5th Grade Turkey Bowl 2010

Our monthly Friday Night Live for 5th Graders was so much fun! We not only bowled with a "baby turkey" but we also had a great time decorating and eating yummy cupcakes (thanks KC) but the kids worked hard making 2 special fleece blankets to give to "His Nesting Place" a home for unwed mothers that our church supports. It was fun seeing the kids work hard on the blankets (yes, even the boys) and also so great to see them so welcoming and friendly to the new students who had not been there before. Way to go 5th Graders!

Passing on some Memories at Kid U

I had a great childhood! I grew up constantly learning new crafts... macrame, knitting, crocheting, sewing, bead making, potholder-loom-thingy, ceramics, leather making, etc. My mom was awesome (and still is). She basically taught CRAFTS for a living... how cool is that! I can still picture in my mind her big giant silkscreening machine, and her giant LOOM where she was weaving a rug or something, and let us give it a try. Even now, she has a KILN in her garage and still comes to church to teach crafts to our kids on Wednesday nights as often as possible. Right now, I'm teaching a jewelry making class at Kid U on Wednesday nights, and my girls are making their own beads out of the long paper triangles. Remember those? I'm feeling quite "retro" because I remember my mom teaching me how to make those when I was younger. The girls were very excited that you could make your own beads out of paper and glue! It will take us a few weeks to make the beads before we string them onto some cool bracelets or necklaces! It's fun (and a privilege) to pass along what we've learned to others! I love my girls and I sure love my job!

Another super fun day in KidStuf at 1BL! Rae Ann and Megan leading in worship and helping our kids rock out!
"Vinny," "JJ" "Jenny" and "Tyler" channeling the A-Team cast and teaching our kids about Respect! KIDS! Don't stay home on Sunday mornings.... come and hang out with us at KidStuf at 1BL and get your week off to the best start possible!

Friday Night Live at the Mall

For our once a month "Friday Night Live" activity with our 5th Graders, we headed out to Lakewood Mall with a bunch of energetic kids, parents, and leaders for a "Scavenger Hunt." Each team of 4-5 kids was given a list of 35 items to find around the mall (mostly free stuff like a napkin, a straw, a namebag, a store display, etc.) within a specific amount of time. They were also given $5.00 to purchase the largest item they could find to bring back to the judging area. It was a blast!!!





The blue "Snuggie" was the winning item... they found it for only $2.50 at Target.... cool huh!?

Arbor Road 500 and BBQ Fun!

I love Pinewood Derby Day at our church! Moms & Dads, grandparents & kids all having fun together, eating great food, and cheering for their favorite race car. Kids are so proud to walk up to me and turn in their car that they (and their dad?) have worked so hard on. My job is the best job of the day. I sit at the "impound" table and weigh in their cars when they are turned in.



Here's our Master Chef Gary Wahlstrom, who always does a great job cooking a great meal for us!



Here are the DAHL KIDS (???) making some last minute adjustments to their car.





Congratulations to everyone who participated! Great job on those cars. They were awesome! And congrats to our winners especially!

Preschool / Kindergarten Division
1st Place Best Design: Dylan Medley
1st Place Fastest Car: Adelina Ordanes

1st & 2nd grade Division:
1st Place Best Design: Alexander Hamilton
1st Place Fastest Car: Alexander Hamilton

3rd - 5th Grade Division:
1st Place Best Design: Lilly Bullard
1st Place Fastest Car: Bryce Love

Youth & Adult Division:
1st Place Best Design: Ian Book
1st Place Fastest Car: Ian Book

5th Graders are Ready to MOVE UP!

At this time of year, our 5th Graders are anxious to promote up to Middle School, both at school and at church. We love our 5th graders, and I've known MANY of them since they were babies, so it's always bittersweet to see them graduate. Fortunately, I still get to see them around church, and many of them continue serving in Children's Ministries as helpers. I am proud of the loving, kind, servants they've become. Especially this group. We took a few of them to a concert a few weeks ago. For some of them, it was there first "concert" experience. We saw "Mercy Me," "The David Crowder Band," and a few more. It was at the Long Beach Arena, (I was glad it was close to home) and we had a great time.

Look at These Sweet Kids!

Look at our sweet 1st & 2nd graders working hard learning their memory verses in Sunday School! Every week they review and say all this past year's verses to their teachers to earn "Disciple Dollars!" Our teachers and our kids are so amazing!