June 18, 2009 ~ The 2nd Annual Camp Photo Shoot

We're at youth camp this week.  The kids really do look forward to this all year long.  They don't, however, look forward to the night that Mom puts them in nice shirts and makes them pose for pictures!  Last year I took pictures at camp and really enjoyed them, so I thought I'd try it again.  You can click here to see last year's pictures...they've changed so much!

Seth will be 8 on Sunday and is such a sweet kid.  I know I say that all the time, but it really is true.  He absolutely loves spending time with his Daddy and with the youth group.  One thing I've really noticed this week about Seth is that he is so intense.  He feels everything so much.  He puts his whole heart into all that he does.  He's so aware of the world around him and such a realist.  We were looking over our balcony at a beautiful valley in the distance yesterday and he said, "When I see that it just makes me realize how big the world is."  Those are normal thoughts for Seth.  My prayer for Seth is that one day that enormous heart of his will be so full of love for the Savior that he can hardly contain it.  God can do a lot with a heart as big as Seth's.

Kallie is five now and turning into a little lady.  She clings to me more and more and wants to do the things that I do.  She has been "practicing" her singing this week and asking me questions like, "Mommy, did you just keep trying and trying until you could sing like that?"  She still has the mind and heart of a child, and I love that so much about her.  She loves to be loved and to love.  My prayer for Kallie is that she would dream big dreams for God...and even though those dreams may seem irrational and illogical, God would take the crazy dreams of a wonderful little girl to do great things for Him.

 

Luke is 3 and all that comes with it...all boy, high energy, and a laugh a minute.  He's a charmer and always has a sparkle in his eye.  He is persistent and smart.  He's learning so fast and watching everything that his brother and sister do and listening to everything that they say.  He learns from them yet is nothing like them...he's definitely his own person.  My prayer for Luke is that the Lord would take all of that enthusiasm and determination and use it for His kingdom in a big way!    

3rd Grade Already? Seriously??

This week was Seth's last week of 2nd grade. Here he was on the first day of school...

And here he was on the last day...

So far this was, by far, the year of greatest change for Seth. I'm going to try to remember this with my other two so that I can savor their pre-2nd grade childlikeness.

He went from being a kid who let us dress him, do his hair, and make choices for him to a kid who wants to pick out his own clothes, fix his own hair, and has opinions all his own.

He has grown up a lot this year. This is the first year of (mostly) no crying on the way to school. He may have matured a lot, but he's still the same sweet, sensitive kid on the inside. Last year on the last day of school I pulled through the car line only to find him clinging to his teacher and sobbing. He hates goodbyes. This year I pulled through the car line to find that he was all smiles! But after a few minutes at home, I walked through the living room and found him face down on the couch, crying his little eyes out. Sweet Seth.

He lost his second front tooth tonight. I'm going to do a whole 'toothless photo shoot' soon, but here's a sneak peak...

It really is true what they say...the days are long but the years are short. Seth is my most obvious and consistent reminder of this. Every time I think about how fast he's growing up, I think about a poem my mom had framed in our old house. The last line went something like this... "so I'm holding these memories as close as I can, because the next time I look I'll be seeing a man." Sappy, maybe. But oh so true.

I love you sweet Seth. You have always been mature beyond your years. I think that's why it seems like you're growing up so fast. I am so thankful for your tender heart and sweet spirit. I know God has big plans for your life. I am so blessed to be a part of it.

What does your snow cone flavor say about you?

The Cherry Daddy ~ A safe, predictable flavor. Nuff said.

The Cotton Candy Mom ~ Maybe she just wanted to match her snow cone to her shirt. Color coordination is very important, after all. Or maybe she wanted to close her eyes and pretend that she was eating real cotton candy somewhere a lot more exciting...like Disney World.

The Green Apple Son ~ Oh, this may seem like a wild and crazy flavor. It may seem far from safe and predictable, unless you choose green apple EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. when presented with flavor options.

The Blue Raspberry Daughter ~ Raspberries don't come in 'blue', do they?? Hmmm...just like Kallie...sweet but not quite in the way you'd expect. (In the end she asked Daddy to mix his cherry with hers so that it would turn purple.)

The Bubble Gum Toddler ~ When you're 3 you can only handle a few choices, and you also think the choices are actual food items and not flavors. So when Mommy says, "Luke, do you want cherry, bubble gum, or strawberry?" the answer's pretty obvious.

If only keeping up with all these personalities

were really that simple...

This is about as exciting as it gets around here...

Shane is heading to Africa with 14 students in July, and there has been a lot of fundraising going on around here. To make a really long and incredible story short, they were miraculously able to raise over $40,000 in a week in order to book the trip. On Friday night they hosted a talent show and silent auction to begin raising the last $10,000 needed for the trip. So four other ladies from church and I decided to participate! I think every act in the show was serious except for ours! We sang a silly song that was a spoof on the church staff. Here's Amy dressed as her daughter, Callie, who is the children's director.

And here's me dressed as Shane.

I know, you thought it was him at first, didn't you? Amazing resemblance, huh? Oh, and the bow? Well, I guess I should fill you in on that little story. A few months ago Shane was in the middle of a sermon, and he began to tell a story that should have started with, "I was thinking back to when I was a 16 or 17 year old boy..." BUT instead of saying boy, he said GIRL. And of course it has been quite the joke since then! So we simply kept the joke alive on Friday night at the talent show!

Here are Luke and Kallie enjoying some refreshments in the lobby after the show.

...and enjoying the leftover props with the Cuppett's.

At this point in the post you are probably feeling a bit sorry for us if this is really as exciting as it gets. But check this next picture out...

Those are two of the guys from Casting Crowns, Juan DeVevo (left) and Mark Hall (right). Shane and I actually went to high school with Juan, and they were in town playing a concert, and Juan invited us up to their suite at the baseball game! It was so fun getting to talk to Juan and hear about life in the band. His wife is also in the band...she plays violin and sings backup. Isn't that fun??!

And last but not least, here's our sweet Seth at his 2nd grade awards. He got ALL-A HONOR ROLL and EXCELLENT CITIZENSHIP! It's funny, because Shane and I didn't even know he had gotten all A's until they called his name. Seth is pretty independent with his schoolwork, and we're so thankful for that. Seth, we are SO proud of you!! Oh, and a funny story...at the awards ceremony they gave an award called "Completion of 2nd Grade" to every child, probably because there were many kids who otherwise wouldn't have received an award. Well when Seth got home he said, "Mom, do you know why I was SO nervous during my awards? Because I was afraid I wouldn't complete 2nd grade." So cute!