Monday: my problem

I'm in the midst of an interesting audio book and an excellent visual book.  So I'm staying up quilting later than normal and then staying up too late reading.

Vacation Day 8: packing up and leaving

While people were packing up the kids went wild.  It was really rather normal for the trip.

Ben played a zapping game with one of the girls; she loved it.

There were a few naps.

Isaac got a present of Outfoxed, the game he had played so much during the week.

We did some rocket balloons.  Basically, you blow up a balloon with a pump and then let it go.  It zooms all over and the kids chase it.  Wonderful and easy entertainment, although the balloons did like to pop on the grass.

We took a quick stop at a playgroup before the last family left to get some energy out and have a quiet house.

We had dinner and then said good bye to the last family.  It was a wonderful vacation, and I was rather sad about going back to our normal routine.

Sunday: VBS Sunday

Today was VBS Sunday, the conclusion of the week.  We found out the Myrna, the puppet that always gets into grand predicaments, was able to blow up Asteroid Myrna in time, thereby saving the whole Earth from destruction.  Phew.

They also invited the kids to go on stage for the songs.  To my surprise, Isaac went.  (Although he asked if he could go up the ramp...maybe he had odd ulterior motives.)  Anyway, he did the motions reasonably well and sang the choruses.  He didn't always look all that happy to be up there, but it was crowded.  (He's in the front middle of the picture below in a bright green shirt.)

Afterwards he said he doesn't like singing.  He also doesn't like coloring.  This might make church services hard in the future, as he is moving up in classrooms soon and there will be more times for him to come sit in Big Church.  However, once he had a pen and some blank paper he was content to draw.  Stickers helped too.

I always have conflicting emotions around VBS.  As most of you know, hanging out with kids isn't my favorite thing to do.  At the same time, I believe it is super important to do.  I do it although I often feel awkward, as starting conversations is sometimes hard for me.  As the week progresses though, it always gets easier.  I asked one student about if her "star disease" is all gone.  (She put star stickers all over her face, and then the stickers spread to her arms and legs.)  We can laugh about not sharing candy - it turns out that candy can be a great teaching tool. :)  We can cheer together as we say the Bible memory verse faster than previous times.  I got a note from one student saying I was the best VBS teacher that she's had, but ...I'm not really sure I believe it.  Maybe it's just that I was the most recent and not too bad.  Hopefully they all felt loved and special and will remember that God loves them too.

Also, here's hoping to an easier memory verse next year.  Last year's was difficult, but we got it.  This year's had a ton of prepositions and lists.  We got it in 47 seconds, but there were still several helps as we went around the table.  (Oh, each person says one word and we go in a circle.  I often time it to see how fast we can get it.) "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all Creation.  For by him all things were created: in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or rulers or dominions or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him."  Colossians 1:15-16

Vacation Day 7: back to the beach

One family left early in the morning and the rest of us went back to the beach after a lazy morning.

The boys made a multi-stage rocket in the morning.

At the beach we ran down the dune.  The sand was a bit too hot for Isaac, but he did it anyway.

Ben buried Isaac in the sand.

After this Isaac and I swam out to the swimming area markers.  I was quite proud of him; it was rather wavy and took us a while.  We got back and he asked, "will I get money?" I was surprised at first, but then realized he had overhead Ben saying he'd give $5 as the prize to have two guys race to the marker and back.  They didn't do it, so I think Isaac thought the money was still up for grabs.

We got a spot closer to the water, so that it wasn't such a trek.

Joshua was Ben's buddy again.

We stopped to Captain Sundae's again on the way home.

The kids tried out the drums.

And I got a picture of Isaac in his closet.  He liked to close the doors so it was completely dark.  He also asked to sleep in the closet again, so it must have been a fun experience.

Vacation Day 6: Fredrick Meijer Gardens

Thursday we went to Fredrick Meijer Gardens.  I think we managed to choose the hottest day to do it, but oh well.

We started out in some of the conservatories.

I think we're looking at bananas here, but it also could have been cacao.

I find the boys deal better with places like this when they are able to take some pictures of their own.  Joshua had a fascination with the lights, and was on the lookout for them!

We got to see the carnivorous plants.  I'm not sure I've seen a Venus Flytrap before; it was a lot smaller than I expected.

Bear with a bear.

We had the kids take some pictures of the adults.  Isaac decided to get creative and therefore the best one we have is this sideways one.

One of the kids decided to have a picture at the big rock.

Isaac came up with a really big name for this picture; something like 'moon going into a lake'.

And he really wanted a picture of this leaf.

We made it around the loop!

Time to eat - in A/C!  The boys both got pretzels and guarded them jealously.  I did get a few bites though.

The standard age order picture.

Boating around the Great Lakes.

And hanging out in Holland.

Playing in the splash pad.

Hanging out at a tree house playground.  I think the boys just ran most of the time; Joshua was usually right behind Isaac.

Playing with toys that settlers may have played with.

After the kids were in bed the adults played some games, looked at a gazillion pictures, and were reminded that our shirts are not pockets for food, as we tell our children.

Saturday: the content and the whiney

This morning went pretty well.  I thought about bringing the boys to a dance party at the library, but didn't really want to go.  We ended up on the beach by our house, where the boys played happily and without me.  I did some paddle boarding, in rather small circles, and read my book.  It was wonderful.

This afternoon something changed and the boys couldn't quite hit their grove.  So there was a ton of whining and complaining and it felt like a purposeful lack of understanding of what Ben and I were trying to accomplish.

Friday: Three years old

Joshua turned three years old today!

Due to VBS his party has been postponed until next week, but I did send some birthday cookies with him so he could celebrate at church.  He also kept telling people that he was three and a half until early evening, when he finally realized he was only three.

Mood: Joshua was finally in a good mood for a photo session.  Lately he's been a bit hit or miss with his mood.  Since he is slowly giving up naps, he tends to be more tired and then a bit more prone to crying.  However, if we're doing things that he at least somewhat likes then he is happy.

Play: he loves Duplos and playing with Isaac the most right now, I think.  He likes doing Legos with Ben, but that isn't happening quite as much due to a busy few weeks.  He enjoys playing in the sand.  Usually games with Isaac involve running around the couch a lot, although today Joshua was tugging Isaac by a sash.

Work: Joshua's daily job is to water the flowers, and he often takes this very seriously.  He does appreciate it when it rains and he gets to skip it though.  The last few days he's come in after watering and said something to the affect of "I did it before it rained!"  He is also starting to clean his bedroom.  If he's in a cleaning mood he does it well and if he's not it's about as you would expect for a three year old.

Toilet training: Around the beginning of the month we were having some problems as Joshua would wait too long to go to the bathroom and then would need help with his pants.  That has resolved itself.  Phew.

Bear: Bear, or Grey Bear as he is sometimes called, is still a semi-constant companion.  We hear "Bear!" shouted often as Joshua realizes that Bear was left somewhere and wants him.  (The other day Isaac hid Bear and then forgot that he had done so until the morning.  After Ben and I went on a bear hunt for 15 minutes Joshua had to use Elephant for the night.  That was ok, but Joshua wondered almost first thing in the morning if Grey Bear had been found yet.  That's when Isaac remembered.  The good thing is that I would have found Bear later in the day.)

Repetition: Joshua repeats what we say often.  Even when we're reading books, which is something that Isaac never did.  He is also very good at song lyrics and some book fragments also show up.  "What a beautiful day.  We're not scared." from We're Going on a Bear Hunt is the case in point.

School stuff: He can count somewhat up to 20, although he misses a few.  When counting actual things he can do some, although the number is under 10.  He knows the letter names, but can only put a few names with the actual letters.  I hope to work on this a bit more once September comes, but we'll see.  Maybe we'll just play instead.  Oh, colors.  He has most colors down, but mixes up orange and yellow sometimes.

Happy Birthday to a goofy and cute three year old.