Playing Catch-up
Well, it has been a month since my last post. YIKES! But the Parker Pack has been so busy these past few weeks! End-of-the-school-year parties and awards ceremonies, Cub Scout Day Camp, vacation bible school, a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, kidney stones--it has been a litany of activities and complications and craziness.
Aiden finished his first grade year with straight A's and was awarded the Principal's Award. I was so proud of how well he has done this year. Being so young compared to his peers, his first year of true "school" at a big school and not a small preschool--we were worried how it would all turn out. But Aiden thrived in school this year and we are relieved to see him end the year on such a high note.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we spent a few days with Gran and Gramps on the coast at Rockport. It was a fun treat, days of swimming and playing and enjoying the sunshine.
Then school was out and it was off to a week-long Cub Scout Day Camp. Aiden had a blast, learning all about space, building rockets, shooting BB guns and learning archery, and swimming the afternoons away. Each day, he came home exhausted and filthy, all signs of a great time for a 6-year-old boy.
The following week, Aiden attended VBS at a local church. He had such a fun time on his "Big Apple Adventure" (a New York-themed curriculum) and even learned a couple of things. He told me he wished VBS could last a whole month instead of a week, so I'm guessing he liked it.
What was Aubrey doing all this time, you ask? Many of her days were spent playing with friends in the kiddie pool outside, visiting a local splash park, and riding around with Mommy while she played chauffeur.
Last week, I ended up with a kidney stone on Tuesday and had to take a middle-of-the-night ER trip (luckily I had someone who could sleep on my couch and watch my kiddos). After some pain pills and rest on Wednesday, I was feeling better. I threw a cub scout water party on Thursday, followed by a trip on Saturday to Fort Worth with another Army wife, Molly, and her 2-year-old daughter, Ireland. We had a fantastic trip, hitting the Fort Worth Zoo for the day on Saturday, spending the night at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Wayne's house that night, and then headed over to Great Wolf Lodge for Sunday through Monday. The kids were flat worn out by the time we got home--the little girls were ASKING to go to bed!!
This week, I've been trying to catch up on laundry from all of our running about, and prepping for my new position at church--I am now the Children's Ministry Director for Grace Bible Fellowship here in Killeen. This is an exciting new opportunity for me and will keep me busy and motivated over the next year while Aubrey and Aiden are in school and Brad is away. I am excited to take on the challenge, but a little nervous, since I've never led a children's ministry before, just adult ministries.
As you can see, we are a busy bunch these days. But with Brad gone, staying busy is the only way to go--a busy mind doesn't have time to worry or feel sorry for itself. The kids have had some rough moments, and there are days when I just have to laugh at the sheer absurdity of what goes on around here: the chaos, the small disasters that come with "the deployment curse" and the temper tantrums that abound from both children. But we are surviving, and more than that, we are thriving, despite the challenges of having Brad gone. I miss him terribly and am counting the days until he returns, but until then, the race is on!
Aiden finished his first grade year with straight A's and was awarded the Principal's Award. I was so proud of how well he has done this year. Being so young compared to his peers, his first year of true "school" at a big school and not a small preschool--we were worried how it would all turn out. But Aiden thrived in school this year and we are relieved to see him end the year on such a high note.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we spent a few days with Gran and Gramps on the coast at Rockport. It was a fun treat, days of swimming and playing and enjoying the sunshine.
Then school was out and it was off to a week-long Cub Scout Day Camp. Aiden had a blast, learning all about space, building rockets, shooting BB guns and learning archery, and swimming the afternoons away. Each day, he came home exhausted and filthy, all signs of a great time for a 6-year-old boy.
The following week, Aiden attended VBS at a local church. He had such a fun time on his "Big Apple Adventure" (a New York-themed curriculum) and even learned a couple of things. He told me he wished VBS could last a whole month instead of a week, so I'm guessing he liked it.
What was Aubrey doing all this time, you ask? Many of her days were spent playing with friends in the kiddie pool outside, visiting a local splash park, and riding around with Mommy while she played chauffeur.
Last week, I ended up with a kidney stone on Tuesday and had to take a middle-of-the-night ER trip (luckily I had someone who could sleep on my couch and watch my kiddos). After some pain pills and rest on Wednesday, I was feeling better. I threw a cub scout water party on Thursday, followed by a trip on Saturday to Fort Worth with another Army wife, Molly, and her 2-year-old daughter, Ireland. We had a fantastic trip, hitting the Fort Worth Zoo for the day on Saturday, spending the night at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Wayne's house that night, and then headed over to Great Wolf Lodge for Sunday through Monday. The kids were flat worn out by the time we got home--the little girls were ASKING to go to bed!!
This week, I've been trying to catch up on laundry from all of our running about, and prepping for my new position at church--I am now the Children's Ministry Director for Grace Bible Fellowship here in Killeen. This is an exciting new opportunity for me and will keep me busy and motivated over the next year while Aubrey and Aiden are in school and Brad is away. I am excited to take on the challenge, but a little nervous, since I've never led a children's ministry before, just adult ministries.
As you can see, we are a busy bunch these days. But with Brad gone, staying busy is the only way to go--a busy mind doesn't have time to worry or feel sorry for itself. The kids have had some rough moments, and there are days when I just have to laugh at the sheer absurdity of what goes on around here: the chaos, the small disasters that come with "the deployment curse" and the temper tantrums that abound from both children. But we are surviving, and more than that, we are thriving, despite the challenges of having Brad gone. I miss him terribly and am counting the days until he returns, but until then, the race is on!
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