Small Group Growth

Yesterday we got together with some families that were in our small group during our early years at Grace Fellowship.  Back in the years of 2000-2004 the greatest number of kids we ever had in a group were 3.  Yesterday with 7 families together, we had 20 kids (and one on the way).  Boy times have changed!
Still an amazing group of people to hang out with...just a little crazier now.

2010 Mazda 5

Here are some pictures of our new ride:

We asked Noelle to pose with the car

And then we asked Sadie to pose with the car

 

Introducing "The 5"

We made a large purchase today...a car.  Affectionately deemed "The 5" by us, it's otherwise known as a Mazda 5.
It's sort of like a mini-minivan.  It has sliding doors and a 3rd row of seats but it's smaller then our Highlander.  It's a downsize for us and an "upsize" on fuel economy.

More picture will come.  It's hard to tell what it looks like in this picture.

Daddy-Daughter Date

Noelle didn't have school on Tuesday so Brad planned a special Daddy-Daughter time with his little girls.  They set up the tent and camped downstairs.  The evening involved all the good parts of camping without the negative less-appealing parts of camping.

• The window was opened, but Brad closed it when he got too cold.
• The s'mores tasted great, but they didn't fall in the fire since they were made in the oven.
• A chorus of crickets lulled them to sleep, but it was a app on the iphone, so you could shut them up if they got annoying.
• There were no bugs in the bathroom and there were comfortable beds upstairs in case anyone changed their mind...no one did.

Sadie opted for sleeping alone in our play tent - with tunnels

Staff Retreat

This past Thursday, Friday and Saturday were spent in Gatlinburg, TN with the staff and elders of Grace Fellowship...and their wives...and no kids!
The time away was simply amazing.  The weather was amazing, the company was amazing, the accommodations were amazing.  And to make this amazing time without kids possible, we had some amazing grandparents staying with Noelle and Sadie.  Here are some highlights.

 Celebrating Pappy's birthday before we head to Gatlinburg.

A squeeze from Grammy

 The staff had 3 cabins, 2 large ones like the one in this picture and one smaller one

Brad and I were in the smaller cabin with 2 other couples

Our cabin mates flashing the gang symbol for those who stay at 'The Eagle' cabin (and conveniently wear matching shirts)

 Dinner at the AppleBarn restaurant.  The girls

 The guys (pastor Brad was hoping everyone would show off their muscles)

Our seat at dinner was a porch swing!  Very fun.  

Those are apple fritters and Applewood juleps - the complimentary appetizers for all their guests.

No trip to Gatlinburg is complete until you venture into The Great Smokey Mountains for a hike.

 There were 2 hikes offered - one was 2.6 miles and one was 5.4 miles.  This is the brave group that did the long one.  (lets just say I was glad our cabins came with hot tubs)

Rainbow Falls; the climax of the hike.  If you look closely to the left you can see tiny people to give you perspective of how tall the falls is.

Welcome Grammy and Pappy

My parents are coming for a visit today.  Noelle had some extra time to spare before the bus came this morning so she decided to use chalk to create a welcoming picture for Grammy and Pappy.  Of course Sadie wanted to join right in.

 

It's hard to see the whole picture, but it's a smiling girl with a pink dress on.  There are also feet, but they didn't get in the picture.

 Sadie made a smaller girl and wrote one of the biggest words she knows how to spell; apple.

And in typical preschooler fashion she wrote it perfectly backwards. 

 Sadie explained to me about all the parts of her girl.  The most fascinating part is the line below the belly.  She said that's the bladder. 

And Sadie's outfit would not be complete without some 2" heels.  No matter what the activity, heels are always appropriate in Sadie's world.

School Lunch

Noelle's school allows parents to come eat lunch with them whenever they want.  It's a nice perk.  Noelle enjoys having us visit 'her' school, I can to meet her friends (and scope out the good ones), and Sadie gets to feel like a big girl and familiarize herself with school.  It's a good time all around...it's also a cultural experience.

The first time I went I was surprised by some changes they've made since I was in elementary school (granted you would expect a few changes in 20-something years). 

• First of all they use Styrofoam trays and plastic utensils, all of which gets thrown away at the end of lunch.   It seems counter-cultural since they're really into teaching about being environmentally friendly.  I can only assume the sterilizing hot water and hard plastic trays, that I was familiar with, were not environmentally friendly.  OR they may simply chose ease over 'green' (gasp!)
• Secondly the kids, at least at Noelle's school, serve themselves.  I haven't been brave enough to eat a school lunch (I pack), so I haven't seen this in action, but everyone gets to pick what, and how much they want.
• Thirdly, as a mom I am so much more aware of what horrible eating habits elementary school kids have.  I can only assume kids made poor choices when I was in school, but it's almost appalling to see what they choose to eat when mom's not watching...I'm just going to assume that mom wouldn't let them get a way with it, okay?

The first meal I witnessed at school was tacos.  I was impressed that they offered soft tacos, however since the kids get to choose what goes in the tacos, most of them had just shredded cheese or...nothing at all.  One of the best uses of the dinner-plate-sized flour tortilla was to fold it into 4th, bite off the tip and open it back up to see what shape they created in the center.  It was amusing. 

One child had about a cup of shredded cheese as a, um, side dish.  I think she ate about an 1/8th of it.  It goes without saying that everyone eats the dessert, which comes with every lunch.  The milk cartons haven't changed at all and they still get mutilated just as much as when I was a kid. 

On my most recent visit I was so impressed with one little girl that got a tossed salad for lunch.  It was as if she picked it up at the Kroger Salad bar - neatly packaged in a plastic, see-through rectangle.  I didn't realize the school offered it as an option so I told her I was impressed by her healthy choice.  She said she like it because of the red pepper slice on top.  Apparently that's all she likes about the salad because that's all she ate...oh she also at the little packet of bacon bits.  And to be fair she also at the packet of Saltine crackers.  After she smashed them into crumbs, emptied them onto her plate and spooned them into her mouth.  And beware, 1st graders are usually missing teeth so little cracker crumbs come spitting out pretty easily.

School lunch...it's an experience.  One worth trying.