Sept Misc

 Some miscellaneous events from September:

Kids' Building Workshops

Adley has continued to show interest in these monthly workshops, so she and I have been heading out to both Home Depot and Lowe's once each month. In fact, it's become such a routine, that I've been forgetting to take photos at some monthly events. Adley loves the Home Depot projects since she gets to paint her creation, and she looks forward to the Lowe's workshop since she gets a snack at the end! We only captured photos of the Home Depot project this month. Adley enjoyed making this pencil holder and now puts it to good use, storing her markers and colored pencils, at home.

Virtual Bible Study

Every 3-4 weeks, I meet with these lovely ladies online for an evening Bible study discussion. These ladies are dear friends that were part of my Bible study group for a number of years back in Montana. We are all spread across the country now (Michigan, South Dakota, Montana, Texas), but we've still been making it a priority to study a Christian book together and chat regularly. We certainly have some history together! I always look forward to my time catching up with these ladies and growing in our faith. 

This month, we threw a virtual wedding shower for our friend Becky who was getting married at the end of September. We all mailed gifts and decorations to Becky and had some celebratory cookies delivered to her. In addition to watching Becky open her gifts, we played some silly games-- writing a mad libs story, doing a scavenger hunt, playing a "How Well Do You Know the Bride?" game, and designing our own doll-sized wedding dresses out of toilet paper. Ha! What a fun evening of laughs!

Gellyball

Jaden and Cody were invited to a unique birthday party this month for their friend Walter. Walter's family paid for these boys to experience Gellyball-- a low-impact paintball-like activity. The company had the boys playing various battle games, and they absolutely loved it!

It was a beautiful weather day, so the group also enjoyed some outdoor playtime after Gellyball. These boys have some pretty great friends!

Grandma's Birthday

Jason's mom celebrated her birthday this month on a day that Cody and Jaden's soccer team played Ryan's team. How fun that she got to watch three of her grandsons play on the same day! It was a great excuse for us all to get together midweek. Jon and Chelsea's family came to watch the game as well, and we all (minus Chelsea and Selah) ate together at Chick-Fil-A after the game.

Salem Events

Jaden's 5th grade class led the first class-chapel of the school year. His teacher, Mrs. Degenhardt, wrote a great script on standing firm in the armor of God. The whole class did a wonderful job sharing God's love with the rest of the school.

Jaden had a very extensive narrator part and appeared two different times during the service. He had such a clear, easy-to-understand speaking voice. We were proud of him!

After the chapel, students who participated in the Summer Reading Program were recognized. Adley won two awards for doing the World Series challenge and the Teacher's Choice challenge. Unfortunately, I was sitting too far back to get a photo of these groups. Jaden and Cody were recognized as Gold Medal readers (reading at least 15 minutes for every day of the summer). My sister-in-law Sarah captured a photo of these readers.

Tweens Bowling

Cody and Jaden absolutely love being a part of our church's Tweens (5th & 6th grade) group. They mainly meet on Sunday mornings but also have various social and/or service events throughout the year. One Sunday afternoon after church, the group met for pizza and bowling. As you can tell, they have a very large, active group!

Jaden's Baritone

In 5th grade, students at our school have the option of choosing an elective-- handbells, band, or choir. Our boys went two different directions this year. Cody is playing handbells and really seems to enjoy it. Jaden chose to play band and has really taken a liking to his baritone. He faithfully practices 5-6 times a week and has made so much progress. Here are some videos he recorded for his grandparents after only a few weeks of playing.

Staff Social

At the end of the month, one of our pastors held a social gathering for the church & school staff. We enjoyed time to visit with other staff members and eat some yummy food. There were also fun activities for the kids-- pumpkin decorating and face painting. What a fun night! Cody also got his face painted (as Snoopy), but I missed getting a photo of him before the paint rubbed off. We all thought the face-paint artist was quite talented!