Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Tuesday: playground
We met some friends at the playground this morning. It was wonderful. Four of the five boys ran as a group doing...I'm not really sure. Joshua said something about catapults at one point. But the cool thing is that they did it together. (Oh, the fifth one is rather young so it wasn't a big deal. He's probably about 1.5 years younger than Joshua, which is about the spread for the others too.)
Monday, July 16, 2018
Monday: playdate
This morning was a bit rough. Isaac was in a mood and refused to go to the library. I told him 'too bad, you have to go. Please get dressed.' He said he wouldn't get dressed. I told him that was fine, but that there would be consequences...like he would have to take a nap during rest time. (He really did seem so tired and I think it's been a busy week for him.) Anyway, he got dressed. He continued to be sullen until Joshua fell on the pavement and big brother mode kicked in. :D That snapped him out of it.
He also had a playdate with one of his friends from school. They played 'CodeMasters' for an hour and a half, running all over the place, getting cards, leveling up, and slaying dragons with rainbow swords.
He also had a playdate with one of his friends from school. They played 'CodeMasters' for an hour and a half, running all over the place, getting cards, leveling up, and slaying dragons with rainbow swords.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Weekend: vacations
This weekend, Isaac and Joshua went up north with Larry and Cheryl.
They had a grand time playing with the magnet blocks, in the splash pad, and eating ice cream.
Oh, and plenty of screen time. :D
Ben and I went to a B&B in South Haven. After mentioning (twice!) that we needed to remember and get some pictures at the B&B, we forgot. We only got some at the end of the pier.
We had a wonderful time though, eating, reading, playing games, and just being together.
They had a grand time playing with the magnet blocks, in the splash pad, and eating ice cream.
Oh, and plenty of screen time. :D
Ben and I went to a B&B in South Haven. After mentioning (twice!) that we needed to remember and get some pictures at the B&B, we forgot. We only got some at the end of the pier.
We had a wonderful time though, eating, reading, playing games, and just being together.
Thursday, July 12, 2018
Wednesday/Thursday: briefly
VBS: It went well, especially today (Thursday). The kids and I are getting to know each other a bit better, and that has helped.
It's fun seeing Isaac here and there.
It's fun seeing Isaac here and there.
The four year old classes got a sneak reveal of Bolt Voltage, and it totally calmed Joshua down. It went from all he could talk about to, "oh, it's just Tyler with an orange shirt." (He wears an orange shirt in another part of the morning.) While sad that it needed to be done early, it was probably a good choice.
Yesterday we went to the GR public museum. We did it with a friend whom I haven't seen in a while. It was maybe not the best place to talk because the boys needed a lot of help with stuff, but it was still lovely to see them.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Tuesday: VBS, tired
Today was the second day of VBS. It went better than the first, as expected.
Joshua wouldn't stop talking about Bolt Voltage again. As he told Ben, ""It's really not safe at church right now. The criminal is ruining VBS." The stories he told seemed to get more elaborate as the afternoon went on. Also, the puppet set a trap by the bathrooms for Bolt Voltage and didn't capture BV but instead captured the raccoon (costume). Joshua's take away was this: "This was a trap by the stop sign bathroom but it didn't capture the criminal. It captured the hedgehog's brother. [The puppet] needs to save him!" Obviously it couldn't have been the raccoon that was on stage because he was on stage, so it had to be the brother.
Isaac started ice skating lessons again. He picked up about where he left off, so that's good. There were also twice as many teachers and about half the students, which I was very excited to see.
Joshua wouldn't stop talking about Bolt Voltage again. As he told Ben, ""It's really not safe at church right now. The criminal is ruining VBS." The stories he told seemed to get more elaborate as the afternoon went on. Also, the puppet set a trap by the bathrooms for Bolt Voltage and didn't capture BV but instead captured the raccoon (costume). Joshua's take away was this: "This was a trap by the stop sign bathroom but it didn't capture the criminal. It captured the hedgehog's brother. [The puppet] needs to save him!" Obviously it couldn't have been the raccoon that was on stage because he was on stage, so it had to be the brother.
Isaac started ice skating lessons again. He picked up about where he left off, so that's good. There were also twice as many teachers and about half the students, which I was very excited to see.
Monday, July 9, 2018
Monday: VBS and swimming
Today was the first day of VBS. I have third graders this year, instead of my normal forth or fifth graders. I can tell they're a bit younger, but some of that could just be personality too. The fun thing about being with this group is that I also get to see Isaac for a few of the group things. He was sitting right in front of me for one and it took me about five minutes to notice. As always, I didn't feel like a great leader. But since this happens every year, I'm rolling with it.
This year there is a bad guy called "Bolt Voltage." And oh my, the kids loved him. He would run through areas really fast and the kids would all be like, "there he is! Get a picture for [the puppet]!" Isaac and Joshua, especially Joshua, talked about him non-stop from the time I picked them up from their classes until we reached our next destination. Although the puppet has said he is a criminal, both boys think he might actually be a good guy. Joshua was very clear that you can't get close to him or chase him because you might get zapped. Joshua also said, "We need to sing more songs and play more games so that Bolt Voltage comes back." I said, "Wait a minute. We don't sing songs to get the Bolt Voltage to come back. We sing them for God." Needless to say, I didn't really hear anything else about their mornings at VBS.
(If you look carefully, you can see a black caped person running in the middle of the picture.)
After VBS we went to the pool with Betsy. It was a nice fun time too...it's nice being able to do things in the early afternoon. Near the end Isaac realized he could do a bit of a bob and swim a (very) short distance...we'll have to get him in a pool again soon. Joshua did a bob and put his ears in the water for a float too, so that was good.
This year there is a bad guy called "Bolt Voltage." And oh my, the kids loved him. He would run through areas really fast and the kids would all be like, "there he is! Get a picture for [the puppet]!" Isaac and Joshua, especially Joshua, talked about him non-stop from the time I picked them up from their classes until we reached our next destination. Although the puppet has said he is a criminal, both boys think he might actually be a good guy. Joshua was very clear that you can't get close to him or chase him because you might get zapped. Joshua also said, "We need to sing more songs and play more games so that Bolt Voltage comes back." I said, "Wait a minute. We don't sing songs to get the Bolt Voltage to come back. We sing them for God." Needless to say, I didn't really hear anything else about their mornings at VBS.
(If you look carefully, you can see a black caped person running in the middle of the picture.)
After VBS we went to the pool with Betsy. It was a nice fun time too...it's nice being able to do things in the early afternoon. Near the end Isaac realized he could do a bit of a bob and swim a (very) short distance...we'll have to get him in a pool again soon. Joshua did a bob and put his ears in the water for a float too, so that was good.
Sunday, July 8, 2018
Sunday: child of God
We sang a song in church today - "No longer Slaves" and the lyric that really hit me was "I'm no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God."
It made me start thinking about what it meant to be a child of God. Usually when I've heard 'child of God' the underlying meaning is that our inheritance in is heaven and that's where we will be going when we die. This time I started thinking about the parent-child relationship. (Not to be confused with the parent-teen relationship or the parent-adult relationship.) How I, as a parent, can cause or let {small} harms come to my child and they come running to me for comfort. It really amazes me that I can be the cause of their discontent, and yet I'm also their comfort. I can change the analogy to God and me. Sometimes it's worrisome that if something really, really bad happens I won't run to God. I can take comfort in the promise that if, and when, bad things happen I'll run to God because where else would I go?
A child can also say incorrect and mean things. The parent doesn't disown the child...the parent can see the reasons for the statements and understand the real meaning of what the child is trying to say. God can understand me too, even when my words are incorrect.
It made me start thinking about what it meant to be a child of God. Usually when I've heard 'child of God' the underlying meaning is that our inheritance in is heaven and that's where we will be going when we die. This time I started thinking about the parent-child relationship. (Not to be confused with the parent-teen relationship or the parent-adult relationship.) How I, as a parent, can cause or let {small} harms come to my child and they come running to me for comfort. It really amazes me that I can be the cause of their discontent, and yet I'm also their comfort. I can change the analogy to God and me. Sometimes it's worrisome that if something really, really bad happens I won't run to God. I can take comfort in the promise that if, and when, bad things happen I'll run to God because where else would I go?
A child can also say incorrect and mean things. The parent doesn't disown the child...the parent can see the reasons for the statements and understand the real meaning of what the child is trying to say. God can understand me too, even when my words are incorrect.
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