VBS Pictures, Second Round

Hairstyling before the program.
Hi, Rachel! :)

Wow... I love this little man.

The oldest class performed a skit (which the came up with all on their own!) telling the story of Adam and Eve.

Grace, as "Eve", about to go for the forbidden fruit!

VBS Pictures, First Round!

Bestest buddies... David and Braden.

I know that as a VBS helper, I'm not supposed to pick favorites, but if I did pick favorites - which, of course, I didn't - this cute little guy (the one on the left) would definitely be one of them!

Some really good-looking helper guy...
I happen to have the privilege of claiming him as my big brother. :)


Ben and his class of 1st-3rd graders. I wish I could have had him for my teacher when I was in vacation Bible school!

Pictures on the Way

Dear friends,
The ending program for VBS went very well this evening, and I did get some more neat pictures! I leave for work pretty early tomorrow, and won't get back until late afternoon. But... maybe I'll find some time for blogging between my nap and Josh's baseball game. :) So hold on a little while longer, won't you please? Thanks. You all are so great.
Always,
Me

Vacation Bible School

This week I (along with Josh and Gabe) have had the privilege of being a helper in Mrs. Q's large class of 4 and 5 year olds at VBS! It has been a tiring experience, but worth every minute!! Since today is the last day, I have finally decided to take a camera along. We have a closing program on Sunday evening, and I hope to take pictures then too. So... if you all will be patient with me for a few more days, you may expect a whole slew of photos - as well as some pretty cute stories. :) It's been a delightful adventure.
Off to finish prepping today's craft...

Always,
Me

The Work of His Hands

"But Thou art making me, I thank Thee, sire.
What Thou hast done and doest Thou knowes't well.
And I will help Thee; gently in Thy fire
I will lie burning; on Thy potter's wheel
I will whirl patient, though my brain should reel.
Thy grace shall be enough the grief to quell,
And growing strength perfect through weakness dire."

~ George Macdonald

Blueberry Picking with Friends

Early Saturday morning, Alyssa and I drove in to meet some friends and go blueberry picking! Matthew, Brandon, Kristin, Alyssa and I were assigned rows together, and for two and a half hours we talked, laughed, and (of course!) picked blueberries. I owe a huge thanks to Brandon for helping me to fill my buckets. :) The Lord really blessed us with beautiful weather for our once-a-year special outing.
In the above picture it kind of looks like Alyssa is saluting, doesn't it? She was taking a picture of me, actually. Since you'll all probably end up seeing it when she posts on her blog (and Matthew already has pics of this trip posted on his), I'll warn you ahead of time. My morning up to the time that the pictures were taken went something like this...
I got up at 5:30, grabbed some clothes from the dirty laundry pile, brushed through my hair, threw on a little makeup, packed a GF breakfast for the two of us, and met Alyssa in the driveway by 6:05. *Quick side note to Alyssa: I'm sorry you had to deal with my early-morning crabbiness on the car ride there... What a friend! Love you, girl.* Then I went and stood in line, shivering, for half an hour. By the time we started picking, I was fully awake and excited to be out on such a beautiful morning! The bushes were wet with dew, and you kind of have to reach in to get to the good berries (at least the people with short arms do), which meant that I got pretty damp. I'm not complaining, though! It was very refreshing, and made the experience that much more tangible. But then after a while it started warming up a bit, and I developed that hot, tired, sticky feel. Quite tangible, yet part of the experience I could do without, and definitely not refreshing! You know how it is when you just know your face must look like you're having a severe allergic reaction?! Maybe that's a girl thing only... is it, guys?? Please, be honest here, I really want to know! Maybe it's just me. Anyway, so you get the idea. I wasn't feeling terribly attractive by the time we were making our way to the check-out line! And I'm sure it wasn't just me and the way I happened to be feeling at the time... believe me, it was real.
So, don't say you weren't given a fair warning. And please, try not to laugh too hard. :)

Matthew tried very hard for quite some time to get a blueberry to land in Alyssa's mouth... but, alas! His efforts were all in vain.

Just thought you all might like to know that I got it in on the first try. :) I think Matthew was rather in awe of my talent... it was a glorious moment, my friends.

The champion blueberry picker of our group, Brandon Beaty.

Scrapbooking ~ page 2 "Baby Me"

As you can see, I've had many years of experience working in the kitchen.

This has always been one of Mama's favorite pictures of me... I really can't claim to know why. It must have something to do with "a face only a mother could love".

Glamour picture of the baby...

Just one of the many benefits to being the firstborn. :)

Swinging with Alyssa...

... and making a mess with Clara.