Well friends.. it has been a while; over a year. I've been thinking about posting often lately, and then my husband recently told me he checks this often to see if I've posted because he misses reading it, so I decided it was finally time. The page got refresher too. So I guess we'll see where it goes from here.
I don't even know where to start anymore. My brain hasn't been in writing mode as much as "get-through-the-day" mode. It turns out that when people told me chasing a toddler was exhausting, they were right. He's currently leaning on the back of the computer screen closing it from the weight of his head leaning on it.. and leaning on me and pushing me sideways in an attempt to get comfortable. Goof. Never a dull moment! All joking aside, he's a great kid. He's sweet, kind, fun and goofy. He loves all things related to trains (we're currently watching Thomas and Friends..) and tools, and is his daddy's mini-me. And he's very excited to be getting promoted to big brother in October!
So let's see... in the last year our little man has been growing like a weed, we've kept busy with all kinds of stuff, gotten involved in our new church, found out we're expecting again, and I've gotten much more involved with MOPS in a different leadership role. It has been a good year. Don't get me wrong, it had its challenges, but that's one of the major reasons it was such a good year. In those challenges, we grew as a family and in our relationship with the Lord in ways we never imagined we would or could. God is so good! Looking back at those hard things we went through has been really cool for us now, and just another testament to how God is working in situations and ways that we have no idea about, even when it seems impossible.
I'm going to call that good for now.. apparently I actually have to think through things before I write now, as I'm drawing a blank on what else the past year has entailed. Must be mom-brain. Dinner is also waiting to be cooked.. and my hungry toddler and husband and little one in me need to eat.. so here I go!
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Thursday, December 6, 2012
AWANA - Just Listen First
I'm back much sooner than I thought! I mentioned AWANA a few months ago, and after last night's club I just felt like I had to come back and reiterate how cool the program is.
The goal of AWANA is "to reach boys and girls with the gospel of Christ and train them to serve Him." We try to achieve that by teaching them Bible verses, telling them a story/lesson, songs, and then, of course, we have a time for games :) The group I work with are 'Sparks' (K-2), and they are awesome. Between teaching them verses, helping at game time, and being there during their lessons, I'm sure they have taught me just as much as we teach them. I have a blast every week. Seeing their faces light up when they say a section of verses, earn a jewel from saying multiple sections, or their team wins for the night... those are the things that make me come back. The not-as-great times when we need to slow them down for a quick chat are good too, I mean hey.. we all need a little instruction now and then. I'd rather do it kindly in that kind of an environment though, where we can explain why certain actions/word aren't good.
Needless to say, last night was an exceptionally good night. Every student on our team had their uniform, said a section, and earned a jewel. We have been struggling with some of those things lately, and it was a great encouragement to know that these kids are still working hard. Not only did our team say 30 sections (some have more than one verse!), the whole Sparks group (approximately 35 kids) said 102 sections! How cool is that?!
I really think we underestimate kids. We were each a 'kid' once.. remember how adults undermined you, saying you couldn't do certain things because " " and they'd list reasons? They're so smart.. and sometimes we just forget that, or fail to acknowledge it. I observed a conversation last night between two boys on my team. We watched a movie for the lesson. It was about three trees; each had a dream of being something when they grew up, but God had a different plan for them. One became a manger, one a boat, and one a cross. The boys started whispering back and forth, so I leaned in so I could quiet them down. I overheard a comment about 'what do you think they're making with that?' so I stopped to listen. The other said 'oh, I betcha its the boat Jesus was on when he calmed the water!' 'oh yeah! that makes sense!' was the reply. Well sure enough.. that was what one of the trees was made into. At that point, I was a little flabbergasted... they weren't just watching the movie, they were consuming the movie. They whispered each other into a realization that the last tree was made into the cross that Jesus was crucified on too. I didn't stop the whispering. We were in the back row, no one was complaining, and it was healthy conversation between the two boys who were helping each other get more out of the movie. They got the point. I sat back and thought about their innocent conversation that only I had heard. We are often so quick to shush kids when they're whispering during a quiet time, that we fail to listen. We can miss so much if we don't listen. I'm glad I didn't tell them to stop whispering, because I learned once again, that we underestimate them.. who knows what they could be talking about. Yeah, sometimes its not pertinent to whats going on, they could just be fooling around. But we'll never find out if we don't listen first.
Listen to a 'kid' today. You may be surprised at what they have to teach you :)
Needless to say, last night was an exceptionally good night. Every student on our team had their uniform, said a section, and earned a jewel. We have been struggling with some of those things lately, and it was a great encouragement to know that these kids are still working hard. Not only did our team say 30 sections (some have more than one verse!), the whole Sparks group (approximately 35 kids) said 102 sections! How cool is that?!
I really think we underestimate kids. We were each a 'kid' once.. remember how adults undermined you, saying you couldn't do certain things because " " and they'd list reasons? They're so smart.. and sometimes we just forget that, or fail to acknowledge it. I observed a conversation last night between two boys on my team. We watched a movie for the lesson. It was about three trees; each had a dream of being something when they grew up, but God had a different plan for them. One became a manger, one a boat, and one a cross. The boys started whispering back and forth, so I leaned in so I could quiet them down. I overheard a comment about 'what do you think they're making with that?' so I stopped to listen. The other said 'oh, I betcha its the boat Jesus was on when he calmed the water!' 'oh yeah! that makes sense!' was the reply. Well sure enough.. that was what one of the trees was made into. At that point, I was a little flabbergasted... they weren't just watching the movie, they were consuming the movie. They whispered each other into a realization that the last tree was made into the cross that Jesus was crucified on too. I didn't stop the whispering. We were in the back row, no one was complaining, and it was healthy conversation between the two boys who were helping each other get more out of the movie. They got the point. I sat back and thought about their innocent conversation that only I had heard. We are often so quick to shush kids when they're whispering during a quiet time, that we fail to listen. We can miss so much if we don't listen. I'm glad I didn't tell them to stop whispering, because I learned once again, that we underestimate them.. who knows what they could be talking about. Yeah, sometimes its not pertinent to whats going on, they could just be fooling around. But we'll never find out if we don't listen first.
Listen to a 'kid' today. You may be surprised at what they have to teach you :)
Friday, January 6, 2012
VA/D.C Day #1
Well our first full day was great. After being picked up at the airport last night, we got a small tour on the way to the house. We landed in Baltimore, MA, and drove to a town in VA where we are staying. Today we woke up early (after sleeping on an amazingly comfortable bed! No joke..) and went to the door to peek and see if anyone else was up yet. Well, someone was waiting outside our door just staring at it =) Caleb promptly grabbed him up in a hug and the fun began. Next, the two girls came down the stairs to greet us. We were forced to wake up quickly because the kids were talking super fast and in order for it to seem like we knew what they were talking about we had to listen really carefully. They were super excited to see us and we were excited to see them! After the two older ones were taken to school, we got ready, had some coffee (caffeine = a "must-have" of life), and were out the door on an adventure. D.C. is only a few miles away so it didn't take us too long to get there. We drove around for a while, getting the tour of the buildings from Caleb's cousin, and then got out to walk to a near by park that had a great view of the White House and Washington Monument. **Let me just add a note that it was 55 degrees and sunny here all day! It felt so amazing to not be freezing!** Next was lunch, and we ate at this neat Tex-Mex place. I got double stuffed Chorizo and Caleb got some burger with bacon, an egg, and the works. It was yummy. After that we went to the Jefferson Memorial, which was huge, and really really cool. The wee one who was with us especially loved the geese who were swimming and waddling around, and the chains being used as a fence - she was quite amusing to say the least.
When we went to get the kids from school, their energy levels were up and they were talking a mile a minute. We came back to the house, did some bowling on the wii (-the most competitive person being a five year old boy.. haha-), and got ready for dinner. Dinner was served at Caleb's-cousin's-husband's-parent's and was delicious. They also had more family fly in tonight, so it was cool to meet everyone and have dinner together. The most interesting part was listening to them speak to each other in Albanian. We were the only two there who don't know the language -yes, even the kids know it!- so we sat back at times just to take it in. I almost think sometimes its better not to understand the language around you, because then you're forced to pick up other language. The body language, facial expressions, and reactions in general were great to watch. And the exchanges between the kids and their grandparents when they spoke to each other in Albanian was astounding - joyous squeals, grins accompanied by giggles that made their eye squint together, and the laughs of the adults - all those things made it worth so much more than it may have been had I understood what was being said. Everyone was happy, everyone was having fun, and everyone knew that, regardless if we knew what was being verbally spoken.
Another interesting thing was how smart these three kids are. I've noticed every time I'm around them how just plain bright they are. On the way home tonight the two older kids and I got in a discussion about how American English is a hard language because things aren't spelled the way the sound. They then went on to give me words that they thought should be spelled differently, how they thought they should be spelled, and why. It was crazy. It was also very neat to hear what they're doing in school. And their reading levels - wow! This kindergartener can read so well. I observed in a kindergarten class last spring in Michigan and the kids there seem so much less advanced. I don't know if its because of the state they live in, private vs. public school, or the education of the parents, but there is definitely a difference.
Anyway, I'll post some pictures below of what we did today. Plan for tomorrow: most likely spend some energy in a nearby park, and then help with a ninja themed birthday party. Fun fun! This is a fast-paced place, good thing we're used to it!
When we went to get the kids from school, their energy levels were up and they were talking a mile a minute. We came back to the house, did some bowling on the wii (-the most competitive person being a five year old boy.. haha-), and got ready for dinner. Dinner was served at Caleb's-cousin's-husband's-parent's and was delicious. They also had more family fly in tonight, so it was cool to meet everyone and have dinner together. The most interesting part was listening to them speak to each other in Albanian. We were the only two there who don't know the language -yes, even the kids know it!- so we sat back at times just to take it in. I almost think sometimes its better not to understand the language around you, because then you're forced to pick up other language. The body language, facial expressions, and reactions in general were great to watch. And the exchanges between the kids and their grandparents when they spoke to each other in Albanian was astounding - joyous squeals, grins accompanied by giggles that made their eye squint together, and the laughs of the adults - all those things made it worth so much more than it may have been had I understood what was being said. Everyone was happy, everyone was having fun, and everyone knew that, regardless if we knew what was being verbally spoken.
Another interesting thing was how smart these three kids are. I've noticed every time I'm around them how just plain bright they are. On the way home tonight the two older kids and I got in a discussion about how American English is a hard language because things aren't spelled the way the sound. They then went on to give me words that they thought should be spelled differently, how they thought they should be spelled, and why. It was crazy. It was also very neat to hear what they're doing in school. And their reading levels - wow! This kindergartener can read so well. I observed in a kindergarten class last spring in Michigan and the kids there seem so much less advanced. I don't know if its because of the state they live in, private vs. public school, or the education of the parents, but there is definitely a difference.
Anyway, I'll post some pictures below of what we did today. Plan for tomorrow: most likely spend some energy in a nearby park, and then help with a ninja themed birthday party. Fun fun! This is a fast-paced place, good thing we're used to it!
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