Birthdays, stuck, VBS

While life moved rapidly on, the twins had a birthday last Saturday. None of us were able to attend the party, but Andrew’s mom and brother did come down from New Jersey. To make up for missing the date, Victoria is going up to visit this Saturday. Mama was thinking of going with her, but I believe that is on hold because I will be traveling Monday through Wednesday next week and Mama did not want to miss the weekend and half of next week together. She and I will get up to Brittany and the girls at some later date.

The party for the girls was a fruit themed party. The focus on pineapple but the cookies made for the occasion varied to represent a lot of different types of fruit. It was very cute. It is just a little hard to imagine that Zoe and Sophia are two years old. So much happened in that two-year span and the months leading up to their birth that the normal progression of days, weeks, months and years got overshadowed. Yet, here we are, and they are two years old. If this keeps up – and it will – we will be sending them off to college before we know what happened. It just makes me realize how far behind I am in my prayers for my grandchildren.

Brittany sent a cute video of Sophia “trapped” underneath a toy stroller. For whatever reason, she had crawled under the stroller and could not figure out how to complete the circuit. There was absolutely no danger. She could have easily raised herself up and shed the toy off her back, but she did not see that option. Brittany would have to tell me if the cry we are hearing was of anger or real fear, but she definitely made her plight known to mommy, who was able to rescue her as well as share the moment with all of us.

Last night was our second night of VBS. It seems to be going well. Bro Zach has organized the event and is doing the preaching as well. The theme is a missionary theme covering the life of Jim Elliot and his companions who were killed as they tried to make contact with the Huaorini People in Ecuador. He and four others were killed the year I was born, but the story of that event and the eventual evangelization of the Huaorini people by two of the wives of the slain missionaries is a wonderful story of faith in practice. His most famous quote is, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” A couple of guys in our church built a model of a plane to help recount to the children attending our VBS the method used by Jim Elliot and his group to make contact with the remote tribe. I will have to get a picture of the “plane” tonight. I did not think of it last night while Mama and I were there because Mama did not plan to stay if there was sufficient help.

Since there was more than enough help, Mama and I dropped off the girls and spent the time at several stops shopping for items we needed to further prepare for the chicks as well as other needs around the farm and home. Tractor Supply, Lowe’s and Walmart were on the agenda and we managed to get to all three before time expired to retrieve the girls and get them home. I got in trouble with Mama right after we got to VBS because even though I had given the girls two dollars to buy rolls of pennies for the offering – which is a very big deal – I gave one of the boys five dollars to buy a brick to put in the offering. The offering is collected in two large tubs hung on a beam to serve as a balance. The heavier side wins the offering. Of course, bricks weigh more than rolls of pennies. Tonight, I will have to give the girls money to buy bricks.

Otherwise, Mama will really be upset with me.