Simile

Addy is in a swatting/pinching/slapping phase. I think she's learning her own strength and enjoys getting a reaction. Today at lunch she was pinching my arm with her little claws and I was calmly telling her to be gentle and redirecting her hand to touch carefully.

Dax piped in, "Yeah, Addy, touch soft like a prairie dog's fur."

Future author maybe? Regardless of what his future holds I cannot get enough of this kid. He surprises and amazes me every day. Life is good!

VBS

Dax was old enough for Vacation Bible School this summer so we decided to give it a whirl. I was one of the teachers for the preschool class and we both had a blast! The theme this year was science (and of course Jesus!) and we had so much fun exploring, learning more about God's love for us, and making new friends.

Day 1: God made everything! We explored two of His creations - colors and gravity.

Testing what rolled down the ramp well and how moving the ramp up or down changed how the objects moved

Day 2: God loves us! We explored our five senses.

Heart shaped snack reminded the kiddos of God's love for them

Exploring the sense of sight through our binoculars

All the (super cute!) preschoolers made self-portraits

Day 3: Jesus is a superhero! We explored water (like the water Jesus calmed during the storm).

Dax's new friend Orion (they spent extra time together when his mom and I planned the lessons!)

Which items sink and which float?

Day 4: Jesus died and rose from the dead and we have joy! Our science was planting flowers to represent that transformation.

Snack represented the cross where Jesus died

The preschoolers were presented with their very own Bibles during the VBS week! (Pastor Steve was rocking mad scientist wacky hair, but Dax did not want to participate in that)

Coloring "joy badges" to remember the awesome news that Jesus is alive!

Day 5: As a culmination of our week we explored wind and reminded each other of the most important lesson - Jesus loves us!

Testing to see if their "wind" could move various objects

Then, at church on Sunday, all of the kids from VBS shared the songs we had learned throughout the week with the congregation. It was so fun to see Dax perform and we are so proud of him!

Summer Part 3

More summer fun...

Playing with our dear friends Ryan and Annie's sweet baby Franklin:

Jumping in puddles:

Dressing like twins (Dax's new obsession - he doesn't care if he looks like Mommy, Daddy, or Addy, but it's only a good day if he matches someone!):

Zoo trip with Patrick and Abigail:

Enjoying our new Costco membership:

More Musikgarten fun:

A trip to the Richardson Nature Center with Anora and Nolan:

A fun BBQ with the Augsburg girls and families while the Koons family was in town:

Our 7th anniversary:

Zoo trip with Isaac:

Summer soccer - now Dax is a Cheetah:

Library fun and events:

Augsburg alumni night at the races at Canterbury:

And, of course, playing at home!