First Soccer Games

Allison and Aidan are playing soccer for the first time. Their school plays in the Houston church league. They practice on Wednesdays for an hour and then play on Saturdays. They are having so much fun, and Daddy and I had maybe even more fun cheering for them today. He even took them to the park to practice while I went to HEB after lunch.

Heading out to the Games

Aidan's Game

Allison's Game

Welcome Chapel

Today was Welcome Chapel for the Kindergarteners. Fifth graders presented the Kindergarteners with their new Bible to use in Christian Studies. When Aidan finishes the fifth grade at Grace, he will take this Bible home. It was very sweet.

Adam was Aidan's fifth grader. We all stood up, the head of Lower School and the Christian Studies teacher said a few words. Then Adam said a prayer for Aidan before handing him the Bible.

These were taken in the courtyard following chapel.

Adam and Aidan

Aidan, Mommy, and Allison

Mrs. Wilson's Kindergarten Class

Third Grade Bible Presentation

Today at church was the day that third graders are presented their Bible from the church. In third grade they do "Bible Black Belt" in sunday school. Allison is excited about this year because she has so many questions about the Bible. I have been very honest with her when she has questions about Bible stories and "how could that have happened". I focus on the lessons these stories teach us and that you can see patterns in the various stories which help us to be be kind, have high morals, be a good citizen, and to live the fullest life possible. My belief is that a religious education is important to provide a foundation. As our children grow into adults, they will have that background combined with our honest discussions about the history of religion and its importance in our lives. They can then go on to decide how and if religion fits into their future with all of the knowledge we were able to provide.

Dr. Simmons started his sermon today with, "The Bible is not history, a biography, and certainly not science. It is theology." He is an amazing pastor, and each Sunday I come home feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready to take on the week with love for others. It really does cool my jets when in the past I can get stressed and worked up about things that just are not that important. Here is the sermon archive if you are interested: http://www.mdumc.org/worship/sermons.aspx

Ok, back to the lady of the hour! The third graders all sat together, and I volunteered to help with crowd control. Early in the service they stood up and read with Dr. Reedstrom. 

Dr. Simmons presenting Allison with her Bible.

Third Grade Students

After Service

Gatorpalooza Art Award

Allison was honored at the first pep rally of the year for her entry into the Gatorpalooza Art Contest! It was a surprise. The art teacher emailed the parents ahead of time and told us to come to the pep rally with cameras in hand. She was so shocked and loved seeing me sitting there in the stands.

Allison walking up and Aidan cheering with such excitement for her.

Special Moment

This was a full-out pep rally, and it was so much fun. After the art winners the cross country, volleyball, and football players were introduced. They had spirit contests between the lower and upper schools, and Allison and Aidan could not quit smiling afterwards. It really was a blast!

When the mascots came out I could see Aidan and his little Kindergarten friends smiling, laughing, and yelling with excitement. Adorable!!!!

They are both already looking forward to the next one. So far we are extremely pleased with Grace School. The learning environment is definitely more rigorous than what we saw at Pattison, but it is also more nurturing, individualized, and in Allison's words "more free and happy." Allison came home with some great grades this past Friday from her first math and social studies tests, and we couldn't be more proud. I'll keep you posted on this new adventure.

Labor Day - Quick Trip to Destin, FL

For Labor Day we headed to Destin, Florida. We were supposed to go last summer on our drive back from North Carolina, but we postponed it after I tore my LCL in my knee.

The drive was not fun. Traffic on I-10 was ugly both coming and going, but we had a great couple of days at the beach. The kids are beach bums through and through.

On the way there we stopped at Five Sisters Blues Cafe in Pensacola, Florida for dinner before that last hour of driving to Destin. It was so fun!

Aidan enjoying the blues.

The kids were so excited about our hotel room. I chose this place for two reasons: the bunk bed alcove with their own tv and Parents' Night Out.

We built sand castles both days.

There was also a ton of boogie boarding of course!

After the beach we would head to the pool drinks and ice cream.

On Sunday night Mommy and Daddy went out to dinner while the kids had fun hunting for crabs, coloring t-shirts, and watching a movie back at the hotel.

On Labor Day we headed home, and Tyler managed to stop at a famous BBQ joint. The Shed in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Delicious!

It was a quick trip, but we finally got that beach time in and finished off our summer bucket list!