VBS 2013

Since we have only been going to our church for about 6 months, we thought it would be fun to volunteer for VBS. That way, both our kids could go (Nora is still too young) and we could keep busy for another long week of summer before this baby is here. :)

It was an evening VBS so Seth was able to lead the songs every night and I helped out in the crafts. Nora was in a 2-3 year old class of volunteer kids and she got to do crafts and things that corresponded with the theme, as well as participating in the beginning music (which she loved!)

It was funny to see how our kids personalities came out as indicated by their enthusiasm about the events. Aidan HATES doing songs with motions, or any sort of song participation, while Nora was dancing, jumping, singing, and practically ready to be on the stage during the music.

While it was an exhausting week, for me especially, and our kids got to bed super late every night (making for some very cranky mornings), I am really glad we had the opportunity to serve. We were able to get to know some people better and VBS was truly a family affair for us this year.

Our Week Without Kids

On May 29th, we boarded a plane to SC for a whole week away from our kids. I was extremely nervous about leaving them because I thought they would be sad and miss us and all that jazz, but that really didn't end up being the case at all. :)

It was fun from the get-go. We were by ourselves and it was so nice to just sit on the plane and do whatever I wanted (crochet, read, play word games, chat with my husband). 

We arrived in the afternoon and hung out with our friends that evening/night. The next day we got up and started getting ready to drive to the beach, with plans to get there around dinner time. 

We ended up spending 2 nights there and it was glorious! It was so nice to be with friends and to not have the constraints of dealing with small children. While I did miss them a little while we were there, and thought about all the fun we could be having with them, I still enjoyed the last bit of true relaxation I am going to have for awhile.

Being 8 months pregnant on this trip did make it a little bit tiring at times, but you can enjoy the beach no matter what the situation!

 Me and  Jenny (one of my dear friends from SC). It was so nice to have time to fellowship with friends while we sat all day in the sun!

 We had our friend take this quick shot of us to prove we were actually both there. The weather was so nice and just perfect for this time of year!

There is nothing quite so enjoyable as lying out on the beach ALL day. We literally spend the entire day sitting out and it was lovely. I think we didn't make it to dinner that night until 10pm. Nothing quite like being child-less. :)

We got back on a Saturday, spent the evening playing cards with our friends and staying up way too late and then got up and spent Sunday at our church in SC, had lunch with some friends, a nice nap at our hotel, and then dinner with our sweet friends/small group leaders from church.

I started feeling crummy Sunday night later and ended up having the worst sore throat for the last 2 days there. I really didn't feel like doing anything and was pretty pooped from all the relaxing at the beach (ha!). Came home to my kids late Tuesday night still feeling poorly and spent the rest of the week on my own at home with the kids and suffering from a continued sore throat (lasted all in all for 9 days!). I later figured out that I was dealing with allergies, but with my limited ability to take medicine as a pregnant person, I wasn't able to do much but ride it out.

All in all, it was so nice to take a vacation like this before we have baby #3. We really haven't had the opportunity to leave our kids for a week before and they did great with their grandparents. I think they had a little too much fun because they kept asking for them after I returned. I was definitely not missed as much as I assumed I would be!

Worlds of Fun

A few weeks ago we took the kids to Worlds of Fun because Seth got tickets through his job. It was a hot day, but a lot of fun for everyone. I really just spent the whole time walking and watching, but it was worth it to see the joy on their faces when they rode the rides.

 Here we are just getting started...and nobody wanted their picture taken. :) I'm so glad we brought our jogging stroller because there was a lot of walking involved and it was so nice to put all our stuff on too!

Seth had to ride some of the rides with Nora because of height requirements, but Aidan was tall enough to go on all the kid rides himself.

We learned a couple of things about our kids that day. One: Nora is an absolute thrill seeker and she is not a afraid of any ride. She was upset when we told her that she couldn't on the big roller coasters she saw. She was totally ready for anything. She was also completely comfortable going on several of the rides alone. Two: Aidan, while never having been our cautious one in life, is more cautious about rides, but also loves a good thrill. It was so fun to see how much they enjoyed themselves.

We spend about 5-6 hours there, but could have stayed longer. Nora skipped her nap and while we assumed they would crash in the car, they both were wired on the drive home. 

Seth and I spent the evening at a house show for Jenny and Tyler (a late birthday present for me!) and it was a blast. The only downside to the whole day was how swollen my ankles and feet got after the long day of walking in the heat. It took a couple days of lying down with my feet up for the swelling to go down.