Fall Festival

Collin and I swapped our usual lazy Sunday afternoon for a few hours at the Barnyard Bash Fall Festival (please note we didn't miss football completely).

There were farm animals to ride, pumpkins to hunt,

marshmallows to roast (Collin was most excited about this until the smoke got in his eyes, fortunately Mr. Baldwin was more than willing to help him out),

s'mores to eat

games to play

and pumpkins to paint.

The highlight of Collin's afternoon was the duck game (see picture with manual water pump).  I really think he would have played until dark.  It was such a simple set up, but he was so excited to pump the water so that the duck could race and fall off into the "pond" at the end.  He has now decided that his daddy can build one of these games and that we should have one at home.  We'll see what dad has to say about that.

Some Things Never Change

It is interesting that this post comes from a church service where the sermon was about change, and the need for the church to embrace and accept it.  While I completely agree with that, I am always so comforted by the fact that there are some things that never change. I grew up attending a United Methodist Church, but I've never been a "hard core" Methodist (so to speak).  The reason for this probably has to do with the fact that I was educated in a Catholic school, married the son of a Presbyterian minister and have parents who currently are members at a Southern Baptist Church.  Not to mention that most of my friends, throughout my life, have come from all different faith backgrounds and denominations.  I typically consider myself to be theologically well-rounded, at the very least my theology does not wholly align with any one denomination.  In spite of all of this diversity most my weekly church services have been in a United Methodist Church.  I know the prayers, most of the hymns and the order of worship.
My parents came to town last weekend so they could see Collin play soccer.  Since their plane didn't leave until late Sunday evening they were able to attend church with us.  As we prayed and sang and worshipped I realized that we all knew exactly what was going on.  I wasn't the least bit concerned that there would be a prayer they wouldn't know or hymn they hadn't at least heard.  I was instantly transported to the church of my childhood as I realized that these things had not changed.  I realized that despite the fact my parents have been attending a church of a different denomination for years, that they still knew this church.  Yes, it's a different town, a different building, different minister, different people.  I suspect that even if we went back to my childhood church we would find that much has changed, but I guarantee that we could step right in because some things would be the same. 
As I stood in the sanctuary, in the middle of worship, feeling this incredible sense of comfort in the fact that some things never change, it dawned on me that God never changes (no, this is not the first time I've thought or heard this).  He is, He was and He always will be.  While the church itself changes with the times and is ever turning its wheels to find ways to bring people in, God does not change with the time.  God is God, now and forever, and there IS GREAT comfort in that.

Fair

Last week, Collin and his best buddy Joe Joe got to go to the Onslow County Fair.  This was Collin's first experience at a fair.  I knew it was going to be an interesting experience, but especially since I had never been to this particular fair, so even I wasn't sure what to expect.  I didn't even know if there were rides for children his height.  So, thinking that this would be a relatively inexpensive experience off we went.  HA, not so inexpensive, but a great a time!

The first ride the boys found was a motorcycle ride.  As you'll see the various motorcycle rides were, by far, the most popular.  This better not be a sign of things to come.

Collin handled this ride way better than I expected him to.  It was actually a little mini-roller coaster, and went kind of fast.  I was a little surprised, and Collin thought it was great!

Then there was the next motorcycle ride.  It was a little vintage, it has apparently been thrilling children for more than 30 years, and still going strong.

And alas, the final motorcycle ride of the evening.  Quite a bit newer than the previous and Joe Joe even got a passenger (if you can't tell, that's a girl on the back of his motorcyle).

Then the boys discovered that they could win a light sabre sword if they played a fishing game.  Fortunately, it was a play until you win game.  So, both boys went fishing for sharks, and both boys won!

We did have to confiscate the swords quickly so that no by-standers would get whacked in the head as the two began to play.

Of course you can't leave the fair without having sampled fair food, so we topped off the night with cotton candy... 

...And the ride home was very quiet.

Pumpkin Patch

 One of the most wonderful things about our church is the never-ending attempts to involve the children in every way possible.  I think it is such an incredible way to show children that church is more than just a Sunday morning thing, and that they too have an important role in the life of the church.

Each fall our church hosts a pumpkin patch, and each year the children are invited to come and help unload the pumpkins.  So, this year we went to unload pumpkins.

Collin's best buddy, Joseph, and Joseph's brother even came to help.  They must have worked hard because they were hot and tired when it was time to go home.  Now, they just want to know when we're going back to BUY a pumpkin.

Faith in Action

Each year our church chooses one Sunday on which none of us go to church.  Instead, we go out into our community and try to BE the church.  We find projects with which we can make a difference for someone or some group in our community.  It is usually a great day of working together and hoping others "get it."
Being quite pregnant and having a 3-year-old my work options were quite limited this year.  So, I stayed back with a handful of others, and the children, to make halloween decorations to send overseas.  Now, it doesn't seem like much, I know.  Really, they are fighting a war, do the soldiers really care about decorating for halloween??  Probably not.  But, we did need something we could do with the children in an attempt to make the day "real" and understandable to them.  So, full speed ahead.  We made spiders, paper candy corn streamers, bats and cats, and even some turkey placemats, just for good measure.  The children had a wonderful time and were well entertained while many of their parents were working projects around town.
On our way home, Collin noted that we did not sing any songs at church, nor did we go to Sunday School and Pastor Rick didn't speak.  So, I began to explain, as best I could in 3-year-old lingo, what the purpose of church was for that day.  I asked Collin if he knew why we go to church in the first place, he responded it's because of Jesus.  I thought that was good enough.  So, I told him that Jesus wants us to do things to help other people, it's part of believing in him and doing what he asks.  I told him that Jesus spent his whole life doing things for other people.  At this point I just asked him what we had done for other people that day.  His response, "We made decorations for the guys with daddy so it's like our house, and that will make them happy."  Yes, my child it will. 
Even a 3-year-old gets it.  He knows he will not get anything in return.  He knows he will not even know if the "guys" actually received them or not and he is perfectly content having done something nice for someone else.  There truly is wisdom in youth.

    Since we were helping with the crafts there are no pictures of the children actually working.  However, we were able to get this shot of them in front of the fire truck.  As one of our projects the church provided lunch for first responders in our area.  The firefighters were kind of enough to let the children explore the truck before they came in for lunch.  Thanks guys!!

The Body of Christ

There are no cute pictures for this post or funny stories about the comings and goings of my 3-year-old.  No, this post is a reflection, probably 30 years in the making, on the Body of Christ.
Growing up in the church I always heard about the Body of Christ.  Even at a young age I knew people weren't speaking of the physical body of Jesus, I knew it was something bigger, deeper than that.  As I got older I began to understand that being a part of the Body of Christ carried with it a great repsonsibility to be His physical presence in the world.  What I'm not sure I realized, maybe until recently, is that being His physical presence is so much more than helping in a soup kitchen, volunteering at church, or lifting a helping hand for a neighbor.  While those things are important and a large part of what the Body of Christ is to do, it's not the full extent of it.
Many have heard the "Footprints" poem speaking of how God picks us up and carries us through the hard times.  Recently I have begun to wonder if God doesn't use the Body of Christ to do some of that carrying, to be that physical presence in tragic situations, life altering situations.  I'm not talking about cooking a meal for someone who has lost a family member, I'm talking about truly walking with them through the tragedy.  Jumping into the muck of life and death with another person so that he or she does not have to bear that burden alone.  This is surely not something you can do for just anyone, but I feel like it's something we run from even when it involves our closest friends and family.  It's something that takes an enormous amount of energy, emotion and suffering on our part.  It is allowing our heart to bear a burden with another and sometimes break for another.  It is being in the middle of the sadness and devestation, listening to a cry that can only come from the depths of someone's soul.  It is bearing the burden of a lost child with a devestated parent, the burden of a lost spouse with the one left trying to figure out how to live as a widow(er).  It is bearing the burden of illness, addiction, financial ruin, and the list goes on, in such a real way that it truly alleviates some of the burden felt by the person experiencing the pain.  It is sitting in the house, the hospital, the rehab center, the church regardless of how uncomfortable or emotional it makes us.  It is knowing when to say nothing, because there is nothing you can say.  It is knowing that you may have to stay all night.  It is holding someone who is fighting mad or dropped to their knees in devastation.  It is remembering that the pain doesn't leave in a week or a month or a year, and being there when it rears its head.  It is being Jesus with skin.  Someone to touch, to hold, to listen, to SHOW the depth and breadth of the love of God, as best as we can.  This is the Body of Christ, this is what we are called to do. 

It's a cylinder

As I noted in the previous post, Collin got M&Ms today.  We started with a regular bag from the check-out line.  Then Collin spotted the aisles of halloween candy and we just had to go look there before a final decision could be made.  And that's when he saw it, a cylinder of M&Ms.

And that's what HE called it.  A cylinder, really??  So, I quickly responded by asking him how on earth he knew that.  He said, it was a small cylinder, but still a cylinder.  I repeated my question.  Collin informs me that Martian Mickey uses a cylinder to help the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse gang get back to earth.  Who knew????  Dare I say pre-school television just might be educational.

What a difference a week makes...

...or maybe it was the bribe of M&Ms. 
If you are keeping up you know that Collin's first soccer game was quite traumatic.  So, needless to say, we spent all week talking about soccer, and how to play it.  When he had friends over a couple of days ago I even found myself telling him that we do not take things from other people, unless we are playing soccer.  Ha!! 
We even watched a professional soccer game on television so that I could point out to him how the "big boys" were playing the game.  He sat and watched, and even noted that none of them were crying.  His coach spent some time in practice having the kids steal the ball from each other and then she stole the ball from them.  Just to make sure the concept was sinking in I told him he could have M&Ms if he could make it through the whole game with no tears.
Well, it was more than just no tears, he played almost the entire game, did the kick-off, threw the ball in and SCORED 2 GOALS!!!  It was great!  He was having a blast!  He even told me at half-time that he was playing so much his legs were hurting.  That boy deserved a trophy for his improvement from last week, but he had his heart set on the M&Ms.  So, after his snack (if you've ever been around toddler sports you know how important the after game snack is), we went to Target for some M&Ms AND a chocolate bar.  Even though only one was promised they were both well earned.
WAY TO GO COLLIN!!!  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!

You'll have to excuse the mom's commentary in the video :)

 

Drama, Trama

The only way to describe this picture is the calm before the storm, or better yet, the smiles before the tears. 
Collin's first soccer game was Saturday and it was nothing if it wasn't dramatic.  I knew the actual game would be difficult regardless of how well he did in practice.  We had the advantage of having watched Collin's best buddy, Joseph, during his first soccer season this past spring.  Practices always went off without a hitch and the games, well, the games were full of tears and stomps and hurt feelings.  It all goes back to one of my previous posts; competitive sports go against everything a child is taught from the moment he begins to interact with others.
Needless to say Collin was super excited about this game.  He loved his jersey and thought it was even cooler that Joseph had one exactly the same.  The weather was perfect for a fall game and his grandparents and great-grandmother had come up for the weekend just to watch him play.  He lined up with 3 of teammates, the whistle blew and the ball was taken (by the other team).  This was ok at first, Collin was fine with them having a turn first, but when he got the ball and it was kicked away from him, it was not ok anymore.  The tears rolled and he didn't even want to try to get it back.   So, off to the sidelines for a little pep talk, back in the game and the cycle starts again.  Thus went his 45 minute game.
In his defense, he was not the only child crying on the field.  As a matter of fact I think there were more children who were crying than not crying.  I think it's just going to take some time for him to understand all of the double standards and nuances of "polite society."  It's ok to steal the ball on the field, but not on the playground.  It's ok to run into someone on the field, but not in your classroom.  You should be aggressive on the field, but greatly temper that aggression everywhere else.  And the list goes on, and on.
So, when the Manchester United game came on this afternoon, after the football game, I decided we should watch.  Collin thought it was really cool that they were playing his sport on TV.  I pointed out everytime the ball was "stolen" from someone.  I noted that everyone was trying to get the ball to the goal.  I showed him how no one used his hands.  After a few minutes of taking all of this in he says, "and none of them are crying."  Oh, break my heart.  But I acknowledged that none of them were crying, that they just ran super fast to get the ball back. 
In the end, my little guy did pretty well while he was in there, and I think he will really enjoy it once he gets the hang of it.  Until then every moment is a teaching moment.  Right now he is super excited about next week's game, as long as that "red team" isn't there.    

Playdates

I am not sure when I first heard the term playdate.  I am quite certain I did not have a child and that it was in reference to my friends (who also did not have children) getting their dogs together.  I didn't have a dog at the time either, so I didn't pay it much attention.  As I entered the stage of my life when more and more of my friends had children I began to hear this term used in reference to getting children together.  While it all made sense, the significance of it was lost on me, until I became a stay-at-home mom (please note I didn't just say mom).

The older Collin gets the more difficult it is to keep him engaged, learning and tired at the end of the day.  Add to that a pregnant mommy who needs more nap time than he does and somedays are quite interesting.  So, in an effort to keep his schedule full we are trying to have at least one playdate a week.  This is preferably on a non-school day, so as to help fill the down-time.  Mind you, I don't think it is my responsibility to entertain my child every moment of his life, or to even provide entertainment opportunities for every moment of his life.  However, I do think it is my responsibility to provide him with opportunities to learn, socialize and expend some energy, on a regular basis. 

We have had playdates before, just not that often.  Before I stayed home Collin was in a daycare during the day and had more than enough playtime with others, especially for a little guy.  He was only 18 months old when I decided to leave work, and at that point was pretty easy to "engage" and keep busy.  Now, it's a whole new story.  I am looking for every opportunity I can find to have him learn, play, run, socialize and be outdoors.

The most interesting thing I have learned about playdates is that they are as much for the mommies as they are for the children.  When you find yourself as your child's only companion, and equally as bad that he/she may be your only (day-time) companion you begin to look for opportunities to be around other adults during the day.  The beauty of a playdate is that it is actually a "playdate" for everyone.  I can have an adult conversation, Collin can play with someone other than me or by himself.  I can enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend and without a child wanting to sit with (on, near....) me.  Collin can run and play and yell and chatter with someone who loves to do those same things just as much as he does.  So, as a stay-at-home mom, who has desperately done everything in my power not to be a stereotypical stay-at-home mom I have joined the thousands (probably way more than that) of moms who absolutely love playdates.   

Sunday, Sunday

We were both dressed up, and had a willing photographer.  So, here we are (technically, all 3 of us) at church.

And this is as "baby bump" as you get, at least for now.

First Day of Preschool

Friday was Collin's first day of 3-year-old preschool.  He was so excited to see some of his friends from last year and meet new ones.  He was all smiles and ready to go.

Usually, Collin is dropped off in a carpool line, but for the first day of school (inspite of his objections) Mom had to walk him in.  He barely had the patience to stand still for a picture.  Fortunately, he has already learned how to humor me, most of the time.

Finally it was to the classroom with his new teacher, Mrs. Segebarth (yes, he can pronounce her name).  She helped him with his bookbag.

Then, came the instructions on their morning routine.  He was shown his cubby, and told where to put his things for the day. 

And mom was out.  I didn't want to disrupt the classroom routine, and of course one of his friends from last year got to school and Collin was off to play.

He had a great first day (from what I hear) and here's hoping for a wonderful year!

Soccer Mom

I am officially a Soccer Mom!!  I'm not sure I could have ever dreamed I would be here, but, SUV and all, I went with Collin to his very first practice.  It was hysterical and he LOVED it!!  5 toddlers were able to focus and listen for 45 minutes.  They were sweaty and dirty and tired by the end.  And oh so excited.  The only issue they may have will be at game time, when there is only ONE ball.  See, as parents, we teach our children to share and not to take things from other people.  Then, we sign them up for sports and don't understand why they get upset and cry when someone takes the ball away from them.  It must be horribly confusing for them.  So, at practice, each child has his/her own ball, and all works pretty well.  We'll see how it goes at game time :)

Geared Up and Ready to GO!

Collin is officially entering the world of organized sports, and he is so excited.  We (meaning me, the mom) missed sign-ups for spring soccer.  Each time we went to watch Collin's best buddy, Joe-Joe, play soccer Collin would ask when he was going to get to play on a team.  Finally, it is time for fall soccer.  I almost missed sign-ups again, but we got in just in time. 

After searching a couple of days for soccer gear small enough for a 3-year-old, we were able to order the whole shabang.  Collin has soccer cleats, soccer socks, soccer shorts and shinguards.  The only thing we are missing is the team jersey, which he is actually concerned about getting.  He has asked multiple times when he is going to get the shirt for his team.  I am assured we will have it before the first game :)

To top it all off, he is playing on the same team as his best buddy.  Needless to say, he is geared up and ready to go to practice tomorrow!

Birthday Party!!!

Not even a hurricane could stop a 5-year-old's birthday party.  We returned from our hurrevac just in time to celebrate the birthday of one of Collin's friends.  It was a great time.  There is no way to go wrong at a bouncey house place.

Then, to top it all off, Spiderman was there too.  Collin wasn't quite as thrilled to see him as I thought he would be.  He wasn't afraid, just not so interested.  He was way more concerned with playing and when he realized Spiderman didn't want to go play on the bouncey houses (Spiderman is too big for the bouncey houses) he was fine to leave him.

Happy Birthday, Scott!!  Best wishes for a wonderful year!!

Hurrevac

Just a few hours after we returned from our 5-week southeastern tour, Hurricane Irene started gunning our way.  What a welcome home surprise.  I was not excited about packing up and leaving.  I have never left for a hurricane and I've been through a few (Hugo, Dennis and Rita).  There was one point in my life, where I actually stayed on purpose, equipped to stand like an idiot in torrential rain and down pours to let everyone else know just how bad the hurricane was.  In any case, this was my first hurricane with a toddler and a baby on the way, and that made all the difference.  So, we packed up and went to visit my family in SC.  Even though we got out of town in plenty of time my mom still felt that Collin needed a hurricane survival kit. 

So, the brown truck delivered his package to my Uncle's.  It was complete with non-perishable snack food, a video game (for his mobigo that runs on batteries), a soccer ball (that matches his new cleats) and some flashcard games.

Alas, those indoor games weren't really needed.  We didn't even get rain at my Uncle's.  So, he and Collin had plenty of time to play outside.  Collin kept trying to beat his "best time" on his tricycle.

Then, of course, soccer season starts this week and so Uncle Woody played soccer in the backyard.  Huey (the dog), even got in on the game.

Since my grandmother lives in the same town, we were able to spend some time with her as well.  It was wonderful.  I can't imagine what those two were plotting...if you knew my grandmother, you'd be afraid too.

There was even time to sit on the front porch and rock, but not for too long.

And of course, we bring the race car everywhere we go.  Collin and Uncle Woody had a blast racing Lightning McQueen up and down the driveway, and into the grass, garage door and whatever else got in the way.

In the end, we had a wonderful weekend and the only time Collin really had to play the mobigo was the trip home.

Fortunately, all was well at home when we returned.  Hurricane Irene just gave us a great excuse for a fun little vacation. 

FOUR!!!

Collin has a new best friend, his name is Bryan and he's 16-years-old.  What is so funny about this is that, to Collin Bryan may as well be his age (except that he's so much taller).  We met Bryan through his parents and he so kindly "took" to Collin about as quickly as Collin did him. 
Bryan is a very talented golfer, and Collin wants to be a very talented golfer.  So, Bryan invited Collin for a day of golfing, just the guys.

So, I packed Collin a cooler, got his clubs set, and he was off to play golf with his new buddy.  Bryan was so good to not only play friend and coach, but caddy too. 

He worked with Collin on how to stand and swing, and have some fun.  It was a hot day and they played hard.  





I didn't realize that Bryan stays at the golf course all day.  Collin wasn't really up for that so Bryan's mom came to the rescue.  When Collin had enough of golfing, Mrs. Allen took him to the pool.

Collin got to cool off and, as he says, "play, play, play" some more.

I'm pretty sure he even convinced Mrs. Allen that Chick-fil-a was the only place to go for lunch.

And after a long hard day of play he was one sleepy boy.  No dinner or bath and the mobigo was still playing. 

Collin loves his friends who are his age, but he so enjoys the attention of the big boys.  He couldn't have been more excited about his day off with Bryan.  Bryan may never understand the impact the "big boys" have on the little boys, but both of the moms do.  So, here is a special thank you to Bryan and his mom for creating such a special and fun day for my little guy and for giving me and my mom some time together.