When your mother-in-law is right...

So, when your mother-in-law is right, sometimes you just have to admit it.  And this time, she was right. 

When we started signing up Sophia for t-ball years ago, Chris' mom suggested that we join the swim team instead.  She pointed out that all four of our kids could practice at the same time at the same location, and attend all of the same meets.  We wouldn't be splitting our time between different ball fields.  Hot ball fields.  With no shade.  And, she said the swim parents were always super supportive cheering on all the kids - even the slowest ones. 

We didn't listen.  At first.  Mainly because Sophia wasn't ready to join the swim team yet.  So we sat at the hot, dry ball fields for two years watching her play t-ball.  I'm not going to lie when I say t-ball is painfully boring to me.  On our third year, Sophia had moved up to coach pitch and Anna was playing t-ball.  We spent 4 nights a week at different ball fields.  A lot of times their games overlapped and some of Sophia's games were out of town, so we never seemed to be together as a family.  Honestly, Sophia just wasn't any good at hitting coach pitch and the parents/coaches from other teams were scary.  Really scary.  I was not prepared for the aggressiveness of softball and left every game pretty fired up about that.  I was one of those parents who just wanted the kids to do their best and have fun.  By our fourth year, we got a little smarter.  But only a little.  Sophia joined the swim team, but Anna was still playing t-ball.  Again, Chris and I were always heading in different directions trying to get each girl to a different spot.  Not fun for anyone. 

But then, year five came along and we finally got smart.  We finally put both girls on the swim team and only the swim team.  They both went to the same practices and meets all summer long.  NICE!  And, yes, Chris' mom was right.  The swim parents are pretty awesome.  They cheer for all the kids.  The fast ones, the average ones, and especially the slow ones.  Even the parents and timers from other teams sometimes cheered for our kids.  Don't get me wrong, we all want our kids and our team to win, but I don't think there was ever a single child who left there feeling unsupported.  And, in case you're wondering it is cooler by the pool than by the shadeless ball fields. 

Last weekend at our league meet there was a freak accident.  Somehow, after a gust of wind a large tree crashed down on several shade tents where swimmers and their families were sitting about 100 feet away from us.   It was scary.  And there were injuries.  Severe ones.  Like, get the chainsaws out to free people.  Take head counts of your team.  Clear the way for emergency vehicles.  Broken necks, ankles, and damaged vertebrae. Scary.  But the people all rushed to help.  To do what they could.  To take care of not only their own team members, but complete strangers.  Comforting scared children.  Praying together.  Doing whatever they could.  Because these teams become like families each summer. 

And next year Isabella will join the team.  And eventually, Sam will.   And I think it's clear that Chris' mom was right.  It's been the best activity we could put our children in.  They get awesome workouts.  They learn a life skill.  They build friendships.  And they have fun.  Lots of fun!  And isn't that what summer should be about? 

On making lists and mini vacations...

In June, we took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City thanks to a wonderful Groupon I snagged.  Gotta love Groupon!  Just saying, who doesn't love a good deal?  But, since I didn't call right away to schedule our stay I didn't have any choice on the night we booked.  I was literally the very last person to schedule my stay so there was only one day to choose from.  So, we went on our mini vacation and came home on a Friday night.  On Saturday I hosted a graduation party for Chris at our house and on Sunday I helped with a baby shower for my sister-in-law.  It was not the best time to head out of town, but it was totally worth it! 

If you know me well, you know I'm a list maker.  I make lots of lists.  In fact, I re-write them and often type them just so they'll look more orderly.  That's just how I roll.  Knowing that, you'll understand that if I'm packing (even just for an overnight trip), I make a packing list.  I really don't want to be that girl who is out of town and forgot to pack something important.  Chris is that guy.  Unless I pack for him.  Or give him a list. 

The kids knew we were going on a mini-vacation.  They tried packing their bags a week early.  What some of them packed was ridiculous of course.  Sam had an entire box of Kleenexes, a stuffed animal and a pair of pajama pants.  Nice.  But the night before I told them I was going to check all of their bags to make sure they had what they needed.  Sophia told me I didn't need to look in her bag because she had made a list.  She handed it to me.  It was on a clipboard and had check off boxes.  Melt my heart!   I've taught her well!  Here's a picture. 

In case you can't read it.  Here's what she packed.  For one night, remember. One night.
2 swimsuits
3 pairs of panties
2 socks
3 pairs of clothes
6 band aids (my kids are addicted)
1 pair of PJ's
1 flashlight
1 charm bracelet
1 clock
1 polar bear
1 pillow
3 books

I guess she likes to be over-prepared like her Mom.  We had an awesome time at Great Wolf Lodge.  It was some much needed family time!  I also had the chance to catch up with my best friend from college.  We hadn't seen each other in 9 1/2 years.  YIKES!  I promise I will not let that much time pass again! 

We haven't found the time or the money this year for a regular vacation yet, so here's hoping we can at least schedule several more mini vacations!   We all need a break sometime! 



I survived CIY!

June is over.  It's shocking to me how fast the month flew by.  I have so many things I wanted to write about and completely ran out of time.  So, be patient as I backtrack a bit.  Some of these posts will be out of order.  Well, most of them will be.  But better late than never right? 

First of all, I'd like a shirt that says "I survived CIY!"  Seriously.  And while I'm thinking about it, I'd like it to be black with glow in the dark letters.  Because so much of what took place last week was late at night.  Averaging a few hours of sleep (as in 3-4...yikes!) for 7 straight days takes a toll on a person! 

We got home late Saturday night from taking 13 teens (+ our 4 kiddos) to a week-long Christ In Youth (CIY) conference in Colorado.  Thank goodness for the other two adult sponsors.  Chuck and Amanda, you guys were AMAZING!  While I went in expecting to be fired up for God, I never expected the conference to be so emotional.  We really dug deep into forgiveness, fatherlessness and transitioning from our ideas of an earthly father to our heavenly father, the role of the church, and becoming Kingdom Workers.  So awesome, but so deeply emotional at the same time.  We live in a broken world and so many of us there were broken.  It was heart wrenching and humbling at the same time that people were so honest in telling their stories. 

Beyond that though, it was fun!  A lot of fun.  As my kids pointed out -- rock concert fun!  Nothing like worshiping in a room with 1100+ teenagers to get your blood pumping each day.  We took hundreds of photos, but here are a few from the week.  I'll keep them to mostly my family so I don't embarrass the teens.  But, look for more (as in almost 300) pictures that I'll get downloaded onto Facebook soon! 

Ready to leave Valley Center.  Two church vans and a mini van, good times! 

Sand Dunes National Park.

Those three dots are my girls at the bottom of the hill if that tells you how steep it was!  And yes, Chris was totally dragging Sam down the hill.  I'm not sure if his feet ever touched the ground!  

Ready to hike down into Durango to do some shopping and get some frozen yogurt!

Praying for each other.  We did 4 baptisms on the spot and have 3 more to do now that we're back home.  We had a ton of recommitments and also had 2 teens commit to full-time vocational ministry.  Such an awesome thing God was doing in the lives of our teens! 

Like I said, "rock concert!"  The lead singer is in that giant ball being passed around by a thousand teenagers.  If that isn't trust, I don't know what is! 

And new friends who making doing ministry together so much more enjoyable! 

A special thanks to Chris' parents, Jane & Howard.  They came all the way to Durango to help us with the kiddos and spent their day shuffling them back and forth to us so we could spend every possible minute we could with them.  We could not possibly have done it without them! 

And now, the laundry is finally done and put away. I lost count of how many loads I did over the last two days.  The kids are almost caught up on their sleep. And I might finally be able to process everything from the week.

One last thought, the closest wildfire was only 3.5 miles away.  Depending on the direction of the wind, a couple of days the smoke was everywhere.   Pray with me for gentle rain to fall down on Colorado minus the lightening and unpredictable wind please! 

What a great week! 

Done.

Finally.  After 21 months of grad school, Chris has completed all of his courses and has finished his 75 page thesis and submitted it.  He is done!  And it feels so good.  I mean,  I'm sure it feels good for him.   I know it feels good for me and the kids.  He has given up early mornings, evenings, weekends, and plenty of time in between to complete his Masters Degree in Theological Studies while working full-time.  The kids are more used to seeing him sitting at his desk than just about anywhere else.  In fact, yesterday, Chris was on his computer in the office and Sam went in and said, "I thought you were done with all your homework."  So cute.  The kids and I are looking forward to more time with him! 

Here's a picture of him submitting his paper for the final time. 

And being goofy with the kids. 

Moon milestones...another big day.

Tuesday was a big day in our house.  And when I say big, I mean BIG!  You see, state law in Kansas says that children four years of age can move from a five-point harness car seat to a booster seat.  But, if they still fit within the height and weight limit allowed for their car seat then the kids are safest remaining  there.   

We've had several pediatricians, and they have all said to wait until the child reaches 40 pounds before moving them to a booster.  And moving to a booster seat - well that's a big milestone for my kids.  Sophia and Anna were both right about 40 pounds when they turned four so we switched them immediately.  Isabella has been an entirely different story. 

She's always been small.  At four, she was nowhere near 40.  So she was stuck in the car seat.  At five, she was still not near 40.  For almost two years she has been consumed at mealtimes trying so hard to eat well so she could gain weight.  On a side note, I have never had this problem!  She's just petite.  But, it's been constantly on her mind at every meal.

But, Tuesday night she weighed herself and could hardly believe her eyes.  40. 

She was so unbelievably happy!  Granted, she had on a shirt, shorts and a dress on top of that, but she was 40.  Strip her down to just one outfit and she would be 39 again.  But close enough.  And if it were winter, she'd be wearing a lot more clothes.  So, after almost 21 months of waiting, she was ready to move into a booster seat like her sisters. 

She kept asking Chris to surprise her with her booster seat the next morning.  She was all smiles and giggles.  Then, we headed out to the car and she was seriously thrilled to see the booster in the van for her.  Like finally she'd made it.  So cute!  

The tooth fairy forgot again...

The tooth fairy forgot to visit last night!   Geesh.  Poor kid.  This is the 2nd time that's happened to Anna.  Last time it was a Sunday so we said she probably just didn't work on Sundays.  This morning Anna decided maybe the storm kept her away last night. 

It gets worse.  In all the excitement of Sophia pulling out Anna's tooth -- yep, she let her 9 year-old sister yank her tooth out.....serious trust there - Anna lost her tooth somewhere between the sink drain and the trash can.  So, we told her just to write a note to explain to the tooth fairy what happened.  She sealed it up before I ever read it.  

But when she came up this morning the only words out of her mouth were, "I guess the tooth fairy didn't believe me."  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  I could not have felt worse.  Maybe she'll be a little extra generous tonight.  Maybe.  If she actually remembers to come.   

On Turning Nine.

Sophia turned nine a week ago and asked for a zebra-striped party.  She likes to challenge me I think!   We had a lot of fun celebrating her birthday weekend.  She woke up on Saturday and got to open her presents and then we took off for KC to see the Titantic exhibit at Union Station. It was really impressive and worth the 7 hours in the car that day!  Then on Sunday we had family over for her party.  Here are a few pictures from the big day. 

Sophia with our resident gaden toad.  Good times.  He looks thrilled, doesn't he?

New bike - which is barely smaller than mine!  She's getting so big!

New pogo stick.  Daddy thought it was fun too!

Cake and chocolate dipped marshmallows.  Yummy!

Sophia is pretty sure 9 is going to be a big year for her.  She told me she has always planned on building a draw bridge for the playhouse before she turns 10, so I guess she's going to have to get moving on that.  Maybe she'll get it done before Chris ever finishes the roof on that thing.  And in four days she'll officially be a fourth grader.  Yikes!  But before then, we're going to enjoy this summer.  We plan on doing plenty of hiking, camping, and taking several little mini-vacations to pass the time in between swim team and VBS.  Hopefully I can keep up with her!