Memorial Day Weekend, And the Best Money Ever Spent

So, after dance recitals, competitions, camp-outs, Mother's Day, and the busy-ness of May, comes Memorial Day weekend. Finally, a chance to breathe! Well, maybe not. Saturday morning began on a somber note for me as I went to Pastor Fred's funeral. It was beautiful and truly a celebration of his life and legacy. While I was so happy at the thought of his joy when he entered heaven, I was also sad because I will miss his kind, gentle spirit, his thoughtful ways, his wonderful teaching and music, and his joy of life. Okay, so back on track.... after the funeral, I took the kids to Marcie's bff's birthday party. The main attraction was horseback riding, which the kids loved. Even Joanna was willing to ride, and was much less afraid than the last time she had the chance to ride (and I made her ride around the small area that first time so that she would realize that she would be safe and it would be fun). Actually, Joanna might have ridden twice that Saturday.

The thing the kids looked forward to the most after the birthday party was swimming. I joined the pool in Hopewell right down the street from my parents. I used to work there as a teen-ager and of course, played there during my childhood and adolescence. The price was so much better than at the swim club near my house, so that's why I joined that one. Anyway, I had told the kids that since the weather forecast was for rain on Sunday, we would just plan to go to the pool on Monday. Well, they noticed that there wasn't a cloud in the sky and they really wanted to swim, so I took them on Sunday. As soon as we got there, it thundered and the pool was cleared. Since it really looked like it would blow over, we stayed. Sure enough, the sun came back out and the kids were able to play. You would never have known that they hadn't been swimming since last fall. They were so happy to be able to play in the pool, and I think they got about 2 hours worth before it began thundering again. Even though we couldn't see any lightening and it wasn't raining, it did seem that there would be a storm, so we left. I think a little while later, they closed the pool, though, there serious storms didn't come until much later.

Monday was beautiful, sunny and hot, but breezy. And, there was a cook-out at the pool -- $2 per person or $5 per family! So, we took advantage of that. The pool provided hot dogs, chips, drinks and folks were asked to bring a dish. I ate much better than the kids because I enjoyed the pasta salads and other dishes but the kids did eat pretty well (they like macaroni and cheese). After that, they played in the pool for hours and I was thinking as I watched them, "that might be the best money I've ever spent." Marcie's and Kyle's swimming skills (virtually self-taught) came right back. Joanna was doing really well swimming underwater some, too. Charlie was a bit braver this year than last year and the more time the kids spent in the water, the more proficient (at a basic level), they looked. Marcie was able to jump off the diving board and swim to the side unassisted. Kyle got brave enough to jump off once and I helped him to the side, but then he was too nervous, so he didn't try again. Swimming lessons begin July 5 and I am looking forward to the kids becoming even more skilled in the water. They do have a healthy respect for the water but it is really nice to see them enjoying the water with a bit less fear than they used to have. We are looking forward to a great summer in the water! :)

Dance Recitals, Camp Outs and City Kids

May whizzed by with all of the weekend activities. First was the dance recital mid-May. Marcie was in 3 dances, only 1 of which was in the first act. My nieces were also in 3 dances and their 3rd dance was the finale! So, we were there late each night. It was okay, really, because I enjoyed it and I think my other 3 kids enjoyed it, as well. Marcie was terrific -- she really enjoyed being with her friends and flitting around as though she had been doing that for many more than the 4 years she's been involved in dance. (Wow, can't believe it's been 4 years!). My nieces also danced well. They are so beautiful and among the sweetest little girls in the whole world! The very next weekend, she had another dance competition and the boys had a Royal Rangers camp-out. Charlie went on Friday night to camp until Sunday. Kyle was too young but they had a Ranger Kids field day on Saturday, so we went to that. It was so hot and at first, I didn't think we would make it for the day. I had planned to just drop him off but the medical person who would have checked his blood sugars and given him insulin via his insulin pump was not there. He had gone to the hospital with someone else the night before (an adult leader) and hadn't yet returned, though, I was assured he was on his way back. Kyle wanted me to stay and Charlie did, too, so much to Marcie's chagrin, we stayed. We all ended up having a great time and even Marcie put her DS away several times to play a few games. The funniest part of the whole day, though, was during lunch. They had hot dogs (grilled) with buns and condiments, chips, drinks and desert cakes and cookies (prepackaged kind). This was the kind of meal my kids love but there was just one problem -- no tables. Who would you expect would be the most finicky about sitting on the ground? Marcie -- right? Well, no, she got her plate, plopped down and started eating (rare for her because of the medicine she takes -- she usually has no appetite for lunch). She ate a whole hot dog! I think she was just really happy with a canned soda. Anyway, Charlie also sat right down. Joanna needed some encouragement but she finally sat on the ground. Kyle, however, would have no part of it. Surprisingly enough, he did not want to put either his hindparts or his food on the ground. So, a friend who was there with his son put out a large, green trash bag for his son and Kyle to sit on. I chuckled about that for hours. Who would've thought that my youngest son, all boy, would be too finicky to sit on the ground?

The next day was Marcie's dance competition. The kids were really tired and Kyle clearly didn't want to be there. In the morning, Marcie did the first 2 of her dances and I was able to see them. Her ballet took 2nd and her tap dance took 1st place for points scored in her division! I left her there and went to pick Charlie up from camp. Then, we went back. They were thrilled to be able to eat at the corner Subway, but not so thrilled to be spending the remainder of the afternoon watching the competition. Marcie's other dance wasn't until around 6 in the evening. Even Joanna got a little restless but Kyle was just beside himself and could barely hold it together by later in the day. Charlie fell asleep leaning up against me ... imagine the scent of a boy who's been on a camp-out for 2 nights with no bathing facilities. Hmmm... we survived, and Marcie's Rhythm of the Night dance took 3rd place! She was so grouchy after that so I was glad to be home and get my exhausted children bathed and in bed. They were asleep not long after their little heads hit the pillow. Sweet!

Pastor Fred

Many of you know that my church family lost a beloved pastor, Fred Spivey. He died last Sunday, fittingly on Pentecost Sunday, and he was buried today on his birthday. He was a devoted son, husband, father, uncle, friend and pastor (and I'm sure there are other roles I'm leaving out). Pastor Fred also served his country. He loved the Lord with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength, and it showed. Fred was active in missions, but truly, he served wherever he found himself and ministered tirelessly to us all. He truly showed us how to live, and then how to die. The last Sunday School series he taught was on heaven, and when I found out that he had died, I just had to smile at the thought of Fred dancing with joy as he ran into the arms of Jesus. I'm sure Jesus did the same thing as He welcomed Fred with open arms. Fred was just an all-around wonderful man, truly a saint in every sense of the word. His favorite scripture was, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21. I know Fred and his wife and son must've talked many times about his death and all of the emotions they would feel.....I believe he would've done his ever-loving best to help them prepare. He would get excited when he talked about heaven, but he would also acknowledge the sorrow people feel when they lose a loved one. He knew his family would grieve for him, and I believe that's one of the reasons he was able to hang on for so long. But, I'm also certain, that when he knew the hour was nearing, he was at perfect peace. I know his family now feels the peace of God as they mourn the loss of Fred but also rejoice in his home-going. The great news is that we will see him again, and when that time comes, it will seem as though no time has passed. What blessed hope we have ... the blessed assurance that Jesus meant what he said in John 14:1-4. So, goodbye, Pastor Fred. Enjoy your eternal reward!

Modern Day Woes

I had been promising the kids a Wii with my tax refund figuring that it would help us all be a bit more active in the winter and me in the summer, too. They also wanted one really badly. Well, I don't have my tax refund yet but did get my dependent child care reimbursement from my flexible spending account. So, today we went and bought a Wii. I read the box and discovered that only 1 remote comes with it.....with 4 kids I knew that wouldn't be enough. So, I had to buy 3 more. Of course, we also needed to get at least 1 game. I about had a heart attack when I saw the prices of all of those things. Nintendo DS games are bad enough but the Wii stuff just adds insult to injury...especially with all of the "extras" that have to be bought with various games. So, after nearly hyperventilating, we came home with all of the stuff. The next adventure was trying to set this thing up. And, when I say adventure, I mean adventure. Connecting the console was okay....it was the synchronizing the remotes and then trying to get the game we bought to recognize the remotes. I finally had to call a few people for Wii help but no one was there. So, I told Marcie to turn the console off and then back on. That worked -- the console recognized all of the remotes but we still couldn't get more than one remote to work. So, we switched to the sports game disk. After more trouble, the kids finally got it working (or actually Marcie got it working!) and they have played tennis and golf. Needless to say, listening to their interactions from the other room while I was cooking supper and then later working on bath water has been hilarious. Sounds like this, "Kyle, stop it; No, Joanna; Joanna, what are you doing?, Stop moving it; Will you stop?!!; You almost hitted me in the face!", etc. So, now they are playing baseball. I tried my hand at it and thought I was hitting the ball out of the ballpark only to discover that the outfielders can really catch. Oh, well.

Now it is past bedtime and the kids want to keep playing. Celebrity Apprentice has already started and I can't watch it because of the Wii. Guess I better get used to it.

In the meantime, CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE INVENT A GAMING SYSTEM THAT DOESN'T COST AN ARM AND A LEG FOR THE COMPONENTS AND MAKE IT IDIOT-PROOF?!!

Goalie Extraordinaire!

Charlie's and Kyle's soccer games this morning didn't conflict, thank goodness! Charlie played at 9, or shall I say, he showed up, looked really great, had a water bottle, and enjoyed hanging out on the field -- running as little as possible and watching the general direction of the ball. He did get his foot on it once but for the most part, he acted as though running around really wasn't necessary. He was truly relaxed! His team did play really well against some older and taller players. They only lost by 1 point.

Kyle, on the other hand, was really into it. He is so focused on soccer and his intensity is a little scary for one so young. He is all business when it comes to the game. He reminds me of my oldest nephew with his focus and intensity. He played 2 1/2 quarters and was goalie the entire first quarter. He prevented 4 scores by the other team! He was with it the entire time he was goalie. The other team did score on them but not while Kyle was goalie! He ran up and down the field and got his foot on the ball a lot. His team won the game but it's not really about keeping score. :)

A couple of weeks ago while I was bathing Kyle, he looked at me and said, "Mom, thank you for signing me up for soccer." I guess that's one thing I got right!

Running -- a follow-up

Marcie came in 10th in her class. The 1st graders ran a 1/2 mile. She was very proud of herself but said she wanted to run faster. I won't complain if she practices as long as it's not in the house! The 3rd graders ran a mile. Charlie's time was 10:48, after which he had an asthma attack and had to go to the nurse for his inhaler. I am sending a note so that next time he gets his inhaler BEFORE he runs! I don't know how he placed in his group but I know that had I been running with him, he would have won! :)

I still don't have Joanna's results. She remembers running but that's about it. I'll post it when I find out!

Mom & Dad Guess What?

Kyle came home today with a paper that began with, "Mom & Dad guess what?" It went on to say, "I ran a 1/4 mile in PE and it took me 1:58 minutes." The teacher wrote on it, "1st in class."

Kyle had told me that they were running in PE and he said he won one race. Then he said, "there's another boy what has really fast feet....he won one race, too."

I think Kyle is definitely going to be my all-around athlete!