Luke 2:7

Our Sunday School classes are working on a new Bible verse this month:

a Thanksgiving prayer

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. While everyone has different traditions, it's comforting to know that so many people are taking the time to be thankful for all that God has provided. I thought I would share a prayer today that would be easy for little ones to learn and say with you at the dinner table. 

May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, laughter, and prayers of thanks for all of our many blessings.

Ho, Ho, Ho... save the date!

I have this personal issue with posting Christmas activities before Thanksgiving... BUT... Thanksgiving is so late this year and I wanted to get this information out so you can put it on your family calendar: 

I am really, mega, super excited about this event! Helping children experience a little of the magic of Christmas warms my heart. Our pastors will be here to mingle and jingle. Prayer request cards will also be available to fill out and leave for our Prayer Chain.

Jesus loves my friends

Today I thought I'd share an easy activity for your little ones. Just print out this page, read and discuss the sentence together, then let the drawing time begin! 

a prayer for Veteran's Day

Please take a minute today to explain to your little ones how thankful we are for our Veterans. There are many Veterans in my family, and I'm very thankful for their service, as well as those who served before them and those who serve now. We are so blessed to live in a country where we are free to worship and pray as we choose.

My Bible

On Sunday, our little bitties will be working on the "vocabulary words" scroll and Bible.  Just like people long ago reading from a scroll to know how God wanted them to live, today we read our Bible so we know how God wants us to live.
We will also introduce a new song:

Psalm 86:11

The Bible verse that the remARKable friends will be working on for November is: 

Solomon Builds the Temple

This past Sunday, our Pre-School classroom listened to the story of how King Solomon built the Temple. Inspired by today's rain and most children's love of building, I thought I'd share an indoor activity today. 

The next time you and your little one are building with blocks, why not try making different church buildings. As you work, you can talk about how church buildings can be very different from one another. Share with your little one that Solomon prayed to God, and God told Solomon how to build the Temple. You could even try to build what you imagine the Temple looked like, including the two very important rooms: the "inner holy place" with an altar, and the "most holy place" which contained the ark of the covenant.

BIG & little

Throughout October, our toddlers have been learning the story of David and Goliath. Part of the lesson yesterday in our Sunday School class was a sorting game. The poster pictured Goliath on one side, and David on the other. The objective was to sort the picture cards of small things onto David's side, and pictures of very large things onto Goliath's side. 
Today I'd like to share an even more active game for playtime. You will need two tubs, baskets, boxes... some sort of container. One should be much larger than the other. You will also need some toys and stuffed animals, or pictures printed onto cardstock. Young children are pretty concrete thinkers, so if you are using printed pictures, try to print them so that naturally large items print larger on the page than naturally small items.

Ask your kiddo to sort the large items into the large tub, and the small items into the small tub. It might be easier to hold up the two items you are comparing at the same time. For example, hold up a large firetruck and a small car while asking which one is a giant like Goliath, and which toy is small like David. 
As your little one cleans up, remind him/ her that even though David was little, he knew God would help him defeat the giant Goliath.

a bag of prayers

Have you ever found something that's just so neat, you want to share it with everyone? I discovered a book called Paper Bag Prayers by Bernadette McCarver Snyder. In the book she explains how she used to put small, everyday items into a paper bag to help children learn that they can talk to God about anything, anytime. I have enjoyed reading the book so much, and it has helped me to spend some of my "idle" moments focusing on God in my daily life. It's been interesting to see the prayer path that one simple item can inspire. I am putting together a paper bag to keep in the minivan for some of those waiting times with my littles.

I think my favorite part about the concept behind Paper Bag Prayers, is that there is no age limit. It's a great exercise for anyone! I prepared these bags for our staff meeting this week, and I hope that everyone finds the challenge as wonderful as I did. 

Dear Lord - 
Thank you for everything you've given us, even the little things. We are humbled by everything you've created, and we thank you for giving us the curiosity and knowledge to create our own trinkets, toys, and devices. Please help us to use that curiosity and knowledge for good, and to help spread your word.     Amen

a Prayer Walk

So yesterday was Columbus Day, which for my darlings meant a day off from school. I brought them with me to work for about as long as two active boys can entertain themselves "quietly." Then we enjoyed a late lunch with family. After that I really needed to go grocery shopping, but walking to the park for an impromptu playtime was much more appealing. (Hmmmm... dragging them through the store while they ask for everything... OR... trying to touch the clouds with our toes by swinging as high as we can... tough decision!) 
For our walk home, we tried a Prayer Walk, and it was a wonderful experience! In addition to the bug-studying, stick-finding, and flower-picking, we stopped on the sidewalk in front of each house we passed on our street, held hands, and said a short prayer for each neighbor. We started with "repeat-after-me," and then after 2 or 3 houses, they were able to say the prayer along with me. 

Now, I didn't have any milk, so we couldn't have cereal this morning... and while I'd decided to serve toast instead, we didn't have any bread either. So... toaster pastries for breakfast, a sandwich on a burger bun for lunch... it's all ok. This ended up being a great way to add more prayer time as a family, and an excellent way for active children to pray. I encourage you to give it a try with your little ones!

Fall Family Festival

S'mores??? Count me in!!   ;)  
You KNOW you want to come... bring your friends, kids, co-workers, and neighbors too! 

God loves me

Here's a simple song we are learning in our Nursery room... you remember the tune to The Farmer in the Dell, don't you? 

To keep your child's interest as you repeat the verse, clap your hands to the beat as you sing it the first time, then dance in a circle the second time through, sing very softly the third time, etc. Have fun!!

Psalm 23:6

Wow... it's October already! And that means we will be working on a new Bible verse. 

We will be listening to several Bible stories and working on a variety of activities, all to teach the littles that God's love is with them every day.

Sweet Hour of Prayer

This Sunday's sermon and music all really helped me. I've often wondered if I'm praying the right way... using the right words... do I pray enough? ... why do I struggle to pray out loud?
And then there's that nagging question in the back of my mind...  "am I doing an ok job teaching my children how to pray." Well, now I feel better... more open, less worried, ready to "cast on Him my every care." There's always room for improvement, but after some quality family time this weekend and the message from Sunday, I think it's all ok.
During my boys' Cub Scout camping trip this weekend, I sat with my youngest son for lunch at a picnic table. He asked if we could pray together before our meal... wow. He pressed his hands together and squeezed his little eyes shut so tight. I think it's the most I've ever seen him concentrate! I have no idea what his prayer was about, but my short prayer was one of thanks for this amazing little boy. 
Because I would like to offer my boys some guidance during their prayer time, I thought we would make Prayer Calendars. 

Each child worked on their own calendar (I wrote the names for my youngest as he told them to me). I asked them to choose someone that they could pray for by name each day... yes, there are a few dogs on their lists.  :}  It was a good activity to work on together, and I know this will help them begin to understand how important prayer is.

One of our hymns on Sunday was Sweet Hour of Prayer. It's such a beautiful hymn, with powerful words. If you are not familiar with this hymn, a search online will give you oodles of choices. I found several options in iTunes and on YouTube. If you would like to see just one recording I found lovely to the ears, this link will take you to it.  Enjoy  :}

Serve with LOVE

Samuel says twice in chapter 12 of 1 Samuel that we should serve the Lord with all our hearts. I thought an activity to reinforce this concept for Pre-Schoolers would be fun. So today I have two printables for you. 
Print one "Cover Page" and as many copies of the "Inside Page" as you would like. It can certainly be printed onto regular, white printer paper... but if you would like to "bump up" the craftiness, print onto single-sided scrapbook paper. (You can often find 8-1/2 x 11" single-sided scrapbook paper sold in single sheets at your local craft store.) That way the space for your littles to color will be white, but the back of each page will be fancy!  :} 

When your child is finished, help him / her cut out the hearts. Punch a small hole through each of the little gray circles in the upper-left of each heart, stack your pages together with the cover on top, and hook your booklet together with a brad or small notebook ring. 
It would be a good idea to work on this project over several days... weeks... a month? As you know, little bitties have short attention spans.  :} 
Once finished,  this would be a nice, light-weight "time-filler" to carry in your purse. Won't the other mommies think you are clever and smart when they see you pull out your child's sweet little booklet the next time your doctor's office is running behind??? Feel free to share this activity with others!  :}

Prayer Partner

I found the neatest idea in our Pre-School Sunday School guide - giving children "Prayer Partners." I thought it would be a great idea to make into an activity and share with you today.
Arrange ahead of time with the parents of one of your child's friends for the two children to become "Prayer Partners." Then each child will make a special effort to pray for his/ her partner every day. 
I even created a simple printable activity for you! After printing the page, cut in half on the dotted line, help the children write each others' names on the solid line, color and decorate as desired, then fold in half to make two little table tents. Place your child's Prayer Partner reminder is a special place, such as on the nightstand in his/ her bedroom. 

It might be a good idea to lead your child in the prayer the first few times. A simple example would be, "God, please bless my prayer partner, (child's name), and take care of him/ her today. Amen." 

I'd love to hear how this worked for your family if you gave it a try. Feel free to leave a comment or suggestion.   :}

Listen, Listen

If you thought after reading the title of this post that I was going to give you some insightful advice about getting your children to listen to you more... ummmm, sorry???  That's still a... "work in progress" in our house. I will gladly listen to any suggestions you have!   :} 
Because our Bible verse for September is about listening, I thought it would be nice to incorporate a listening game your little ones can play with you at home. 

brother Noah

Now that it's getting cooler outside (it was pretty chilly at the bus stop this morning!), I see that the park near my house is pretty empty in the morning, with the pre-school crowd showing up on sunny afternoons. So I thought I'd share a song / activity that would be fun for morning playtime inside. 

First, find some animals - you will need two of each. Animals that make noises are easier to use for this activity. You can use stuffed animals, little plastic toy animals, and images cut from magazines and coloring books. Then, find a container or tub to use as an "ark."

Before you are ready to sing and play, hide one of each animal in your play area. As you sing each verse, hold up an animal. Challenge your pre-schooler to find the matching animal before you finish the verse. After the pair of animals has been found, place them into the "ark" together. 

If you would like to extend this activity to a real-life experience, visit the zoo one afternoon, and photograph each animal you see. If there's a male and female in the enclosure, photograph them separately. When you get home, print the pics of the animals. Print two copies of the animals that were bachelor(ette)s or find another image, from a magazine or online, so that you have two images of each animal. Then play the game the next day - E I E I O! 

1 Samuel 3:9

Each month our little remARKable friends are introduced to a new Bible verse, which we practice in our Nursery and Pre-School classrooms. Throughout the month of September, we are working on 1 Samuel 3:9. 

Feel free to print out this scripture and hang it on your fridge. This scripture has been a good reminder for me to spend more time listening and being open to opportunities.

Mail a Hug

Yesterday we celebrated Grandparents Day. After the church service, we had a cute craft project available for grandkids and grandparents... a "hug" that can be kept forever. Wouldn't this be the best mail to open??? 

I think this would be a great project to create with your little bitties, just to brighten someone's day. Be sure to include a nice note!  :}

puzzle time!

It's almost Grandparents Day (this coming Sunday), so how about a simple craft your littles can do with Grandma and Grandpa?! 

Supplies you will need: the printed puzzle, construction paper, scissors, glue stick, markers. 
Optional supplies to embellish your picture: stickers, cut-out magazine pictures, etc.

HAVE FUN!!   :}

a prayer for Labor Day

Over the years, I haven't met too many kids who don't like playing "dress up." Both of my boys still like to play it now and then... today they put on their old Halloween costumes and kept the house safe from scurvy pirates and knight-eating dragons. 
To help little bitties understand more about Labor Day (or just for fun on any day!), why not play "dress up" with make-shift costumes and pretend to be a mail carrier, firefighter, nurse, dentist, pastry chef, minister, teacher, waitress, soldier, bus driver........  
Some jobs -- especially the ones you don't have a costume for  ;)  -- would be fun to act out in a game of Charades. Make your actions easy enough for your child to guess what your job is. For example, use some play money from a board game and pretend to be a bank teller - don't forget the sucker! When your child has the hang of it, let him/ her choose a job to act out. Have fun guessing! 
Here's a short prayer to wrap up your play-time: 

Jesus is My Best Friend

Hello friends! Today I felt inspired to share a song with you. I think your little ones will enjoy it... 

Jesus Is My Best Friend  --  sung to the tune of Are You Sleeping?

Our new Sunday School year starts this Sunday. There are classes for all ages, where everyone can learn more about their best friend, Jesus. If you have questions about our Sunday School classes, please call us at 423-9711. Hope to see you there!

the little things

Do you ever hear something in a sermon that just sits on your heart for a long time? I am blessed to be part of a church with amazing pastors, who deliver even more amazing messages, time after time. 
A few weeks ago, Pastor Kathy was speaking about nurturing children to grow in their Christian faith. While I have taken to heart the whole message, one sentence in particular jumped out for me... 

Little things DO matter, because they make big things possible. 

So I've been thinking about the "little things," especially when we're talking about our little bitties. There are so many opportunities for us to share those moments of "little things" with our children. I'll let you soul search for those opportunities in your household, but I'll share with you a few recent examples from mine... 
When we dropped some change in the Firefighter's boot yesterday, I took the time to explain to my boys how a small amount of money, from lots of people, can be used to make a difference. With some nudging, my oldest was able to apply that thought to giving an offering at church.
While my youngest son and his 3-year old friend studied the cicada I almost stepped on at the park, we talked about all the neat creatures God has made. I then encouraged my son to invite another child he'd been chatting with to come over and watch this unique creature.
My youngest son helped me deliver some apples from our trees to friends who have shared treats with us recently. While we were delivering, we talked about neighbors and friends doing nice things for each other. This afternoon, I have a date with my oldest son to pick more apples for others who might need them.  I'm looking forward to our discussion while we're picking the apples!
I'm sure I've missed tons of opportunities, and I'm sure I will miss more. And yes, it would often be easier and faster to do some of these things without help from my children. But I'm determined to take that extra "little" step, to turn potential "nothings" into "little things," for my kiddos and others.

A friend loves at all times

Our Sunday School lessons for the month of August have been focused on friendship. What a great topic to continue discussing at home!
With older children we might discuss standing up for our friends, not gossiping, the issue of bullying, etc. But these concepts are difficult for younger children to understand. 
While we often remind our "littles" to share with their friends, we can do more to help them understand this amazing gift of friendship God gave us.
For example, when a friend is coming over for a play-date, you can pray with your little one that God will help all of you show friendship. Then help your child set out toys that are conducive for sharing. Be sure to offer positive praise when you catch your little one being a great friend! Before bedtime, pray together again, thanking God for gift of friends. 
For a rainy day activity, help your child create a hand-made card and mail it to a friend - just because.   :}  
Encourage your child to invite a friend to Sunday School! Friends share God's love with each other. 
Teach your little one from an early age to speak words of encouragement to their friends. Some of my proudest "Mommy Moments" have been catching my sons telling a friend "good job" or "way to go" or "you can do it!" while they were bowling, playing at the park, etc. 
I'm sure you can think of tons of other ideas and activities for little ones to show love to their friends... feel free to share your ideas in the Comment Section! 
Have a wonderful day, friends  :}

Psalm 30:4

Sing praise to the LORD, all his faithful people! Remember what the Holy One has done, and give Him thanks!   --- Psalm 30:4

What great words to share with your "littles!"
Warm up your vocal cords, because I'm sharing a song today... (you know the tune for Here We Go 'round the Mulberry Bush, right???)  Feel free to edit/ add your own verses.   :} 

Love thy neighbor...

I'll bet your littles like "helping" you in the kitchen as much as mine do. While it might take three times as long to finish, it's a great family activity. Why not make the most of it, and share some love with your neighbors at the same time???
Grab your favorite cookie recipe (or favorite tube of dough!) and bake a batch or two. While you are waiting for the cookies to cool, read Mark 12:30-31 together. After you wrap them up on a plate, tie on a fancy ribbon. I made a pretty little tag for you, that you can print, cut out, and tie with your ribbon. 

When you get back from delivering the goodies, brainstorm other ways we can show Christian love to our neighbors. Have fun!

Jesus in the bathtub

Ok, so maybe the title of this post is trying to catch your attention, but Jesus is always with us, right?  ;)

As parents are well aware, the days often feel too short to fit everything in. Why not share some scripture while your little one takes a bath? The story of Jesus and the fishermen can be found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I chose Luke 5:1-11 as it is a bit more detailed and perhaps easier for a preschooler to understand. 
Kids love activities that corespond to scripture, so grab a sheet of craft foam and a toy butterfly net. Cut fish out of the craft foam, and your child can use the net to scoop up the fish in the bathtub. How nice it is to know that Jesus wanted fishermen to be His helpers. We can learn to be Jesus' helpers, too. 
As you snuggle your little one into his/ her bed, show how we can use our hands to make a fish...

 ...as a reminder that God is always with us, and we should use our hands to help others.

Psalms 18:49

You know the tune for Mary Had a Little Lamb, don't you? Great!! You're ready to praise God today with your pre-schooler!

I just LOVE the Sunday School curriculum that our church uses. It's very engaging and really speaks to the children on their level. My boys usually talk about their Sunday School lesson all week! 

Did you know that Grow, Proclaim, Serve has a website with tons of useful information for parents? For example, a recent article - The Running of the Boys - really spoke to me... on my level!
It's a great article, and I think you'll find some good ideas in there. I'd like to offer up a few of my thoughts after reading it... 
The spare set of clothes... I wouldn't stop at just packing them for each "young" child. Children spill, get sweaty, and fall down. We could also say that some older children do not handle dental impressions very well, and extra clothes would be super helpful. A spare set for each child is just a good idea. 
Baby wipes are your best friend... even when they aren't babies anymore.
We do have a small stash of "special toys," and I didn't go out to purchase them. You know all those delightful toys that come with the kid-meals when you have to hit the drive-thru? After my boys have their three seconds of fun with the chunk of plastic they "needed," I throw them into an old, spare diaper bag. The bag stays in the van until it is needed for a long car ride, T-Ball game, etc. If something gets left behind... oh, well.
If I loaded everything on the Be Prepared list into the minivan, I might not have room for the kids! An old towel can not only perform it's usual job, but can also stand in for a blanket, pillow, and picnic blanket if needed. And if I stopped to pack a cooler each time we headed out, we would never make it anywhere. For longer trips, a small water bottle is sufficient... most places have drinking fountains if you are just running errands. For my traveling snacks, I've found that the squeezie-fruit-pouch-thingies (next to the fruit cups in the grocery store) are awesome. They aren't messy (unless your kids "get creative") and they don't make the kiddos thirsty. Plus, they don't turn into a crumbly mess at the bottom of your purse.
Something I keep in my minivan at all times: a giant Cooler Bag. It folds flat and stays out of the way, and keeps groceries cold for a long time. I've used it so many times (in fact, it needs to be replaced right now)! Why? Stopping for a few more errands I forgot about, or pulling over and watching some neat construction equipment, or the kiddos have been super fabulous all day and I wanted to stop at the park we were driving past.

One last comment... Grow, Proclaim, Serve also has a free App. It's very handy to have the videos, music, and scripture from the recent Sunday School lessons while we're "on the go."
If you have any super "on the go" tips for parents, please feel free to leave a comment. God be with you!  :}

a prayer for snack time

I'll admit it... there are times (more than I'd like to count) when our family does not pray before meals. I don't think I'm alone on this one (feel free to leave some love and encouragement in the comment section!), because the day kinda goes like this...
Breakfast: "What do you want for breakfast? No, you can't have cake. Pick something! Eat. Please eat. Eat your breakfast! What spilled over here?!"  And on school days... "Hurry up - the bus is coming in 5 minutes!! Well, where were you when you took your shoes off yesterday?"
Lunch: "Yes, we're having bologna sandwiches again. Stop complaining. Eat your lunch. I'll give you the cake if you eat your sandwich. Where's your brother? Eat!" 
Dinner: "It will be ready soon. I'm cooking it now! Yes, I'm making vegetables for you, too. Stop complaining. Wash your hands, please. Don't touch that!... get some paper towel and clean it up. Wash your hands again. Who left the door open?! It's ok... we'll just scrape off the burned part. Stop complaining - there are hungry people all over the world who would be happy to eat this food!" 

Whew... I'm exhausted just from typing that! Does any of that sound familiar? And while a prayer before each meal is the intention, it just doesn't always happen. But Snack Time is oddly different. There's usually no stress when one of my kiddos asks for an afternoon snack. There's nothing to prepare... usually it's just rinsing some fruit and finding a little bowl. The kids aren't in a rush, and neither am I. Occasionally, the kids want their afternoon snack at slightly different times, which means some quiet one-on-one time for a few moments. 
I found this simple prayer that little ones can sing, and I thought that right before snack time would be a good time of day for it. 

Have children fold their hands and sing this prayer to the tune of Farmer in the Dell. Now you have a simple prayer for snack time that's easy enough for children of all ages.

God's wonderful creations

Last week I was on vacation in Salt Lake City. FYI, it's a loooooong drive there and back. The neat thing about driving across the country though, is seeing how the landscape changes along the way. As I traveled the gently rolling hills in Iowa, past the flat and open farms of Nebraska, through the rocky hills and sage-brush in Wyoming, then into the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah, I enjoyed the beauty of the land and the variety of plants and animals that God created.

It made me think about a fun activity for pre-schoolers to help reinforce the teachings in Genesis, chapter 1. Grab some old magazines, and help your young child(ren) search for pictures of God's creations. Depending on the age and ability of your child(ren), you might have to assist with the cutting. Find a variety of plants, animals, people, and landforms. Then glue these pictures onto paper or lunch sacks to create a scrapbook (bound together with ribbon or rings along an edge) or a paper-bag scrapbook. Older children can help sort the pictures into groups (land animals, water animals, plants, etc.). 
This is a fun activity that can be worked on for several days. It might be easier to keep all of your supplies for this project in a tub, and then grab the tub on rainy days or when a quiet activity is needed. 
After all of the pages are finished, create a Title Page for your book (perhaps Thank You God For... ) and bind it together. As you "read" through the scrapbook, lead your child(ren) in thanking God for his creations. Have fun!! After your scrapbook is finished, I'd love to hear how it went!  :} 

Luke 10:25-37

We are learning so much this week at Vacation Bible School! One of the stories we read and discussed was about the Good Samaritan. Here are some ideas for reviewing this bible story at home...
While reading the bible together, pause to ask your child questions. Young children can sympathize with how the hurt man is feeling. Pause after reading about each character who saw the hurt man and ask, "Does Jesus want us to be like that person?" Let your child(ren) practice the positive behavior of the good Samaritan by bandaging a teddy bear or doll. Then, help your child(ren) draw pictures of ways to be a good Samaritan at home by doing kind, helpful things. 

the "family" song

Since our Toddlers & Twos who stay for Sunday School will be learning about families this month, I thought it would be nice to share an activity for some family fun at home. 
Singing is already fun for toddlers, and it gets even better when you add clapping or dancing. The next time you need a wiggle-break, try this song (sung to the tune of Skip to My Lou):

I love my Mommy,

Yes, I do!

I love my Mommy,

Yes, I do!

I love my Mommy,

Yes, I do!

Thank You, dear God, for my Mommy.

**repeat verses, substituting Daddy, Abuela, Opa, Sissy, etc.

When you're finished singing, you can snuggle together for a simple prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the wonderful, loving family you created for me. Amen.

there's still time to sign up!

welcome July!

It's hard to believe that July is here already! Are you wondering what the remARKable friends are up to this month???

Our Toddlers & Twos who stay for Sunday School will be learning about loving their families.

We will be reading the book of Ruth and talking about all of the wonderful families God made for us.


Kiddos between the ages of 3 and 10 will be learning about how God gives us courage. During Sunday School on July 7th, the children will be exploring the book of Esther.

And don't forget... play-time at the park!! 

Psalm 100:3

Toddlers and pre-schoolers have short attention spans, don't they? Just look at the trail of toys they leave in their wake every day! So how do you capture those teachable moments to teach him/ her about the Bible?
Well, I'm no "expert," but I've worked with little bitties for a long time (and well, sometimes my attention span is about as long as theirs!). I've often found that making learning fun, and including movement and/ or music is quite effective. 
Here's something to try on the next rainy day: 

Find a quiet spot and read Psalm 100:3 
"Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture."

Then, grab some chairs, couch cushions, whatever you have handy and build a "fence" in your living room. Create a gate by leaving an open space or designating one of the cushions as a gate. Everyone gets on their knees and pretends to be sheep. Repeat the scripture, and the sheep move out of the fence to graze and play. After a few minutes, the sheep should return to their fence for a rest. Then, repeat the scripture again, move out of the fenced area... You get the idea! Play for as long as it holds your child's interest.

I'd love to hear from you after you try this at home - feel free to leave a comment or catch me at church and let me know what your kiddos thought!

***And speaking of play-time, be sure you have Wednesday nights at 6pm saved for remARKable friends park play-dates! Our next play-date is July 3rd at Fletcher Park in Mt. Zion. See you there!!  :}

playtime!

Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy some fellowship in an uber-casual atmosphere perfect for the little bitties???

It's playtime!! Calling all kiddos 5 and under... get your family together, invite your friends, and bring the neighbors! I'll bring the snacks, you bring the picnic blanket. See you there!!!   :}

back to the beginning

Yup, that's me (a few years ago), right where it all began. My parents found their church family at First United Methodist Church in Decatur IL during their college years, and have been members ever since. I can honestly say I was raised in this church family. I wouldn't even know where to begin to count the hours I spent at church... two services and Sunday school almost every Sunday, choir practice, youth group, pageant rehearsals, waiting for my Mom while she practiced the organ... you get the idea.  :} 
I was baptized, confirmed (where on earth did those pictures end up?), and married right there, in that very same spot.

See, here I am with my great guy, and just as cute as the first picture, right??? Even though we lived in Wisconsin at the time, I had to get married "at home."
Want to know what else is really cool? Our two boys were baptized in this same spot, too! I feel so blessed that through the twists and turns of God's plan for our lives, we have ended up back in the Decatur area, and I am with my family again... all of them.  :}
But it gets even better! I am now an official member of the church staff... Coordinator of Early Childhood Ministries. I have a very fulfilling job working with the ministry we provide for the littlest members of our church family. I mean, seriously... does it get any better than helping families who want their children to know God's grace from the beginning of their lives??? I'm a lucky girl.  ;) 

Ok, enough about me! I'll bet you'd like to know more about what's going on with all of our remARKable friends...

Food and fellowship - that's the good stuff! I can't wait to meet more of my family and have a great conversation. See you Sunday!