Working Woman

I guess I just assume that everyone knows, but if you're not plugged in and serving in the Children's Ministry how would you know?! This is the start of my 3rd official week working part-time at our church. I was asked to come alongside the Children's Staff to help them in the planning and execution of our new programming for the September 7 Kick-off. I am working closely with Janita, who in this last year I have gotten to know really well. We balance each other out really good which makes for an excellent partnership. I am making sure that Sundays go off without a hitch in Kids Thang right now, as well as planning for our full-hour Family Production for the Fall. It's only 20 hours a week, but I am in my sweet spot! I am loving what I am doing and is not really a whole lot more than I was already doing before as a volunteer!! I have also taken on a new role of Praise and Worship leader in Kids Thang. It's definitely new hat for me, but not so completely different than giving the Word each week.

I go into the "office" a couple days a week, because working at home does not work for me!! They have gracioulsy allowed Grayson to go to Summer Camp at the church, so he just goes with me the mornings that I go in. It's much cheaper than a babysitter and he getting osme good prep time before school in the Fall. Yes, this job made our decision easy as far as pre-school went. We will go together to "school" and "work" in late August. God does provide doesn't he?! Mommy gets some "Jayne" time at a job that she loves and feels confident and "used" and Grayson gets some much-needed social interaction adn someone else to "teach" him important lessons, not to mention the schooling aspect. As far as we see it, everyone wins!!!!

In these last 2 weeks since I have started, I feel like I have been a better mom to Grayson and love to spend time with him more. We have some really good quality time together and have really grown closer. Corny as it sounds, I love this new little relationship we are building. We have the greatest talks and chats. And on a way side note, Grayson has been so curious lately about heaven and going there and Trevor and I have had some really wonderful conversations with him. Until a couple days ago, neither of knew the other was talking to Grayson about these things!! He is really sorting out the whole heaven thing in his own mind!! So very exciting to see him grasping something so well. We may have very exciting news to share soon!!

So for those of you who have heard and seen comments about me working, there you have it. Even if it doesn't last past the Fall, I am thankful for this time to learn and glean and grow. May God use me where I am right now to positively affect children and their families for Him.

Meeting Miss Spider

I have been in love with the Miss Spider books by David Kirk since they first came out while I was teaching. Grayson of course loves them too and we have found the cartoon Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends on TV and it's always saved in the DVR! Well today was a special treat because the library had a meet Miss Spider day. I worked all morning, but got home i time to grab a fast lunch before Grayson and I headed over to the library. We got there to find a long line, but friends just the same. Denise and April had the same great idea and were there ahead of us with their kiddos. We enjoyed some stories, songs, and a Miss Spider puppet show. Then the kids lined the tables and made a "spidery" craft. I was so proud of Grayson who wrote a lot of the letters for his name by himself!!

As the kids exited the meeting room, they were greeted by none other than Miss Spider herself. Grayson is an old pro at meet-n-greets and loved to get hugs and "talk" to her. Last minute thought on my way out of the door from home paid off as Grayson watched while Miss Spider signed one of his books. What a thrill!! The mommies all got in a picture with her too! Grayson actually took this one so thus the side view only.

What a great mid-week, hot afternoon activity/outing! Movie tomorrow morning! YEAH!

Days with Daddy

The long days of summer make you feel like you've got more hours to fit in extra family time. We've had some great, spur of the moment fun days and moments with Daddy these last 2 weeks, including our first trip this summer to Water Country. Whether it's backyard fun, trips to the indoor playground at the mall, or chilling out around the house, any time with Daddy is the best!!

Indoor playdate at the "treasure island" mall

What do you do after having a fantastic supper that was cooked on the grill? Why a dessert of s'mores of course!!

We had not done H2O Country at all last year, but thought Grayson would absolutely love it this year! We had only a few hours, but we headed up there for a late morning/early afternoon stint. Grayson tried to let us know in every conceivable way that he did not want to do any of the waterslides, but we knew as soon as we got on that nothing but smiles and laughter would ensue. And we were right! It's great that we could ride together as a family on almost everything! Oh the joy of just the 3 of us!! What a remarkable few hours, and we are already planning our next trip next week! Not a place for a camera, but I managed a few shots!

Celebrate Freedom 2008

We started off our July 4th celebration with a trip to Busch Gardens. They offered an all-you-can-eat BBQ with prime seats for the fireworks. We took them up on it and had a great time. We have actually not been to the Gardens in a few weeks, so we had fun reintroducing ourselves to our old favorites and some newly found ones. We settled in at 8:30 for our supper. It was great! I grabbed some cotton candy and we found our seats along with the other dinner guests. Trevor and I found a great spot and laid down. Literally the fireworks were directly overhead!! They always set their display to patriotic music, and we could actually see both firework displays in the park launch from where we were seated. Although Grayson covered his ears the whole time he enjoyed them this year!

We then went to Lynchburg for the weekend. Trevor's parents were also in town, so my Dad and Mom had everyone over for a pool day and Trevor and I hosted the 4th foods! What a great time just relaxing together, letting the boy cousins get caught up with each other, finding out that Trevor's sister Tania is going to have another baby (WAHOO!!), pool volleyball, and an endless table of food.

We ended the night with an early twilight fireworks display, for the families that had to get their kids in bed before 10:00pm. Trevor and Grayson picked out some good ones, and it was a really good show for the backyard!!

What a great way to celebrate the freedom we are afforded here in the USA!! Thanks to our troops here and abroad who fight to keep our country safe and free! God Bless America!

"Magical" Days Gone By

We've been home for about a month now, but I've just got to get these pics and a few stories posted. After our family wedding, we stayed in Orando for the rest of the week. Grayson was a little under the weather for a few days, so it didn't make for the most memorable time. Nevertheless, we got to Disney one day, a visit to Great-Grandmas one day, and a few mornings at the pool. We're dying to go again with healthy bodies, less crowds, and less heat for a truly Magical Experience!!

Okay...I had fun making this slideshow, but it is a little crazy. I didn't realize it would take work on your part to see it. Click the "Play" below and it will transport you to the site so you can view the show I made. You will have to click "Next" on each screen to go to the next slide. I'm sure if I worked on it a little more I could get it to do it automatically, but I am done sitting here behind the computer. Enjoy just the same!! Didn't realize there was so much to put in for our basically uneventful week!

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