We don’t get here as often as we did when the big kids were young.
But it’s nice that once a year RGH offers free admission in September.
Our busy schedule allowed for only three hours, but we had a blast.
I love that Tabitha will still play with them. She helps this tired older mom keep them supervised.
A lot of games mushed into one post.
Marie plays on varsity again this year and Tab is enjoying her second modified year. Their teams play well and win some and lose some. They are a joy to watch.
Marie and I were discussing some of the finer points of what it means to play team sports.
Some people focus mostly on the number of goals and wins. That’s fine. It’s one way to evaluate it.
I probably wouldn’t enjoy playing for or rooting for a team that didn’t care anything about winning.
But that’s not the most important piece to me. Not by a long shot.
For John and I what matters to us is the following:
1.) Opportunity to use the gifts God gave you. Enjoying the functions of a healthy body and being willing to work on improving your performance to the glory of God is one of the easiest examples to offer.
2.) The opportunity to learn how to function as a part of a larger team is also very valuable. Just as we are all parts of the whole body of the church and need to practice how to compliment and support one another, team members need to learn to function as a part of the whole.
3.) And the opportunity to work with mentor-coaches. Marie and Tabitha have been exceedingly blessed to be coached by Mr. Ray Marshall and Ms. Meaghan Finn. As a parents we have been very thoughtful about whom we allow in positions of role models in our kids’ lives. The statistics on the effects of coaches on a young person are reported time and time again as being significant to their overall development. (Google it.) I can say without hesitation that my girls’ coaches have contributed meaningfully to their spiritual development. They are not only sturdy role models, but they have offered Marie and Tab more than soccer training.
Both girls play defense.
The next five shots were taken by D. L. Walter.
Yes – she did head this.
I’m not sure if they will go to the championship games.
But they have won handedly already.
The mercury says 80F, but the living room looked deceptively winter-esque as we celebrated Christmas early this year.
We borrowed Nigel’s tree and set it up.
Johanna and Marie made reindeer cupcakes.
And after dinner the girls dug into a scavenger hunt.
Clues pointed us along the way.
When you’re cold and you’re wet,
It is nice to get dry.
When you put this together
Then we can fly.
Their first clue led them to the dryer where they found a glider airplane.
It’s round and it’s orange,
And grows on a tree.
It came from the place
Where I want to be.
Next they located an orange in the pantry with another clue.
Night brings out what’s festive,
Now you can be, too.
We may even see friends
Who are special to you.
Then they found some glow wands and glow sticks nestled under Disney friends.
Clue four led them to Mickey bars in the garage fridge.
If you haven’t guessed it,
Please don’t have fears.
Open the box for your
New pair of ____________
Their last clue led them to sparkly Minnie Mouse ears.
Mama, Marie, Tabitha, Johanna, and Katriel will be heading to Florida this November for a Christmas-season peek at Walt Disney World. Nan and Nene will also be joining us. Stewart, Nigel and John will not be able to fit the trip into their schedules.
Last year Marie mentioned how she would love to see WDW decked out for Christmas. I realized this fall would be the last time she had a flexible schedule; she will most likely be enrolled at FLCC next year. Though nothing about Disney is cheap, we were able to get tickets through Traveling Homeschoolers, and I patiently stalked Southwest until I could get affordable airfare. We rented a lovely four bedroom house near Disney, and God answered my prayer for an affordable rental van.
This will be the first time Johanna and Katriel fly, and the first time Marie and Tab fly since 2007; they were 3 and 1 at that time.
Nigel was in on the secret. He played along as he opened HIS gift.
Raisins and spoons. (It is a LOOOOOONG time Butler joke.)
He and Daddy will likely have a blast having the house to themselves.
Spidey for some,
Toy Story 4 for others.
Fun for all.
The morning started with a basket hunt, as always.
Despite the fact that John and I believed that all the good spots had been overused over the years, it still took the kids a long, long time to find their baskets. WTG Mom and Dad. The big kids didn’t want early morning photos shared of themselves.
Church had the kids join the choir for two songs. Or maybe the choir joined the kids?
We had a family photo in the church lot. I wish I’d had my good camera and not just the phone. I’d blow this up in a heartbeat.
After a scrappy lunch of leftovers we did an outside egg hunt. It was chilly, but after a cold winter it was tolerable for a little while.
Stewart and Marie have a thing going. For the last two years they’ve tried to recreate a pose from 2017.
2017
2018
2019
LOL. I think 2019 came closer.
The morning started with a basket hunt, as always.
Despite the fact that John and I believed that all the good spots had been overused over the years, it still took the kids a long, long time to find their baskets. WTG Mom and Dad. The big kids didn’t want early morning photos shared of themselves.
Church had the kids join the choir for two songs. Or maybe the choir joined the kids?
We had a family photo in the church lot. I wish I’d had my good camera and not just the phone. I’d blow this up in a heartbeat.
After a scrappy lunch of leftovers we did an outside egg hunt. It was chilly, but after a cold winter it was tolerable for a little while.
Stewart and Marie have a thing going. For the last two years they’ve tried to recreate a pose from 2017.
2017
2018
2019
LOL. I think 2019 came closer.
Tabitha and Daddy celebrated their birthday’s today… on Daddy’s birthday.
Tabitha got fun gifts.
Daddy got things like shoes.
We all got TWO desserts.
Tabitha and Daddy celebrated their birthday’s today… on Daddy’s birthday.
Tabitha got fun gifts.
Daddy got things like shoes.
We all got TWO desserts.
This was the third year I was involved in Flower City Work Camp (FCWC) as an adult leader on a Sidewalk Club. This was Marie’s second year on a worksite and Tab’s first year on a worksite.
Marie worked on a house in Rochester, laying kitchen tile flooring and doing a lot of painting. Tabitha went to multiple Heritage Christian Home locations doing work on their facilities. She mucked horse stalls, spread mulch, and even went dumpster diving (I still need to get that photo from our Youth Pastor.)
Over 700 students and 1000 adults work within this week-long ministry.
My crew, Sidewalk Club D.
We had locations on Council Street and Woodward Street.
Each morning and evening the students met in the sanctuary for worship, and teaching. This years theme was “The Greatest” meaning the greatest of these is love.
Tabby had her birthday at camp. This was the last time I was going to see her as a 12-year old.
Ta Da! Here she is 13!
By far the best part of Sidewalk Club is telling children how much Jesus loves them and how He has a special plan for their lives. At least three kids made the decision to follow Christ from our club sites this week.
Dayspring Disciples 