Birthday Party & Water Day

This weekend is in full swing and its been a busy one full of water activities! My kids should be fish by the end of it! Well yesterday ended our 2 weeks of swim lessons. I mean its always sad in some way b/c you have spent the last 2 weeks with some of the same people and I do enjoy visiting with them! Its also sad b/c I realize yet another summer has flown by and my kids will be 6 and 3 when they return =( Anyway I am very proud of them both. Lindsay conquered her fears and was doing so well by the end of the week. I am not sure how close she is to actually swimming but she's used to the water and knows how to act around it.
Colby was swimming from the deep end by the end of the week which made my heart so happy! He was ready! He did awesome! He still needs to perfect his arm strokes and such but I am very pleased with how far he has come! I may seriously consider swim team for him next year!
Friday evening we had a birthday party for our little friend Michael. His birthday party was at the Naval Base pool. I had requested that Austin come with us b/c I was really nervous about taking 2 kids to the pool alone. Thankfully he came home early and we all went together! The kids had a blast. I didn't bring my swimsuit b/c I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I figured Lindsay would be playing in a baby pool or the splash pad so I figured Austin would watch Colby. well Lindsay only wanted daddy and wanted nothing to do with the splash pad. So I took Colby over to the big slide. He had to wear a life jacket though b/c it was 13 feet and there was a really strong current. He loved it though! We were in the pool about 45 minutes when a HUGE thunderstorm blew in. We all got out and got dressed and we just decided to leave. By that time it was 7...and none of had had dinner yet. They were continuing the party at someone's house but I figured that would be chaotic. We chose to go eat at Rotolo's. It was fun but it was a long ordeal. It was different though bc we RARELY go out to eat! I think the kids enjoyed their crazy Friday night!
Saturday we got started bright and early for Water Day at church. This was for the kindergarten-5th graders. Colby was very excited b/c they did this last year and he had so much fun! It was 9-12 which worked out well for our schedule! We dropped Lindsay off with my parents. I figured everyone would be happier this way. I like to spend one on one time with each child and this was the first time I think Colby and I had really been alone ALL summer! Plus I knew with the long time in the hot sun she would get tired and grumpy! He had a blast. They mostly just played on a water slide for 2 hours! They did do a slip n slide and some water balloons oh and a sprinkler but I think they had the most fun on the slide! Colby loves the 2 children ministers Mr. Ryan and Coach Stephen. He had a blast with them! It was hot and tiring but it was fun hanging out with him and just watching him have fun! They provided hamburgers for lunch which was nice. After lunch we picked up Lindsay and came home for naps! The rest of the day was very low key we played outside and just watched TV. I was pretty much done after water day lol
Sunday we had church and Austin was off. So nice going as a family! Although I was working with the kids. We had 8 kids but we all stayed together this time. We are trying to split the younger and older but we had 7 for most of the time and it just wasn't worth messing up both rooms. Although I hope we can figure out this splitting thing soon b/c I know the big kids need their own space! It all went well though b/c we had enough help! The afternoon again will be low key. We have no plans just cleaning up around the house and some outdoor time with the kids!
This coming week will be busy with errands and regular routine stuff and getting ready for our big trip to TX!!

Swim Lessons Progress

So its Week 2 of swim lessons. The kids are doing awesome. Last week Lindsay cried almost every day but this week she has done awesome and barely even fussed! I am so proud of her. She acts so well and listens to the instructors as well. I am not sure how close she is to swimming on her own but I feel like she has learned a lot of basics this year and just how to act and be safe in and around the water. Colby has been doing great too although I have to admit I have been a little antsy and impatient waiting for that moment for him to really "take off".  I know he can swim but I don't feel like he always tries his hardest or he forgets what he's doing or something. But today on Day 9 of lessons they put him at the deep end for the very first time. He kicked all the way across the pool I was so proud! I know this was a big confidence booster for him as well. I look forward to seeing him progress more as summer goes on and we will get to swim at my parent's pool!
This week has been pretty busy with lessons and life in general. Monday we grocery shopped before lessons. That afternoon though was pretty low key. Tuesday I had Bible study and my parents kept the kids then we had swim lessons. Tuesday evening we also had lifegroup which made for a crazy busy day! i am glad to be back in Bible study though. This was my first week of the summer. It was nice just to get that "me time". I really didn't realize how much I missed it until after I went this week! We are also really enjoying lifegroup and the kids are enjoying going. Its good for them to get that social time with other kids.
Wednesday we stayed in that morning which was lovely. It was nice just to let the kids play while I got some much needed housework done and we also all had time to just chill. That night we also had church. Again another great night for the kids. Again though we really didn't have a big turnout for preschool so we went upstairs with the big kids again but it worked out fine. We had 3 little girls and they had a blast upstairs.
Thursday we went to Party City to pick out stuff for Colby's birthday party. Since we are going to TX in a little over a week and will be gone a week it needed to be done now! Colby is excited about his little Minion party! We had a low key evening which was nice after 2 busy nights out!
Tomorrow we will do Target before swim lessons and then that evening we have a swim party so it will be busy busy!!

Hattiesburg Getaway

So each summer we usually try to go to Hattiesburg for a few days just to get away and spend time with family. It had been since March since we had gone and then it was only 1 night. We always try to go spend several days during the summer so Colby and Lindsay can play with their cousins and we can just have a change of pace. This year this might have been our only chance b/c July is going to be pretty busy with a trip to TX and Colby's birthday.
Anyway so we decided to drive up Friday after swim lessons. Colby was so excited! He loves going there! Lindsay was ready to go somewhere but I am not sure she understood where we were going until we got there and she was excited. Since we left after lunch Lindsay did sleep most of the way which was good. That was what we wanted =). We got in to Hattiesburg around 3. We went to the apartment and unloaded and just let the kids play and relax for a bit! We keep toys up there so its always so exciting for them to go get them out and play! We left around 4 to go to Austin's sister's house. This trip was different b/c Austin's mom and dad are actually in Alaska on a cruise. So we went to the country again another thing Colby LOVES doing! I think this was the most fun Lindsay had too. The last few times we were there she was really too little to do much! The kids played outside before dinner. They jumped on the trampoline, swang on a tree swing, chased chickens, cats, and dogs, and fished! So many fun things they can't do at home! We ate dinner and the kids all played inside together for awhile. They went back outside and had fun pulling each other down the hills in different ways. Even Lindsay got in on the action! Trips are getting easier with her now...I feel like she can mostly hang with the big kids. I still have to watch her but she is more independent and its not quite as exhausting as the last 2 years! She and I finally went inside though while the big kids had a camp fire and smores. By this time she was getting tired and just wanted to lay on the their couch and watch tv which was fine by me lol it was hot and I was getting bit by gnats! We got home late and put the kids to bed after a bath. It was nice having time to unwind. That night everyone slept great we were all worn out from the day's activities!
Saturday it was really nice to sleep in and take our time getting ready. Austin picked up Chickfila for breakfast and we just lounged around until about 9:45. We then headed out to the Hattiesburg Zoo. They have a splash pad so we sunscreened the kids up and dressed them in their swimsuits so they could cool off! Colby was a little dissapointed in the lack of things to do...its no Cool Zoo but he still managed to have fun with his little sis. We are working on an attitude of thankfulness and I told him to be thankful and enjoy the water. We spent a little time walking around after looking at animals but it was so hot! We ended the trip with a ride on their little train! I would have loved to stay longer and appreciate the zoo...its really come a long way but it was just so dang hot and getting close to lunchtime! We decided to leave and hop in the car and drive around USM. I would have loved to get out and walk but it was hot and the kids were getting tired especially Lindsay! Colby was very interested in us showing him where we went to class and what dorms mommy lived in! Afterwards we stopped for a quick lunch at Jimmy John's. We got back to the apartment and rested up! Lindsay took a nice long nap and Colby watched a movie. After rest time we went to pick up Wendi and the girls. They needed to bring Austin's dad's truck in to get a new tire and she stayed at SAM's to wait on it so we took all 4 kids back to the apartment to play and swim. We stayed in the pool for about 30 min but a storm chased us off! The kids had fun though and honestly it was just the right amount of time in the pool b/c it was pretty crowded! We ordered pizza and the kids just enjoyed spending time together playing. Our littles were getting quite tired and ornery though! It was still fun seeing them play with their cousins! We got the kids to bed and enjoyed a little time to ourselves.
That night was a rough night though! Lindsay woke up around 1am hysterically crying. I am not sure if she had a bad dream or what! After trying to console her several times Austin just brought her in our room for fear she would wake Colby. I told him just to go sleep with Colby and she could go to bed with me. She calmed down after that. It took us a little while to get back to sleep but once we did I think we both slept pretty good. I kinda enjoyed having her in the bed! We don't ever really let our kids sleep with us except rare occasions like that so I think they both enjoyed having a parent in the bed.
So Sunday morning we got up pretty early and started the process of packing and getting ready. We wanted to make a breakfast stop with the kids before heading home. I thought it would be fun if we went to Krispy Kreme. Our kids have never been there! Crazy I know...Colby has maybe had their donuts but never there...the only one by our house closed a couple years ago so I know Lindsay has never had them! Anyway they were excited! They loved the process of watching the donuts being made. I know KK donuts are one of the worst foods in the world but I figured this was vaction and it was a treat! We also let them choose their breakfast...Colby chose donut holes...very much his personality and Lindsay chose a chocolate/sprinkled covered donut...very much her personality! Anyway it was a fun way to end up the trip!
We will be heading off to TX in a couple weeks so looking forward to that adventure and spending time together!

Swim Lessons Week 1

Well this week has been looking like a VERY busy week in our household. Usually swim lesson weeks are pretty easy and laid back but not this one! Well ofcourse the day didn't start at all as I planned. I had planned to do my grocery shopping today before swim lessons. I was honestly dreading it b/c of our busy schedule but I knew it had to be done. Well plans changed when Lindsay woke up this morning with a 101-102 fever. It def now explains why she was in such a bad mood yesterday! Poor darling! Well when we got started today I wasn't even sure she would be able to go to swim lessons but after dousing her with oils and giving her some Tylenol she seemed to perk up and her fever was down so I figured we would go on with swim lessons. I mean I hated to do that but its for 30 min and I hated for her to miss and have to make them up.
So this was the first year for them both to be in class together. This is Lindsay's 2nd year and Colby's 5th. He is an old pro and I really hope to see some real swimming out of him this year! Last year Lindsay took the parent/child class with me but I knew she could handle the big kid class this year. I knew she would cry but she knows enough about the pool and swimming that I knew she would be fine. Colby was so excited and is so comfortable in swim lessons. Lindsay cried just as I expected but overall did fine! The rest of the day was pretty low key. My parents picked Colby up that afternoon to spend the night with them. It was nice having just a quiet night with Lindsay.
Tuesday Lindsay was still running fever. It was also a rough night b/c she got up at 5am and got in our bed but never fell back asleep. We were all up somewhere around 7. Thankfully Austin was home to help with the kids. We made the decision to take her to the doc. Normally I wouldn't have been so rushed to take her in but with swim lessons I really wanted to make sure it wasn't her ears, throat, or a UTI. Basically the doc said just viral there was nothing obviously wrong with her. Her temp at the doc was 97 but she had tylenol that morning. Since she seemed to be ok I decided to go ahead and bring her to swim lessons. Again I hated for her to miss b/c it would mean making them up later. Again she did great...not nearly as much crying. She really only cried when they made her flip over on her back! Colby is doing some swimming on his own, the main the he needs to work on though is getting his arms up and out of the water! So that afternoon we all rested and hung out. We had lifegroup that night but I knew Lindsay couldn't go due to her fever. Colby and Austin were able to go though which I was glad! I would have hated for them to miss out! Colby loves going over there and playing with all the kids!
So Wednesday morning Austin was home with us again. He needed to do yardwork though so I got the kids up and dressed and brought them to the uniform store to get Colby's uniforms. I was anxious to get this done! Lindsay had another rough night...waking at 3, 4, and 5am. She still had a low grade fever that morning. I wasn't sure if she would make swim lessons. We went on to get the uniforms though which didn't take long at all b/c all he really needed were size 6 pants/shorts. His shirts were already a 6 so I didn't buy new shirts b/c the next size is 8 and that seemed huge! Now granted by the mid part of the year I may need to go buy some but I know the 6s will get him through the first semester! Afterwards we got home and I checked Lindsay's temp and it was normal so we went on with swim lessons. She did really good this day...hardly any crying!! That afternoon we all rested. We had church that night but I went ahead and told Laekan we wouldn't be there. I know Colby and I could have gone but I hated to leave Austin here by himself with Lindsay and with us all being so busy I thought we just needed an evening to rest. It was nice having a low key night. we cooked pizzas and played outside!
Thursday it was back to just the kids and I. Lindsay woke up with quite the rash but she acted more like herself then she has all week. She still really isn't eating a lot but she hardly eats much anyway so I can't tell if that's just normal her or she's just still not hungry from being sick! We decided to head out though and go to Barnes and Noble and get Colby's summer reading books. Yes you read that my 5 year old has summer reading. Anyway it was fun getting out and looking at books and drinking coffee =) Afterwards we went on to swim lessons. Lindsay cried almost the whole lesson. Again I am not sure if its due to her still not feeling 100% or b/c she was tired or hungry or what. But honestly this was probably her worst day! =( I am hoping tomorrow she does better! After swim lessons we had a low key afternoon which was really nice! This weekend we are heading to Hattiesburg so look for my posts about that!

Father's Day

This year poor Austin had to work on Father's Day. We def missed having him with us this morning and at church. Our first half of the day was pretty much like any other Sunday. The kids and I went to church. I had to teach so it was one of those hectic Sundays. Luckily Elizabeth helps me get Colby to and from his class so I don't have to walk up there and try to corral my little preschoolers. So this was my first Sunday to teach since promotion. Our goal for this new year is to have 2 preschool classes each service again. Last week they didn't split them but we had 11 this week and I felt it best to split. We were all together in the beginning to play which I think we will do each week just b/c it makes it easier as the parents are dropping off and teachers are arriving. We all went to Clubhouse together. Afterwards is when we split up. I had asked the other teacher if she proffered the younger or the older and she chose younger. The class was pretty much split evenly. I told I would take Lindsay as well b/c I knew with me being in there there would be no way she would stay in the other class. She usually does great with me but she was sorta out of sorts and very clingy and whiney the whole class! (A day later she is running fever so that explains it). Usually she does awesome with the activities but this week everytime I had to change to a different activity she cried and pitched a fit! I felt a little overwhelmed...I mean I was glad we split the classes b/c there is no way 6 two year olds could have done all the stuff we did but it was still hard to get the 4 and 5 year olds to focus at times. It was a lot of paper activities which I started to lose them by the 3rd one so we didn't even get to the last craft. I could totally handle the kids mostly by myself but it would have been nice to have a youth helper to get stuff/put stuff away and help the kids cut/paste instead I was running around like a crazy person! I am glad we are splitting though b/c we have so many younger ones now that the older ones really need a class of their own!
Anyway that afternoon we rested for awhile then got ready to go over to my parent's house. We chose to do Father's Day at 4 due to everyone's different church schedules and the kids rest/naptime.
The kids had fun going over there and playing and it was great getting together with everyone and hanging out! I do love holidays that it gets us all together like that. Austin and my dad got the kids in the pool after dinner which was good for them! Lindsay was still out of sorts and I just figured it was due to her short nap and being so busy and stuff like that. She cried a lot and wanted to hang on my mom which normally she is not like that! Anyway we all had fun though. I just hated Austin had to work that made the day feel more rushed and hectic I guess. He's on a long schedule right now but will be off tomorrow which I am so excited!

2 1/2

So my sweet girl is 2 1/2 officially! I thought I would do an update post on her b/c she has grown up SO much since her 2nd birthday! I cannot believe she's 2 1/2 honestly I feel like she should still be 3 months old!
Anyway in the last few months her vocabulary just exploded. She went from just saying words to full out talking sentences. I remember Colby did this around 2 1/2 but his seemed more like a gradual progression whereas hers truly was an explosion! Typical Lindsay! She says just about anything and is so smart! She knows some of her ABC's and numbers. I hear her count often. I think she knows several shapes and she def knows most colors. Her favorite color right now is pink and blue! I work with her a little but most of the stuff I guess she picks up from school or from her brother! She finished her first year of school last month. I cannot believe in the fall she will be in 3 year prek! She will also start swim lessons soon this will be her second year but her first big girl classes! I hope to enroll her in gymnastics after her 3rd birthday as well. She's very limber and very athletic.
She's still our petite princess. I think she weighs in around 29 lbs. She wears a size 2T but even some 2T stuff is really too big on her. She is in a size 7 shoe but is quickly outgrowing those! She wears a size 5 diaper but the big news last month is she started potty training! She is pretty much potty trained 100% with number 1...well except night but she is no where near doing the other yet. But Colby was 3 so I figure hopefully by the end of the year we will have that conquered!
Her personality is quite feisty. I think she will be a natural born leader. She's also a free spirit. She is very different then Colby. She can be cautious but she's more likely to jump right in and try something and think about it later! She can still be shy and scared easily though. It really just depends! She is a pretty easy going kid and rarely pitches fits. She used to be very high maintenance but now that she's getting older she almost always is easy to get along with. She can be outright a smartie pants but usually will appologize right away! She has wonderful little manners and always please, thankyou, I'm sorry that kind of stuff! She's a sweetie pie with a kind heart!
She loves her big brother and looks up to him so much! She also loves other kids! I cannot imagine life without our little princess anymore! I look forward to our relationship growing and changing over the years!

Summer Week

So this week really feels like my first "typical" summer week with the kids. As you know we went to the Coast Monday. That was a fun trip and fun just playing and spending time with the kids!
Tuesday we had to grocery shop so it was a pretty low key day for us. That evening we had lifegroup. The kids actually got to go with us now that its summer and they don't have school. They had a blast! Our lifegroup has so many kids: 2 nine year olds, 1 seven year old, 1 five year old, 1 four year old, 3 two year olds, and 1 one year old! Colby was so excited to go back to lifegroup. He used to go with us every week before we switched groups b/c that group met at 5 on a Sunday. Now our new group meets at 6 on Tuesdays which is just too much for him with school. I was glad the kids got to hang out with friends and we were glad to be back with our friends too! I volunteered though to help keep the kids b/c usually our kids don't go so I have never watched them all before. They were all pretty well behaved but it was a lot of kids and activity in 1 room!
Wednesday we had a free morning so we decided to go to the library. We met Stephanie and her 2 kids Mackenzie and Deacon. They are 9 and 7. I think Colby and Deacon could be good friends. We mostly browsed for some summer reading books and the kids played on the computers. It was just good to get out. Again another really low key day though! That night we had church. Again our Wednesday nights started back. I am going to teach preschool again. I was glad for Colby to get back with all his friends. They had an icecream night which I knew he was super excited about! I had planned even a little icecream party for my preschoolers but we didn't have anyone. I wondered with it being summer if we wouldn't have any or many. Lindsay and I decided to go outside and play on the playground. We even got to sample some treats with the older kids! She got hot and ready to go in though before they did. We went back to the room and finally another little girl joined us. I had made up my mind though since it was just the 2 of them that we would just go upstairs to be with the big kids. The girls really liked that. They sat so quiet and still for Coach Stephen's story. This summer they are discussing fears and how we can trust in God. Lindsay was so cute even trying to dance and sing along to the songs! I enjoyed seeing what Colby gets to do each week!
Thursday was another free day for us so we decided to go swimming! Its been awhile since we have done that and it was a hot and sunny day so it was perfect! The kids always enjoy the pool and hanging out with my parents. Its a win/win! Plus we stayed for lunch which we haven't done in quite awhile! I know it always means so much too to my parents when we stay over there like that! When we got home we just rested that afternoon.
Friday was another free day for us! I can't tell you how much I love these summer days with no schedules! Anyway it was a rainy day so I decided to take the kids to a movie. We went to Pyrtania Theater uptown. they show old kids movies on the weekends. I figured it would be perfect for Linday's 1st movie. We saw The Wizard of Oz. I think the kids really enjoyed it. Lindsay got antsy a couple of times but I think it was a fun adventure for them! We will for sure be going back. I preferred it to the normal theaters.
The weekend won't be too exciting for us b/c Austin is working. We have tennis lessons, errands, church, and then a Father's Day dinner on Sunday evening!

Mississippi Coast for the Day

So today felt like our first really big summer family day since our Destin trip! With VBS behind us I feel like we can finally enjoy ourselves again! Not that VBS wasn't great it just consumed our lives for a couple weeks!
So we discussed a few days ago going to the MS gulf coast. There is a great children's museum there that we took Colby when he was 1 and we thought it might be fun to return. Also Lindsay has been asking about the beach every day so we thought a little visit to a beach would be cool too!
We set out early this morning! We picked the kids up donut holes for the trip over! They LOVED that! Donut holes and milk in the car kept them quiet and busy for quite awhile! ;) We got to the museum right at 10 when they opened. Lindsay was a little overwhelmed at first! Austin's parents met us there with Shelbi and Maggie so I think just between going to a new place and so many people she was shy at first but not for long! Colby had a blast and it was great tht he had his cousins to play with! They were all old enough to sort of go off and do their own thing! They went with us the time before but Colby hardly played with them due to his age! So this time it was great at 10, 7, and 5 they could kinda roam on their own! Lindsay also did her best to keep up with them! She and I went off a few times by ourselves. I think she enjoyed the museum and playing but she's not into the role playing and playing on the trains/boats. She did find this thing where you let 2 golfballs go down these ramps and she had a blast with that! She could have stayed there all day! Needless to say when some other boys came to play with it she freaked out and pitched quite the fit! The kids also enjoyed playing outside in the treehouses! Its so fun watching the 4 of them all play together! To end the visit Lindsay and the girls went to the art room and made pictures with crayons and paint. Colby wanted no part of this. He likes art but he would rather be moving around playing on the big stuff...not really a surprise there!
After the museum we were going to eat at The Shed. One of our main reasons for going to the Coast but on the way there we learned they were closed on Mondays. We passed a Five Guys so we just decided to eat there. I think everyone was hungry and tired at that point. After lunch we said goodbye to his parents and nieces and we were off on our own adventure.
We had decided to stop somewhere on the beach for Lindsay! She has been asking about the beach since we came home from Florida. We found a public area and got out. We didn't bring swimsuits so we could only let the kids walk on the edge of the water so they were a little upset. Colby was also distressed b/c the water and sand isn't as pretty as FL. Yes they have been spoiled. It was still fun and still a memory though and I think Lindsay liked soaking her little feet in the gulf! Our little beach bum! Afterwards we took our time driving back the scenic way. Lindsay did end up falling asleep and Colby watched a movie!
It was a great and fun day but also tiring! We had a blast! So glad we got to have a family fun day like that though! I know summer is going to fly by before we know it!

Tennis & Water Day

So yes our life doesn't slow down...so now that we have finished up VBS the weekend is here and we are still going strong! I was so physically and mentally exhausted yesterday! it was bittersweet VBS ending I will miss the kids and it was so much fun but I am also glad to sleep past 6 and actually get to enjoy summer with my littles now!
So today was our first non-vbs day...Colby had tennis lessons at 9:30. He has missed 2 weeks in a row so I think he had a hard time getting back on track but he did well just not as well as 2 weeks ago when he did awesome! I think he's a natural at tennis though so I hope we can stick with it. He will probably just take lessons through June/July and take another break during school.
Afterwards our old church (my mom's church) had a Water day. I would have loved to have stayed home or done something a little more relaxing but I really wanted to go support my mom plus I figured the kids would have fun and if anything it would wear them out enough I could take a nap.
The water day was supossed to be for all the children babies-6th grade. I don't think they had many older kids show though b/c that portion sort of fell apart. We stayed in the "preschool" area bc technically at Metairie Colby would still be considered in kindergarten or part of preschool. I was worried when we pulled up and Colby started asking where the inflatables were which they didn't have any. I worried he might be bored but he had a great time. They basically had different stations set up on the playground: They had a water table, bubble area, washing cars, painting the building, sponges, balloons, and even an art table. I really did enjoy it b/c it was all calming activities and not like a HUGE inflatable that the kids get so rough on! Colby and Lindsay went to playing right away and pretty much rotated through the stations plus they loved playing on the playground! It was nice visiting with some of their old teachers as well. It was hot though and I was so tired from the week. I am not sure either of them interacted with many of the other kids though. I know Lindsay didn't really know anyone so she just did her own thing Colby did start to talk to the kids about the last half hour. He remembered a few that were in his classes when we were there. After the kids played about an hour they had lunch for everyone. Again I was tired but it was nice to kick off our week with something free for the kids to do!
I think we were all tired though and ready for naptime! The rest of the weekend will be pretty low key other then church tomorrow. Monday we might be going to the MS Coast though to do some things so that should be a fun family day!

VBS!

So this week we are doing VBS at our church. This year I was asked to co-direct the preschool. This is the first year I have ever done anything like that. Since I have been an adult I have usually just taught or helped teach a prek class. I was overwhelmed at the thought and nervous when I was asked but also felt God calling me to do this position.
All that said Ashley and I have worked very hard for the last 2 months to get us to this week! Its been a busy week and a few stressful moments but due to all of our preperations ahead of time I feel like its run pretty smoothly. I wasn't sure how I would like being "over" something rather then just teaching but I think I might have found a new calling. I mean I was co-director of our nursery at MBC but this is only my 2nd time having any type of experience with this.
I think I would do it again if asked but I think I would want to serve along side someone atleast next year. I think its something I could do alone in a few years with both kids are in full time school but until I get to that point I really feel like I need backup.
The week has been interesting but I have enjoyed this point of view! Yes in certain ways I do miss "Teaching" and interacting and getting to know the kids on a more personal basis. I have though enjoyed getting to interact with all the classes instead of just one. I have gotten a taste of games, crafts, worship, snack, everything! I honestly like this position...ALOT! Yes it was alot of work and yes it was very stressful at times but we made it through. I know its only b/c of God that we did though! We basically have helped out wherever/whenever needed. I feel like we have tried to make it as easy as possible for the teachers. None of the teachers had worked in our preschool area before. A couple of them are teachers and one in particular has been AWESOME! Looking forward to having some of these ladies help us on Sundays as well!
Colby has been in the kindergarten class. I miss teaching him in some ways but I know its good for him to interact with others and I am sure he does better not being with me. I am ok teaching my own kids but he does tend to whine and be more disagreeable when he's with me. He seems like he's really had a fun week. He was so excited to be with his friend Nijel. A lot of his other classmates are there as well. He went about 2 weeks with not much interaction with kids his age so I think this week has been good for him. Now that we are winding down though I can tell he's tired and ready to move onto something else HA! He's had Mrs. Donna as his teacher which she was one of the teachers in preschool at Calvary so he is familiar with her. I am excited about him continuing to learn about Jesus and hopefully one day choose to accept him as his Savior. The pastor presented the Gospel plan to them today. He hasn't said much about it but it appears like he was listening. I am just not sure he "gets" it all yet.
Lindsay could have attended VBS with me and been in the childcare portion but I really felt like she would have been bored being there so long every day this week. Austin was off M and T and kept her at home and the other days my parents have had her. I think she has had fun but I am sure she will also be glad for her little life to go back to normal!
Its been a great week though and I am so thankful!