Clayton's Fun Run

On October 2nd, Clayton's school had their second annual Fun Run fundraiser.  Clayton was pumped about Race Day!  He prepared for weeks - lifting weights, doing chin up & push ups, and watching what he ate.  I'm not even kidding.  He had a written out work out routine and turned down dessert the night before the run.  He said, "I can't eat sugar, I have a race tomorrow!"  ;)  That boy is a force to be reckoned with when he puts his mind to something.

Wade, Owen, and I were all there to cheer on our little athlete.  He made us proud, finishing 3rd out of all of the 3rd graders.  Go, Clayton!

All of the 3rd graders with their teachers

 I believe the phrase that you are looking for is "eye of the tiger."  

That boy had a look of fierce determination the entire time.  ;)

 He got to cross the finish line with one of his best buds.

 He walked straight from the finish line to the grass and laid down.  Ha!  The race depleted all of his energy stores.

It was a fun event for our little school!  Nothing like the thrill of healthy competition amongst classmates.  :)

Last Swim of the Summer - 9/12/13

We hung onto Summer 2013 as long as we could, but, alas, September 12th was our last swim of the year.  :(  Pool time is one of my favorite parts of the summer - a healthy dose of Vitamin D for all of us, good exercise for my three little monkeys, time with friends, a free way to cool off, etc.  It is a good time all the way around.

At the very end of the summer, my Drew made huge swimming strides.  I am such a scaredy cat around the water.  I wasn't ready for him to be an independent swimmer yet.  I was so nervous that I wouldn't be able to be 100% vigilant about watching him with Owen still being so little.  So... I made Drew wear his life jacket at all times.  He was sweet to go along with my request and wore his life jacket all summer long.  We both got a little brave in the last few weeks of swimming and he spent some time in the water without his floatation device.  He did so good!  I am 99% sure that he will be a full-time, independent swimmer next year.

 So proud of this little fish!  He really started to take off!

 We may have three independent swimmers next year!  Owen is crazy about the water - loves putting his face under.

So long, Summer!  Bring on the pumpkins, sweaters, and fall weather!  Yes, please!

Owen's First Day of BSF

On September 11th, I started my first year of Bible Study Fellowship.  I have always wonderful things about the organization, but people always preface their rave reviews with a warning about "the rules."  I've heard, "if you miss more than three times, you are kicked out" and "if you don't do your homework, you aren't allowed to speak in small group" and "you have to wear a dress or skirt."  All of those rules made me too anxious to try BSF.  Recently, BSF, as an organization, has changed and all of those rules have been covered by a whole lot of grace.  In light of that, I decided to give it a try.  :)

Owen goes to the kid's program while I am in the adult small group and lecture.  The kid's program is awesome!!!  I cannot say enough about what a good job they do with these little ones.  Owen LOVES it!  He calls it "my school."  ;)  His teachers are so welcoming and friendly - always saying, "I love you, Buddy!" before we leave.  The children's curriculum follows the adult study - teaching the kids what we are learning, but on their level.  We are studying Matthew this year.  A few weeks ago, we were in Matthew 3 studying John the Baptist.  Owen's lesson was about John the Baptist, as well.  When I picked him up, his teachers shared a cute story.  They said that they had taught the lesson and then asked a few review questions.  They asked, "What was the name of the man who told people about Jesus?"  They said that Owen got super excited and said, "I do!  I do!"  Ha ha!  I hope that boy grows to tell everyone that he knows about Jesus!  That would delight my heart like nothing else.  :)

We decided that these two hours away from Mommy warranted a chalkboard photo session.  ;)

 He asked for a picture with his puppy, of course.  That boy is crazy about his stuffed animals!  He sleeps with 8 in his crib.  Ha!

If you have a child in the kid's program, they ask that you volunteer 3 times a year.  I got to help out a couple of weeks ago, and I was amazed by how much they teach even the little toddlers.  They have tons of rhymes and songs to instill the Truth in these tiny children.  It was pretty amazing.  I recorded a video of Owen doing one of his rhymes a few nights ago.

Obviously, he doesn't fully understand the Gospel message yet, but that is quite a seed that has been planted in his little heart.  I love that the Word is being spoken over him by these sweet ladies to reinforce our biblical teaching at home.