Galactic Voyage

Last week was VBS at our church.  It was a fun and exhausting 4 days.  This was our gang ready to head out at about 4 in the afternoon on the second night.  All the volunteers (about 300!) and their families could meet at the church for dinner at 4:30.  By 5:30 everyone was getting ready for the kids to arrive for VBS to start at 6.  Not once all week did we get home before 9.  And I know the first night they weren't in bed before 10.  But they loved it and we loved getting to see them and all the other kids enjoy such a fun week focusing on how big our God is.

The theme was Star Wars-ish, which thrilled Silas and Simeon beyond words.  They are very into Star Wars because of a couple Angry Birds Star Wars things they play and we just got a Star Wars tag book they love.  So even though they haven't a clue about the movies, they know lots of the character's names.  It was super fun that since our VBS wasn't at the ranch this year like it has been in the past (this is the fist summer for our church in the new building), the theme kept Silas from being too disappointed about the change in location.

Little VBSers having dinner with friends on the church patio...

I didn't get to take pictures of our kids during VBS because Shane and I were helping with the 3rd grade group.  But thankfully our friend Micah, who was the photographer all week caught a few of them in action...

There's Simeon on the far left turned sideways and Silas on the far right in red with their preschool class.  I was so glad they let the 3 year olds join in all the activity with the big kids.  This was the first night and the game they played was supposed to actually be like Angry Birds.  They threw balls at a tall pile of boxes.  You can imagine the joy in those 2 boy's hearts.  They talked about it all week.

About to leave home and head to church on the last night.  Tiredness had turned a little silly by this point...

The preschool class didn't come back in for the final worship session every night so we went to get our kids a little early from their room so they could join in.  So fun to have everyone worshipping together...

This is a slideshow of pictures they had running on other screens during the recap video (which is below).  There are a couple pictures of our kids in it...

Galactic Voyage VBS Recap Video from Harvest Bible Chapel Peoria

We are so thankful to have gotten to be part of what God is doing in the lives of children at our church. So while Shane and I agree that we know children's ministry is not our calling, I can't help but thoroughly enjoy watching children as young as 3 worship and sing and play and learn.  It was a great week and Silas is already asking when VBS is coming again.

A Good Day

This was VBS week at our church, which meant lots of fun and busy and late nights.  Our children loved it but by Thursday night, they were exhausted!  Yesterday Shane and I got to go out for a late lunch (thank you, Judy, for staying with the kids for a few hours!), which was a nice break at the end of the week. One of our high school families had students over at their house last night so we took the kids with us and spent part of the evening there.  It was another late night, but it's always nice to get to do that kind of thing together.

So today we wanted a bit of activity, but felt the need to keep it fairly low-key.  Therefore, we decided to take the kids to a bike park.  We had never been before but it was so fun!  Silas and Simeon rode all over; I think it was like a dream come true, especially for Sim who loves a good open space. By the end, they were going up and down hills on their own.  I'm not sure they exactly learned to follow the signage or signals, but it was awesome nonetheless.

We took the plasma car for Lieren but she declined and rode around with Blaise instead.  They sang and enjoyed the scenery then we headed for the playground, which was perfect for littler ones...

The bigger boys took a break for a while and joined us...

There was this hilarious spinning chair at the playground that Sim and Si liked...

And just to prove I was there...

When we had our fill of bikes and slides and wagon rides and spinning cup chairs, we went to lunch at Chick-fil-a.  We then made a stop at Toys-R-Us for a return but of course stayed and played while we were there.  It is so fun to see what all our kids like when we are there.  We all actually really love going.

This evening we unpacked what is probably the last few boxes we'll unpack in this house, did baths and put the kids to bed.  I am going to bed thankful.  And thoughtful.  There are reminders tonight that life is fleeting; not in our control. But there is a God who is good and Who loves us.  Shane travels again soon so I am grateful for sweet times, just us 6.  It's been a good day.

Psalm 130

The other night I spent some time looking back through pictures and posts from when Simeon and Lieren were newborn babies.  I was especially struck by their tiny-ness in this post, was reminded of the sweet moments, and got to reflect on the evidences of God's grace in that season.

As I read and looked at the pictures, I kept coming back to a passage of scripture that really sums up  those days for me.  I'm going to be teaching from it during our fall Bible study so have been soaking in it recently...

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness;

therefore You are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in His word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchman wait for the morning,

more than watchman wait for the morning.

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love

and with Him is full redemption.

They Turned Three

The day after we moved into our new house was Simeon and Lieren's birthday. We totally went back and forth about how to celebrate but they were turning three and we knew for the first time, they would really get it.  So we wanted to do something special.

If you're picking up on the details of the week we moved at all, you're probably understanding why it seemed a bit daunting to do a party. We started moving into the house on Tuesday, did another big move Thursday, slept in the new house for the first time on Friday, the birthday was Saturday, and Shane left at midnight on Saturday for Haiti.

Yet, party we did.  We rented a bounce house (it had to be exciting for our kids to wake up on Saturday in a new house with a bounce house getting set up in the front yard!) and my friend Natalie brought over her blow-up slide pool.  Around 4 in the afternoon, our friends started arriving.

There were lots of kids...

And lots of friends and family...

What's awesome is that right as the party was getting started, the cable guys showed up to hook up our internet. We really were grateful because (it's a long story) they were not supposed to come before Shane left for Haiti, but they blessed us and fit us in late on a Saturday.  So I guess I should look at it as a reminder of how the Lord provides, but a lot of our pictures have their van right in the big middle of everything!

Oh well, we just moved the party down the driveway a bit and invited them to join us...

The wind was blowing and we had a hard time getting the candles lit, but Simeon and Lieren didn't care.  They loved their Mickey and Minnie-themed party.  The cake was adorable!

These two are full of life! I cannot believe they are 3, but am loving watching them grow.  Can't wait to see how the Lord chooses to continue to shape and use their little lives...