Summer Finale Week

This is our last week of summer.  We are home!  Our time is being spent organizing & cleaning the house, preparing our classroom, and taking some swimming breaks at the neighbors' pool (Thanks Scott!).  We will begin 3rd grade (Micah) and pre-school (Lilly) next Tuesday September 4, 2012.

Gymnastics - Lilly

The first event of the fall season has begun.  Lilly's gymnastics begins in September, but since Monday is Labor Day, her first day began today.  She is beginning this semester in the 'Jumpers Class' with Coach Susan.  She will be in class on Mondays from 10:30am-11:30am.  She was so happy to be back!

Micah's 9th birthday party

 Wow, ... Micah desperately wanted to have a "Baseball Game" birthday party this year.  He's briefly mentioned it for a couple of years, but always came up with something else by the time July rolled around.  This time is was the perfect year - 9 years old and 9 players on a team.  Even though our parties only consist of approximately 20 minutes outdoors (due to the extreme heat of July/August) and the rest of the time in our home ... it was worth the risk.  We were all very excited to see this happen and we just 'trusted' that it would all work out.  IT DID!!  It was such a GREAT birthday party - we had a BALL!!!
Micah invited 30 boys - his day-in/day-out friends and his Rockies baseball team buddies.  We needed 18 to make 2 full teams.  There were 22 boys thrilled and able to come.  We put a roster sheet table in the driveway as they arrived.  They set down their baseball equipment, picked up their personalized baseball trading cards and began trading with one another.  Once everyone arrived (all on-time) by 9:15am, we walked over to the baseball field across the street.  Matt & I had set up a "Concession Stand" canopy (licorice, water, popcorn, sunflower seeds, pretzel sticks) and a "porta-potty tent" (yes, we did).  The teams were:  DIAMONDBACKS vs. ROCKIES.
After playing 7 innings, we sang "Happy Birthday", ate lunch (hot dogs, chips, & Gatorade) and cut into the cake.  The weather was marvelous, the boys were well-behaved and played well, and Micah LOVED it!
Here are the two teams:
DIAMONDBACKS (Coach: Bubar & Rich) and ROCKIES (Coach: Beynon & Kroening)

Flagstaff - Wyndham

A relaxing week in Flagstaff was perfect before beginning our new school year.  Aunt Alice & Uncle Charlie invited us to their timeshare in Flagstaff for the 3rd summer in a row.  The kids have their favorite things they like to do and were so thrilled to go!  Matt was able to join us Friday through Sunday (the initial weekend) and my cousin, Ty Rice, and his wife, Dawn, were with us from Friday through Monday.  It was a nice opportunity to get to know them better.
Highlights:  *miniature golf; *ice cream; *swimming; *pool table & ping pong table; *movie theatre and movies to borrow; *the loft; *hiking; *biking; *homemade meals; *fireplace; *rainy afternoons; *games
THANKS ALICE & CHARLIE!!!
See more pictures by clicking here.

Birthday camping - Whitehorse Lake

Our annual camping trip - to celebrate Micah's birthday, with the Gravel family was at Whitehorse Lake this year.  We went August 10-12, 2012.  Highlights:  *pellet gun shooting, tons of frogs, kayaking, watching the stars at night (rain fly off), hiking, and biking around the camp site.  Click here to see more pictures.

Our last day of the conference

Boo Hoo!  My throat is swelling with tears and my heart is heavy.  What makes my heart feel better? I am not saying "good-bye" ... I am saying "I'll see you in 18 months."  The team of TEAM voted on moving the time of the year for their conference to January.  Due to finances they will push ahead to the following year, which means their next annual conference will be January 2014.  Yes, it's a lofty goal, but my family wants to return and it's a great opportunity to support, and thank, the missionaries that are here year-round.

Here is our group picture (minus Sam Gatto - who wasn't feeling well today) and a picture of the volunteers getting their 'thank you' gifts.

Other MK groups

I've shared a lot, obviously, of my preschoolers.  There were two other groups of MK's (Missionary Kids) - the elementary group (k-6th grade) and the youth group (ages 12-22).  Here are pictures of them with their teachers. (Not pictured:  Sam Gatto - youth group)

Talent Night

Tonight was our "Talent Show".  There was a mixture of singing, dancing, learning songs & movements, magic tricks, brass instruments, a monologue, and a puppet show.  Tonya and I sang "Daniel in the Lions Den" to the music of "Call Me Maybe" (a popular song in the USA that is being spoofed by all kinds of groups).  Tonya scripted it out and it was fun doing it - even though we hadn't practiced it together.  We enjoyed the variety and the fact that the evening was based around Bible stories, hymns, and testimonies.  There were acts everywhere between serious and, downright tears rolling down the face, funny.

Yummy Thursday

Day 4 is all about LOVE.  "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
God is everything.  God is independent.  Acts 17:24-25
The kids thought craft time and snack time were quite 'yummy' today.  We used Froot Loops for our craft and Ms. Susan had USA Goldfish for snack.  Special treats!  In the afternoon we made 'fruit bowls' out of modeling clay.
Our book, The Berenstein Bears Love Their Neighbors, was quite well timed.  While driving to the festival Papa Bear's car began to sputter and within minutes the radiator burst.  Yes, the radiator!  I shared that one with Martin.

Cookout at the Ranch

All the groups met at the ranch between 5-6pm.  Martin, Susie & I were on our way ... when the ... radiator broke down and started steaming out the hood of the car.  We pulled over and Martin made a few phone calls.  Two other vehicles were able to provide us transportation for the rest of the way.
It was really neat to see so many people out there using all the space - horse rides, sitting on the porch of the dormatories, socializing under the covering, cooking in the outside kitchen, playing horseshoes in the yard, and jumping on the trampoline.  We had hot dogs, watermelon, ... and lots of flies.
The Gatto family has recently moved out of the house and a new family has moved in (all within the last 2 weeks).  The Gatto's are getting ready to go on their furlough for about 6 months.  I'm hoping they'll touch base with us when they get to the Phx, AZ area.

Cooler activities

It's not only temperature cooler in our room, but it seems that our lessons, activities, games, ... have also become cooler.  The motivation has increased now that we aren't dripping and sticky.  The kids' attention span is also a little longer.

This morning our lesson was the weekly theme: "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8. Our books and activities dealt with the five senses (tasting, seeing, hearing, feeling, and smelling)and the attribute "GOOD". Our craft was making watercolors out of Kool-Aid packets and painting pictures of fruit. Boy did it smell good in here!! Their pictures are now - scratch n' sniff.

Wednesday

Today is the field trip day for the elementary and youth groups.  So, we have asked to use the elementary classroom for the day.  We mopped, vacuumed, and sprayed down with Lysol.  Then, moved and unpacked our preschool table, books, games, tubs, and crafts.  In a jiffy we transformed it into 'our' space.  Milton (the Casa Buena owner) and his assistant got our air conditioner unit to work mid-morning and it is a marvelous thing.  Desi & I have staked our claim on this room for the rest of the week.
This picture (right) may not be anything to look at, but it is a prayer come true for us.  The red and green lights that are lit ... mean the air conditioner is running.  Aaahhhhhhh!