More VBS pics

The church posted pictures of week on the website, so here are a few of our family!  Isn't that the cutest little guy by the goats?!?

 

Faith's group singing up front on the final day.  As you can see in some of the pictures, the decorating crew did an amazing job!!

 

Game leader Steve!  He did such a great job!

 

Faith is really enjoying her frozen banana!  This was post losing her tooth, so she's eating off to the side!

 

Shane's class in the Bible Challenge room

 

That's me telling the story!

 

Shane's class again in Bible challenge learning the Bible verse of the day.

 

Listening intently to Remy, one of Steve's game assistants, explaining the obstacle course!

 

I saved the best for last!  My handsome, wonderful husband!!

7 months old

It's true!  This little cutie is already 7 months old!!  As each month goes by, she is growing physically and developmentally and it is so fun to see how much she does change! 

 

Some of the changes this month including being able to sit (unassisted for the most part!).  She also is eating more and more solid foods, with avocado still being the favorite!  Olivia also notices more things, and really is starting to get a sense of humor as she is finding funny things funny!  For example, yesterday I was holding her and she tooted.  She looked at me and started to laugh.  She did it again, and laughed once again!  When you're 7 months old, even that is adorable!

 

This week her new high chair also arrived!  So far she really is enjoying it, even though she has quite a serious look on her face!  It will be fun to see what this next month will bring!

Vacation Bible School

It has been a busy, fun, exciting, adventurous, tiring week as we were all involved with Vacation Bible School at our church!  The kids attended, Steve did the games, and I helped with registration at the beginning of the week (including making all the name tags and Bible verse cards), and was the story teller for the final two days.  Since we were all there, even Olivia went into the babies class!  Even though we are all tired, it was a great week!  It's was amazing how so many people from church were involved from making decorations, to snacks, to leading the songs, to rocking the babies! 

 

Shane and one of his buddies, Wyatt, enjoying snack on Wednesday.  They dipped frozen bananas in melted white chocolate, then rolled them in sprinkles!  The theme for the week, Tell it on the Mountain, we prevalent throughout the church.  And it was really a great curriculum as everything from the story to the games to the snacks all correlated! 

 

Faith enjoyed having her friend Julia there, along with many other friends!

 

Here is a picture from one of the games Steve led.  It was a relay race to see which group could dress their hiker first! 

 

We're looking forward to Sunday as the VBS kids will be singing in church capping off the fun week.  And then all the volunteers are celebrating that evening with a party at our Pastor's house!  Of course the kids are all ready excited for next years VBS! 

Lost Tooth!

Faith lost her third tooth today!  It had been barely hanging in her mouth for about a week now, so we knew it was only a matter of time!  Being a top tooth and that it was so loose, it stuck out kind of funny.  We nicknamed it her hillbilly tooth! 

 

Now for some random pictures...on Saturday night Olivia joined us at the table for the first time in the high chair!  She ate some avocado while dinner was being made, and then watched us eat!  She was very excited to be up by the action with all of us!  I'm still amazed at how big she is getting and all that she is able to do.  One of the highlights of the last month has been her growing interaction with all of us.  She loves her siblings, especially Shane, and she can often be heard laughing at the silly faces her brother makes or his silly antics.  Of course this only encourages him to do more!  She is such a happy, delightful little girl!

 

Earlier that morning I put Olivia down in the middle of her play mat while I got ready for the day.  When I came back in the room a few minutes later, there she was almost completely underneath the chair!!  She had also managed to pull two tags off the bottom of the chair!  We're all in trouble when this girl actually is on the move!

Another day at the ball fields!

Saturday included another set of baseball games for the kids!  It was fun to watch each of the teams play again, and also to see progress in each team from the first game!

Faith recorded her first two hits of the season!  While she hit the ball last week too, it was after the batting T was brought in for her.  This week she hit the ball twice, both on her first swings!  Amazing what a little practice can do!!  In the picture she is at first base.

 

Daddy and Olivia cheering on the older kids!

 

Here is Shane enjoying the very important post-game snack!  He had a great hit that went all the way to the outfield his final time up at bat!  We're looking forward to this week's games too!

Piano Lessons!

Yesterday Faith had her very first piano lesson!  As a parent one soon learns that kids are completely unpredictable!  So while I thought Faith would enjoy the lesson, I was still a little nervous!  Thankfully she did love it and did well!  As the teacher told her that the lesson was over, she told him "that was really fun!"  And on our way out the door she actually thanked me for the lesson and wondered when she was able to do it again!  Yeah!!!

 

And evidence that she is excited about it includes her practice once last night and again this morning as soon as she woke up!  I had to have her play quietly this morning as it was just she and I awake!  I am hoping this excitement continues!

This was also from yesterday.  Aunt Joan ordered the kids a subscription to the Kids National Geographic magazine!  The first issue arrived, and both kids had a great time looking at it right away!

A Visit with Friends!

On Tuesday night we were able to have dinner with some dear friends!  Auntie Jean and Betsy Jean Verwys were making their way from San Diego to San Francisco, and they were able to stop and see us!  While it's always good to see "old" friends, I especially enjoy it as they always bring a little glimpse of "home".  These are friends I have known my entire life as the Verwys' had a house behind by parents growing up.  We thought it important to go to a real California restaurant, so we went to Padaro where we could eat outside just yards from the Pacific Ocean!  The kids played, the adults were able to talk, and it was a wonderful night!  Thanks for the visit!!

Summer Reading

Every parent I know that has school aged kids desires that their children spend quite a bit of time in the summer reading.  Not only is it a wonderfully quiet activity, but of course it is also so good for the brain and keeps the kids thinking over the summer.  Being a former English teacher, I am of course no exception to this summer reading dream.  A few weeks ago I printed off reading charts for the kids to encourage them to read 30 minutes (Faith) and 20 minutes (Shane) a day.  And it motivated Faith to read, which was great!

 

Last week Thursday we ventured to the local library to find more books for the kids to once again encourage the summer reading program.  While we were there, the librarian gave us some information about the library's summer reading challenge.  When we arrived back at the house, Faith looked at the reading paper we received.  This year the kids can color in strawberries on a reading log for every hour that they spend reading.  Once five are colored in, the reading log can be turned into the library for a small prize, and will then be entered into an end of summer drawing to win a Nook.  Faith asked me what a Nook was, and when she found out, she turned into a reading machine!!! 

 

Yesterday Faith read for three hours - that we counted at least as in I set a timer and she read.  It does not count reading before bed, or in the car, or just a book here or there.  Then, she read two more hours this morning to finish her first reading log.  After lunch we went to the library to turn in the log and of course find more books for the girl to read!!  I love that she enjoys reading and that it comes naturally to her as I have learned this is a gift!

Opening Day!

Today was opening day for the YMCA baseball leagues!  Shane is on the Giants, and he had his very first t-ball game!  He was very excited all morning, and he had lots of fun playing today!

 

The games are just 45 minutes long (which is plenty!!!), so they were able to play two complete innings.  In each inning, every player bats one time.  This was Shane's first time up to the plate!

 

And his jog down to first base.  It really doesn't matter where the ball goes, there is little chance of anyone getting out!

 

And finally here he is with some teammates waiting in line to bat.  The game of course ended in a tie, and Shane thought that was just great!

 

Faith had her first game today too!  She is playing coach pitch and is on the Angels this year.

 

This was at practice the other night.  Both kids have practice at the same time and at the same place!  It could not be more perfect - especially for the wife of a firefighter!!

 

Finally, Olivia's turn!  She did very well watching the kids play today, and she even managed to get a little nap in at the end of Faith's game!  This picture was from a few days ago! 

 

And last but not least, all three kids on the swings!  

Preschool Celebration!

 

Last Thursday marked the end of another year of preschool for Shane!  The school celebrated with an ending chapel, at which Shane was also recognized for having a summer birthday, and some family play time in the classrooms!  As part of the chapel, Shane's class sang "This Little Light of Mine."

Shane and his friends on the tire swing!  He is looking forward to play dates with his buddies over the summer!  It was another fun year at CPC! 

 

And of course here is Olivia!  She is really growing and developing and becoming so much fun!!  It's cute to see her laugh at funny things that people do now!  Shane especially loves to be goofy to try and make her laugh at him! 

 

I love this picture too of them!  I apologize if this is a repeat!  I couldn't remember if I had posted it or not!! 

T-ball Practice

Today Shane had his first ever t-ball practice!  Last year Faith made her t-ball debut in the YMCA league, and since it was such a positive experience, both kids are playing this year!  I took Shane to his practice first thing in the morning, and then Steve took Faith to her softball practice at 11am.  Both kids had fun, did some things well, and most importantly are both excited about practice again next Saturday!

 

In Shane's practice, the kids each learned about running the bases, hitting off the T, and fielding a ground ball.

 

Here's Shane working on fielding the ground ball!

 

Not quite "ready position", but it's only the first practice!

 

Olivia did not to any ball team practices today, but she hung out in the swing for a while!  Does it get much cuter than that?!?