Let the children sing

Last night church had the VBS family & friends worship service. Since it was the last night of the 2nd-5th grade week, the kids from week 1 were invited to share what they had learned with everybody.

1st it was the 3 & 4 year olds to get up to & sing "God is so Good" & "Head, Shoulders". It was so cute watching them get up & sing. Other than Bryce sitting on my lap while I help lead the group & a few that got up there & looked at everybody then decided they had enough & ran out the back of the church. They did great. It's fun to listen to them since they sing very quite until certain parts of the song the they might sing (yell) very loud.

Next came the Preschool-2nd grade. Improved from the younger crowd, but still uncertain of parts of the songs, but they know the actions. Emmersyn was sang her little heart out. They sang "Happy, Happy, Happy" & "Jesus you are my friend" along with the actions they also recited two of the Bible verses they learned through out the week.

Last but not least the 2nd week kids got up & sang. They reminded me of myself when I was a student at VBS or Bible camp. All the energy & Excitement, & of course the friendships. They sang "Hippo Song" & "The Mighty River". Emmersyn was a little bummed when she knew all the words to the "Hippo Song", her group wasn't able to go up on stage & sing. We told her to sing it to us were we sat.

The kids enjoyed there week of VBS & even now both Emma & Byrce Will tell you what they learned & certain key parts of the Bible verses they memorized. We are so proud of them both.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have survived. The 2007 recital is over.

Friday afternoon with storms closing in Emma & I were out getting her hair done again. This time for the real thing. We were able to make it home before the rain. Once home we did her make-up & made sure everything was together & ready to go. Since most of the storms were listed as severe, we decided to head downtown at 4 pm (even though the recital didn't start until 7 pm). Once downtown we parked the car & headed to a close restaurant to have an early dinner. That's when the storms let loose. South of town tornado's were touching down & in town the wind & rain was were coming down. Since we only had a single person umbrella, Emma got to shield the rain.

After dinner, back to our car to get everything, then to the civic center. Once there Matt got in line (waiting to get our seats). I took Emmersyn back stage to get changed into her Belle costume & to check her in with the "backstage mom". At 6:15pm we were able to find our seats & then wait until it started. This was a fine idea for the adults, but Bryce was not to overly impressed. Emma had 10 family members that were able to make, they were Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, Aunt Danielle, Chris, Heather, Matt, Bryceton & Myself. She was very excited to hear they were coming to watch.

Emmersyn did great on both of her dances & how she didn't make it look hard or make it look like she was nerves. I was very impressed by the entire 3 hour recital, it flowed great & the dances were amazing. There were only a few songs/dances I could have done without, but over all it was great. Bryce got to the point (even before intermission) he would ask after every song if it was "over yet" so for him it got long. But he did well for not having a choice in the matter.

Emmersyn's dances were both in the first half so during intermission I got to go upstairs & check her out from the "backstage mom". Emmersyn enjoyed watching the rest of the recital with us.

We left around 10 pm when it was over, which at that time both kids swore they were not tired, not 5 minutes down the road both were sleeping soundly in the backseat.

Not much was planned for Saturday morning so we sleep in. I had volunteered to be a "backstage mom" at the Saturday recital so I needed to be there by 2:30 pm (recital started at 4 pm). I was helping the opposite "Belles" & "ducks" class, get ready for both dances & then staying with them until their parents picked them up.I never knew what went on behind the scenes at the recital. What to chaotic zoo of people. Going here, there & everywhere, again since they danced in the first half my job was done by 6 pm.

I decided to meet up with Matt & the kids, they had been spending the afternoon with some of family Ronny, Trent, & his boys Kolby, Kade, Tricia & a friend of the family at the Clive festival letting the 4 kids run & ride rides. We stayed there for a while then headed home around 8 pm.

All I have to say is "What a weekend". We are done with dance for at least a month. We will see what dancing August brings.

VBS 2007

This week along with everything else we have done the kids had Vacation Bible School at Church. This was Emmersyn's 3rd year & Bryceton's 1st year going so what an adventure we had. Their groups meet in different building at the church so I was unable to take pictures of them doing the activities.

I was a class leader for Bryce's class (even though I was gone on Wednesday & Friday) so every evening I would help sign the kids in & take them to music, craft, sensory time, snack & of course the lesson. We learned a lot of songs & we learned a new prayer at snack time everyday. The lessons were great & the made sure they were taught at the 3/4 & preschool levels. Emma's nights ran about the same as ours, just some of the crafts were a little more detailed since her group was Kindergarten -2nd grade.

This is the design of this years VBS shirt, which all of the kids & adult really enjoyed wearing.

The Truths of the week are: God: wants you to obey, He never changes, He will provide, He is faithful & He want you to trust Him

The lessons we learned about were : "Trust & Obey Him" (& our parents) Jonah & the Whale (Jonah 1-3), "Trust & Keep your eyes on Jesus" Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:22-35), "Trust God with all of your needs" Manna from Heaven (Exodus 16:31, John 6:58-59) "Trust God when times get Tough" Paul in Prison (Acts 16:19-40) & "Trust in God, not in man" Job (Book of Job).

The kids are a little disappointed they wont be able to go for the last night due to Emma's recital tonight, but they will be able to sign on Sunday at church & at the Family VBS worship service that is next Thursday. So they do have things to look forward to.

Rehearsal 2 of 2

Lets finish off the day. The recital is at the Civic Center so through the stage doors & get changed. Matt make sure the camera & cam-corder are both ready as I get Emma changed an ready to rehearse her "Ducks" (yellow poke-a-dot bikini) dance. Then any last touches before Matt & I are out to find a seat (to record & pictures). Since we had a few minutes to spare, before it was her classes turn for the stage, we looked at & ordered her professional pictures along with the class shots & one of Emmersyn & her cousin Alexis (Tinkerbell).

Emmersyn was very excited to get into full costume & she looked forward to looking for us in the audience (we told her it would be hard to see us because of the lights.) Thru 2 rounds of the "duck" dance, then again back stage to help her with her costume change into"Belle" (Yellow tutu w/green trim) . Different hairpiece & of course touch-up of lipstick.

Backstage with a few minutes to spare I was able to get pictures in both costumes. Enjoy. As you can see that she has no problem posing for the camera & putting on the glam. She does have that sweet & innocent look, doesn't she.

For those of you that are able to attend you have a wonderful treat coming to you & for the ones who aren't able to be there I will let you know how it goes. The recital theme is "Celebrating 35 years of Magic" since Becky's Dance studio is you guessed it 35 years old. The recital is a remix of a lot of Disney songs.

That is all for now about the recital until after Friday night.

Up-Do 1 of 2

We had a very busy day yesterday. Along with our MOPS outing that lasted until 12:30pm. Emmersyn had an appointment to get her hair & make-up done at 2 pm. We had to be downtown by 4:45pm & Bryce had to be at my parents sometime before then. So we got home at 1pm top leave again at 1:15 to drop Bryce off. We got to the salon at 1:55 pm (plenty of time). She got all dolled & and were home by 3:45 pm. Matt got home shortly after we did so into the shower he went as I made sure we had costumes & shoes. Along with anything we would need to last minute touch-ups. We were off again by 4 pm.

Emmersyn enjoys all the attention & the fact that she gets to wear make-up, just one of the perks of the recital. She feels like a princess when getting pampered (just like anyone would). The only thing is that she seems to age before our eyes into such a young lady.

Matt know he'll have to keep a close eye on her when she grows up. I will have another post about the rehearsal, keep posted.

Cooling Off

Yesterday morning the kids & I had a M.O.P.S. outing at Union Park in Des Moines. This park has a wading pool, 3 or 4 playgrounds & a carousel. So for the majoriy of our outing we spent in the wading pool.

Here are some pictures of the kids splashing around. If you can't tell Emma forgot her sunglasses & it was very bright. Bryce on the other hand wasn't letting the sun bother him.

We ate lunch & then headed over to the "Haritage Carousel". I forgot to grab the camera for the carousel rides (two for one special). So I promise on our next outing you will see pictures.

Pick'n on Bryce

I've been planing to do this post for a while now & so I figured since I have the time I will complile the pictures. Bryce has been potty trained for a while now & some of these photos are a little old, but they will come in handy for future girlfriends & his senior class video.

He is always so proud of himself, along with letting everyone know what he has done after he has completed the task at hand.

After watching daddy he decided that sitting down wasn't for him, so standing it is. As with most little (& big) boys their aim os not always the best. Bryce does as well as can be expected. The only thing is the taller tolets he has to stand on his tippy-toes along with holding his shirt up & aiming. This is quite a humorest task.

He was wearing Emma batting helmet while playing ball & decided he needed to go. Why take the helmet off is his philosophy. Can he see where to aim is the question.

All Tuckered Out!

For a kid who is trying to ween himself from naps. Bryce sure has a way of falling asleep, While doing something. In the middle of playing the drums & singing a song for us he got quiet & then...

We thought is was kind og cute how he still has the drumstick in hand & the using the drum as a foot rest.

Now if we told him to take a nap he would have protested, who are we to boss him around?

Love of the Game

Emmersyn has tried her talent at yet another sport. This spring she with some friends formed a T-ball softball team known as the Pink Panthers. Some of the parents of the team filled in as coached. The Head coach might as well of been a no show. So we all stepped in to help the assistant coach out.

Emma love playing, she got to play all the different areas on the field. Looking at the pictures you will see she enjoyed all parts of the game. She practiced on the off nights & you could tell the entire team

As you can see she is still a little bit small for the catchers gear & her batting helmet, but that didn't stop her one bit. Last week we had the award ceremony for all of the softball league & here is what all of Emmersyn's hard work was for.
She says she can't wait until next softball season, but that's next spring so who knows if that will last. Emmersyn can now say she's tried Bam, Bam ball, Soccer, T-ball & of course Dance.

The 10 year reunion

Yes, I know I'm now ageing us, but oh well.

Matt's 10 year reunion was this past weekend, you know the dreaded high school reunion. the reunion consisted of a high school building tour, then out for drinks on Friday night. On Saturday the party was at Hilltop restaurant with dinner & dance. I afraid of being board to death & Matt not knowing what to expect, we went with open minds.

When we got to the restaurant we bought raffle tickets & received a reunion yearbook & t-shirt. The yearbook I thought was a great idea. It had the senior pictures with the any updated information (marriage status, children, occupation & hobbies) & an updated picture of them & their family.

To our surprise we both had a great time. I ended up know a hand full of people, some were previous crushes before Matt & I knew each other. It was great chatting with them & getting updated on their lives & oh did I mention the memories (remember before Matt!). One of my old crushes is now into bodybuilding & OMG he is even more gorgeous than he was before. Matt reminded me I'm married which I already remembered, but nothings wrong with looking, right? Matt also pointed out some of his school crushes. I also was excited to find out Natalie, a friend from MOPS was one of Matt's classmates.

As I spent the evening dancing & drinking with a bunch of gals that made me a honorary classmate. Matt reminisced with the men & just having fun.

Mind you this picture was taken between 11pm & 11:30pm after a few beers (& a few more for Matt) & a lot of dancing.

My reunion is at the end of July, I only hope I have at least half as much as I had at Matt's .

Bryce's new wheels

Saturday morning my mom & I went to a neighborhood garage sale. We ended up having fun walking around & didn't find to much to purchase. The one thing that I did end up finding was a bike for Bryce.

He had a little toddler bike that he out grew so I sold it. Since then he reminds me that we have to go out & buy him a new bike. Yes little kid bikes are not that much money, yet they grow out of the 10" or 12" ones so fast.

At a sale they had a 12" marked for $10, what a deal. Then when I went up to pay I pulled $5 out of my purse, they gal said she didn't need any more even though she had it maked higher. I then knew I couldn't go home with a bike with no training wheels, mI would never hear the end of it. So off to Target we went, I spent more on a set of training wheels than I did on the bike.

The pay off was the look on his face when he got to ride his big boy bike. Which we still have trouble getting hoim off to get other things done.

Emmersyn also was struting her stuff since Bryce to keep upi now too.

Bryce is very good at riding his bike & is loving the fact that he now has what Emma has.

No Phone Home

We are still here & nothing is wrong. So when you all our home phone number & get the "this number has been disconnected" don't be to alarmed. Matt & I decided that since we both have cell phones & our home line is mainly quite, why pay for something that doesn't get used. If any of you want to contact us & don't have our cell numbers, please email me & I will get them to you.

It's only the begining

The past couple of days have been very trying for being a stay-at-home mother. Sometimes I think going away to work would be more fun. Since it is summer we are a little less concerned if they get to bed at bedtime (9 pm, it's summer remember), we have been lucky if they are there by 10 pm. Since they have been staying up later I have been letting them sleep in longer in the morning. So far I have come to the conclusion that, if they stay up & sleep in too late they become grouches. I don't mean the cute little "Oscar the Grouch". I mean the cry, fight & throw a fit if the wind blows the wrong way.

Emmersyn has been trying to tell me how much she doesn't like my answers, by crying & telling me that I am the meanest person in the world. Bryceton hasn't gone that far yet, but he does start to cry & refuses to do anything he's told. They are both learning quick that if they can't be good & listen at home then for sure Mommy's not taking them to do anything fun out in public.

I know God wont give me more than I can handle, with his help. I also wouldn't change staying home with the kids for anything. Some time I need to step back & look around & see.... even on one of my worst days how really good I've got it.

Family Pic

We have our highschool reunions coming up. So when they requested everyone send them an updated family pic we sat out in our front yard to get one taken. So here it is Bryceton 2 1/2 yrs & Emmersyn 5 yrs.