Children's Museum

Since Chris and I had a long weekend, we decided to make one of the days a family day. Chris and I brainstormed about ideas that the kids would like to do or places they would like to go. We came up with the Children's Museum of Richmond. We usually go to the Short Pump location, but we decided to go to the Central location for a change. When we got there it reminded us of the Boston Children's Museum that we visited last month.

This was one of Derek's favorite things. It was a wind tunnel of sorts where you inserted the mesh rag and the "wind" would suck it up and go through the various tunnels and then spit it back out. 

Derek and Daddy "fixing the car" by adding windshield wiper fluid and antifreeze. Don't worry the containers didn't actually contain liquids, just little rocks to make the kids think they were actually repairing the car.

Brooke playing doctor to the baby dolls. She did a great job checking their ears and wrapping them up in blankets.

There was a news station where kids could pretend to be news anchors. Brooke played the anchor and Derek and Daddy were the camera crew. They even had monitors with a live feed so you could see yourself. 

 

And then there was Daddy favorite spot...the bank. Since Chris works at a bank this wasn't anything new to either of them but they still had a blast. Derek's favorite spot was operating the vault and Brooke was the teller.

Farmer Brooke watered the plants, gathered eggs from the hens, drove the truck, and put the veggies in Farmer's Market stand. She was loving it! She was walking around like a crazy girl! Fisherman Derek on the other hand decided that he would rather be fishing like his Papa.

Company Picnic

We were blessed to be able to go to Chris' company picnic at King's Dominion last Sunday. It was such a nice overcast day so we didn't have to worry about it being too hot for the kids.

Derek's first ride didn't start out with smiles but by the second lap on the cars he quickly warmed up to the other rides. He quickly got the hang of things and we now have another roller coaster addict in the family.

 

 Someone only cared about the picnic food...

 and was all smiles.

What God Hath Promised

One Sunday morning my while in Society Sunday School, my friend Emily was leading the music and she introduced me to this song. Its actually a poem by Annie Johnson Flint. She had us sing this poem to the tune of Blessed Assurance, one of my favorite songs. I have the words printed in my Bible and stuck between Psalm 142 and 143 which was the passage that they talked about that Sunday morning. The words were such an encouragement to me then and they are still an encouragement to me today.

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
 

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
 

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

Written by Annie Johnson Flint

Derek-isms

Derek has begun putting sentences together and having conversations with us. Sometimes hilarious and sometimes serious. He is also keenly aware of what other people are saying or expressions they use. We have heard a few things we would rather him not repeat.

 
"Curl [Squirrel], get in my pool so I can say no" Let me elaborate here. First, Derek has befriended the squirrels that frequently visit the back deck. He thinks it is just one squirrel...his friend "Curl". Actually, its more like a herd of squirrels. I have seen all shapes and sizes, mating and baby squirrels. If you notice in the above picture there are two squirrels. To Derek, they are both "Curl". Second, we have a small inflatable pool that the kids play in. It is on its last leg and since we inflated it yesterday, almost all of the air has gone out of it. Its nothing special.

"Daddy, why you have hair on your legs?"

His current favorite expression is "O, man!". We have no idea where he picked it up but we hear it all the time.