I missed the entirety of VBS this year, but I was curious about how it looked, so I stopped by the church on my way home in hopes someone would be there to let me in. Thankfully, there was someone, so I got the chance to wander the halls and look around. The set up on the stage was really impressive and the videos I have seen showed the kids having a wonderful time! But my absolute favorite place was the hallway where the children posted their prayer requests. They ranged from somewhat silly, to downright sad. There were cute ones, and painfully honest ones. Ones that made me smile, and ones that made me pause…

Among them I found…

• A prayer for a mother’s heartburn to go away.
• A plea that their parents wouldn’t get a divorce.
• A request that their uncle would stop drinking.
• A thank you for Chick Fil A.
• A prayer for healing for a brother’s bee sting
• A prayer that their loved one doesn’t die.

What struck me was the innocent honesty of these children, and I was awed at the things that lie heavy on their hearts. Divorce, alcoholism, death- such big problems for such small people. I know God answered prayers this week, and I know these children got to see the church in action. I am so grateful to all the men and women that took the time out of their lives to invest in these kids, and work hard to assure them that God hears those prayers, that those prayers matter, and that they are valuable and loved. I have no doubt that lives were changed this week!

Matthew 18:2-5

“Don’t leave me!! Don’t leave me!!” Baby E screamed as he buried his face into my shirt. The children are spending the week with their grandparents, and I hadn’t seen them since Monday evening. I dropped by to say hello on my way home from work, and poor Baby E was disappointed not to be coming home with me. The kids are having fun at VBS and with Grandma and Grandpa, but I know it’s difficult for them to be away so long. I miss them and they miss us.

Big E spent a few moments of my visit taking everything out of his VBS bag and describing it in great detail. He is having a blast. C told me all about the new friends she has made, and how one of them is named Molly, but she tries not to confuse everyone when she is talking about her, because, you know, we have a cat named Molly. Ha!

I’m glad the kids are having such a great week, and I love that people have been sending me photos throughout the day so I get to see the kids having fun!

Big E is very proud of the bear he made the first day of VBS.

While cleaning up this evening, I found a few pieces of artwork that C made. They made me smile. 🙂 She draws so much better than I did at her age.

Today was day three of VBS and my dear sister in law sent me some photos since I can’t be there. It looks like the kids are having a blast. I know they have both been looking forward to it for weeks!!

I spent a bunch of time this evening sorting through the kids’ clothes and figuring out what to do with the piles that don’t fit anymore. It’s amazing how quickly they grow, and how attached to some pieces of clothing you can get. I held back a few pieces that were my favorites. ☺️

I was going through some old photos this evening and found these gems that have to be shared, you know, for posterity’s sake. 😂❤️😍

The kids are spending a few days with their grandparents right down the street and Tim is working late, so this evening it was just me and Molly. We didn’t do much. I made myself pancakes, fixed a meatloaf for some lunches, and watched TV. I also managed a few loads of laundry and ran the dishwasher. (Hey, when I type it out like that, it sure sounds like I did a lot! 😂😂) Now all that is done and the house is eerily quiet, but I’m hoping for an uninterrupted night’s sleep! 

We are home from our whirlwind trip to visit my parents. We spent most of the weekend at the shop working, while Naona watched the kids. At one point, when we were taking a break, the kids came out to visit us and asked us what we were doing. When we told them we were scuffing they asked what that meant and then pleaded to do it themselves. We found some scrap wood and a piece of sand paper and let them give it a try. They lost interest in about a minute and opted to take a walk with Naona outside instead, but it was pretty cute to watch them give it a try!

Baby E has had an upset tummy for a few days, so we were pretty disappointed that we couldn’t attend a cousin’s birthday party today. But instead of staying home, we packed our bags and made an impromptu visit to my parents’ house. Yay for grandparent time!! Boo for stomach bugs!!!

Here’s a picture of Molly.

Baby E was not feeling well last night and as I put Big E to sleep this evening he started to complain as well. So I’m off to bed as I likely won’t get much sleep tonight. 

So I mentioned last week that I was in a car accident. I was on my way home, taking a route I don’t normally take unless traffic is really backed up on the main drive. I was in the far left lane, and as I was driving I noticed that up ahead there was a line of cars that seemed to be braking pretty quickly. I wasn’t following close, and had plenty of time to change lanes. As I was passing the group of cars, one of them swerved into my lane and side swiped me. I felt the impact and the car jolted to the right, but I was able to keep it in my lane and not into more traffic. I pulled over to survey the damage- some scratches and dents.

Today I took the van in to get repaired. The insurance company is giving me a loaner vehicle and when the nice gentleman dropped it off for me we noticed that it had 47 miles on it. FORTY SEVEN. As in “this van is brand new.” I think I might have had a look of horror on my face when the man informed me that I was the first person to use it. “It’s perfect,” he said with a smile. “No dents, no scratches, all the stickers are still on it. It’s brand new.” I forced a smile at his enthusiasm, but people, I HAVE THREE SMALL CHILDREN!! You can’t give me a brand new van?!?!? What are you thinking?!?!? This is such a bad idea!!!

Of course, I didn’t say all that. I just continued to smile as he handed me the keys. Don’t get me wrong, this van is nice. It’s so cushy and clean and shiny. I could drive it all day long. But kids are messy and sticky and all the things you don’t want in a brand new vehicle.

I drove it to work. It was splendid. I drove it home. It was grand. I saw the odometer pass 100. (odometer, people, not speedometer!) And then I got to the sitter and picked up the kids. We had a nice long talk about how this is not our van and we have to be super, super careful with it. No food. No drinks. No putting feet on the seats. In fact, no shoes!!!

I got them all in and that’s when they started to complain… ABOUT THE NEW CAR SMELL!! You know, the smell all new car owners wish they could bottle so their car would smell fresh and new for years. Big E especially hated the smell and was very disappointed that we would have the “smelly van” for a week.

And so begins the week of the “smelly van.” Wish us lots of luck and absolutely no spills!

The first official day of summer is upon us. When I picked the children up this afternoon, we agreed to a quick McDonald’s dinner and a walk to the stinky bridge. We needed the chance to get outside and expend some energy. The McDonald’s was, well, bleh, as McDonald’s tends to be, but the kids gobbled up their food and we headed back to the house. I changed while they got their helmets on. We dragged out a bike and a scooter and headed on our way!

I’m purposing to enjoy my children as much as I can this week. Other things are getting pushed to the side (hello, laundry), but spending time with them has to be more important right now. So my house may be a wreck and my dishes may be stacked in the sink, but that’s ok. There’s always the weekend, right?!?