Tell me about Jesus

Slade and his mom and my mom often tell stories to the boys.

Slade used to tell Russ and Randall about the penny robot. He's told stories about the rubber band boy. We even sing a song about the rubber band boy; we've been singing it for years. There are stories about Speck (my niece and nephew still enjoy a good Speck story when they spend the night), stories about the rainbow fish and, Judson's newest contribution, Buggy.

The grandmas sometimes tells stories from their childhoods and Slade's mom will make up stories like Slade.

All of our boys have loved to sit and listen to story after story. I don't know how Slade does it. I have tried and I am just not able to think of good stories. Maybe because I think the stories need a good moral or to teach an important truth. It's the mom in me.

This morning, sitting at the table for breakfast, I was singing a Sunday School type song. I can't even remember which one. I sang while I cleared the table, waiting for Judson (the world's slowest eater) to finish his strawberries. When I finished, Judson said, "Tell me about Jesus."

So, I started by clarifying that a story about Jesus was real and not made up, like stories about Buggy or Speck. I told him that a story about Jesus could be read in the Bible and that everything in the Bible is true.

Then I told him about how Jesus fed 5,000 people with a little boy's lunch. When I finished, he said, "Tell me about Jesus again!" So, I told him about a man whose legs didn't work, but when Jesus' friends, his disciples, spoke to him, they gave him a better gift than gold or silver, because God used them to make the man's legs all better.

I teared up as I told him stories about Jesus. It isn't the first time I've told him about Jesus or shared stories from the Bible, but it's the first time he's requested them. And he listened so intently. I told him that God made the man's legs all better and the man was so excited and was jumping around, praising God and telling Him thank you and Judson threw both his hands up and cheered. It makes me cry just typing it.

I am so thankful to be blessed with three sweet and wonderful boys. I often feel inadequate to the task, but this Mother's Day, I was reminded that God has equipped me and is guiding me. And that He has been so good to give me such a wonderful man to help raise these boys. I am going to record Slade and Nanny and Grammy telling their fun and creative stories so we can enjoy them for years and years. And I'm so thankful that the stories of Jesus have been recorded for us, too.

AWANA Bible Quizzers

A few Saturdays ago, Russell and Randall competed in this year's AWANA Bible Quiz. It was hosted by our church, which was very convenient for us as it meant no traveling.

This year, one of the leaders, J. B., took charge and they actually practiced once a week for about a month leading up to the quiz. Most days, the boys didn't mind studying and they both enjoyed the group practices.

Russ' team had two girls and two boys. They quizzed on Book 3. Randall's team was one girl and two boys. They quizzed on Book 1.

Russ and his friend, Sam, waiting for their first turn.

Each team participates in 3 areas--written, (which is individually scored), and as a team, they do multiple choice quizzing and complete answer speed quiz.

Randall's team doing the multiple choice portion.

Getting a pep talk from J. B. in between the multiple choice and speed quiz portions.

Russell's team waiting for their written part.

Pep talk with Stephanie.

It was a long morning and, altho we try hard not to entertain him with our phones, we caved in.

Randall's team placed 4th among 8 teams and Russell's placed 2nd among 7.

They worked hard and did well. Overall, it was a great experience and a fun time. And memory verses were reviewed and recommitted to memory. A win-win!

"I want to pay a dame"

Judson has discovered that he loves to play board games. His favorite is Cariboo, which Russell and Randall used to play. I pulled it out a few weeks ago and it has become his new obsession. He will sit and play (following the rules, waiting his turn, etc) for as long as someone else can stand. And then when we lose interest, he'll often stay and play with the cards and balls by himself. He calls it "paying a dame".

Another favorite is Connect 4. He doesn't follow the rules for that one, but he loves it. Really, he loves any game that one of us will sit and play with him.

Sunday, he asked Randall to play a game with him and Randall was more than happy to. They sat in Judson's room, both in jammies, and played for at least 30 minutes. So sweet. They both had a great time. Randall is very sweet to Judson.

Skating at PEP

Each year, Hudson PEP has a two-week period where the kids' PE activity is skating!  They LOVE it!  The first few years the kids have to wear regular skates, but in either 3rd or 4th, they can get rollerblades if they want.  Russ, of course, went with rollerblades as soon as he can.  Randall is happy in regular skates.  

I have put Judson in his stroller the last two years, but this year, he was big enough to walk around a bit.  I had to keep him from taking off and chasing the skaters, tho.

I know I took pics of Rand, but I can't find them... So, just picture Randall with a huge grin on his face and you'll know what the pics looked like.  He loved it this year!  I love seeing him stretched out of his comfort zone and doing great.

Russ and one of our favorites, Sam.

Russ, Jose and Kristopher.

They do some fun dances and games, like this one:

It is such a fun few weeks and the kids come home telling all about what they got to do.  I'm glad they have this experience.  Russ is the kind of kid that will skate no matter what.  Randall wouldn't skate if you paid him until he *had* to for school.  The first year, he moved like a turtle.  The second, a little faster.  And this year, like I said above, he loved it.  Such great skaters!!

Elliptical and Ice Cream Trucks

So, what do ellipticals and ice cream trucks have in common?  Well, they shouldn't have much in common, but I actually bought an elliptical machine and the ice cream truck actually came down our street.  Two things that have never happened before.

I got this elliptical off of an online garage sale site on FB. A lot of people were interested, but I happened to be the first one to comment so I got first dibs.  It wasn't easy to get here, but the girl selling it was very helpful and we made it!  We had to store it in the garage until we moved and had room for it and it was off limits once it made it to the garage.  But, the boys had a little fun on it first.  They did this for a while!

Then while we were all still outside, we heard the ice cream truck!  I love the ice cream truck!  And he didn't come at meal time or anything--it was perfect!  The neighbors joined us for some sweetness.

It was a good day.

A Phineas and Ferb Halloween

In my mind, Halloween is fun.  I love the idea of making our costumes and coordinating them.  But, in reality, I forget it's coming up; then I'm too cheap to buy what I tho't I could make myself if I had the time.  So, we end up letting the kids choose a costume from the Halloween store and they're happy, but I am slightly sad.

This year... was no different...  I decided it might be fun to do a Phineas and Ferb family Halloween.  Russ would be Ferb, Randall would be Phineas, Judson would be Perry (because he's the smallest and because my mom gave him this adorable hat that I want to do something wonderful with), I could be Candace and Slade could be Doofenschmirtz (sp?).  So fun!  We all love Phineas and Ferb and watch the episodes available on Netflix on a regular basis.

But, I didn't plan well and then Russ wasn't keen on the idea of a homemade costume and it just never worked out.  So, when I saw these t-shirts on Amazon, I decided to go with it!

Altho you can't tell from the picture, Judson loved wearing his hat.  He kept pulling it down over his eyes.  

We tried to use spray hair color for Phineas and Ferb, but even with about 3/4 of the can, it didn't really look very dark.  

The boys can still wear their shirts, unlike most Halloween costumes that get worn once, they were cheaper than a costume from the Halloween store, still kind of matching, I could use the Perry hat and everyone liked the idea!  Score!  Happy Halloween!

Randall Reading

Slade passed by Judson's room the other day and this is what he saw:

Randall read to Judson for quite a while and Judson was happy to sit with him and listen.  Sweet moments.

First Day of School (yes, this *is* a bit late...)

Well, I have proved that I am unable to consistently blog.  But, I have so much I want to remember!  So, I will just keep trekking along.

I'm backtracking a tiny bit a few months to the beginning of school.

Russ is in 5th grade and Rand is in 3rd.  These pics are from the beginning of the year, so we didn't know at that point what a great year it would be, but it has been a very good year!

I strongly believe that it is best to *not* request a certain teacher.  If I trust that God is in control, then I don't need to help Him along.  It's okay if you disagree with me on this one--my opinion isn't based on Scripture. *grin* Had I been given a choice, I probably would've chosen a different teacher for Randall.  Not for any good reasons, just opinions and feelings.  But his teacher has been a perfect fit for him.  She is very understanding of his little quirks and not bothered by his tendency to be extremely literal.  She seems to think the world of him and he really enjoys her, too.  God is gracious to us!

Russ has a wonderful teacher that used to teach middle school so she's not bothered by the difficult stage that the 5th graders are in--sarcastic, forgetful, sometimes disrespectful, etc.  Russ loves that, for the most part, only the person misbehaving gets in trouble instead of the whole class.  He's big on "fair" and that feels more fair to him.  He's doing great this year!

Both boys have made straight A's this year and, if I remember correctly, neither has had anything below a 95.  They amaze and impress me with their great study habits and ability to do/turn in homework on time without my nagging help.

We have taken a First Day of School picture with our sweet neighbor, Danielle, since she and Russ were in Kindergarten!  Such wonderful memories with this precious girl.  We are no longer neighbors, but that's a story for a separate blog post. *sniff*

The year is about half-way over now and it's continuing to be another great one!!  We are so pleased with the boys' experience at Hudson PEP and have been so thankful for the friendships that both have made (this year and in previous years).  We are right where we feel like we need to be.  God is so good.

Mustaches

I thought it would be fun to paint rocks, so we pulled out the paint and supplies.  Turns out, the boys don't think it's so fun to paint rocks.  They do, however, think it's fun to paint themselves...

Serious faces.

Silly faces.

Rocks are still not finished... 

Randall's 8 1/2 Angry Birds Birthday Party

 Randall turned 8 on December 24th and we did his half birthday party in July this year.  He requested an Angry Birds party.  There were SO many fun ideas out there and I had fun putting together some fun activities.

The first thing the guests got to do was make their own pig balloon to use in our life-size angry birds game.  I printed a few faces for examples.

Then the pig balloons were set up at one end of the hallway with boxes.  All the doors were closed to help keep everything in the hall.  Everyone got a few tries to knock everything down with a big red ball Angry Bird.  It was quite noisy, but seemed to be pretty popular with the kids!

I let Randall pick 3 characters (colored paper bags are kinda pricey) for the goody bags.  I printed the faces and cut them out.  To fill the goody bags, we found a great deal on Angry Bird keychains from Amazon, as well as Angry Bird gummies.  Then we just picked some of Randall's favorite candies to add in.

The food table.  We already had the plush toys (altho I had packed them away and had to find and unpack them--oops!) so they were perfect.  The wooden blocks were Russell's and Randall's when they were little.  The cake was made by Butcher Shop and we used game pieces from one of Randall's games for a 3D topper.

Close up of the cake and wooden block centerpiece.

And the cookies!  I was so pleased with how these turned out!  Thanks to some great tutorials, these were easier than I expected.  I did discover that, altho I love the chocolate sugar cookie dough--yum!, I don't care for them baked.  They are not sweet enough.  But, Randall loved them and that's all that matters!

One of the activities that was available was to set up the blocks like Angry Bird levels and knock them down with soft, plush Angry Birds.  It was noisy, too, but lots of fun.  Rand is letting Judson knock his down.

Singing Happy Birthday!

We decided to have the party inside since it's just been so ridiculously hot outside.  It wasn't nearly as noisy as we thought it might be.

Opening presents--big smile!

Another successful party!

Pine Cove Base Camp

Recently, our church hosted a Base Camp for Pine Cove.  I have heard so many good things about Pine Cove's summer camps, so I signed Russell and Randall up.  What a wonderful week they both had!  Each morning, they were up and dressed and ready to go and each afternoon, they had so many stories to share of their time.

Pine Cove counselors seem to be a cut above most summer camp counselors.  Pretty much anything Pine Cove does, they do well.  They plan well, prepare well and train well.  And it was no different with their counselors.  They are so in tune with the kids.  From the time the campers get there until the time they leave, the counselors are investing positively in their lives.  And I believe them when they said they were praying for the boys during the week, too.

I didn't get any pictures of the huge inflatables, of the rock wall, of the water slides, nothing.  But, I remembered my camera for the last day when we got to see some of what the kids had learned and meet their counselors.

Here is Randall (standing just behind his counselor in the turquoise shirt) doing a dance.  Randall was very serious as he tried to remember all the moves.   

As the counselors interacted with the kids all week, they chose character qualities that they saw in them and shared some sweet words about each kid with the group.

Randall's counselor, Say What, said this of Randall:

Randall is kind and is considerate of other people's feelings.

He is helpful and is respectful to others.

Randall is polite, showing regard for correct behavior.

Russ had a great time, too.  He tends to be a little quieter about how he's feeling, but he was just as enthusiastic as Randall.

Russell's counselor, Falla, had this to say of Russ:

Russell is authentic, comfortable with his personality and honest in his responses.

He is enthusiastic, genuinely thrilled by life.

Russell is optimistic which is encouraging to his peers.

Our Junior High kids love to go to Pine Cove for work weekends, something my mom started taking the youth on years and years ago when she was the Junior High director.  The students love it and it's a great chance for them to think about others and serve.  I think I enjoyed it as much as the youth did when we went at the beginning of the summer.  It was fun to be on the other end, too, and I look forward to more interactions with Pine Cove.

Alive and Kicking...

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last blogged. Well, I can believe it, but I don't like it. We are still alive and kicking. Summer is here, so it's been busy around here. Trying to keep up with busy big kids and still be home for a semi-regular naptime for a little one can be a little difficult. But, even the big kids benefit from the down time (and the routine).

My goal for next week is to organize pictures and start real blogging again. Can I do it? I hope so! I miss the chance to document what is going on in our lives and I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove. I hate the last year that hasn't been saved on here, but I'll just go forward from here.

I'll leave you with an attempt at getting a picture of the boys in their matching swim trunks.

It wasn't happening and I gave up. *grin*

Randall's Grandkid Trip

Every summer after each grandkid turns 7, my parents (Grammy and Oscar to the grandkids since they are "award-winning grandparents") take that grandkid on a trip. Two years ago, Russ went to North Carolina. Last year, Josh got to go to Lake Norfork, Arkansas and spend a week on a houseboat.

This year was Randall's turn. My mom tries to pick a trip that will fit with the personality of the grandkid going. She did great at making this trip not too busy because Randall gets overwhelmed easily. They took the train and spent a few days in San Antonio, enjoying the sights and relaxing. It was perfect for Randall (and nice and quiet for my parents, too).

We met my parents at the train station in Longview to see them off.

I loved this old telephone booth outside the station. Russ is pretending to be impatient as he waits his turn to make a phone call.


There is a small playground at the station that the boys enjoyed playing on for a few minutes while we waited for Grammy and Oscar to get there.


Russ is holding up the train. He's not the brightest criminal, but he looks cool, so that counts for something. Rand is pretending to be angry. *grin*


Three sweet boys.


Waiting in line with Grammy. He only waited for a little while, though. Grammy had to wait by herself after the picture.


Christy's mother-in-law, Dottie (aka Grandmom) was in town from Florida and brought Josh and Julia to the station to see everyone off, too. Here, Julia and Randall are doing their secret handshake.


This was me attempting to get a picture of Russ and Josh. Meet Josh, who is determined to *not* be caught smiling in a picture.


Julia and Russ.


Waiting to get on the train.


While we were waiting in the station for the train, I ran into the mom of an old friend and her grandson was playing with their camera. She e-mailed me some great pictures, like this one of me, Judson and Grandmom. He did pretty good!!


My mom Facebook'ed the trip, so we got to see what was going on while they were gone. First up, breakfast on the train.


Then exploring the sleeper cabin and trying out his bed.


Once in San Antonio, the plan was to keep it low-key. Here's Randall having fun at the Disney store.


One day they visited the Alamo. Oscar and Randall.


Randall in his cool Angry Birds shirt, with his awesome blue snake on the ground beside him, at the beginning of the Riverwalk.


Last picture, getting serenaded at a Mexican restaurant. If there's anything my mom taught me growing up, it was that sometimes you just have to get pushed out of your comfort zone to have fun. She's teaching that to the next generation, too.


Randall's trip was shorter than Russell's, but it was the perfect length for Randall and he was ready to head home. He came home with a few pounds, literally, of Lego candy and lots of great memories. It was fun to have just Russ and Judson here at home, but we were all excited to see him and happy to have him back!

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for another great grandkid trip!