Sean and Kaitlyn made German potato salad with sausage. It was super yummy!
Then Kaitlyn helped by cutting Christine's pears for her dinner
Christine and I kept busy by playing with the camera and feeding her some kind of cracker.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
And I Will Help You
Kaitlyn is in that super "helpful" independent four year old phase. Most of the time it's great. She's able to do so much for herself - fold clothes, sort toys, pour her own water (!!!) and more I'm sure that just aren't coming to mind right now. One of her favorite areas to help is in the kitchen. This is very fun when both of us are home because one parent can occupy Christine, who just wants to do everything her super cool big sister does. Sean has been looking forward to this phase since we found out we were having a baby almost 5 years ago. Here are some pictures of them cooking dinner together. She loves to help. When it's time to cook she gets her stool out of the bathroom (which is a bit of a hazard when I'm flying solo since Christine likes to climb on it with her) and is ready to cook!
Then Kaitlyn helped by cutting Christine's pears for her dinner
Christine and I kept busy by playing with the camera and feeding her some kind of cracker.
Then Kaitlyn helped by cutting Christine's pears for her dinner
Christine and I kept busy by playing with the camera and feeding her some kind of cracker.
Gadget's Garage
Friday concluded Vacation Bible School WOO HOO! The whole McCoy family was there all week. We had a great time, but were very glad to see the end on Friday - well, I think Kaitlyn would have liked another week but the rest of us were done!
The theme was GADGET's Garage which stands for God's Always Doing Great Exciting Things. The mascot was a robot which Sean did - and was awesome.Watch his amazing robot moves from day 1 here. I worked with another woman who is an elementary teacher as a preschool group leader. I'm really glad she was there - after working with teenagers for so long, I was WAY out of my element with the little ones. I also realized that Kaitlyn is far more focused than the average 4 year old boy. Christine spent the week with her favorite nursery babysitter, Mynda. But by Wednesday she was over it and wanted Mommy again. I've never left her for two days in a row let alone a whole week. It was an adjustment for both of us, but we got through it. I'm thinking of it as a dress rehearsal for August. At the end of the final day's program we were able to sneak in a family picture. Despite the great efforts of others around, Christine just couldn't take her eyes off of Gizmo - possibly because she kept hearing her Daddy's voice coming from it.
The theme was GADGET's Garage which stands for God's Always Doing Great Exciting Things. The mascot was a robot which Sean did - and was awesome.Watch his amazing robot moves from day 1 here. I worked with another woman who is an elementary teacher as a preschool group leader. I'm really glad she was there - after working with teenagers for so long, I was WAY out of my element with the little ones. I also realized that Kaitlyn is far more focused than the average 4 year old boy. Christine spent the week with her favorite nursery babysitter, Mynda. But by Wednesday she was over it and wanted Mommy again. I've never left her for two days in a row let alone a whole week. It was an adjustment for both of us, but we got through it. I'm thinking of it as a dress rehearsal for August. At the end of the final day's program we were able to sneak in a family picture. Despite the great efforts of others around, Christine just couldn't take her eyes off of Gizmo - possibly because she kept hearing her Daddy's voice coming from it.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
This and that
Things are getting pretty crazy around here. We have VBS this week - and we're all there - and we're moving in a month! YIKES! But I thought it may be a good time to take a minute and share the little quirks of my daughters with you :-)
Kaitlyn is really enjoying her imagination. She likes to tell us stories about her pretend kids (lockbock, sida and noway are the regulars, though she reportedly has 10) who make her "so frustrated because they did not listen" hmmm, I wonder where she got that idea??? It seems 4 year old ears don't work as well as 3 year old ears :-) She seems to be handling the impending move well. We've been talking about her friends back in St Louis and the new preschool she will go to next year. She's just now starting to realize that her TX friends will miss her, and she will miss them. It's going to be a hard transition, but I think she'll be fine once she sees some of her old friends again.
Christine is part monkey. Her personality is exploding, and she is just so much fun. She's learning that words have meaning, and knows cup, diaper, poo poo, more, all done and up really well. She adores Kaitlyn and follows her around, and mimics her every move. Christine isn't interested in cuddling, but likes to hug our legs and kiss our pants - especially if she has a messy mouth and Sean is wearing light colored shorts. She'll dance to anything with a beat, or anything Kaitlyn is dancing to. She also likes dogs - a lot. Currently everything with four legs says, "oof oof".
For the next month we're packing, spending as much time with our TX friends as we can, and planning for next year. Please keep us in your prayers for stamina, patience and a safe drive back home!
Kaitlyn is really enjoying her imagination. She likes to tell us stories about her pretend kids (lockbock, sida and noway are the regulars, though she reportedly has 10) who make her "so frustrated because they did not listen" hmmm, I wonder where she got that idea??? It seems 4 year old ears don't work as well as 3 year old ears :-) She seems to be handling the impending move well. We've been talking about her friends back in St Louis and the new preschool she will go to next year. She's just now starting to realize that her TX friends will miss her, and she will miss them. It's going to be a hard transition, but I think she'll be fine once she sees some of her old friends again.
Christine is part monkey. Her personality is exploding, and she is just so much fun. She's learning that words have meaning, and knows cup, diaper, poo poo, more, all done and up really well. She adores Kaitlyn and follows her around, and mimics her every move. Christine isn't interested in cuddling, but likes to hug our legs and kiss our pants - especially if she has a messy mouth and Sean is wearing light colored shorts. She'll dance to anything with a beat, or anything Kaitlyn is dancing to. She also likes dogs - a lot. Currently everything with four legs says, "oof oof".
For the next month we're packing, spending as much time with our TX friends as we can, and planning for next year. Please keep us in your prayers for stamina, patience and a safe drive back home!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
San Antonio!
A couple weeks ago we took our trip to San Antonio. We decided we wanted to take the girls to Sea World, so we asked for gift cards to the park for Christmas. It worked out great! Thanks to the grandparents we were able to take a little vacation and the girls had a blast!
Our first stop was the Alamo and River Walk. Unfortunately, the memory card in the camera lost it's little lock button, and was stuck on lock. So we had to buy a disposable camera, and the couple pictures we took are still on the unfinished roll yet to be developed. The Alamo was pretty cool! It was very interesting how this old mission looking building is smack in the middle of down town. Growing up in So Cal, we're used to seeing missions on hill tops and wide open spaces so this was a little different. After the Alamo, we figured out how to go down to the river walk. We decided it wasn't stroller friendly, and being tired and so hot we headed out for our hotel. After settling in, we headed out to find some dinner. We eventually settled on Pizza Hut and had a nice little meal then stopped by Conn's to get a new memory card. I guess the bottom line of that is we were spending time together, and that's what matters :-)
The next morning we prepared to go to Sea World! Kaitlyn was so excited to see Shamu. She'd been talking about Shamu for months!
We really had an amazing time. It was so great to get away on a real family vacation! Thank you!
Our first stop was the Alamo and River Walk. Unfortunately, the memory card in the camera lost it's little lock button, and was stuck on lock. So we had to buy a disposable camera, and the couple pictures we took are still on the unfinished roll yet to be developed. The Alamo was pretty cool! It was very interesting how this old mission looking building is smack in the middle of down town. Growing up in So Cal, we're used to seeing missions on hill tops and wide open spaces so this was a little different. After the Alamo, we figured out how to go down to the river walk. We decided it wasn't stroller friendly, and being tired and so hot we headed out for our hotel. After settling in, we headed out to find some dinner. We eventually settled on Pizza Hut and had a nice little meal then stopped by Conn's to get a new memory card. I guess the bottom line of that is we were spending time together, and that's what matters :-)
The next morning we prepared to go to Sea World! Kaitlyn was so excited to see Shamu. She'd been talking about Shamu for months!
We played some games, and Kaitlyn won a few prizes. The duck is all for you Grandpa Bob! It has a skull on it, says "Bad Duck" and she made the "crazy Grandpa Bob face" for the picture.
It wasn't very crowded, so Christine had some time to walk around
The Shamu show was definitely the highlight of the day. Christine saw the whales come out of the water and said "ooo ooo" while she pointed
Kaitlyn was in awe of the whales and was so excited to see them.
At the end of the day, we tried for a picture with the Shamu character. Christine did fine ... but wasn't so sure about it
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Being a Selfish Giver
Giving is something I've been struggling with lately. We've been showered with generosity from family and friends with our birthday season, and now that we're preparing to move I feel like we're just asking for more. I want to give back. I want to give these people something equal to what they have given me; but I can't. I don't have the resources to pour the generosity back on all of the people who have given to us. I feel like I just take and take and take and have felt very uncomfortable about it.
Today in my bible study, we discussed being selfish and generous in friendships. It wasn't anything earth shattering. It's not a foreign concept to understand that in any relationship there is give and take - one person should not be the giver all of the time. And I feel like I do what I am able to most of the time. But I never feel like I do enough.
The first passage that gnawed on me was James 3:17.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
OK, makes sense. Hmm submissive...
The next one was Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Humility ... selfish ambition ... God what are you trying to tell me? Why are these words popping off of the page?
And then it all made sense. I was trying to be a selfish giver. I wanted to give what I thought was good enough, what I thought was the right thing.... but giving is about submitting to the person's needs, practicing humility - it's not about how I feel about giving - it's what God does with my gift so that person is blessed. It's about the giftee, not the gifter. Then I realized that we give the best my house has to offer: Sean. We give Sean's time, talent and treasures to the congregation. I make sure he is taken care of at home so he can care for the members of the congregation. Something as simple as clean socks ensures he is ready. Being available for him to talk through his sermon ideas with me - and giving him my full attention to do so. Making sure the girls are tended to so that he has a quiet space and time to write. I don't complain about the time he spends at church even though I wish he didn't have to go to the meetings at night. Being prepared and willing to walk into a house that is not baby proof with a very busy Christine so that he can be in fellowship.
Today the women in my bible study (thank you Emily and Rachelle) helped me realize that the people want to give to us, and welcome us into their homes. Each time we break bread with someone we learn from them, and Sean is able to leave them with something too. It's reciprocal - not the reciprocity I expected, or planned on - but it's not about me. It's about them. As Mary Beth McNamara (Our supervising pastor's wife) told me back in August - my ministry is to my husband. If I take care of him, he can take care of them. That's a pretty awesome job God has given me, and I thank Him for that!
Today in my bible study, we discussed being selfish and generous in friendships. It wasn't anything earth shattering. It's not a foreign concept to understand that in any relationship there is give and take - one person should not be the giver all of the time. And I feel like I do what I am able to most of the time. But I never feel like I do enough.
The first passage that gnawed on me was James 3:17.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
OK, makes sense. Hmm submissive...
The next one was Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Humility ... selfish ambition ... God what are you trying to tell me? Why are these words popping off of the page?
And then it all made sense. I was trying to be a selfish giver. I wanted to give what I thought was good enough, what I thought was the right thing.... but giving is about submitting to the person's needs, practicing humility - it's not about how I feel about giving - it's what God does with my gift so that person is blessed. It's about the giftee, not the gifter. Then I realized that we give the best my house has to offer: Sean. We give Sean's time, talent and treasures to the congregation. I make sure he is taken care of at home so he can care for the members of the congregation. Something as simple as clean socks ensures he is ready. Being available for him to talk through his sermon ideas with me - and giving him my full attention to do so. Making sure the girls are tended to so that he has a quiet space and time to write. I don't complain about the time he spends at church even though I wish he didn't have to go to the meetings at night. Being prepared and willing to walk into a house that is not baby proof with a very busy Christine so that he can be in fellowship.
Today the women in my bible study (thank you Emily and Rachelle) helped me realize that the people want to give to us, and welcome us into their homes. Each time we break bread with someone we learn from them, and Sean is able to leave them with something too. It's reciprocal - not the reciprocity I expected, or planned on - but it's not about me. It's about them. As Mary Beth McNamara (Our supervising pastor's wife) told me back in August - my ministry is to my husband. If I take care of him, he can take care of them. That's a pretty awesome job God has given me, and I thank Him for that!
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