A Seussical Day

This past Monday commemorated the 111th birthday of Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss.  We love to celebrate Read Across America on this day (March 2) with loads of other classrooms across the country...especially since reading is one of Cole's favorite pastimes :)  Although it is getting a little more difficult to find activities we haven't done or that aren't too 'young' for my smart second grader, we still enjoy the Seussical fun.  Cade is now old enough to participate too, so we do a mix of preschool activities with lots of writing and reading for Cole.

Some activities to match a few of our books

Getting busy on our Cat in the Hat craft

Makes my heart smile :)  And Cade brought up all the leftover pancakes from breakfast to munch on.

Our favorite yearly activity...making oobleck

It's a solid AND a liquid...what?!?

Kept these boys busy FOREVER!  Happy dance!

Recording oobleck observations

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!  Thank you for encouraging a love of reading in kiddos everywhere.

Quest 2015

Ever since Michael and I followed in obedience and joined the Long Hollow Gallatin campus (a story for a different post), I have been co-teaching 11th grade girls on Sunday mornings with my dear friend, Audrey.  This was (and still is) a huge step out of my comfort zone.  Elementary aged kids are my jam...I love them and am totally in my groove whether teaching them academics or serving at a VBS.  However, after much prayer (and persistence my Mr. Nate Dooley), I agreed to serve these young ladies and prayed that God would teach me something in the process.  Wow.  Has. He. Ever.  My faith, patience, and heart's motivation has been tested, perfected, and stretched more than I could have ever imagined.  Some days are tough, but the blessing outweighs the trials and I've truly come to love each one of these girls.

I attended the fall student crusade and knew that Quest was coming up soon.  I thought of a thousand reasons for why I couldn't/shouldn't go, but when the date drew near, I knew God wanted me to serve our youth at this weekend event.  Michael agreed and this past Friday, I headed out for a two night stay at Opryland Hotel with over 1500 other youth and adult leaders.  Upon loading the bus on Friday afternoon, I pulled out my packet and saw that I had been placed with fourteen 7th-8th grade girls instead of my usual 11th graders.  I admit that my heart was frustrated at first, but after a chat and prayer with a friend, I knew that God was telling my spirit to trust Him and that He was going to move in a big way.  Not only in my life, but in the lives of our students.

My gals!

Friday night's service was wonderful and my two college leader sidekicks were amazing.  When it came time for student's to ask for prayer or make a decision, one of my sweet gals pulled me aside to ask some hard questions and talk through some personal struggles.  I had specifically been praying for her...she was the younger sister to one of my 11th grade girls.  Yep, God had me right where he wanted me and I was blown away.  Amazing how our selfish desires can potentially blind our heart's eyes to the blessings He wants to pour out on us.  Thankful.  I also got the opportunity to see one of my 8th graders open her heart to Jesus.  Both she AND her SISTER followed in obedience with believer's baptism at LHG on Sunday.  Again, thankful (and praising the Lord for lives changed for eternity!).

These two college ladies are amazing!  Olivia and Derian, you made my weekend that much more wonderful!

The rest of the weekend was fabulous and went off without a hitch.  I tell ya, Long Hollow is a well oiled machine!  Service on Saturday morning, CFA lunch on the hotel lawn, service project at Rucker Stewart Middle, a bus run to McGavock High for dinner, and then evening service.  Sunday we headed back to LHG for a delicious breakfast provided by our church family and then finished with 118 youth/adults in the late service.

Quest leaders ready to go on Saturday!

6th - 10th grade LHG girls serving at Rucker Stewart Middle School on Saturday.  We cleaned cobwebs out of each classroom, scraped gum off the gym floor, swept and cleaned bleachers, and cleaned walls around the hallways and bathrooms.  These gals did not complain and did it with a joyous spirit...so proud!

Little dance move our girls made up while sweeping :)

View from our balcony room - wish I could've enjoyed this view a bit more :)

Whew.  What a weekend.  I was plum exhausted, but I wouldn't trade it in for my 'normal' weekend activities.  Such a gift to experience so many lives encouraged, impacted, and changed forever for the Kingdom.  Quest 2016, I'm ready (well, almost...I still need a nap).

 

Everything Is Awesome!

About a month ago, Michael and I surprised the boys with a week long trip to visit my parents at their town home in New Smyrna Beach, FL.  Not only was a family getaway much needed after the busy holiday season and Michael's hectic work schedule, but we also missed Papa and Gigi like crazy!  We showed up on their doorstep (unbeknownst to my mom) on a Friday evening and couldn't wait for our low-key beach week to begin.  She was SHOCKED to see us and lots of hugs and kisses were exchanged :)

We didn't have any specific plans for the week, but knew we wanted to surprise the boys with one special day - especially since we were only an hour or so away from Orlando.  We had just been to Disney a few months before (and didn't feel like dropping $400 for one day - sheesh!), so we decided on Legoland instead.  Ever since watching the previews on The Lego Movie about this fun place, Michael and I knew we wanted to take the boys.  With it being a short 1 hr 45 min. drive from NSB, this was the perfect opportunity!  Although the water park was closed, going in the off season had its perks; one of those being weekly homeschool days.  I checked the site calendar a few weeks before our trip and quickly ordered tickets for a homeschool day in the week we were visiting.  To give you an idea on how much we saved, regular admission is close to $80 per person.  Our admission was $10/student/child and $25/each accompanying chaperone.  That's $70 + tax for our entire family...we got in for less than one full admission price.  Word.  My parents came too and also took advantage of the discounted rate - double score!

The boys had no idea where we were headed and were really confused as we passed the Disneyworld, Epcot, and Universal exits on the interstate.  Needless to say, when we pulled up to the Legoland entrance, all those places were forgotten and lots of happy screaming took place inside the car :)  I pulled out the hidden Lego shirts from our backpack and in we went.  The weather was PERFECT.   A cool 60 in the morning which warmed up to mid-70s by the afternoon - we knew it was gonna be a fun day!

One downside to visiting in the off season is that you run the risk of things being closed for repairs and renovations.  Much to our dismay, the Factory was just that...closed.  We were SO looking forward to seeing how Legos are made, packaged, and distributed.  Guess that just means we'll have to come back! 

Little man couldn't WAIT to go play!

Indoor play area for little tykes

Duplo train 

LOVE this pic!

Miniland USA was such an amazing area of the park.  You could spend forever here looking at each scene precisely built on a miniature scale with legos.  From cities to historical buildings and landmarks, adults and kiddos alike are fascinated!

San Fran row houses

Lombard street - and yes, it truly is that curvy!

Little bit of the Las Vegas strip

Fun 'statues' throughout the park

Cole loving the Ford Driving school.  Look at that focused tongue :)

While the big guys rode the Coastersaurus, I took this guy to a ride of his own.  Smiles forever :)

No problem if you have to wait in line or wait on big brother...there's always something to build!

The Lego Technic coaster.  SUPER fun!!

Cole's face...priceless.  He did enjoy the ride, but screamed like a school girl on the drop.

Let the building and racing begin!

Getting out some last minute energy before the trek back to N.S.B.

Seriously such a super fun day - if only the park stayed open longer :)  The onsite Legoland Hotel will be completed this summer, and we'd love to eventually stay there with the boys.  We'd also love to visit in the summer when the water park is open and take advantage of that lego fun too...

If you think this would be a fun family trip, there are LOTS of coupons out there - especially free kids admission.  But if you homeschool, I encourage you to check the calendar and see when those dates are scheduled.  They also offered a print-your-own tour for homeschooling families to follow, but we opted to just enjoy the day at our leisure. 

* Disclaimer:  You may or may not hear 'Everything Is Awesome' 2,867 times and have it running through your brain days later.  Just sayin'...