Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Molly lost one of her two front teeth last week, the day we got back from Missouri. The other one will probably be out by Christmas, so we all know what she really wants for Christmas . . .
A few days ago she told me that now that her tooth is missing, she can't say her ffth's or ssth's. Which is really funny because Molly always had a lisp even with all teeth accounted for.
A few days ago she told me that now that her tooth is missing, she can't say her ffth's or ssth's. Which is really funny because Molly always had a lisp even with all teeth accounted for.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Five Best & Worst
I love Christmastime and almost everything that goes along with it. . .the remembrance, the worship, family, excellent dinners, parties. But probably the one thing that sticks with me throughout the whole month, day in and day out, is the music. And since the local radio station that switches to Christmas only music at this time decided that November 17 was not too early to start, right about now is when I start to get sick of the songs I normally love.
I've compiled list of some of the best and worst songs of the season. The list doesn't necessarily reflect my favorite songs, but rather the renditions of the songs that I love/hate to hear on the radio.
The BEST:
5. It Must've Been Ol' Santa Claus- Harry Connick, Jr., 1993 This isn't your traditional Christmas carol, but I can't sit still when I hear it come on in the car. It's a fun, rousing tune with a catchy rhythm- Happy "Ho!Ho!Ho!" to You
4. Last Christmas- Wham!, 1984 This song is really cheesy and dated, but it reminds of junior high, Battlefield Mall, and sending Santagrams to my friends at Cherokee.
3. All I Want for Christmas is You- Mariah Carey, 1994 Another one of those guilty pleasures. It's addicting and catchy, and I doubt anyone else could sing it like she does.
2. Do They Know It's Christmas?-Band Aid,1984 This song falls into the 'it's so bad, it's good' category. The African famine relief anthem sung by British performers inspired American musicians to follow with "We Are the World" a couple months later. If you listen to the lyrics, they'll depress and shame you, but it embodies the 80's sound so well, I turn up the dial a little when I hear it come on.
1. O Holy Night-Celine Dion, or Josh Groban I always loved this song, so far no artist has ruined it for me. Although it tends to be oversung like the Star Spangled Banner can be, when you have the pipes like Celine or Josh, it sends chills down my spine when they hit that last high note.
The WORST:
5. Sleigh Ride- Debbie Gibson, 1992 It's not so much Debbie, I mean Deborah, that bugs me. It's the annoying backup singers chirping-Sleighride! Sleighride! that drive me batty.
4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town- Bruce Springsteen, 1975 I don't know how this rendition is still getting airtime thirty years later. He sounds out of tune and he can't even finish the never-ending repetitions at the end without laughing. I think Bruce even knew how bad he sounded.
3. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas- Gayla Peevey, 1953 This song was maybe cute the first time I heard it, now it's grating on my ears. That voice is so deep and throaty I thought it was an adult made to sound like a kid, but I just read that it was a ten year old girl that recorded it, which might make it even wierder.
2. Santa Baby- Eartha Kitt, 1953 In conjunction with the above song, 1953 was not a good year for Christmas singles. This song is just creepy to me. Something about a grown woman singing in a baby voice trying to seduce Santa is just wrong on several levels.
1. Feliz Navidad- Jose Feliciano, 1970 The Spanish-speaking population really need another song to hit mainstream airplay. I can not listen to this song the whole way through. As soon as I hear it play, I switch to something else but you can bet I will be singing that little ditty for the rest of the day. And now that you've read my list, so will you.
What's your best/worst song of the season?
I've compiled list of some of the best and worst songs of the season. The list doesn't necessarily reflect my favorite songs, but rather the renditions of the songs that I love/hate to hear on the radio.
The BEST:
5. It Must've Been Ol' Santa Claus- Harry Connick, Jr., 1993 This isn't your traditional Christmas carol, but I can't sit still when I hear it come on in the car. It's a fun, rousing tune with a catchy rhythm- Happy "Ho!Ho!Ho!" to You
4. Last Christmas- Wham!, 1984 This song is really cheesy and dated, but it reminds of junior high, Battlefield Mall, and sending Santagrams to my friends at Cherokee.
3. All I Want for Christmas is You- Mariah Carey, 1994 Another one of those guilty pleasures. It's addicting and catchy, and I doubt anyone else could sing it like she does.
2. Do They Know It's Christmas?-Band Aid,1984 This song falls into the 'it's so bad, it's good' category. The African famine relief anthem sung by British performers inspired American musicians to follow with "We Are the World" a couple months later. If you listen to the lyrics, they'll depress and shame you, but it embodies the 80's sound so well, I turn up the dial a little when I hear it come on.
1. O Holy Night-Celine Dion, or Josh Groban I always loved this song, so far no artist has ruined it for me. Although it tends to be oversung like the Star Spangled Banner can be, when you have the pipes like Celine or Josh, it sends chills down my spine when they hit that last high note.
The WORST:
5. Sleigh Ride- Debbie Gibson, 1992 It's not so much Debbie, I mean Deborah, that bugs me. It's the annoying backup singers chirping-Sleighride! Sleighride! that drive me batty.
4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town- Bruce Springsteen, 1975 I don't know how this rendition is still getting airtime thirty years later. He sounds out of tune and he can't even finish the never-ending repetitions at the end without laughing. I think Bruce even knew how bad he sounded.
3. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas- Gayla Peevey, 1953 This song was maybe cute the first time I heard it, now it's grating on my ears. That voice is so deep and throaty I thought it was an adult made to sound like a kid, but I just read that it was a ten year old girl that recorded it, which might make it even wierder.
2. Santa Baby- Eartha Kitt, 1953 In conjunction with the above song, 1953 was not a good year for Christmas singles. This song is just creepy to me. Something about a grown woman singing in a baby voice trying to seduce Santa is just wrong on several levels.
1. Feliz Navidad- Jose Feliciano, 1970 The Spanish-speaking population really need another song to hit mainstream airplay. I can not listen to this song the whole way through. As soon as I hear it play, I switch to something else but you can bet I will be singing that little ditty for the rest of the day. And now that you've read my list, so will you.
What's your best/worst song of the season?
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
What was I supposed to say?
It's true, kids say the darndest things. It's just the parent standing by that wishes the ground would open up and swallow them whole.
I picked up Connor from pre-school and we went to a Wendy's drive-through for lunch. He was sitting in the passenger seat and I drove up to the first window where you pay. The employee lets me know how much it is so I started digging through my purse to find my money. I hadn't even looked up at her, but noticed out of the corner of my eye that Connor was leaning forward and looking intently at the girl. As I'm digging, he tugs at my sleeve and says, "Mommy, she's missing a tooth." I shush him and tell him to hold on a second.
He says it again as I hand her the money. I'm praying she can't hear him, but I noticed that she is obviously keeping her lips closed. My guess is that she has a gap between her front teeth, which often runs in certain families. No big deal really, but Connor has observed his two sisters lose several baby teeth over the last year, so he was just curious. As she gets my change, I think I might be moving on before long. Connor, not satisfied with my non-answer, takes it into his own hands, and says really loudly, "Hey! Did you lose your tooth?"
I meekly hold out my hand for my change and put on the brightest, sweetest smile I possibly can. She did not return a smile to me.
Have your kids ever said anything that totally embarrassed you? What is the best thing to say in those situations?
I picked up Connor from pre-school and we went to a Wendy's drive-through for lunch. He was sitting in the passenger seat and I drove up to the first window where you pay. The employee lets me know how much it is so I started digging through my purse to find my money. I hadn't even looked up at her, but noticed out of the corner of my eye that Connor was leaning forward and looking intently at the girl. As I'm digging, he tugs at my sleeve and says, "Mommy, she's missing a tooth." I shush him and tell him to hold on a second.
He says it again as I hand her the money. I'm praying she can't hear him, but I noticed that she is obviously keeping her lips closed. My guess is that she has a gap between her front teeth, which often runs in certain families. No big deal really, but Connor has observed his two sisters lose several baby teeth over the last year, so he was just curious. As she gets my change, I think I might be moving on before long. Connor, not satisfied with my non-answer, takes it into his own hands, and says really loudly, "Hey! Did you lose your tooth?"
I meekly hold out my hand for my change and put on the brightest, sweetest smile I possibly can. She did not return a smile to me.
Have your kids ever said anything that totally embarrassed you? What is the best thing to say in those situations?
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Connor's Preschool Halloween Party
Connor had a blast at his pre-school halloween party. You'll notice that one particular girl seems to be at his side in most shots. Her mom came up to me and asked, "Are you Connor's mom?" I said yes. She said all her daughter talks about is Connor. I told her, well it's nice to meet you because all I ever hear about is Josie. Then she tells me that Josie has specific preferences when picking out her clothes to wear to school based on what Connor likes. Wow, he's only four.
Chaos. To describe my house in one word, that would be it. We embarked on a remodeling project this week and it promises to be a doozy. As of last night, I don't have a couch, sink, fridge, stove, microwave, toilet, bath, or sink in my house. My bathroom, kitchen, and family rooms have been completely gutted. I went to bed at 3:30 for the second night in a row, and I am exhausted. Only a couple weeks to go . . .
Dave Robinson and his wife, Jennifer, are going to be missionaries to Malawi, Africa, and are currently gathering support before their expected departure sometime next year. They are traveling around in an RV and are currently parked in our church parking lot next to our house. Dave told us a couple months ago that in November he would be in our area to help renovate some rooms in our home. He and his family used to build homes, so he has the expertise and know-how that we are sorely lacking.
Our house was built in 1937. Someone told me it was a bungalow, but I don't know what exactly that is. All I know is that it is a perfect rectangle with the short side as the front of the house. Not too stylish on the outside, but I tend to think the interior is more crucial. This house went up for sale just a few months after Victory purchased its building back in 2003. The Lord provided it just as we were needing to get out of apartment living, and I am truly thankful for it. It's been a blessing to live right next to the church for the past three years. However . . .
It does have its limitations. Many things within are simply falling apart. The kitchen cabinets were in poor shape, the bathroom and kitchen floors had water damage, the carpets were spotty, several things needed repair. Brett and I try not to get caught up in material things, but we were simply embarrassed to have people over, which we love to do. The opportunity arose where we could have an overhaul done, in sort of a now-or-never situation. Plus, it will help when we sell it down the road.
So, for those of you familiar with my house, here is the proposed plan:
1. The kitchen will be moved to the yellow room. There will be cabinets underneath the windows, a sink in the corner, and space for a dishwasher (which may have to come later). I'm really excited to get storage space and doors, yes doors, that cover the cabinets.
2. The old kitchen room will now be the dining room. We hope to put in a corner bench that will act as seating to two sides of the table.
3. The front door that's never used will be taken out and made into a wall. The window that was to the right of the door will be the new door, effectively making the living room a larger space.
4. The bathroom will get new fixtures. No more ugly blue tub with blue tile, no more gross old toilet with the broken handle. Our toilet has been without a handle for a couple years now. The top of the tank was left open and you reached in to pull the handle up. Once I went with Connor to the restroom at church. He did his business, then looked at the shiny chrome flush handle and asked, What's that? I wanted to laugh and cry.
These are just the major things that are going on right now. It's going to be a lot of work, but I'm thrilled to be able to get some things updated. Last night, we gutted the kitchen and bathroom. It looks like previous owners deided to do their redecorating on top of the old stuff rather than remove it, so there were two linoleum floors to pick up and two sets of shower tile to break down. We found some old newspapers stuffed in a corner that were from 1951. A woman could purchase a velvet pillbox hat for $12.45 and boy's dungarees were $1.57. Interesting, maybe we'll make a time capsule to put inside the framing.
Tonight's festivities involve painting walls and trim, so if you are bored and want to join a lively party, head out to our house around 7-8. (Please use the restroom before you come over, teehee) Many thanks to Josie and Phil who helped out last night. Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the progress.
Dave Robinson and his wife, Jennifer, are going to be missionaries to Malawi, Africa, and are currently gathering support before their expected departure sometime next year. They are traveling around in an RV and are currently parked in our church parking lot next to our house. Dave told us a couple months ago that in November he would be in our area to help renovate some rooms in our home. He and his family used to build homes, so he has the expertise and know-how that we are sorely lacking.
Our house was built in 1937. Someone told me it was a bungalow, but I don't know what exactly that is. All I know is that it is a perfect rectangle with the short side as the front of the house. Not too stylish on the outside, but I tend to think the interior is more crucial. This house went up for sale just a few months after Victory purchased its building back in 2003. The Lord provided it just as we were needing to get out of apartment living, and I am truly thankful for it. It's been a blessing to live right next to the church for the past three years. However . . .
It does have its limitations. Many things within are simply falling apart. The kitchen cabinets were in poor shape, the bathroom and kitchen floors had water damage, the carpets were spotty, several things needed repair. Brett and I try not to get caught up in material things, but we were simply embarrassed to have people over, which we love to do. The opportunity arose where we could have an overhaul done, in sort of a now-or-never situation. Plus, it will help when we sell it down the road.
So, for those of you familiar with my house, here is the proposed plan:
1. The kitchen will be moved to the yellow room. There will be cabinets underneath the windows, a sink in the corner, and space for a dishwasher (which may have to come later). I'm really excited to get storage space and doors, yes doors, that cover the cabinets.
2. The old kitchen room will now be the dining room. We hope to put in a corner bench that will act as seating to two sides of the table.
3. The front door that's never used will be taken out and made into a wall. The window that was to the right of the door will be the new door, effectively making the living room a larger space.
4. The bathroom will get new fixtures. No more ugly blue tub with blue tile, no more gross old toilet with the broken handle. Our toilet has been without a handle for a couple years now. The top of the tank was left open and you reached in to pull the handle up. Once I went with Connor to the restroom at church. He did his business, then looked at the shiny chrome flush handle and asked, What's that? I wanted to laugh and cry.
These are just the major things that are going on right now. It's going to be a lot of work, but I'm thrilled to be able to get some things updated. Last night, we gutted the kitchen and bathroom. It looks like previous owners deided to do their redecorating on top of the old stuff rather than remove it, so there were two linoleum floors to pick up and two sets of shower tile to break down. We found some old newspapers stuffed in a corner that were from 1951. A woman could purchase a velvet pillbox hat for $12.45 and boy's dungarees were $1.57. Interesting, maybe we'll make a time capsule to put inside the framing.
Tonight's festivities involve painting walls and trim, so if you are bored and want to join a lively party, head out to our house around 7-8. (Please use the restroom before you come over, teehee) Many thanks to Josie and Phil who helped out last night. Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the progress.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Connor got a kick out of this costume, his Inflato-suit. It has a little fan attached in the back that would give him his Superman muscles. He kept worrying about the battery running out, so he kept turning it off, but whenever we got to a spot where workers were handing out candy, he would turn it on again. It was funny watching him stand in front of a full-grown Darth Vader and wait for his muscles to grow. Who would win that battle, anyway- Superman or Darth?
Here they are standing in front of a statue of Thomas Edison.
You have to look closely at the top pumpkin. Go Tigers! Everybody up here is pretty excited that Detroit is in the World Series. I didn't notice until today that John Q. threw out the first pitch last night. How weird is that?
Once we got back to the entrance of the Village, there was a catchy Halloween song playing over and over. Cole got into the rhythm and started bouncing up and down, just like a real Tigger. Bouncin's what Tiggers do best, woo-hoo-hoo-hoo! (A special thanks to Greg, who gave me his old camera.)
Cole and Brett
This was taken at our HarvestFest this weekend. Cole is really starting to not look like a baby. Sad, sad, sad.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Ballerinas
I came across this picture over the weekend and it cracked me up. It's from a couple years ago, but I wonder if they were saying-
Molly: Look, Baylea, I'm a ballerina too. Do I hold my arms up like this? Look, Baylea, do you see me? See, I can do what you do.
Baylea: Molly, be quiet. Everyone knows that serious ballerinas hold out their skirts like this and never smile.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Connor started preschool a couple weeks ago and absolutely loves it! The girls never went to preschool, so we really didn't consider it until they had their first day of school this year. Connor went with us to the elementary to see his sisters' classrooms.
We went to Molly's class first. She's a first-grader now, so she'll be going full days all week. She sat right down at her table and was so excited to be there, you could tell. Her teacher did a roll call and Molly spoke up loudly to say, "Here!" Then, we traipsed on over to Baylea's second-grade class, which was already started. There had been plenty of parents in the first-grade room, but no one was watching their kids in the second grade.
We peeked in Baylea's room, but her back was to us. She finally turned around and got this embarrassed smile on her face like, what are you doing here? We waved to her quietly and left. Second grade and she's already not wanting us there. She also refused a princess backpack this year. Of course, it still has pink on it, but no Disney characters.
We headed towards the car, but when we reached the school doors Connor started crying. Apparently he thought he was going to stay at school too. I have a picture of it, I'll try to post it tomorrow. Anyway, we checked into a pre-school that is at a nearby church, and they had only met once. We signed him up and he started going the next week.
Every morning he wakes up and asks if he's going to school that day. His schedule is Tues-Wed-Thurs mornings. After the first week, I asked him what his favorite part about pre-school was. He said, "No punishments." I asked him what that meant and he said, "The teacher doesn't give punishments, she just whistles at us."
I didn't ask how he knew that.
We went to Molly's class first. She's a first-grader now, so she'll be going full days all week. She sat right down at her table and was so excited to be there, you could tell. Her teacher did a roll call and Molly spoke up loudly to say, "Here!" Then, we traipsed on over to Baylea's second-grade class, which was already started. There had been plenty of parents in the first-grade room, but no one was watching their kids in the second grade.
We peeked in Baylea's room, but her back was to us. She finally turned around and got this embarrassed smile on her face like, what are you doing here? We waved to her quietly and left. Second grade and she's already not wanting us there. She also refused a princess backpack this year. Of course, it still has pink on it, but no Disney characters.
We headed towards the car, but when we reached the school doors Connor started crying. Apparently he thought he was going to stay at school too. I have a picture of it, I'll try to post it tomorrow. Anyway, we checked into a pre-school that is at a nearby church, and they had only met once. We signed him up and he started going the next week.
Every morning he wakes up and asks if he's going to school that day. His schedule is Tues-Wed-Thurs mornings. After the first week, I asked him what his favorite part about pre-school was. He said, "No punishments." I asked him what that meant and he said, "The teacher doesn't give punishments, she just whistles at us."
I didn't ask how he knew that.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Yeah, it's been a while. I don't have anything terribly exciting to share, maybe that's why I haven't posted in weeks. I keep waiting for something "blogworthy" to happen, but nothing lately. You asked for it(Kelly V.), so here are the highlights of the last few weeks. I warned you.
1. 24- The Bartlett family is hooked on this show. We got the Season One DVD set and watched the whole season in under two weeks. The kids even enjoy it and it is so funny to hear Connor talk about Jack Bauer. Our good friend Lydia checked out Season 2 at the library and we have watched four episodes, I mean "hours". It's also been a good visual warning to the girls on why it is so dangerous to sneak out at night (even if their parents have no connection to counterterrorism whatsoever.)
2. Wedding- We have a young couple that is getting married in our church on Saturday. Chris K. was a kid in the youth group when Brett was youth director way back when, but we had lost touch over the years. He got back into church this spring and his fiance, Kelly, started attending too. They are really great together and are wanting to serve God with their lives. Just a few weeks ago they decided they would get married right away, as they are expecting a baby girl in a couple weeks. I really must commend the ladies at Victory for jumping in and helping Kelly with the planning. It has come together rather nicely and everyone has been so helpful in aiding her, welcoming her with open arms, and trying to keep her as stress-free as possible. We just need the baby to hold off for at least two more days. Connor will be the ring-bearer and will be walking down with Kaitlyn. I think he should do all right, let's keep our fingers crossed.
3. School- The girls will be starting school on September 7. Baylea will be in 2nd grade, and Molly will be a full-time 1st grader this year. That leaves just the boys at home during the day, which promises to be interesting. Cole is at that age where he is into everything. He is soo fast too, but is too big to hang out in his playpen. He still enjoys his Johnny Jump-Up, but his latest activity is to spin round and round in it until he throws up, literally. One night he made himself sick by spinning three times. He's caught on that if he slowly twists around, the strap will wind up so when he lifts up his feet he will spin like a top. He covers his eyes and has this big smile on his face, but he doesn't know how to spin in moderation and he ends up vomiting in a circle. It was funny the first time or two, but now we have to tell him to stop spinning.
4. Night shift- Brett also started working a night stocking position at Kroger last week. He goes in at night and comes back at 7:00, and the best part is it's only four minutes away. I'll start heading into work when he gets home so I can come home early afternoon and watch the kids while he gets some sleep. It's a complicated dance, but it will work for now. Brett is also contemplating starting up the cleaning business again, which might be a good thing as long as he sticks to offices and not restaurants. We'll see. We knew that church planting would require some sacrifices and whenever we discuss the people at Victory, how they have all come together as a family within 5 years from not knowing each other at all, how we've observed men turn their families around and serve the Lord, how over 30 souls have been saved, how members are going out and making disciples, how people are seeking to glorify God above all else, how Brett and I are continually taught things through ministering to others. . . Yeah, I'm not living in the house I thought I would live in, but there are many other things that I never dreamed I would be a part of. God has been good to us: we're healthy, our families are healthy, our relationships are all good, we've been given eternal life... honestly, I don't know why I get down sometimes.(There's nothing like a little self-therapeutic blogging.)
5. Victory-Just when we think how will anyone else find out about our church, along comes a couple more people! Around 5 more have been attending this past month, and another couple said they would visit this Sunday. (Another past youth group member we ran into at a restaurant.) Sunday mornings are visibly more crowded. If you come late you have to sit up front or squeeze into the center of the pew. Brett has been doing separate series in I John and Zechariah, which has been fascinating. Red horse riders (not the apocalyptic one), myrtle trees, flying rolls, comfort, prophecy. . .it has been an interesting study. We're streamlining our focus now and trimming some of the peripheral activities that haven't been working. We're really trying to focus on the Sunday morning service and making that a God-glorifying "success", not by our result, but by our effort.
6. House-We rearranged our rooms again, and think we've found the perfect combination. Brett's study in now in the yellow room, the dining room is back in the green room, and the living room is back to its original spot. It seems to make sense now, and if I believed in feng shui, our house would be a convert. Obviously, our kitchen doesn't count in the equation. The kitchen cabinets (or, what's left of them) disqualify that room.
7. Baylea-She went to the endocrinologist yesterday and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which means her thyroid levels are low. Basically, she'll have to take a pill every day. Her pediatrician thought her thyroid felt enlarged and ordered a blood draw, which showed her low levels. Luckily, she never had any symptoms, her growth isn't stunted (she's actually on track to be two inches taller than me, lucky girl), and it was detected early enough there are no real problems. She even dealt with it really well. I thought she might freak out, but she was more like, "Cool, I take a pill every morning for the rest of my life? Will I take one on my wedding day?" One day at a time, kiddo.
So there you go. There's my month of August in a nutshell. It's been cooling down here and the air is starting to smell different. You know, that clean crisp smell that signals the arrival of fall? I love it. No more shorts, or worrying about how white my legs are. I hate that winter comes right after that, but I intend to enjoy every minute of fall.
1. 24- The Bartlett family is hooked on this show. We got the Season One DVD set and watched the whole season in under two weeks. The kids even enjoy it and it is so funny to hear Connor talk about Jack Bauer. Our good friend Lydia checked out Season 2 at the library and we have watched four episodes, I mean "hours". It's also been a good visual warning to the girls on why it is so dangerous to sneak out at night (even if their parents have no connection to counterterrorism whatsoever.)
2. Wedding- We have a young couple that is getting married in our church on Saturday. Chris K. was a kid in the youth group when Brett was youth director way back when, but we had lost touch over the years. He got back into church this spring and his fiance, Kelly, started attending too. They are really great together and are wanting to serve God with their lives. Just a few weeks ago they decided they would get married right away, as they are expecting a baby girl in a couple weeks. I really must commend the ladies at Victory for jumping in and helping Kelly with the planning. It has come together rather nicely and everyone has been so helpful in aiding her, welcoming her with open arms, and trying to keep her as stress-free as possible. We just need the baby to hold off for at least two more days. Connor will be the ring-bearer and will be walking down with Kaitlyn. I think he should do all right, let's keep our fingers crossed.
3. School- The girls will be starting school on September 7. Baylea will be in 2nd grade, and Molly will be a full-time 1st grader this year. That leaves just the boys at home during the day, which promises to be interesting. Cole is at that age where he is into everything. He is soo fast too, but is too big to hang out in his playpen. He still enjoys his Johnny Jump-Up, but his latest activity is to spin round and round in it until he throws up, literally. One night he made himself sick by spinning three times. He's caught on that if he slowly twists around, the strap will wind up so when he lifts up his feet he will spin like a top. He covers his eyes and has this big smile on his face, but he doesn't know how to spin in moderation and he ends up vomiting in a circle. It was funny the first time or two, but now we have to tell him to stop spinning.
4. Night shift- Brett also started working a night stocking position at Kroger last week. He goes in at night and comes back at 7:00, and the best part is it's only four minutes away. I'll start heading into work when he gets home so I can come home early afternoon and watch the kids while he gets some sleep. It's a complicated dance, but it will work for now. Brett is also contemplating starting up the cleaning business again, which might be a good thing as long as he sticks to offices and not restaurants. We'll see. We knew that church planting would require some sacrifices and whenever we discuss the people at Victory, how they have all come together as a family within 5 years from not knowing each other at all, how we've observed men turn their families around and serve the Lord, how over 30 souls have been saved, how members are going out and making disciples, how people are seeking to glorify God above all else, how Brett and I are continually taught things through ministering to others. . . Yeah, I'm not living in the house I thought I would live in, but there are many other things that I never dreamed I would be a part of. God has been good to us: we're healthy, our families are healthy, our relationships are all good, we've been given eternal life... honestly, I don't know why I get down sometimes.(There's nothing like a little self-therapeutic blogging.)
5. Victory-Just when we think how will anyone else find out about our church, along comes a couple more people! Around 5 more have been attending this past month, and another couple said they would visit this Sunday. (Another past youth group member we ran into at a restaurant.) Sunday mornings are visibly more crowded. If you come late you have to sit up front or squeeze into the center of the pew. Brett has been doing separate series in I John and Zechariah, which has been fascinating. Red horse riders (not the apocalyptic one), myrtle trees, flying rolls, comfort, prophecy. . .it has been an interesting study. We're streamlining our focus now and trimming some of the peripheral activities that haven't been working. We're really trying to focus on the Sunday morning service and making that a God-glorifying "success", not by our result, but by our effort.
6. House-We rearranged our rooms again, and think we've found the perfect combination. Brett's study in now in the yellow room, the dining room is back in the green room, and the living room is back to its original spot. It seems to make sense now, and if I believed in feng shui, our house would be a convert. Obviously, our kitchen doesn't count in the equation. The kitchen cabinets (or, what's left of them) disqualify that room.
7. Baylea-She went to the endocrinologist yesterday and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which means her thyroid levels are low. Basically, she'll have to take a pill every day. Her pediatrician thought her thyroid felt enlarged and ordered a blood draw, which showed her low levels. Luckily, she never had any symptoms, her growth isn't stunted (she's actually on track to be two inches taller than me, lucky girl), and it was detected early enough there are no real problems. She even dealt with it really well. I thought she might freak out, but she was more like, "Cool, I take a pill every morning for the rest of my life? Will I take one on my wedding day?" One day at a time, kiddo.
So there you go. There's my month of August in a nutshell. It's been cooling down here and the air is starting to smell different. You know, that clean crisp smell that signals the arrival of fall? I love it. No more shorts, or worrying about how white my legs are. I hate that winter comes right after that, but I intend to enjoy every minute of fall.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Cole's First Trip
. . .to the ER. Is it sad that for every event in my life I think of how I can blog it the next day? Last night, Cole fell in his room and gashed his forehead on the handle of the air vent. I was in the other room when I heard a loud thud, then crying. It sounded like a shelf fell off the wall, but I knew there was nothing that heavy hanging in there. When I reached his room, he had a pretty good stream of blood pouring down in his face. That sight will always stop a mom's heart for a second.
I called Brett, who was at a friend's house, and he headed over. In the meantime, Cole calmed down after a bit, but it took longer for his sister to relax. Baylea, our resident worrywart, immediately broke out in tears and starting asking a million questions. Does he need stitches? Will he get a shot? Will the needle go into his brain?
Brett arrived and we decided he would stay home with the kids while I took Cole to get stitched up. Due to a bad experience when we took a two-week old Molly to the ER (another blog, another time), we are always worried that no one will believe us how an accident happened and child protective services will be involved. Isn't it sad how we have become afraid to seek emergency treatment for fear of having a child taken away? I know ER workers observe a lot of abusive situations, but it's unfortunate that non-abusive parents actually have to debate whether to take a child in or not.
Anyway, we got to the ER at 11:30 last night. Cole was being so good. His final prognosis was 2cm laceration on forehead. He didn't get stitches, but they glued it together with Dermabond, which it kind of interesting. After putting a numbing gel on, they just held the wound shut and squirted this clear gel on an area about the size of a nickel, waited for two minutes, then applied a second coat. It stays on for 8-10 days, then wears off. We were out of the ER by 1:00, so I was very pleased. Things can happen in an instant, but I thank the Lord that Cole is okay.
I called Brett, who was at a friend's house, and he headed over. In the meantime, Cole calmed down after a bit, but it took longer for his sister to relax. Baylea, our resident worrywart, immediately broke out in tears and starting asking a million questions. Does he need stitches? Will he get a shot? Will the needle go into his brain?
Brett arrived and we decided he would stay home with the kids while I took Cole to get stitched up. Due to a bad experience when we took a two-week old Molly to the ER (another blog, another time), we are always worried that no one will believe us how an accident happened and child protective services will be involved. Isn't it sad how we have become afraid to seek emergency treatment for fear of having a child taken away? I know ER workers observe a lot of abusive situations, but it's unfortunate that non-abusive parents actually have to debate whether to take a child in or not.
Anyway, we got to the ER at 11:30 last night. Cole was being so good. His final prognosis was 2cm laceration on forehead. He didn't get stitches, but they glued it together with Dermabond, which it kind of interesting. After putting a numbing gel on, they just held the wound shut and squirted this clear gel on an area about the size of a nickel, waited for two minutes, then applied a second coat. It stays on for 8-10 days, then wears off. We were out of the ER by 1:00, so I was very pleased. Things can happen in an instant, but I thank the Lord that Cole is okay.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Baylea's first day of school last year. She started the 1st grade and was very excited to go full days.
Can you believe they've already argued over clothes?
The newly crowned big brother.
And here is baby Cole, who was a five weeks old here. He turned 1 two weeks ago, it's amazing and sad how fast time flies. No more tiny babies in our house anymore (we mean it this time!)
I was recently able to download a lot of older pictures that had been "trapped" on my mini-DVR discs, so I plan on posting a lot of them shortly. As you will see, I happen to only take pictures of my kids apparently, so get used to the Bartlett Four.
Above is Halloween from last year. We had Snow White, Ariel, Captain Hook, and Eeyore. So in addition to our family's video collection, cereals, backpacks, and clothing, Walt Disney has also monopolized the market on our Halloweens as well.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Rock'n Lock-In!
Friday night was our junior church "rock'n lock-in". It was tiring, but the kids had a lot of fun. We started out the evening with pizza, the staple of all youth activities. Then, we moved outside for a game of hide-and-seek, but that got a little nerve-wracking making sure the younger kids didn't go anywhere near the street. Plus, the flooding and storms from a couple weeks ago have provided excellent breeding grounds for mosquitos.
We moved inside and set up the tv to watch movies. We had told the kids we would be watching Star Wars movies, which they were excited about. Of course, Stars Wars movies to them are the most recent ones so we popped in the Phantom Menace. We also thought it would be fun to dress them up as characters. Melanie put the girl's hair up into Princess Leia buns while Lydia and I applied face paint. We had five Queen Amidalas, two Darth Mauls, two Darth Vaders, one Yoda, and one R2D2. How come no one wants to be Hans Solo or Luke Skywalker anymore?
We let them watch the first movie, then put in the next one, Attack of the Clones. They were still awake after that so we put in the third. Lydia and I thought the kids would go to bed much earlier than they did. They acted fine, but just didn't want to sleep (unlike me.) Suprisingly, the two that stayed up the latest were Connor and Jake, the four-year olds. It was almost 2:30 before they were made to lay down. The girls were all in a corner, "chit-chatting" and apparently wolfing down a whole bag of potato chips, which left quite a mess on the floor.
Lydia and I shared quite a few laughs that night, but were glad to do something for the kids. They all said they had lots of fun and hope to do it again sometime. We'll see . . .
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
I'm posting this pic because I miss my babies today. These three are visiting Springfield this week with my in-laws. It has been very, very quiet at home. I think Cole even suspects something is not normal, but I've noticed he has tried to make more sounds than usual. He's trying to communicate by saying de, ba, te, and da. He also discovered that rolling his tongue in and out makes a lill-lill-lill sound.
Baylea, Molly, and Connor will be at the Dickerson Park Zoo this afternoon and will see my parents later today. Have fun guys, I miss you tons. . . Mom
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Withdrawal is a stinker. No- not nicotine, or alcohol, or drugs. . .diet pop. (Coke, soda, cola, whatever.) Brett and I started another diet, again, on Sunday. Yes, we've attempted many diets, but this one isn't some silly fad diet. It's basically low-calorie healthy eating. I loaded the grocery cart with tons of fresh vegetables rather than meals that came in a box or a can.
I found a weekly diet plan through beachbody.com. We ordered their workout dvd's a couple years ago, and they are really good as long as you stick to them. So, for the past three days I've eaten a low-carb high-protein diet, which hasn't been too bad. But, we also decided to give up pop. . . which apparently our bodies are addicted to.
I've heard a lot of stories about the perils of diet drinks, but didn't usually care. If it gives me a caffeine fix and contains zero calories, how can it be that bad? At work, we have a supply of free cans of Coke products, and I averaged 2-3 cans of Diet Coke a day. Then at home, I always had Diet Dr. Pepper on hand and probably had 1-3 more during the evening. So, since Saturday night, I haven't had any at all. Yesterday was rough.
I was okay throughout much of the day, but started to get a headache in the afternoon. By the time I got home, it was pounding. I don't know if I've ever had a migraine or not, but this was what I'd imagine one to be. I felt almost nauseous, didn't feel like eating, and the lights hurt my eyes. We tried watching TV, but I ended up laying on the couch with my head cradled on one arm, with the other shielding my eyes from the lights. I think I went to bed at 9:30. Brett felt awful too. He said he had no energy and it was making him very grumpy (he acknowledged it was because of the withdrawal symptoms.)
It made us kind of wonder what sort of stuff we put into our bodies that affect us so much when we stop. I mean, why doesn't this happen when I quit eating peas? Anyway, today was much better, I have been drinking tons of water and am actually excited to start losing the weight.
I found a weekly diet plan through beachbody.com. We ordered their workout dvd's a couple years ago, and they are really good as long as you stick to them. So, for the past three days I've eaten a low-carb high-protein diet, which hasn't been too bad. But, we also decided to give up pop. . . which apparently our bodies are addicted to.
I've heard a lot of stories about the perils of diet drinks, but didn't usually care. If it gives me a caffeine fix and contains zero calories, how can it be that bad? At work, we have a supply of free cans of Coke products, and I averaged 2-3 cans of Diet Coke a day. Then at home, I always had Diet Dr. Pepper on hand and probably had 1-3 more during the evening. So, since Saturday night, I haven't had any at all. Yesterday was rough.
I was okay throughout much of the day, but started to get a headache in the afternoon. By the time I got home, it was pounding. I don't know if I've ever had a migraine or not, but this was what I'd imagine one to be. I felt almost nauseous, didn't feel like eating, and the lights hurt my eyes. We tried watching TV, but I ended up laying on the couch with my head cradled on one arm, with the other shielding my eyes from the lights. I think I went to bed at 9:30. Brett felt awful too. He said he had no energy and it was making him very grumpy (he acknowledged it was because of the withdrawal symptoms.)
It made us kind of wonder what sort of stuff we put into our bodies that affect us so much when we stop. I mean, why doesn't this happen when I quit eating peas? Anyway, today was much better, I have been drinking tons of water and am actually excited to start losing the weight.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Oops. What did I say yesterday about having the tv all to myself? Our weather situation made the national news last night, and turned out to be quite an experience for us.
Around 6:15 pm, my mother-in-law came over to the house to help me drill some screws into the wall for shelving. It began to rain and the sky got that really weird green color. Then, it began to pour. I hadn't seen it rain that hard in a long while. After about 20 minutes, I looked out our front window and noticed the utility pole was leaning at at 50 degree angle. The power lines that went from the top of that pole to the side of our house were draping across my driveway. It looked like I could drive under them maybe, but I wasn't sure.
Church was supposed to start at 7:00, but it was lightning and raining so hard there was no way I was going to try to drag three little kids across the parking lot. I didn't see the light on in the nursery, so I knew I would be back there watching my kids anyway. Connor and I pulled up chairs to the window and watched the storm outside. The fire department came out and set up cones in front of the leaning pole so traffic wasn't allowed to proceed on our street. They didn't come up to the door or anything, and left after fifteen minutes.
We only had partial electricity. Some rooms had it, others didn't. The TV wouldn't come on and our water wasn't working either. Around 8:30 I was talking on the phone with Jen from church, when I heard someone's voice yelling at me from the back porch. It was my neighbor telling me we needed to get out of the house right away. I scooped up the children and we ran outside through the rain to their house. He turned me around and showed me what the deal was. His willow tree had been knocked over onto the lines, which made the pole start to lean, which pulled on the power lines attached to our house. The power lines that had been partially torn from the side of the house were crackling and zapping against the aluminum siding. Scary stuff.
The fire department and utilities truck came back and they shut off the power to both of our homes, then took the wires that had fallen. My neighbor asked them why they didn't tell me to get out of the house and they said they didn't notice. Comforting. You think they would investigate a little about live wires from a falling pole. The workers shut the power off, took the wires, then left. Anyway, we stayed there for a couple hours until my mother-in-law could pick me up, as she was dealing with her church's own flooding drama.
I followed her out to her house about 20 miles away, through one of the most active lightning storms I've seen. And get this, yesterday morning, the driver's side window quit working when it was in the down position. So my window is completely open, I'm driving through rain and a lightning storm- and my one phobia in life is being struck by lightning. I was leaning towards the middle of the van as much as possible in hopes that the lightning bolt wouldn't be able to reach those extra two inches. Don't laugh, it worked.
It turns out there were several funnel cloud sightings last night, one that was only three miles away. I'm soo glad Baylea wasn't here. She would have had a heart attack. The long night ended with a funny thought, though. Brett called me from camp. He said they had a talent show that night that Baylea entered. Okay, here's this often shy seven year-old at a senior high camp and she's in the talent show? What did she do, I ask? He said she walked up on stage, laid down on her back, then arched up into a bridge for three seconds, then walked off. Oh my gosh, no she didn't. Yeah, Brett says, and because it's Baylea, the high school crowd went wild! I would have loved to see it. Thanks Bayles, you put a smile on my face at the end of a very cruddy day.
It's Thursday afternoon and I still haven't been back to the house yet. The automated electric company message estimated my power to be restored tonight at eleven. But as I'm typing this, the weather services are posting more storm watches for tonight and I already hear the thunder rolling. I was swapping stories with Lydia last night and we laughed at how we were already formulating our blogs for the next day. We've become internet addicts, we admit. So if tonight is exciting again, you'll hear about it soon.
Around 6:15 pm, my mother-in-law came over to the house to help me drill some screws into the wall for shelving. It began to rain and the sky got that really weird green color. Then, it began to pour. I hadn't seen it rain that hard in a long while. After about 20 minutes, I looked out our front window and noticed the utility pole was leaning at at 50 degree angle. The power lines that went from the top of that pole to the side of our house were draping across my driveway. It looked like I could drive under them maybe, but I wasn't sure.
Church was supposed to start at 7:00, but it was lightning and raining so hard there was no way I was going to try to drag three little kids across the parking lot. I didn't see the light on in the nursery, so I knew I would be back there watching my kids anyway. Connor and I pulled up chairs to the window and watched the storm outside. The fire department came out and set up cones in front of the leaning pole so traffic wasn't allowed to proceed on our street. They didn't come up to the door or anything, and left after fifteen minutes.
We only had partial electricity. Some rooms had it, others didn't. The TV wouldn't come on and our water wasn't working either. Around 8:30 I was talking on the phone with Jen from church, when I heard someone's voice yelling at me from the back porch. It was my neighbor telling me we needed to get out of the house right away. I scooped up the children and we ran outside through the rain to their house. He turned me around and showed me what the deal was. His willow tree had been knocked over onto the lines, which made the pole start to lean, which pulled on the power lines attached to our house. The power lines that had been partially torn from the side of the house were crackling and zapping against the aluminum siding. Scary stuff.
The fire department and utilities truck came back and they shut off the power to both of our homes, then took the wires that had fallen. My neighbor asked them why they didn't tell me to get out of the house and they said they didn't notice. Comforting. You think they would investigate a little about live wires from a falling pole. The workers shut the power off, took the wires, then left. Anyway, we stayed there for a couple hours until my mother-in-law could pick me up, as she was dealing with her church's own flooding drama.
I followed her out to her house about 20 miles away, through one of the most active lightning storms I've seen. And get this, yesterday morning, the driver's side window quit working when it was in the down position. So my window is completely open, I'm driving through rain and a lightning storm- and my one phobia in life is being struck by lightning. I was leaning towards the middle of the van as much as possible in hopes that the lightning bolt wouldn't be able to reach those extra two inches. Don't laugh, it worked.
It turns out there were several funnel cloud sightings last night, one that was only three miles away. I'm soo glad Baylea wasn't here. She would have had a heart attack. The long night ended with a funny thought, though. Brett called me from camp. He said they had a talent show that night that Baylea entered. Okay, here's this often shy seven year-old at a senior high camp and she's in the talent show? What did she do, I ask? He said she walked up on stage, laid down on her back, then arched up into a bridge for three seconds, then walked off. Oh my gosh, no she didn't. Yeah, Brett says, and because it's Baylea, the high school crowd went wild! I would have loved to see it. Thanks Bayles, you put a smile on my face at the end of a very cruddy day.
It's Thursday afternoon and I still haven't been back to the house yet. The automated electric company message estimated my power to be restored tonight at eleven. But as I'm typing this, the weather services are posting more storm watches for tonight and I already hear the thunder rolling. I was swapping stories with Lydia last night and we laughed at how we were already formulating our blogs for the next day. We've become internet addicts, we admit. So if tonight is exciting again, you'll hear about it soon.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
It's been a quiet week. Brett left Monday to speak at a camp up north. Baylea went with him, so it's just me and three kiddos. He was worried that Bayles would be bored, but it turns out she has having a blast. He said the campers, mainly high schoolers, have taken her under their wing and are just serving her hand and foot. Of course, she's loving it.
They'll be back on Friday night. Molly and Connor have done pretty well, the weather has been nice so they've spent a lot of time outside. Cole is taking more and more steps. He's at that age that is getting difficult to keep constant watch over him. Everything goes into his mouth, and he hates to be confined to a playpen.
The evenings have been quiet. I've done pretty well staying on top of cleaning and laundry, even. What I've noticed too, is how hard it is to stop watching tv late at night when you have total control of the remote. No ESPN this week!
No really, I miss Brett and Baylea and hope they have a great time. I've felt like something's been missing for the past two days, they need to get back quickly!
They'll be back on Friday night. Molly and Connor have done pretty well, the weather has been nice so they've spent a lot of time outside. Cole is taking more and more steps. He's at that age that is getting difficult to keep constant watch over him. Everything goes into his mouth, and he hates to be confined to a playpen.
The evenings have been quiet. I've done pretty well staying on top of cleaning and laundry, even. What I've noticed too, is how hard it is to stop watching tv late at night when you have total control of the remote. No ESPN this week!
No really, I miss Brett and Baylea and hope they have a great time. I've felt like something's been missing for the past two days, they need to get back quickly!
Friday, June 16, 2006
I saw the dumbest bumper sticker at lunch today.
It said:
Osama still has his job.
Do you still have yours?
This is ridiculous on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin. (And you can guess which political party sticker was on the other side.) Osama doesn't have a job, he's an evil murderer. Someone is trying to equate the job security of a terrorist to the plight of an American who demands that his government owes him a job. Well, if you think the unemployment rates are impressively low enough in the caves of Afghanistan, then take your pink slip and hightail it out of this country that apparently serves no purpose to you.
When I was a high-school senior, I interviewed for a scholarship from Wal-Mart (which is an abomination up here in Jeep Country.) They asked me if I could define capitalism. It threw me off a little and sadly, I didn't want to appear stupid if I defined it incorrectly, so I told them I didn't think I could comment on it. The thing was, though, I knew what capitalism was. I knew it involved the free market and the rights of people to own business and property. It is what makes America such a great country. And no, I didn't get the scholarship. You have the right to get out and create your own success. It's not about what the government can give me. Let them step back as much as morally possible and allow me to discover what will make me succeed.
My parents are living examples of this. After getting the raw end of a business deal over sixteen years ago, my Dad was in a situation of starting from square one. He came across a machine that cleaned blinds with ultrasonic waves, which did a better job than other methods. My Mom had experience with window treatments from working with my Grandmother several years prior. They put their talents together and formed a business on their own. Blinds Plus was born.
Radio ads were placed on the air, but as time went by, word of mouth became the best advertising of all. Dad gained accounts with offices, restaurants, and homeowners as he performed cleaning services that removed gunk, grease, and smoke stains from the decorative slats. Mom's expertise with sewing draperies and other window treatments created many satisfied customers and friends. Slowly, their business began to grow.
Several years later, they moved into a larger building to accomodate their needs. They eventually hired some help to meet the demands of their busy schedule. Every year they've been rewarded with cruises and vacations from their national dealer. Mom and Dad have been to Hawaii, Cancun, Alaska, St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands . . . to name a few. They are often on appointments and I rarely hear them pick up the phone anymore when I call the shop.
They achieved it. From a business standpoint, they are the American Dream. They worked hard, didn't expect handouts, put their noses to the grindstone, and toughed it out. They took their talents and put them to good use. And I'm darn proud of them. It may have taken an idiotic bumper sticker for me to say this, but I love them and marvel how they conducted themselves when faced with adversity or uncertainty. They succeed in their careers and retained their integrity, honesty, and class.
Happy Father's Day, Dad.
It said:
Osama still has his job.
Do you still have yours?
This is ridiculous on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin. (And you can guess which political party sticker was on the other side.) Osama doesn't have a job, he's an evil murderer. Someone is trying to equate the job security of a terrorist to the plight of an American who demands that his government owes him a job. Well, if you think the unemployment rates are impressively low enough in the caves of Afghanistan, then take your pink slip and hightail it out of this country that apparently serves no purpose to you.
When I was a high-school senior, I interviewed for a scholarship from Wal-Mart (which is an abomination up here in Jeep Country.) They asked me if I could define capitalism. It threw me off a little and sadly, I didn't want to appear stupid if I defined it incorrectly, so I told them I didn't think I could comment on it. The thing was, though, I knew what capitalism was. I knew it involved the free market and the rights of people to own business and property. It is what makes America such a great country. And no, I didn't get the scholarship. You have the right to get out and create your own success. It's not about what the government can give me. Let them step back as much as morally possible and allow me to discover what will make me succeed.
My parents are living examples of this. After getting the raw end of a business deal over sixteen years ago, my Dad was in a situation of starting from square one. He came across a machine that cleaned blinds with ultrasonic waves, which did a better job than other methods. My Mom had experience with window treatments from working with my Grandmother several years prior. They put their talents together and formed a business on their own. Blinds Plus was born.
Radio ads were placed on the air, but as time went by, word of mouth became the best advertising of all. Dad gained accounts with offices, restaurants, and homeowners as he performed cleaning services that removed gunk, grease, and smoke stains from the decorative slats. Mom's expertise with sewing draperies and other window treatments created many satisfied customers and friends. Slowly, their business began to grow.
Several years later, they moved into a larger building to accomodate their needs. They eventually hired some help to meet the demands of their busy schedule. Every year they've been rewarded with cruises and vacations from their national dealer. Mom and Dad have been to Hawaii, Cancun, Alaska, St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands . . . to name a few. They are often on appointments and I rarely hear them pick up the phone anymore when I call the shop.
They achieved it. From a business standpoint, they are the American Dream. They worked hard, didn't expect handouts, put their noses to the grindstone, and toughed it out. They took their talents and put them to good use. And I'm darn proud of them. It may have taken an idiotic bumper sticker for me to say this, but I love them and marvel how they conducted themselves when faced with adversity or uncertainty. They succeed in their careers and retained their integrity, honesty, and class.
Happy Father's Day, Dad.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
The Gospel According to Connor
Connor came up to me Sunday and showed me a little book he'd made in junior church. He wanted to tell me what it meant.
Black means your heart is yucky.
Red is when God's blood camed out.
White is for the snow that is washed.
Yellow is for the roads.
Green is for grass- I forget, Mom.
I asked him what he had in his hand. He said, It's my worth-less book.
Black means your heart is yucky.
Red is when God's blood camed out.
White is for the snow that is washed.
Yellow is for the roads.
Green is for grass- I forget, Mom.
I asked him what he had in his hand. He said, It's my worth-less book.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Our trip to Springfield was really great! It was so nice to get away and spend time back in Missouri. Here's a basic timeline:
Sunday 10:00 pm, Toledo: Brett, his dad, me, Baylea, Molly, Connor, and Cole pile into a 15-passenger van and head south. Our plan was to drive through the night to make it easier on the kids (and in turn, easier on us.) At 11:00, Brett tells me, "Go ahead and rest now, we may need you to drive later." Sure, so I sack out. At 3:00 a.m., I feel the van stop and look to see we are at a hotel somewhere in Indiana. Apparently, we will be stopping to sleep for a few hours. Heh, guess that worked out for me. I end up getting about nine hours of sleep, which is more than I get at home.
Monday 10:00 am, Podunk, Indiana: Aaannd, we're off again.
Monday 12:00 pm, Effingham, Indiana: Sure, a KFC buffet sounds great when you're hungry. Afterwards, not so much.
Monday 5:00 pm, Springfield, Missouri: When did they take down that huge American flag at the hotel that's at the intersection of I-44 and US 65? The sight of that flag when you're approaching from the west on I-44 was always the sign that you made it.
"Look kids, there's where mommy and daddy went to church. Yes, it is big isn't it?" It's weird, frequently my dreams take place in that building.
We turned onto Battlefield Road and marveled at how much that area has changed. Brett wanted to drive by his elementary school, so we wound around a few streets until we see Sequiota. It's funny how schools seemed so big when you're a little kid.
We then drive around to mommy's high school with the funny name. No, Molly, it's not Pickapoo, it's Kickapoo. Still a funny name, nonetheless.
We drop off Brett's dad at Brett's grandmother's house, chat with her for awhile, then head off for our final destination. Finally, we arrive at my parent's house. We survived the trip! Mom makes us chicken casserole, which I didn't remember liking it as much as I did that night. Keith and his girlfriend come over and entertain the kids, or maybe the other way around. They head out to the backyard and play catch with beach balls and toy airplanes.
Tuesday: Brett heads off to the golf tournament, and I get the kids dressed and fed. Connor needs a haircut badly, so we go over Cookie Cutters. He chooses the airplane seat and wants to watch Justice League on the video screen. Why can't I ever come up with a brilliant idea like that? We go next door to see my best friend that I grew up with, Mandy Britton. She's over at Jellybeans so we traipse over there. We catch up on things and chat for awhile. I look around and wish for the day that I can spend $80 on a cute blouse for one of the girls.
I take the kids over to Irene's house and spend a couple hours there. She makes us turkey sandwiches and we play Yahtzee. Well, we played the kid version where you just count up the dots and first one to 300 wins. It came down to the last roll between Baylea and Irene. Irene ends up winning. Baylea takes the loss surpisingly well.
Later, I meet up with Brett, his dad, and Irene at Tasia's. Wow, that place is good. You see, here in the north, cashew (or sweet and sour) chicken is not that wonderful. It is not all-white meat, has a squishy breading, and the sweet and sour sauce is a bright red liquid. I don't understand why it's so hard to deep fry chicken the way Springfield does. Brett and his dad were lamenting the fact that their favorite restaurant, Gee's is no longer. They thought there was no way they could enjoy Chinese food again. . . until they tried Tasia's. They loved it and ended up eating there two more times before we left.
I then met up with Mom, Dad, Keith and the kids at Incredible Pizza. They loved it, of course. Pretty impressive buffet, but I was stuffed to the gills with crab rangoon, egg rolls, fried rice, and cashew chicken, so I didn't eat there. Connor, age 4, ate five pieces of pizza! I've never seen him eat that much. I guess when your intestines are operated on when you are one day old, you can pretty much stomach anything. We ran into Andrea Wilkinson's parents. She's currently teaching graphic arts at a college in New Zealand.
Wednesday: (Wow, this post is getting long). Today, we visited both sets of grandparents. We went to the Holland's in Nixa in the afternoon. It's weird to see your kids play with toys that you remember playing with as a little kid. We went on to the Tyler's later, where my grandmother fixed an excellent dinner. I always have to get seconds when I eat there, and I always end up hurting. The good kind of hurting, though.
Thursday: Mom and Dad were very busy today with appointments and all, so I hung out with the kids at my house. I try to convince myself that having a bigger house only means that there are more messes spread out. It was nice to enjoy the space, though. Brett and I discuss the possibility of putting up our house for sale, and trying to get something roomier. The cost of housing in Michigan is much higher, so we'll have to see if anything comes along.
Friday: Brett, his dad, the kids and I go to Silver Dollar City. We decide to do Fire in the Hole first. Baylea, our resident worrywart, works herself up into tears over riding the thing. We assure her she will love it, not knowing if she will or not. We move along in the dark, looking at the various fake fire scenes, hearing the warbled soundtrack, and smelling the musty odor that hasn't changed in thirty years. Okay, we're approaching the burning bridge. . . will the children freak out at the dip? Wheee! All's well, I don't hear screaming. Connor is next to me laughing is head off. We proceed to the oncoming train, which totally freaked me out the very first time I rode that ride. Today, it just looks like a flashlight glaring in your eyes. All right, last hill. . .FIIIRRE!IN!THE!HHHOOOOLLLLE! I forgot about the water splash at the end. Evidently, Connor does NOT like to be splashed, so he ends the ride crying about getting wet. Baylea ends up loving it, just like we told her she would.
Then we go to the hot-air balloon ride that spins in a circle. Baylea works herself up to tears again in anxiety. We assure her, she will love it, which she does. Does anyone remember where the room is that is dark and has lights and mirrors in it so it looks like you're in infinite space? We thought it was Grandfather's mansion, maybe they took it out.
The new kid's section was pretty cool. Their favorite was the spinning teacups. Yeah, I felt the aftereffects of that ride for awhile.
That night we went out with my family for dinner. We'd planned to go to Cheddar's but figured the wait would be too long for a party of eight, Friday 7:30. We ended up going to a Chinese food place in Ozark, where I had Korean-style cashew chicken. My mouth thought it was great, but my intestines disagreed a few hours later. Goodness gracious, I had about three hours of breaking out in a sweat and stomach cramps that brought tears to my eyes.
Saturday: Time to head back home! It was a great week and I'm glad we got to do it. Heading home, the kids help up fairly well. Baylea was so proud that she had to go to the bathroom six times on the way home- I think it became a game for her, she was trying to set a record. Me, I never want to see a gas station bathroom again. 10:30 pm EST We arrive home, exhausted, bored, yet happy. Unpacking will have to wait until tomorrow. . or the next day.
Sunday 10:00 pm, Toledo: Brett, his dad, me, Baylea, Molly, Connor, and Cole pile into a 15-passenger van and head south. Our plan was to drive through the night to make it easier on the kids (and in turn, easier on us.) At 11:00, Brett tells me, "Go ahead and rest now, we may need you to drive later." Sure, so I sack out. At 3:00 a.m., I feel the van stop and look to see we are at a hotel somewhere in Indiana. Apparently, we will be stopping to sleep for a few hours. Heh, guess that worked out for me. I end up getting about nine hours of sleep, which is more than I get at home.
Monday 10:00 am, Podunk, Indiana: Aaannd, we're off again.
Monday 12:00 pm, Effingham, Indiana: Sure, a KFC buffet sounds great when you're hungry. Afterwards, not so much.
Monday 5:00 pm, Springfield, Missouri: When did they take down that huge American flag at the hotel that's at the intersection of I-44 and US 65? The sight of that flag when you're approaching from the west on I-44 was always the sign that you made it.
"Look kids, there's where mommy and daddy went to church. Yes, it is big isn't it?" It's weird, frequently my dreams take place in that building.
We turned onto Battlefield Road and marveled at how much that area has changed. Brett wanted to drive by his elementary school, so we wound around a few streets until we see Sequiota. It's funny how schools seemed so big when you're a little kid.
We then drive around to mommy's high school with the funny name. No, Molly, it's not Pickapoo, it's Kickapoo. Still a funny name, nonetheless.
We drop off Brett's dad at Brett's grandmother's house, chat with her for awhile, then head off for our final destination. Finally, we arrive at my parent's house. We survived the trip! Mom makes us chicken casserole, which I didn't remember liking it as much as I did that night. Keith and his girlfriend come over and entertain the kids, or maybe the other way around. They head out to the backyard and play catch with beach balls and toy airplanes.
Tuesday: Brett heads off to the golf tournament, and I get the kids dressed and fed. Connor needs a haircut badly, so we go over Cookie Cutters. He chooses the airplane seat and wants to watch Justice League on the video screen. Why can't I ever come up with a brilliant idea like that? We go next door to see my best friend that I grew up with, Mandy Britton. She's over at Jellybeans so we traipse over there. We catch up on things and chat for awhile. I look around and wish for the day that I can spend $80 on a cute blouse for one of the girls.
I take the kids over to Irene's house and spend a couple hours there. She makes us turkey sandwiches and we play Yahtzee. Well, we played the kid version where you just count up the dots and first one to 300 wins. It came down to the last roll between Baylea and Irene. Irene ends up winning. Baylea takes the loss surpisingly well.
Later, I meet up with Brett, his dad, and Irene at Tasia's. Wow, that place is good. You see, here in the north, cashew (or sweet and sour) chicken is not that wonderful. It is not all-white meat, has a squishy breading, and the sweet and sour sauce is a bright red liquid. I don't understand why it's so hard to deep fry chicken the way Springfield does. Brett and his dad were lamenting the fact that their favorite restaurant, Gee's is no longer. They thought there was no way they could enjoy Chinese food again. . . until they tried Tasia's. They loved it and ended up eating there two more times before we left.
I then met up with Mom, Dad, Keith and the kids at Incredible Pizza. They loved it, of course. Pretty impressive buffet, but I was stuffed to the gills with crab rangoon, egg rolls, fried rice, and cashew chicken, so I didn't eat there. Connor, age 4, ate five pieces of pizza! I've never seen him eat that much. I guess when your intestines are operated on when you are one day old, you can pretty much stomach anything. We ran into Andrea Wilkinson's parents. She's currently teaching graphic arts at a college in New Zealand.
Wednesday: (Wow, this post is getting long). Today, we visited both sets of grandparents. We went to the Holland's in Nixa in the afternoon. It's weird to see your kids play with toys that you remember playing with as a little kid. We went on to the Tyler's later, where my grandmother fixed an excellent dinner. I always have to get seconds when I eat there, and I always end up hurting. The good kind of hurting, though.
Thursday: Mom and Dad were very busy today with appointments and all, so I hung out with the kids at my house. I try to convince myself that having a bigger house only means that there are more messes spread out. It was nice to enjoy the space, though. Brett and I discuss the possibility of putting up our house for sale, and trying to get something roomier. The cost of housing in Michigan is much higher, so we'll have to see if anything comes along.
Friday: Brett, his dad, the kids and I go to Silver Dollar City. We decide to do Fire in the Hole first. Baylea, our resident worrywart, works herself up into tears over riding the thing. We assure her she will love it, not knowing if she will or not. We move along in the dark, looking at the various fake fire scenes, hearing the warbled soundtrack, and smelling the musty odor that hasn't changed in thirty years. Okay, we're approaching the burning bridge. . . will the children freak out at the dip? Wheee! All's well, I don't hear screaming. Connor is next to me laughing is head off. We proceed to the oncoming train, which totally freaked me out the very first time I rode that ride. Today, it just looks like a flashlight glaring in your eyes. All right, last hill. . .FIIIRRE!IN!THE!HHHOOOOLLLLE! I forgot about the water splash at the end. Evidently, Connor does NOT like to be splashed, so he ends the ride crying about getting wet. Baylea ends up loving it, just like we told her she would.
Then we go to the hot-air balloon ride that spins in a circle. Baylea works herself up to tears again in anxiety. We assure her, she will love it, which she does. Does anyone remember where the room is that is dark and has lights and mirrors in it so it looks like you're in infinite space? We thought it was Grandfather's mansion, maybe they took it out.
The new kid's section was pretty cool. Their favorite was the spinning teacups. Yeah, I felt the aftereffects of that ride for awhile.
That night we went out with my family for dinner. We'd planned to go to Cheddar's but figured the wait would be too long for a party of eight, Friday 7:30. We ended up going to a Chinese food place in Ozark, where I had Korean-style cashew chicken. My mouth thought it was great, but my intestines disagreed a few hours later. Goodness gracious, I had about three hours of breaking out in a sweat and stomach cramps that brought tears to my eyes.
Saturday: Time to head back home! It was a great week and I'm glad we got to do it. Heading home, the kids help up fairly well. Baylea was so proud that she had to go to the bathroom six times on the way home- I think it became a game for her, she was trying to set a record. Me, I never want to see a gas station bathroom again. 10:30 pm EST We arrive home, exhausted, bored, yet happy. Unpacking will have to wait until tomorrow. . or the next day.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
.jpg)
This week seems to have flown by. It started with beautiful weather, the kind that makes everything in life a little bit sweeter. But, being Toledo, it came to an end yesterday and we are facing a forecast of rain for the next four or five days.
Hopefully, Springfield weather will be decent next week. We are planning to leave Sunday night and drive through 'til the morning. It should make it easier on the kiddos that way. I haven't been to Springtown since over a year ago, the longest time I've been away. Brett hasn't been there since even longer than that.
It will be good to see family. None of my grandparents have even seen Cole, so it should be fun to show him to everybody. If nothing else, it will be nice to take a week's vacation from work. I love my job, but a break will be very nice, too.
Of course, getting everything packed and in order will be stressful. I'm sure I'll spend my Saturday finishing laundry, actually folding it and putting it away (which I loathe to do) rather than letting it pile up on the dryer, tidying up the messes in the house that I put off until the weekend, getting the kid's clothes together, getting my clothes together, getting Brett's clothes together. . .what is it again that's supposed to be relaxing about a vacation? I forget.
Anyway, I'm excited to see my family and visit our old haunts. Be looking for us at Cheddar's, Lucy's, or Andy's. What's this restuarant Hillenblog is always talking about? I love Mexican, maybe we can meet up next week there and you can show us what's new in Spfd. See y'all in 696 miles.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Molly celebrated her 6th birthday last week. She had fun being a birthday princess at school and we had a little family party for her on Friday night. She got some cute clothes and some cool toys, namely Trouble. I got it for her, since I loved it as a kid, and she should have the same childhood joys as I did, right? Besides, it blows Chutes and Ladders out of the water!
Anyway, my grandmother sent her a little outfit that consisted of a shirt, hooded zip-up jacket, and these blue/white camouflage culotte-style shorts. In fact, when I saw her open them I said, "Wow, gauchos!" I didn't know they made those anymore. Anyway, she loved it.
Last night Molly wore her new outfit to the youth Bible study at the church. One of the teens asked me, are those gauchos? I started to make a face and defend her saying, "Well, yeah, my grandmother sent them and Molly likes them, so she's wearing them and I know they are a little odd looking . . ." Cause I mean, to me, gauchos totally scream BBC circa 1985. I have flashbacks of my AWANA leaders wearing their sporty grey and red uniform shirts with these hideous, flappy, bell-bottomed culottes of modesty. Anyway, Amanda tells me, "Yeah, we wear those all the time at school." Oh.
So, she wasn't ridiculing my daughter's clothing choice like I had assumed, but was actually thinking it was cool that a six year-old was so in style. My Grandmother Tyler should start shopping for my clothes. It's kind of humbling to know that my seventy-something dear grandmother has much more fashion sense than I do. Next thing I'll hear is that my favorite tight-rolled frosted jeans are no longer rad. . .whaa? . . oh . . well at least I have my shaker-knit sweater, jelly bracelets, and leg warmers. Apparently I need to hang to them for a couple more years for when they become cool again.
Anyway, my grandmother sent her a little outfit that consisted of a shirt, hooded zip-up jacket, and these blue/white camouflage culotte-style shorts. In fact, when I saw her open them I said, "Wow, gauchos!" I didn't know they made those anymore. Anyway, she loved it.
Last night Molly wore her new outfit to the youth Bible study at the church. One of the teens asked me, are those gauchos? I started to make a face and defend her saying, "Well, yeah, my grandmother sent them and Molly likes them, so she's wearing them and I know they are a little odd looking . . ." Cause I mean, to me, gauchos totally scream BBC circa 1985. I have flashbacks of my AWANA leaders wearing their sporty grey and red uniform shirts with these hideous, flappy, bell-bottomed culottes of modesty. Anyway, Amanda tells me, "Yeah, we wear those all the time at school." Oh.
So, she wasn't ridiculing my daughter's clothing choice like I had assumed, but was actually thinking it was cool that a six year-old was so in style. My Grandmother Tyler should start shopping for my clothes. It's kind of humbling to know that my seventy-something dear grandmother has much more fashion sense than I do. Next thing I'll hear is that my favorite tight-rolled frosted jeans are no longer rad. . .whaa? . . oh . . well at least I have my shaker-knit sweater, jelly bracelets, and leg warmers. Apparently I need to hang to them for a couple more years for when they become cool again.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
1. Connor - this kid inhales Peeps like no other.
2. Molly - if you're wondering, her nose is yellow from sniffing a dandelion. Kids . . .
3. Baylea - Why yes, this much candy will make your teeth fall out. Seriously, how long does it take for the front two teeth to come in?
4. Cole - his first Easter! Guess who got to eat the candy in his basket?
It was a nice Sunday. Great services, an excellent lunch, and a relaxing evening. It was even sunny, which is somewhat infrequent in this area this time of year.
Monday, April 10, 2006
I came across this picture recently and thought I'd use it to try posting my first pic. It's maybe a year and a half old but it's one of my favs. Baylea's on the left. She's currently a first grader, loves anything princessy, and loves to worry about things that will never happen. This week's phobia: tsunamis. I promised her tsunamis in Michigan are very rare. Molly is in kindergarten, is quite the social butterfly at school, and is sprouting freckles across her nose. Looks like Daddy's girl, don't you think?
I'm trying to get some more photos on here but am having difficulty getting the files off my mini DVD-R discs. Suggestions are welcomed.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Step of Faith
This week marks a milestone in our family. As of this week, Brett is a full-time pastor. Yay! After five years of him pastoring and holding a full-time outside job ("bi-vocational" he calls it), Victory has come to the point where it is now beginning to support its own. No more days of will it-or-won't-it make it questioning.
If you don't know, Victory was started in '01 with just our family of (then) four in a hotel conference room. No visitors for the first two weeks. On the third Sunday, the door opened and in walked the first visitors. A year and half later, we were blessed to get a permanent building- an ugly green former restaurant/bar with no windows. . . and the bar still in it. Yes folks, for the first several months of services you had to walk past the bar to get to the meeting room. Not too many Baptist churches can claim that in their history.
We had major renovations in '03 (no more bars, Miller lite signs, or red backlit mirrors with mermaids etched on them -I'm not making this up) which resulted in something that actually resembled a church. God has been good and we are now running around 45-50. The people here are absolutely wonderful- they have a real heart for the Word of God and ministry.
So now, Brett can fully devote his time to his calling. He'll get to spend more time with the kids during the day, free up days to write sermons and lessons, and not have to worry whether he's being unfair to either pastoring or a secular job. It's been a blessing to help minister to this area, and I'm thankful for the faithfulness of God.
If you don't know, Victory was started in '01 with just our family of (then) four in a hotel conference room. No visitors for the first two weeks. On the third Sunday, the door opened and in walked the first visitors. A year and half later, we were blessed to get a permanent building- an ugly green former restaurant/bar with no windows. . . and the bar still in it. Yes folks, for the first several months of services you had to walk past the bar to get to the meeting room. Not too many Baptist churches can claim that in their history.
We had major renovations in '03 (no more bars, Miller lite signs, or red backlit mirrors with mermaids etched on them -I'm not making this up) which resulted in something that actually resembled a church. God has been good and we are now running around 45-50. The people here are absolutely wonderful- they have a real heart for the Word of God and ministry.
So now, Brett can fully devote his time to his calling. He'll get to spend more time with the kids during the day, free up days to write sermons and lessons, and not have to worry whether he's being unfair to either pastoring or a secular job. It's been a blessing to help minister to this area, and I'm thankful for the faithfulness of God.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
I'm not sure what's gotten into me lately, but I have been contacting long-lost friends like crazy lately. Old school friends, old youth counselors, old junior high leaders, old church buddies . . . Well, not OLD friends, but former friends. . no, that doesn't sound right either. Anyway, it's been fun. I hope it doesn't mean that I unknowingly have a terminal disease with just a few weeks to live and subconsciously decided to reach out to everyone who meant something to me. I hope not, but y'all can periodically check Toledo obituaries in case.
Maybe after turning 30 (yeah, thirty) I kind of gained an attitude of Who Cares? You know, if I feel like contacting someone I haven't talked with in many years, then I'm gonna go for it. Who cares if the last time they saw me I was a doofy cheerleader with BIG hair?
Perhaps this is a small part of the wisdom that comes with age. Why let feelings and insecurities over things that happened 15 years ago keep myself from reconnecting with people that are part of my life story and are part of my good memories? I hope I continue to gain more of this confidence over the next decade. It just might be worth the crow's feet and slowed metabolism that have accompanied it. Notice I said might.
So if you come across this, let me know. Say Hi. Let's catch up. I promise not to bring up your embarrassing past, if you don't bring up mine. And yes, I totally thought my huge hairdo was cool.
Maybe after turning 30 (yeah, thirty) I kind of gained an attitude of Who Cares? You know, if I feel like contacting someone I haven't talked with in many years, then I'm gonna go for it. Who cares if the last time they saw me I was a doofy cheerleader with BIG hair?
Perhaps this is a small part of the wisdom that comes with age. Why let feelings and insecurities over things that happened 15 years ago keep myself from reconnecting with people that are part of my life story and are part of my good memories? I hope I continue to gain more of this confidence over the next decade. It just might be worth the crow's feet and slowed metabolism that have accompanied it. Notice I said might.
So if you come across this, let me know. Say Hi. Let's catch up. I promise not to bring up your embarrassing past, if you don't bring up mine. And yes, I totally thought my huge hairdo was cool.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Victory's Latest
Things have been going well at Victory lately. Last Sunday we had 50 in attendance, which is one of our highest Sundays yet. Momentum has been gaining, and members have been fantastic in finding ways to help out in various ministries.
Last weekend we held a Fear Factor activity for the youth. The youth department was basically organized just a couple months ago and has done well with consistency. There were around 20 teens that showed up for the activity, so we were thrilled. There were four challenges that could be participated in, with points awarded for attempting, completing, and winning each one.
The first one was hilarious! Four kids raced at a time and started at the back of the pews. They had to crawl under the pews all the way to the front of the room. Our pews, which were donated to us from another church, have these knee rests that can be in an up or down position. (We Baptists don't do much kneeling during a service, but they make great footrests!) These rests made the crawl underneath harder because you kind of have to do a sort of over-under crawl. Anyway, at the front of the room waiting for the racers was a huge tub of flour that had wrapped pieces of bubble gum in it. Without using their hands they had to pick up a piece of gum in their mouth. I was worried that they might all be shy, but I was wrong! They all just buried their heads in the flour and went at it. It was sooo funny, all the counselors were laughing their heads off. It took longer than expected, but everyone managed to find their gum within three minutes. The first one to blow a bubble won their heat.
The second game involved a blender and beets, anchovies, dog food, and other things. Most participated, and most drank the whole cup! Just in case, there was a puke bucket, which was needed a couple times. Apparently, one teenager decided she could make it to the bathrooms instead before she blew. . .she was wrong. We had a nice trail on the carpet that had to be cleaned up. Funny thing was, she didn't even tell us she'd made a mess, we discovered it later on. Eeewwww.
They also had to hold their faces underwater while dangling a live worm from their mouth. The big decision with that was which end of the worm should go in their mouth. I'm glad I didn't do it! The last thing they did was to go into our pitch black unfinished basement and find 10 glo-sticks.
The activity was a hit! They all seemed to have fun, and a girl ended up with the prize. Justin gave a devotion and presented them with the gospel. Two teens ended up getting saved the following Monday at the Bible study, so the weekend was very profitable. We are now going to start planning a May Amazing Race deal.
Last weekend we held a Fear Factor activity for the youth. The youth department was basically organized just a couple months ago and has done well with consistency. There were around 20 teens that showed up for the activity, so we were thrilled. There were four challenges that could be participated in, with points awarded for attempting, completing, and winning each one.
The first one was hilarious! Four kids raced at a time and started at the back of the pews. They had to crawl under the pews all the way to the front of the room. Our pews, which were donated to us from another church, have these knee rests that can be in an up or down position. (We Baptists don't do much kneeling during a service, but they make great footrests!) These rests made the crawl underneath harder because you kind of have to do a sort of over-under crawl. Anyway, at the front of the room waiting for the racers was a huge tub of flour that had wrapped pieces of bubble gum in it. Without using their hands they had to pick up a piece of gum in their mouth. I was worried that they might all be shy, but I was wrong! They all just buried their heads in the flour and went at it. It was sooo funny, all the counselors were laughing their heads off. It took longer than expected, but everyone managed to find their gum within three minutes. The first one to blow a bubble won their heat.
The second game involved a blender and beets, anchovies, dog food, and other things. Most participated, and most drank the whole cup! Just in case, there was a puke bucket, which was needed a couple times. Apparently, one teenager decided she could make it to the bathrooms instead before she blew. . .she was wrong. We had a nice trail on the carpet that had to be cleaned up. Funny thing was, she didn't even tell us she'd made a mess, we discovered it later on. Eeewwww.
They also had to hold their faces underwater while dangling a live worm from their mouth. The big decision with that was which end of the worm should go in their mouth. I'm glad I didn't do it! The last thing they did was to go into our pitch black unfinished basement and find 10 glo-sticks.
The activity was a hit! They all seemed to have fun, and a girl ended up with the prize. Justin gave a devotion and presented them with the gospel. Two teens ended up getting saved the following Monday at the Bible study, so the weekend was very profitable. We are now going to start planning a May Amazing Race deal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
