Bible Verse of the Day:

Friday, February 20, 2009

Timothy Turns Three

Timothy couldn't wait for everyone else to sing, so he began the festivities by serenading himself!!

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me.....



Timothy was so excited to see me after being gone for 5 days. He kept telling me, "I'm 3 now."



He picked the dinner menu -- hot dogs and mac-n-cheese.


And his cake - Check out Lighting McQueen and Tomater


Timothy thought they should race on the cake!

Happy Birthday to YOU.......


DELICIOUS!


Savannah thinks so, too.
He LOVED the doctor kit from Grammy and Grandpa. He took it with him to Savannah's 15 month checkup so he could help Dr. Ellbogen.


Thursday, February 19, 2009

Singing all the way to Spokane

What a trip!! Allie and I have returned from a 5 day Children's Chorale trip. Their group was chosen to perform for the MENC (The National Association for Music Education) Northwest Division Conference in Spokane, WA. Our itinerary was jam packed from the moment we left Casper until we returned 5 days later.

Special thanks to Brenda and Jackie for watching Savannah and Timothy so that Phil could work on Thursday and Friday. MUCH appreciation goes to Phil for allowing me to chaperone this trip and taking extra special care of the other 4 in my absence. I love ya, honey!

I took too many pictures and even more videos. Here is just a glimpse of the fantastic opportunity Allie and I were a part of.


Thursday, Feb. 12 ~ Depart at 6:45 a.m.
On the bus and ready to go. There were 2 large charter buses carrying 111 students and chaperones.






Our first stop was Buffalo, WY to sing at the local high school for all of the elementary students in this district. I believe this song is called High Flight. Allie is in the second row, 4th person from the right.



A crowd favorite -- Oh Susanna



Next stop on Thursday was at a Catholic Cathedral to sing for students in this private Catholic school. The acoustics were absolutely amazing. Phil received a recording taken on a cell phone and he said it sounded like a professional recording!


This song is If You Can Walk You Can Dance, If You Can Talk You Can Sing.




We arrived in Bozeman, MT for a nice dinner at Fuddruckers. Here is the group of girls that I was responsible for.



After dinner (remember, this is STILL Thursday!), the Chorale performed the National Anthem at the Montana State Women's basketball game.


THEN, we walked under a tunnel to the MSU athletic department and the kids got to swim for an hour or so. The kids seemed to come alive, however the chaperones were exhausted by this point!




Friday, Feb. 13: After a VERY short night's sleep (10:15 p.m. - 5:00 a.m.) we loaded the buses again. First stop was an elementary school in Missoula, MT. The kids sang a couple of songs, then we walked to the University campus to eat lunch and sight-see. The scenery was spectacular. It seemed as if we were surrounded by mountains.



Allie taking a little break from all the walking around campus.




We arrived in Spokane late afternoon and the kids had time to play some games in the lobby of our hotel. Allie and Mackenzie enjoy a friendly game of Connect 4.

Next it was off to dinner at a local BBQ place.



Saturday, February 14 -- VALENTINE's Day: Since the kids all missed their school parties, each of the parents packed little bags of goodies and treats for the kids rooming together. Maridi, Natassia and Allie indulged me with a quick picture in their jammies before breakfast.



On Saturday morning the kids preformed at the conference as well as watched a couple of other musical groups. We were on our own for a couple hours to explore downtown Spokane. Here we are enjoying our lunch at PF Chang's.



After we finished with the conference on Saturday, we were off to a Natural Arts Museum. The kids wandered around and found some neat presents in the gift shop. Here is Allie enjoying the bird area.


After the museum, we had Italian for dinner at a local restaurant and then more swimming at the hotel.



Sunday, February 15 was mostly a long driving day. We wound through the mountains of Spokane, Idaho and Montana and arrived in Bozeman. We enjoyed Fuddruckers for the second time then were off to a local athletic club to get rid of some energy! The staff at the club was super. The kids got to play racquetball, basketball, dance, do aerobics and take part in a spinning class. Here is Allie and one of the chaperones, Jen, concentrating on the instructor's instructions for the "race".


Here is a fun video of the dancing. I can't remember what they called it -- something like Zaboom ?? (update: Missi told me its called Zumba) After they went through all their stations, it was off for MORE swimming.

Monday, February 16: We left Bozeman and headed toward Sheridan for lunch. Missi, David, Meg, Ella and baby Jackson bundled up and met us at Arby's for 45 minutes. It was great to see them.

We arrived back in Casper at 3:03 p.m. WHEW! It was a great trip for both Allie and I! Too bad we couldn't come home and go to bed. It was Timothy's 3rd birthday and Phil had been busy at home getting ready for a little party. More of that in a later post.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Fun February Facts

Fact #1: Savannah is not happy about the closed gate at the top of the stairs.

"Please"


"I really want to go downstairs with my sisters."


"NOW!"


"Being little stinks some days"



Fact #2: Sword Drills are a fun way to get the kids learning where all the books of the Bible are located.

We often start out our family devotion time with some scripture passage "sword" drills. Timothy participates with his picture Bible.


Fact #3: Timothy loves to learn and is a good singer also!



Fact #4: Chocolate Chip cookies are SOOOOO delicious!

Those big dark eyes just melt my heart!





AWANA Quizzing in Lingle, WY

The most important part of AWANA is Bible memorization. The kids start at a very early age learning verses and passages of scripture. The goal is that they will hide God's Word forever in their heart so that they will not sin against Him. Visit this link to learn more about AWANA.

Once a year, regional quizzing events are held. The purpose is to have friendly competition with other AWANA clubbers, testing basic principles, topical elements and Bible memorization. There is an oral and a written part to each test. The kids are tested in their appropriate level book and awarded plaques and ribbons for their efforts.

This was the first year we have participated in quizzing and we had a great time. I was absolutely astounded at the amount of God's Word these kids in AWANA have been taught and the amount they have at the forefront of their minds. What a precious, invaluable thing to possess at such an early age.

Our church, Cornerstone Evangelical Free, had 6 teams (2 people per team) participating in 3 different books. Sarah and Kristy quizzed in T&T Book 1 and took first place.





Allie and her friend Katelyn placed second at Book 3.



Allie and Sarah had AWESOME coaches - Donna K. and Deb M.


The quizzing group from our church.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Let the Races Begin.............

For the past couple of years, our church, in conjunction with the AWANA program, host a Grand Prix Pinewood Derby. We have attended in years past, but this year we decided to GET INVOLVED!

For the low, low price of $3.50 per kit, each participant receives a block of wood and some wheels. That's it. It's up to the kids to determine the final shape, design and color.

Phil was less than thrilled that we came up with the idea of vegetables. Why, you ask. Well, we are studying the book of Daniel at church and had just finished the chapter about Daniel requesting to eat fruits and vegetables in place of the king's choice food. The result - a much stronger and healthier Daniel.

The way I look at it is it was a good excuse for Phil to buy a Dremel kit. He won't admit it, but he actually had a lot of fun out in the garage getting covered in sawdust!

Here is Allie helping him with her vegetable car -- asparagus.



Lindsay's half painted corn on the cob



Sarah's finishing touches on her pea pod


Timothy is one proud owner of the speedy carrot car!


All four vegetables ready for the races!

Blake, Pete and Phil discuss the correct placement of weights on the cars.


The spectators are excited and ready for the races to begin


Daddy and his girls holding their veggie cars. They all had a blast working on this together.


At the end of the race, the vegetables lined up to see which was the fastest. I think the corn won.


Timothy tried as hard as he could to stay awake but he finally crashed in Phil's arms. The race went from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Hello -- that's nap time at our house. As you can see Savannah preferred the recline position in her stroller as well.
It was very difficult to get good video. The races were so fast and there were so many kids crowding the track. Here is a race that Lindsay's corn on the cob was in.


I realized when I uploaded my pictures that most of the video was taken sideways (which I cannot rotate). Just turn your head, or your monitor, and enjoy the race.