VBS - what a blessing!

One reason I have been out of the loop with my blog is that I volunteered to help with VBS (Vacation Bible School) last week. I helped with the kindergarten class that Sophie was in. The theme for the week was SonWorld Adventure Park and our class name was the Twirling Teacups! The theme was centered around a theme park and the main theme for the week was "Choose Jesus!" It was so cute and the kids had so much fun. They had assembly, art class, snack time, lesson time, recreation, music class, and closing assembly each day. Each day every child got a "ticket" that they got to put on a necklace that they took it home at the end of the week. Each ticket had a different theme - Choose to Believe, Choose to Act, Choose Forgiveness, Choose to Obey, and Choose Jesus. The kids just loved the necklaces and were so excited Friday when they got to take them home. They also got to do lots of fun art projects during the week and they brought those home on Friday as well. They learned lots of songs and the motions that went along with them. On Friday there was a closing ceremony and they performed the songs and motions for family and friends. The Kindergartners were asked to dress up in cowboy/cowgirl outfits, because the particular song they sung had a "country" sound to it. The kids even got to take home a burned CD of all the songs. We listened to the CD every morning and every afternoon on the way to and from VBS. Sophie just loved the music and motions! Everyday when we would get home she would go into her room and close the door and have VBS time where she was the teacher! It was so cute and such a blessing to see how much she loved it. I got to lead her group to each activity and be a part of it with them. We had a group of 11 and they were adorable! It was so neat to see their eyes light up when they sang songs and made art projects that helped them learn about God's love for them. It was such a wonderful way for me to spend my week and I feel so fortunate that I got to spend this precious time with Sophie. I know that one day I'll more than likely have to go back to work and I feel so blessed that I get to be with her experiencing these things with her right now.
"God sent His Son to be the Savior of the World. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and He in God." 1 John 4:14-15

Busy! Busy! Busy!

Well...I have neglected my blog for a few days! I hope that I still have some readers out there :-) We have had a lot of fun things going on and now I am busy packing for our trip to Hawaii! We leave later this week and we are so excited about it! We are going with my family - my mom, dad, sister, brother and his family are all going...there will be 11 of us total together! Keep us in your prayers - we leave this Friday. So, trying to pack for a flight with a 15 month old and a 5 1/2 year old? I am used to going to Florida each summer and just throwing everything in the car...we always look like traveling gypsies...so I am having to downsize. In my carry on bag I am packing single doses of benadryl (doctor said it was ok) to make the flight a little easier and restful for Luke. I am also packing some new toys (small and not too noisy ones) that Luke and Sophie have never played with and coloring books and triangle crayons - so they won't roll off the tray on the plane. If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know! I am also packing extra clothes, lots of snacks, and we are going to have a portable DVD player. So here's hoping to a safe, happy, and peaceful flight!! I will have lots of family with me to help and Sophie will be sitting with her cousins Rachel (10) and Sarah (8) so she will be in heaven! She loves those two girls so much!
Sophie took some swimming lessons in preparation for our trip to Hawaii so she would be ready for the pool! She has taken them every summer for the past few years, but this year she did really well and came so far in two weeks. I was so proud of her! It might have helped that she had a young guy as an instructor! His name was James and she was delighted to see him each day :-) You will see photos below of her swimming lessons on the last night.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4

The Return of the Slip 'n Slide

Nick and I saw a Slip 'N Slide a few weeks ago in a store and decided to purchase it for Sophie. We were so excited about it, because we both have very fond memories growing up playing on a Slip 'N Slide. I used to have friends over and we would play for hours on it. I would end up with scrapes, bruises, etc., but I loved it! My parent's have a ton of pecan and walnut trees in their yard so you can imagine that I went over a lot of little bumps, because the walnuts and pecans that had fallen were not all removed from the ground before we started sliding! I think the Slip 'N Slide has to be one of my favorite toys from my childhood so I was very excited about getting one for Sophie (and Luke...even though it says for ages 5 and up on the package). We opened it up and put it out in the yard today and the kids had so much fun. Luke loved it too, but did bust his little bottom a couple of times where he slipped and fell into the pool of water at the end. Sophie loved sliding even though she sort of had to pull herself down, because she doesn't weigh enough yet to really go fast. It was fun and brought back so many memories of my childhood. We also brought out my crazy sprinkler bug from when I was little! Somehow my parent's had saved it after all these years and it still worked! It is the funniest sprinkler and it makes me crack up laughing whenever we use it! It is a blessing to watch my kids experience some of the fun things from my childhood. I think next time we pull out the Slip 'N Slide and sprinkler I'll put on my suit and go for a slide...I just hope I don't break anything! Ha!

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth." Psalm 100:1

Missing my blog...and other neat things...

Ok so I miss my blog so much! I am itching to write more, but I have been so busy lately and haven't had time to write....and I am being good...I am cleaning instead of getting distracted...besides the fact that I am on the computer now - ha! I have so many fun things to post and photos...so hopefully I'll get to it soon...maybe tomorrow??
Oh I do want to share something really neat that God has been putting on my heart: That He can use ME. Me - little 'ole me??? I mean I know this may sound crazy, because in High School I felt God's call on my heart into ministry and I also went to seminary and graduated with a Masters in Youth Ministry. I have been involved church, ministries, etc. since I was born. However, I have always struggled with a fear that I will fail. I feel a since of uncertainty and wonder as to how can He use me? I get caught up in my insecurities...my thoughts that I don't know His word as well as I should...or comparing myself to other Christians. It really and truly is a struggle that I deal with and I want to overcome. I know in my heart that God can use me and wants to use me....BUT my flesh creaps out and trys to stop me from doing what He truly desires to do through me. It is amazing how God can use different things and people to speak to you. He has used Facebook recently to speak to me. Through my joining Facebook I have understood lately that God really wants to use me. That He desires for me to minister to others and that He can use me even in my weakness and boy I am weak! However - He is strong and I must always remember that.
Hope you all are doing well out there in blogger world...
God bless you...
Merri

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:10

PB & J

Peanut....Peanut Butter and Jelly! Oh how we love Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches in our house! Nick eats one at least once a week and I love them too. They are a staple here. If a dinner turns out to be not so good - what do we do? Eat a PBJ :-) I think Sophie is burned out on them, because now she has decided she only wants a jelly sandwich! Luke had his first one last week and of course he loved it. I tore it in little pieces and he gobbled it up very quickly. It made an ooey gooey mess on his hands and face and he loved that too! Sometimes I wonder...what would we do without our PB&J??


"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."
Psalm 34:8

Facebook

Well....I joined Facebook and now I have been totally consumed with it! It has been so neat to reconnect with old friends and see photos of them and their families. I have been trying to figure it out since Saturday and it has been a lot of fun. I feel like I am having a hard time tearing myself away from it. Here it is 10 o'clock at night and Sophie and Luke are still up, because Nick and I have both been on Facebook! They are usually in bed by 9 or 9:30! It really is a lot of fun though and such a blessing to see what my old friends are up to: where they work, if they are married and/or have children, where they live, etc. I am finding out that I have friends that live all over so now I want to go visit them all! Anywho...I felt I had neglected my blog so I wanted to write about what I have been up to. I have so many other things I want to write about in my blog, but it must wait for now...I must get my kiddos to bed!

"I thank my God every time I remember you."
Philippians 1:3

My Little Big Girl

Sophie's PreK graduation was today and it was so sweet. The children sang songs about their Mommys, Daddys, finishing preschool, and being all ready for Kindergarten. She even received a diploma! We had lunch afterwards that all the parents helped with. I cried when she sang and when her teacher spoke about the year and how she is going to miss them. I cried when she got her diploma and when I looked around her classroom and saw how empty it looks without their beautiful artwork on the wall. It was sad, but a good sad. It is bittersweet. She is finished with preschool, but totally ready for Kindergarten. I can't believe my little girl is ready for Kindergarten! She is such a big girl, but is still little to me. She has grown so much in the past year and is truly ready for school next year. It is amazing how fast she has grown into the little young lady she is today. I can't wait to see what Kindergarten has in store for her. She is going to love it I know!


"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:5