HCS Field Day

Every year during the last week of school, Heritage puts on a Field day for their students in grades K-3. It's a day where the kids get split up into teams of about 10-12 kids each, and they with their 2 team leaders, go from station to station participating in different sporting events. It's meant to promote christian fellowship and sportsmanship, and have fun at the same time. There was an obstacle course, long jump, javelin throw, sack race, bean bag toss, scooter race, ball toss, tug of war and a few more that I don't remember. It is a sort of competition, and at the end of the day ribbons get handed out for the 1st through 3rd place teams, and there is also an award for the team that exhibited the best sportsmanship. I was able to go and watch Bradyn and his team, yesterday, and here are a few pictures of the fun!

Bradyn's team getting ready for the long jump

Bradyn jumping

The Bean bag toss

Bradyn participating in part of the obstacle course

The ball toss

Bradyn and his team during the tug of war....they won!

S-S-S-SNAKE!!!!

Bradyn found this -not so little- creature crawling around the base of our barn today....ugh.....

I'm fairly certain it's just a (BIG!) garter snake, as I did a picture comparison on google and it looked the same. It's probably about a foot and a half long and and inch and a half around though...YUCK!!

Lately.....

.....after a trip to the pediatrician on Saturday, and again today, a couple of us have been taking a lot of this.....

can you guess why?

...apparently there is a mini epidemic of some sort going through school, we happen to have caught wind of it....bummer!

Not to worry though, both are on the mend and one is feeling better, while the other will hopefully be feeling better by tomorrow.

...At least it's the yummy kind, right?? ;)

It's In the Valleys I Grow...

I came across a poem on one of the blogs that I follow, and thought it was a good reminder for all of us, especially those going through a valley right now...

It's in the Valleys I Grow

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It’s then I have to remember
That it’s in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God’s love
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it’s in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan’s loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I’m feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it’s in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me,
Lord And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.

Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it’s in the valleys I grow!


written by Jane Eggleston of Virginia.

Green Beans and Apples.....

....are what Calvin had for dinner tonight. While the rest of us were enjoying our French Dip Sandwiches and such, Calvin took one bite of the peanut butter sandwich I made for him, and went for the green beans and apples instead. These are two of his FAVORITE foods! In fact a few days ago, he turned down his hot dog and wanted green beans instead!! What can I say? I'm TICKLED that one of MY children actually likes fruits and vegetables BETTER than carbs!! This is a new one for us, and I think we like it!!

So happy with his green beans!!

Austin's PreSchool Program

We officially have a Kindergartener in the house again! Yesterday was the last day of school for Austin and I can't believe how fast it went! He is excited to be done, but wishes we could skip summer and go right to Kindergarten where he can "go to school ALL day and even eat his lunch there!!" The only way I could convince him to want summer, is to tell him that we couldn't go camping if there was no summer. Anyway, every year, at the end of preschool, Miss Westing (his teacher) and her helper, put a lot of work into a cute little program for parents and relatives of the preschoolers. It lasts about a half hour and in it the kids sing some songs they have learned, play their instruments from rythmn band, and recite some of the verses they learned throughout the year. The kids sing their little hearts out! It's a very nice program, and so neat to see how far they've come in 9 months since they began. I took a few pictures of the kids singing, the little girl next to him is his friend Ashlyn, he talks about her all the time, we think maybe he has a little crush on her...it's too cute!

Kindergarten Round up!

Today was the day that Austin had been waiting for, for quite some time now. He got to go to Kindergarten Round up!! In his eyes this is just another step closer to the day when he gets to walk through the doors at Heritage and go to Kindergarten for the first time. He is so very excited, he can hardly wait, and is terribly disappointed that he has to wait the WHOLE summer before he gets to go. Mom, on the other hand, wishes the summer was even longer than it is.....but I digress..... :)

Round up is an hour and forty five minutes where the new kindergarteners get to meet the two kindergarten teachers, Miss Joyce Holstege and Mrs. Brenda Pastoor and also the teachers aide, Mrs. Wilma Overway. They get a place at the table with a name tag they can wear around their neck, and a little snack to start them off. One of the teachers explains the packet that is by mom's place and then after what seems like a VERY long time (according to Austin) the kids all get to go sit on the mat and the other teacher reads them a story, and they sing a few songs together. They get to watch a slide show, called "The ABC's of Kindergarten", and then they go back to their seats by the table and have some cake and a drink. Then all the moms get pictures of their soon to be Kindergarteners with cousins and friends by the round up sign, and then we are finished.

Austin had a ton of fun, like he does with almost everything, and is even MORE excited(if that's even possible)to attend Kindergarten in about 4 short months.

Mom and Austin.

Austin and his cousin Laura.

Austin and his cousin Tyler.

All of the new Kindergarteners listening to a story.