Wow!

VBS was awesome! It lasts 2 hours and 15 minutes, but it feels like it only takes 10 minutes and it is over! We had a great squad of kids and I had a great group of helpers! It was a great turn out - our squad had 40 and we were missing 4 or 5 who had pre-registered. I expect even more tomorrow night. The kids were very excited and well behaved. It is really cool to see the kids get so excited and sing at the top of their voices about being on God's team.
At our church, they have an adult snack room for the volunteers. They have truly figured out how to make the volunteers feel appreciated. From the great food (nachos, brownies, m&m's, and soda, just to name some), to the really cool ladies who are in charge of it, it is a neat way to say thank you.
The crazy thing about VBS is it is something you look forward to for weeks, but it is the most exhausting week of your life, but I wouldn't miss it for the world!

VBS

Tonight is the start of VBS at our church. Sing with me "Game day central, where heroes are made!" If you have never seen VBS at our church, you don't know what you are missing! Just imagine 300 plus children and 200 plus volunteers and more fun than you have ever imagined and that is VBS. My group, we call them squads, is the Kindergartners. This morning at church, Julie, one of the co-directors, told me that I had 40 children signed up on-line. That is 15 more than I had last year at the end of the week!! Tonight I get to help with a skit that goes with the offering. I know what you are thinking, me, on stage, with a microphone, what are they thinking! I am excited!!! I think I may be one of those people who loves to be the center of attention, but I'm not sure :) I'll keep you updated on our wonderful, crazy nights at VBS.

Victory Sports

As you can see, Victory Sports is a family event for us. Les and I both coach. Jonathon and Grace both play. Ella is always along for the ride! I have never been involved with an organization like this before. It is awesome! Not only do the kids learn to play, but they also learn about Jesus. But the league isn't only for the kids. The parents are totally involved also. If they don't coach, they help out at practice, or become team moms. This year, I had to be the luckiest coach in Victory Sports. I not only had 2 assistant coaches (one was a former Winthrop University batting coach), but I had 2 dads that helped at almost every practice and most of the games. My team mom was amazing! By the second practice, she had everything organized for the entire season. I also had moms who were there to do anything that was needed, like Terri, who took care of Ella almost every practice. During games, all the coaches helped all the kids. There is no pressure to win, just to do your best. I watched Jonathon turn into a totally different player than he was in the other league we played in. He gained so much self-confidence, it was amazing. I think he is finally starting to grow into his size. He is only 9 but he's 5 feet tall and weighs 98 lbs. I don't think I will be able to keep food in the refrigerator in the next few years :) The difference in Grace was amazing. Last year was her first year in T-ball, and to say the least, she hated it. She hated that the glove made her hand sweaty and she hated that the hat made her head sweaty, and she hated fielding the ball. The only thing she liked was hitting. This year, she never complained about being sweaty. She learned the right way to field the ball and throw the ball. She learned to play first base, kinda :) As her coach, I was soooo proud, but as her mom, I was beaming!! To have a daughter who could possibly be a future member of the orange, is just too good to be true!!

This is me getting Grace all set at first base. If you look close, you will see that her glove is pink! You can see that she is "all girl" no matter what she is doing!

The next sport is soccer. As you guessed, Les and I will both coach, Jonathon and Grace will both play, and Ella will be along for the ride. And best of all, LOTS of kids will get to hear about Jesus!!

Summer Top Ten

Top Ten things I would like for summer:

1. Endless supply of water for the sprinklers- without the bill!
2. A bottomless basket of fruit
3. A sunscreen mist that the kids can walk through so I don't have to rub it on every time we go outside - I could buy the spray, but I am cheap!
4. A van that runs on laughter instead of gas
5. Nap time for everyone - even us old people!!
6. Toenail paint that doesn't chip or fade - who has time to do your nails with a house full of kids!
7. A box of amazingly cool toys that I can hand over every time I hear "I'm bored"
8. Cool flip flops in every color
9. A swim suit that really makes you "look 10 pounds lighter"
10. A real vacation - one that I don't have to plan, pack and unpack for, organize and continuously work during (cause Mom's don't get any time off)

This is my list. Add your own suggestions, I would love to hear them!

O-R-A-N-G-E

Can you say undefeated? We won 12 to 5 over St. Phillip Neri. The first inning didn't go as well as we would have liked. We batted okay, scored a few runs, but lost it in the field. We let them score 3 runs because we kept throwing the ball away. I know you are probably wondering when I am going to start whining about the umpire, well, right now. The umpire only liked balls that were flat. He did get better as the game went on. I only had 3 outs tonight, but 2 were strike outs. But who's counting, right? Shannon Boyd got player of the game. She went 3 for 3. We don't have a game next week because of VBS and the following week I will be a beach bum. I'll try to keep you up to date about the 2 games I miss. Until then, GO ORANGE!

GO ORANGE!!! part 2

Tonight is game #2, so GO ORANGE!!! I'll return later with highlights and results. So all who read this, put on your orange to support the team!!

Fun at the Pool

Today we went to the pool with our friends the Boyds and the Gales. Here's a few shots of the fun.



"Hey Mom! I am ready to swim!!" Today Ella learned how to jump off the side to Mommy - I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not!

Grace and Charlotte doing there best imitation of mermaids. These two would go to the pool everyday if I would take them.

Here's the gang- Ben, Ella, Charlotte, Grace, Draye, Lizzie, and Charlie. Josh was there too, but he didn't really want to be in the picture.

All done and heading for home!! Nap time here I come!!

Pictures of the kids

Grace-Our cheerleader at her best!

Ella trying to fill Daddy's shoes.

Jonathon in his acting debut - he's the tall one on the left.

Preschool graduation- Kindergarten here she comes!!

Grace and Miss Katie on the last day of cheer camp - GO PINK!!

One simple shower!

How much chaos can happen during a five minute shower? This was what I was asking myself when I decided to take a quick shower (is there any other type when there are 4 kids in the house?!). Obviously a lot of total chaos!! By the time I had my hair wet and soapy, Grace was crying because Ella threw something (this, by the way is her new thing) that hit her in the leg. Charlotte came to the door to fill me in on all the details, so I told her to tell Grace to come to the bathroom (remember, I still have a head full of shampoo). She came back saying Grace couldn't walk. Now you need a little background information on Grace -she is a drama queen. Any and every time she falls or feels pain, she screams and falls apart. So you can imagine that I am not too concerned about hearing that she thinks she can't walk. I tell Charlotte that Grace can either come to the bathroom or wait on me to get out of the shower. I rinse my hair and pick up my face wash and hear Charlotte at the door again - I think you have already guessed that she loves to let me know everything. Ella is crying because Jonathon hit her with the light saber (yes, like the one in Star Wars). At this point, I lose it. I tell her that everyone needs to find a seat and stay there until I get out of the shower. By the time I am rinsing off, Ella is in the bathroom with me (probably the safest place for her at this point). She "helps" me get dressed and I go to deal with the chaos. First, I make sure Grace can walk. She can and looks almost embarrassed at the ease of walking across the room. I then let Charlotte get out of the rocking chair. Finally, I remind Jonathon that he is 8 years older than his sister and he shouldn't swing the light saber at anyone. He responds that she claims the light saber is hers, at this I just stare. Unfortunately, this is not that uncommon a morning in our house. Oh well, we still have the afternoon to look forward to!!

GO ORANGE!!!

I know you all have been sitting on the edge of your seats to know the results of the season opener for the ORANGE, sooooooo, we won 6 to 3 over Tega Cay Baptist. Being the pitcher, I first need to whine about the home plate umpire. His strike zone was all over the place! Okay, whining over. We played well. Suzanne led off and went 2 for 3. Lisa hit well, even though she struck out once. If looks could kill, we would have had to call the coroner when the umpire called the third strike! Shannon was on the mark at short stop- even though she had a baby just 6 weeks ago. I had a few outs at pitcher - 2 line drives, a pop fly, 2 ground outs, and a strike out, but who's counting. I would have had 2 pop flies, but I totally misjudged the ball and tried to back peddle and almost ended up on my rear and I didn't catch the ball! I am sure it was comical to watch. Laura Bott- fellow left field super star to Jen Wade- got player of the game for going 3 for 3. Okay Mrs. Wade if you are out there, we missed you!! Hopefully they have softball in EP, but I'm sure they don't have the ORANGE!!

Painting, grocery shopping, and other adventures

This past weekend Les went to Miami. As any other wife knows, this is the signal to redecorate or at least do one of those projects that otherwise wouldn't be okayed. My projects were painting the kitchen and the girls room. Don't get me wrong, Les knew about it and even helped me pick the colors and buy the paint. He just was happy to get on a plane and leave the state while the actual work was being done. So I called my parents and they came to help me paint (Mom watched the kids; Dad and I did the painting) If I have to say so myself, we did a great job. I now have a light yellow kitchen and my girls have a pretty pink room. (Les likes it too!!!)
Last night, my friend Cindy and I went grocery shopping together. We both needed a few things and since we live just a few houses down from each other, we thought, why not go together. Who would have thought Wal-Mart at 10pm would be so fun? I think the lack of children (we each have 3) may have had something to do with it. Wal-Mart was such a huge success (we stuck to the list and stayed under $), we decided to go get ice cream, so Sonic here we come! The first Sonic we passed was closed, but that didn't stop us. We found another Sonic, this one was OPEN, and enjoyed 2 Blasts (one Oreo and one Reeses). There is no therapy out there that can beat ice cream and girl talk with a good friend. By the time we got home it was almost 11:30pm. It didn't matter if it was late, it was time well spent!!
As I am typing this, Grace and Charlotte are painting (I am almost afraid to look!!), Jonathon is veggin' out on the couch (Sponge Bob is on the tube), and Ella is sleeping (YEAH!!!!!!). Who knows what the afternoon will bring - bike ride or sprinkler? Only time will tell.
Tomorrow is the first softball game of the season, so Jen if you're reading this, come back for results and highlights. GO ORANGE!!!!

The Pool

I think I can finally say we are officially on summer vacation now that we have been to the pool. I forgot how fun it is. I also forgot how much work it takes to get everything you need in the bag. Speaking of bags, I found the coolest bag at Harris Teeter (yes, the grocery store) for $19.95. Today I put in this bag 5 beach towels, bathing suits for 5 people, 4 Little Swimmers, 2 sun hats, 2 bottles of sunscreen, a bottle of water, a bag of Funyuns (YUM!!) and a barbie doll, and I still had room left over. I love my bag!! Back to the pool, Jonathon, Grace and Charlotte were raring to go. Ella on the other hand, was not so "Gun ho". The water wasn't bad except for that initial BRRR, but Ella wasn't having none of it. She wanted to go no further than the steps. She did get wet, thanks to her brother! Grace has grown and now can touch in 3 and 31/2 feet, which translates as completely fearless. She truly believes that if she has her floaty (the ring I paid less than a $ for) she can go anywhere. I need to be 2 people - one to sit on the steps with Ella and one to follow Grace around the pool. I guess I need to add 2 more to that because I need one to throw Charlotte (did I mention she is part fish and totally fearless). In fact today she said, I wish Mr. Les was here so he could throw her. Last time he threw her, I think she went a few feet above his head. After she hit the water, she came up asking for more. I also need one to play with Jonathon. He loves to play ball in the pool. No matter when we go, he seems to find someone to play with. Today he met a little boy named Dallas. As we were getting ready to leave, the boys grandmother came over to let me know what a nice boy Jonathon was. I told her that I tell my kids to let there outside reflect their inside. It is advice all of us can use. I have said it before and I will say it again, God blessed me with absolutely wonderful children - so much more than I deserved. Then the grandmother asked us about where we went to church and after gathering some info, she said they may see us there this Sunday. I wasn't even thinking about sharing anything about God, but He put such a great opportunity right in front of me. It's funny, I was dreading the trip to the pool, but it turned out to be great. I think if I would relax, a lot of other things would be great too.

This & That

It's hot!! We just came in from playing in the sprinkler and having a water balloon war. Don't you just love an activity that not only allows you to throw things at your kids but actually requires it. :) Having a toddler is a reality check for summer. Last year and the year before that, we just went, but now we have to plan everything around nap time. And this week is even harder because Grace is going to cheer camp from 9am- 12noon. So this week no summer fun activities can even start until around 3pm- after nap. Who has energy to go and do that late on a hot afternoon? Not I said the Mommy!! Next week will be better, because the mornings will be open, so watch out world, cause here we come!!

Coaching

Today was the last day of T-ball and baseball. My husband and I coach in a league called Victory Sports. I coached 4K t-ball. I think the funniest part of the whole season was watching the coaches try not to get hit with the bat when they were helping the kids hit. It was like they were Elaine on Seinfeld dancing! I had a great team. Of course every year you have a few of the same types of kids. You have the serious ball players, the silly ball players ( like Grace and her friend Draye who were playing London Bridge in the outfield while the ball rolled by them - TWICE), the rather not be there ball players, and the ball players who think the dirt and grass are more interesting than any ball. I think we had a successful season, though, because they learned the order to run the bases, all the players can hit the ball off the tee, and most of them can even field the ball (for those of you without baseball knowledge-SHAME, SHAME- that is when the ball is rolling on the ground and you scoop it up and throw it the 1st). Jonathon's team had their last game today also. He has improved sooooooo much over the last 2 years. When he started playing baseball, he only had 3 hits all season, but now he has 3 home runs a game. I am so proud of him. Thursday night was my last night coaching middle school girls volleyball. I never thought I could become so attached to a team, but those girl really touched my heart. Not only did they learn volleyball ( the improvement over the season was amazing!!), but they grew to be a team. Maybe this is an age group God wants me to explore. I always thought my "thing" was preschoolers, but maybe you can have two "things". I asked Les today what we were going to do with our time, and he reminded me that softball starts in a week. The madness never ends!!!

Summer begins

It is the first day of summer vacation and I think it went well. We met friends at the park for a few hours and then we hit the mall. I know some of you think I am crazy to take four children to the mall, but its old hat to me. Did I mention that my friend has 3 of her own. Here we go, 2 adults, Jonathon, Grace, Charlotte, Emily, Bradley and 2 strollers holding Ella and Julianne. We hit the food court, which actually went very smoothly. Laura and I actually held a decent conversation with only about 6-8 interruptions. Those of you with children know this is pretty good. Then we all headed upstairs, via the elevator, to The Children's Place. I went in for Ella some shoes - they had flip flops 2 for $5. Let's just say we bought more than flip flops. While Laura and I were shopping, the kids roamed the store. Three girls and two boys (who would have rather been anywhere but in a clothing store even though they both got cool new t-shirts) going all over the store. The girls all wanted flip flops and sunglasses. Sounds simple, but it is not. Every time Grace picked up a pair, Charlotte would change her mind, causing Grace to change her mind, causing Charlotte to change her mind and on and on. I think you get the idea. To say the least, it was an adventure! Tomorrow, we are going swimming!! Summer fun at its best! YAHOO!!

Frustration

I don't think anything in the world makes me more irritated than having to wait. Whether it is the line at Wal-Mart (which always happens, because there is never more than four lines open and I always pick the slowest one), or in the line at the drive-thru at McDonalds ( which always happens and then the happy meals are wrong because they left out the caramel dip for the apples or the apples all together). But, yesterday, I think I hit my waiting boiling point. As I mentioned earlier, I keep a little girl in the afternoons. She goes to a private school in Rock Hill (which will remain nameless, even though I should name them because they made me that mad!!!) Anyway, back to the story. She went on a field trip to the zoo in Columbia. The class was leaving Columbia at 115pm. School dismisses at 230pm. I know some of you are already seeing an issue with their schedule because it takes a bus full of 1st graders longer than 1 hour and 15 minutes to return. In their defense, I was supposed to call before I left to pick her up to make sure they were on schedule -I forgot! I remembered half way there. Then I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone. I decided just to go anyway, they couldn't be more than 15 or 20 minutes late, right. WRONG! I pulled up in line and was told they were not back and I needed to park in the parking lot. The kids were not happy about this. Did I mention there were 5 kids already in my van? Do you know how much fun it is to wait in the van for any amount of time with a toddler? It is NOT fun!! We parked at 2:30pm. The person who told us to park said they would be back by 240, 245 at the latest. At 300, I got fed up. I asked the parking lot teacher if she knew how much longer. She said they had called the principal, but all she knew was they would be there when they pulled in the parking lot. I left. I had to go get gas and Grace needed to pee (I found this out at 235). We went to the gas station and while I was pumping gas I sent Jonathon in the store with Grace so she could pee. He came back out and said they didn't have a bathroom. I put him in the van with all the kids and took her in myself because I had to get the receipt even though I had used pay at the pump (ironic isn't it!). I asked the clerk for the receipt and asked if my child could use the bathroom. She said they did not have a bathroom. I guess to work at that gas station you have to have a very large bladder. I know you are thinking that this can't get better, but it can. We went back to the school-still no bus, so I sent Jonathon in the school with Grace still in search of a bathroom. I could see him through the glass windows at the front of the school. He was just standing there. He stood there for a few minutes and then they came out. I asked him, as they were walking across the parking lot if he had taken Grace to the bathroom. He said they said no. As this point, I lost it. I asked him who told him that. He said a teacher who walked by them in the lobby. The parking lot teacher saw me freaking out and came over. She asked me what was wrong, so I told her. I'm sure she wished she would have stayed on the other side of the parking lot. She was very nice, unlike the lady inside, and took Grace to the bathroom for me. At 315 the bus finally arrived. By this time Ella is screaming "SNACK!" and my nerves are shot! I guess it pays to always have your cell phone.

The Tooth Fairy

This morning my son, Jonathon, came downstairs to leave for school and said, "the tooth fairy didn't come." My heart stopped. I had forgotten that Grace had lost a tooth last night before dinner. My mind started racing with ways to slip her the $ without being caught and trying to come up with an explanation of why the $ wasn't there when she looked first thing. While I am doing a mental marathon, with a pouting 5 year old at my side, I hear Jonathon call Grace and say, "Grace, she did come. I heard the top of the tooth box ( a little ceramic box that she puts lost teeth in so the tooth fairy doesn't have to dig through the millions of pillows on her bed) rattle and I went to check and there was $". I looked at Jonathon with tears in my eyes. He has to be the sweetest child alive. He saw how upset she was and made it right. I told him he could not tell her that he did that and he said okay. I guess he figured out the tooth fairy, huh! You have moments as a parent that let you know you are doing a pretty good job with your kids, and this was definitely one, big time!

Housework

No matter how hard I work to get my house clean, it never is! It took me all day to do 3 loads of laundry and clean my bathroom. Granted, the bathroom was really dirty, but not "all day to clean" dirty! I use my children as an excuse for the clutter and they really do their best to help the clutter stay out, but I think I am just a terrible housekeeper. I am all the time seeing something more interesting to do than the dishes or the laundry. I need some motivation! Maybe I should plan a party or some event so I will have to clean the whole house. I don't know. That sounds like a lot of work. I would have to clean before and after. Scratch the event idea. Maybe a reward system like the kids get for doing chores. I think I will have to talk to my hubby about that. If I can clean the house and keep it clean for a certain amount of time, say 2 or 3 hours :) ,then I could have a manicure or an uninterrupted hour of "nothing"time. I think it sounds great, but not really sure if he would go for it.

Mom, if you are reading this, my house misses you!!

The Family

Here's my beautiful family. This was taken in August of last year, so the kids have grown quite a bit since then, but who has time to arrange for family portraits. Not I said the Mommy!

Naptime

I can't believe I forgot to tell you about the funniest thing that happened today. We had a very busy morning, with church and then a SS picnic at the park, and a mad house cleaning because my house was being used as the childcare location for book club. Book club is a group from our church that gets together once a month to discuss a couple chapters in the book we are reading. Anyway, Ella was asleep, Grace was playing at the neighbors, and Les (my husband) and Jonathon left to go to a VBS meeting, softball practice, and the RA banquet at church, so I laid down on the couch to rest at 3:45pm. The sitters would be at my house at 4:45pm. The next thing I know the doorbell rings. I jumped off the couch and ran to the door. It was the sitters. I said, "You guys are early." and they replied, "You said to be here at 445, and it is 445". I immediately went into crazy, run around like a chicken with its head off, mode. I still had to bake breadsticks for book club. Did i mention we spend the first hour and a half eating and socializing and last half hour talking about the book? Its great! Back to crazy woman! I was running around trying to wake up, tell the sitters all the rules, and answer the door without looking like a crazy woman who had just woke up. To say the least, it was comical.