Bible Boot Camp

What a busy and wonderful week at Vacation Bible School! The theme was Bible Boot Camp and the kids had a great time. It was Libby's first VBS now that she's a big 3-year-old, and she learned about her Commander (Jesus), and the enemy (Satan), the reality and the importance of being on the Lord's side of the battle, where victory is assured. She enjoyed the music, the crafts, the playing with friends, the teaching times, the snacks... and as you'll see from the pictures, there were even additional fun times (like when the army helicopter landed in the church parking lot) that she never would have imagined coming out of this week of VBS. I am sure that she'll be disappointed when we don't get to go back to VBS on Monday. She's already looking forward to next year!

in the driver's seat

in the driver's seat

"we all must fight but the battle is the Lord's!"

hard at work, decorating the classroom (this took over 7 hours)

Savannah, Mia and Libby LOVE playing dress up.

enjoying some playtime in the classroom

the helicopter lands

standing in front of the helicopter

Lovebugs

I wish you could have heard her voice when she said, "let me hold him." She delivered it with such confidence, just like one of my girlfriends would have said if she'd noticed my hands were full and I could use some help. I held Xander on my lap and Libby has been so smitten with him lately, more than usual, and she took one look at his dark eyes and said, "here mama, let me hold him." So, I ran for the camera and gave her her brother and this is what I ended up with.

Such Fun

Libby continues to enjoy the play set in the back yard, though the past week we haven't been out much due to our busy busy schedule. Nonetheless, she couldn't wait to show Debbie what fun it is to ride in her "car" shortly after her arrival at our home last week. Libby's at the wheel and Debbie and Sarah are certainly in for a ride.

The fort part is actually pretty good sized! Two adults and a little one can fit in there, and I can even stand straight up, if I stay toward the middle. :)

Daddy Earned his Kiss

It was not easy. It took 4 men and some help from 2 ladies and a little girl. The set had to be disassembled in a few places to make it manageable for 6 of us to carry it down the street and into our back yard. Then, some rotting wood required attention, and yesterday's work was cut short. This morning the storms caused us to fear that the swinging would have to wait until next weekend, but a phone call from our friends aroused mama from her nap and before we knew it our loving friends and family were back at our home to finish the job. It took almost as long to determine where the set should go as it did to get it there, but by dinnertime the kids were enjoying the fruits of labor.

So, again we are SO thankful to the Lord. He provided beyond our expectations, with a great toy for our kids to enjoy, and the ever so kind and generous service of Nick, Grandpa, Uncle Jon and even our neighbor Josh for a time. The ladies, Brittany, Grandma, and Aunt Em, sacrificed their weekend as well, caring for kids and supporting the guys as they worked and worked. And the kids were very patient, as they waited for the finale. We are so blessed!

Up, Up, and Away

So, apparently when I rescued Xander from his knees, I came a bit too soon... because a few days later, Thursday, when I heard him call for me, I found him standing at attention, and once again, before rescuing him I had to grab the camera and take a couple pictures. What a blessing to be home with my kids, to watch them grow and develop. I am daily thankful for the Lord's provision that allows me to have this privilege.

yah! Clearly he's excited with himself and his sister here.

This is my new favorite pic...He just looks like such a champ here.

I love it.

Uncle Daniel Visits

Uncle Daniel was in town just briefly but made sure to come to our home to spend some QT with Sarah, Libby and Xander. Yes, that's essentially what he said, though my feelings weren't hurt. I know that deep down, Daniel was thrilled to hang with me too. . ... .........

Libby showed Daniel her prowess on the computer. She can be pretty impressive with her ability to manage the touchpad/mouse, and she knows it. I have to remind her that the computer is not hers, as I find her "clicking" here or there if I leave a webpage open during the day. Anyway, she was delighted to show him her favorite game (for the time being...), which is Create Your Own Superhero with Princess Presto of Super Why. PBSers, you know what I mean. Princess Presto spells out a word for Libby, Libby clicks on the appropriate letters, and when she's spelled the word she gets to pick an accessory to dress her very own superhero. Libby's superheros tend to wear a lot of pink and purple. She has SO much fun playing games like this online.

Up on His Knees

Last Sunday, just over a week shy of hitting the 8 month marker, Xander pulled up to his knees in his crib. He took a short nap and started chatting in his room. I decided to leave him alone for a bit to see if he'd go back to sleep. He was then quiet about 15 minutes, and suddenly started whining. I figured he was fully awake and walked into his room to find him perched on his knees. He must have used the quiet time to get up, then whined to call me in for a rescue. Of course, I didn't rescue him until I had gotten my camera and a few satisfactory pictures of the occasion. He was a good sport.

Libby was very excited for Xander and was happy to encourage him after accomplishing his feat. As you can tell from his face, he's thrilled and even straightened up a bit taller after receiving some attention from her. He just adores her.

Finger Foods

Believe it or not, our little man is eating finger foods... I snapped some pictures of him as he snacked on some veggie puffs. He's just as cute as can be.

Strolling out of the Museum

On Thursday, we decided to go to the Children's Museum. It's a long story, but basically I told Libby about our plan to join our friends for a picnic and play at the park. This was at 10 a.m., and we were supposed to meet at 11:00. Well, around 10:30, it started to rain. bummer... Needless to say, we were all bit disappointed so we changed our plans a bit and took our lunch to the museum for some indoor play. And, I have found that snapping pictures of kids playing is more challenging when holding a little one... So, you'll have to settle for pictures of the kids in the stroller as we were leaving. As you can see, Libby wasn't feeling too photogenic, but Xander played along.

Dance, Dance, Dance

Libby and some friends began taking a dance class last week. This is a twice weekly, month-long intro to jazz, tap and ballet for preschoolers. After two classes, Libby continues to prefer the "Easter bunny dance", which involves a bunch of hopping. I'll take more pictures as we go, but these are from her first class.

The two girls on the left are Emiliana and Kate, friends of Libby's, and Madison isn't pictured, but is becoming a prima ballerina as well.

Libby's in white, and you can see her reflection in the mirror. She was moderately hesitant to put her all into these dance moves the first night, but I think she'll loosen up as she becomes more comfortable there.

The girls do some twirling.

i'll believe it when i see it

D: Libby, guess what? We bought a new swing set for you!
L: playing it cool
D: Are you excited? I'm excited to have a new swing set!
L: Where is it?
D: Well, we don't have it yet. We bought it and now we have to go get it and bring it home.
L: When we get it, I'll give you a kiss.

Daddy's Birthday

Daddy's Birthday and our wedding day were celebrated on Friday, May 30. Daddy took mama out to a very nice and fancy steakhouse; it was a fantastic treat and a delicious dinner. We ate until we could eat no more, enjoyed one another's company, and drank two bottles of expensive water. Saturday, we celebrated with our good friends the J's and the C's. We ate one of daddy's favorite dinners: Heidi's Nebraska Grill Meatloaf, and enjoyed one of his favorite cakes: Pig Cake ("it's called pig cake because you eat up up like you're a little piggie." says libby). Then, as if all that weren't enough, we celebrated Sunday with Grandpa Larry, Aunt Sarah, Uncle Jon and Aunt Emily. It was a fun weekend and a great treat to celebrate daddy and thank the Lord for using him to bless our family.

Libby, Hudson, and Jonah eat pig cake.

Daddy received a favorite board game and Libby is eager to give it a try.

Grandpa Larry and Libby do some coloring on the deck.

Libby and Uncle Jon played some football, and she stepped in the mud.

Memorial Day Visit

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we had family visiting. Grandma Shelley, Grandad Mark, Aunt Brett and Uncle Mason (along with the doggies) spent several days with us and we had a great time. I would love Aunt Brett and Grandma Shelley to email me their pictures from the weekend so I can add them to our collection! This is what I have...

Grandma plays hide-and-seek with Libby.



and below are pictures of Libby and Grandma planting purple daisies. Grandma brought them for Libby to plant and keep in a little pail and Libby was so looking forward to this project all weekend long. She checks the plant daily for new buds and open flowers and is thankful when "God saw that I had a new flower and wanted to send me rain for it!"

Bounce U

The next week we joined the ladies and kids from OBC at Bounce U, and bounced until we couldn't bounce any longer (because our time was up).

Playday at the Park

I know it's been a while. Quite a while... too long, really. But here are some pictures of the kiddos with a bit of an update on our lives over the past couple of weeks. We'll start with our playday at the park, which was intended to be on an afternoon with several other ladies and kids from church, but Xander required a nap that caused us to get there as everyone else was packing up. Thankfully, we all still had a great time!

Is the wind messing up my hair?