VBC

Weird Animal Habitat~

This week is the week of Vacation Bible Camp at our church.  Oh, how I love this week!  There is just something magical about gathering all of God's children together and "camping."

There are many people who have spent many many hours putting the camp together from decorations, to games, to crafts, to drama, to food (we feed 150 people supper each night)!  There are so many willing hearts to share the great message of the love Jesus has for each of his children!  This year we have over 90 children we are serving!  

Tonight is night 4, and the sighs and groans the children let out at the end of each night when Miss Shari asks if they are ready to go home, tells us that we are doing something right;-)  I'm getting tired (I try to corral 3 year olds for 2 and a half hours), but the fact that my own children want to put their VBC shirt on right when they get up, tells me we are creating an amazing experience for many children who do not attend church on a regular basis!  Love it!

Weird Animal Habitat Entrance~

The week will be over like that, but my hope is that we have at least shared the amazingness of our God and the love he has for each and everyone of his children every single day.  That alone is worth all of the work~

My own little camper singing~

A good portion of the crew~

Love him~

Rowan Blane is 6~

My little guy turned 6 this week.  This mom heart was dwelling on the fact that I have completed 1/3 of the parenting required with Rowan under my roof.  Gosh, it goes so fast!!

I'm feeling sentimental as he has entered his school years.  Here he is as a newborn 6 years ago.  He was so sweet and innocent, and he loved his mom;-)

I was just telling Alex that he really just doesn't need me much anymore.  He can feed himself, work the tv better than I, do chores, take his own shower, and brush his own teeth.  He is what I like to call self sustaining, and it is just a little heartbreaking;-)

We celebrated as a family on Saturday night with family, presents, and cake.  He was spoiled, and the cake was amazing!!

Happy Birthday, Rowan Blane!  May 6 be an awesome year for you!

Isla Hope Turns 3~

Isla Hope turned three on December 6. We had a small party with Alex's parents and sister and our family.  It was fun, and I have no doubt Isla felt special.  She was her wild and happy little self as we ate cake and opened presents.  She is currently obsessed with Hello Kitty, so we followed the trend to celebrate the day.  

Love her~

Just call her Miss Personality~

Daddy made cupcakes.

So old with the 3 on the cupcake~

Yum!

Hello Kitty slippers!

Grandma helping Isla open her gift~

Looking intelligent with Aunt Reesa~

Working on her selfies~

Isla is still relatively easy.  She is a night owl now, and she will sing and chit chat well past her bedtime.  She loves the color pink, shoes, books, Pinkalicious, Hello Kitty, and putting on makeup.  There is not a doubt in my mind that I am going to have a girly girl, and I'm okay with it.  Isla approaches each day and moment with an exuberance I only wish I had.  She is quick to share her mind and fight for what she believes is rightfully hers;-)  She and Rowan are buddies, and they will play for great lengths of time together now.  We are moving on to the 3s!

The First of the Next 13 Years!

It happened.  Rowan started Kindergarten.  People always say how quickly time passes, but I never have been one to see it.  Oh, how true it is!

I can't believe it has been 5 and a half years since we brought that little guy home from the hospital.  He was so needy, wouldn't eat, and caused me a few tears in those first few weeks.  We survived, though, and I wouldn't ever guess time would pass so quickly.

Rowan Blane Just Days Old

We celebrated a few birthday parties along the way.  We've done frogs, pirates, trains, and superhero parties as his interests have evolved and Dad's baking skills for that matter;-)

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday-(I'm not sure why we didn't frost the whole cake-weird)

5th Birthday

We've done  t-ball and soccer to develop those social skills and maybe foster a wee bit of athleticism;-)

We've been to preschool to build those foundational skills and learn how to be a friend!

And somewhere along the way, 5 and a half years passed, and I sent my little boy off to the big world of school!  He has the sweetest teacher, and he is rocking this school thing.  Alex drops him off at the community center in the a.m. since I have to be to work so early, and they walk him over to school at 8:15.  He is going back to the community center in the evening until I'm done coaching volleyball, and I get him picked up about 5:00.  He is exhausted by then, and I can tell he has worked hard all day!

The Duo

Rowan's First Day of School and My 10th Year of 7th Grade

We are finding our groove, and Rowan is proud to get to go to "big" school now! Now if he could just ride a school bus, his world would be complete!