyes. I thought the difference in the two pictures was hilarious.) Many of the flowers have blooms on them, but none of them have opened yet. I was really hoping they would bloom before we delivered them. Once at the cemetery, the kids decided where to place them and then enjoyed watering them.

As we were driving into the cemetery, Tyler wanted to know if Grandpa would be watching from Heaven. Throughout the process of planting the seeds, watering them, painting the pots, transplanting the plants, and delivering them today, we had several conversations about Great Grandpa, Jesus, and Heaven. My grandpa would have been pleased with all the opportunities this project created to teach my children about Heaven. And while he was looking down at his flowers today, I'm sure he had a good chuckle when his ornery great-grandson decided to water his daughter, rather than the flowers, with the cemetery's hose (notice the wet shirt and Tyler's huge smile).

Happy Father's Day ( a little late)

He rises early most every day

and heads into the office,

careful not to disturb his slumbering family.

He never complains

He meets demands, fills quotas,

and solves problems

always with a smile.

He works to provide food, shelter, clothing,

opportunities and experiences,

always thankful for the privilege.

When the work day is over,

he faithfully returns to us

rarely bringing home the hassles of the office.

Once home he plays, he instructs, he listens.

He dances, he wrestles, he corrects.

He encourages, he hugs.

He loves.

He falls into bed late at night,

tired, fulfilled

ready to begin again tomorrow.

This is a father to be honored.

Sssshouldn't Have!

Now that it's summer and both kids are home all day, I've started shopping regularly at Giant Eagle again so the kids can play in their play area. Although I was skeptical before using the play area for the first time, I have been very pleased with the kids' care and they always seem to have a great time. I was a little disappointed today, though.

When I signed the kids in today, I was asked to sign a release allowing the kids to make a craft using cupcakes, chocolate icing, sprinkles, etc. (I'm assuming the release is to protect them from anyone who may have food allergies.) I didn't have a problem with that. What I did have a problem with was this:

The kids were excited and the caregiver was pretty proud of herself, so I didn't say anything. Danielle's wasn't so bad because the paint was light and on her cheek. But Tyler's was across his whole face, as you can see, and in such a dark color. In addition to probably leaving a faint black mark when I washed it off, I could just see him getting the black paint all over his shirt, my shirt, our furniture, and our carpet. In addition to that, what if my kids were allergic to the paint? A release for cupcakes, but no release to draw on my kids' faces with face paints? And on top of all that, I had just given the kids a bath this morning and wasn't planning to do it again until Saturday. I'm probably being a little sensitive over something that's not really that big a deal, but they really sssshouldn't have! (The cupcake craft was cute, though.)

Painting Posh Planes

Today the kids finally got the chance to paint the biplanes they made at Home Depot last Saturday. They had a lot of fun and didn't make too big a mess, although their planes are going to take a while to dry!

I took some video clips while they were painting. Before you watch them, you may need a bit of an explanation. When we went to the library earlier this week, we picked up a book called Fancy Nancy and the sequel Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy. As you might guess, the books are about a little girl named Nancy who loves everything fancy. The problem, though, is that her family is not fancy; they don't even order sprinkles! In the books Nancy refers to items by their posh (fancy) names. Tyler and Danielle have enjoyed both of these books and have been quoting phrases from the books. Their favorites include "ooooo la la" and "posh". So, the conversation they're having while painting their planes stems from these books. I thought the video was funny because they're really just rambling, and it's kind of funny to just listen to them carry on (when they're not fighting).

The Strawberries Are In

It's strawberry season. Last year I picked strawberries for the first time. The kids really enjoyed it and the berries were sooo good, we thought we'd try again. Of course, any time you have a really nice memory and attempt to repeat it, you'll always be a little disappointed.

The berries this year are much smaller (and seedier) due to the crazy weather we had early this spring. It was really really H O T today, and the farm was super busy (so there weren't any rocking chairs available to sit and slurp our slushies in). But, we still had a nice time. Both kids brought their own buckets this year. I don't think Tyler put more than 5 or 6 berries in his bucket because he was so busy eating them. (The ones you see in his bucket are from me.) Danielle did a pretty good job, though. My goal was to get enough to have for dessert one evening. We picked just enough before the kids were ready to go. (Did I mention it was really hot?) We paid for our strawberries, bought some fresh strawberry slushies, and headed for home. I was revisiting my strawberry blog from last year and was amazed at the change in Danielle in a year's time. She looks so much older now!

For lunch today the kids made "Butter-dogs", as Tyler called them. (They had another name in my Simple and Delicious magazine, but I liked Tyler's better.) I thought the butterflies turned out pretty cute for a first attempt.

Tonight we joined Tyler's friend Megan and her mom for dinner and games at Chuck E. Cheese's. We had a very nice time. Megan referred to Tyler as her boyfriend once, which caused Tyler to cover his mouth and giggle. It was cute. We had a good day.

Bubbles

Saturday's Activities

First I need to follow-up on yesterday's posting. Tyler felt a little left out that I didn't take a picture of his freckles, too. His coloring is more like Ron's, so he will probably tan more than freckle. He does have a few kisses from the sun sprinkled across his nose that are starting to show up, though, and they are beautiful, too.

While I went to garage sales this morning, Ron took the kids to the Kids' Clinic at Home Depot. He wasn't feeling well, so he earned extra "good Daddy" points today. Today the kids made biplanes. We will paint them later this week. The kids seemed to really enjoy making them and were proud to show them off when I got home. (As far as the garage sales went, everyone thought way too much of themselves and their items today and wanted ridiculous prices for used items. Had I found something really good, I would have haggled, but I didn't find anything worth fighting for.)


Tyler had a tball game early this afternoon. He got to play one full inning before it started to storm. We desperately needed the rain, so we couldn't complain too much, but we were all disappointed he didn't get to play more. The inning he did get to play was by far his best yet. He didn't need to use the tee to bat! He hit the first pitch, but it went foul. On the second pitch, he hit a nice, solid grounder. It was a very respectable hit! (It looks like he's using the tee in the picture, but he's not. It was just in between us when I took the picture. Notice the ball above the bat. I think this was the foul ball.) When he was in the field, he got to play second base. This was by far the most attentive he's been. He was in the "ready" position most of the time and did a great job fielding the ball! He even got to tackle, I mean tag a couple people out at home. Several people told him he did a great job, and the coach high-fived him once. He was very proud of himself...as he should be. It's too bad he didn't get to play the whole game. He was a lot of fun to watch today.

Tyler and Ron built a Lego tower tonight. They used to do this frequently, but it's been a while since they've done this lately. Their goal is to build it up to the ceiling. The thrill is knocking it over. I managed to capture the demolition this time. As a bonus, I also captured one of my all-time favorite sounds - Tyler's spontaneous belly laugh.

Sun Kissed

Considering her heredity, it was only a matter of time before Danielle developed freckles. Now that we've been spending more time outside in the sunshine, they've really started popping out! I'm a bit partial since I'm covered with them, but I think her freckles are beautiful.