Awana Awards Night

Last night was our last Awana meeting for the year.

Grace was very excited to get an award for finishing her Hanglider book.

She actually finished it three times!

Awana Grand Prix

The girls are participating in Awana this year. It is a big commitment since we have to make the drive down to Santa Rosa every Wednesday night for their meetings. The meetings last until 8pm so it means a late night each week as well. But, I'm glad they are enjoying it so much and are learning more and more about Jesus.

Each spring Awana hosts an annual Grand Prix. They kids get pine box derby kits and get to make cars of their own design and then come and race them. Emma Jo decided to make a Hersey Bar car and Grace modeled hers after one of Coopers lego toys.

The night could have used a lot better organization, but the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves (until the end of the night when Grace was only of only about five kids who didn't win a trophy).

Neither of the girls won any of their races. Emma Jo even tried racing backwards once thinking the weight in the front would propel her over the finish line first.

Grace's Great Week

Grace is having a great week!

On Tuesday we found out that she is Student of the Month for Mrs. Mohle's class!

She is so very excited, mostly for the free ice cream certificate that she will get at chapel next week.

We practiced verses this weekend, and last night at Awana Grace earned her first patch.

She also earned her flight wings and two jewels!

We are so proud of Grace's accomplishments.

Mommy Time

I'll admit I had some selfish motivation for signing the girls up for Awana. Sure the main reason I wanted them to participate was for them to learn more about Jesus Christ and strengthen their knowledge of Him. The secondary (selfish) reason was a little Mommy time. I figured that Jason would most likely stay home with Cooper on Awana nights since Cooper is too little to participate and he would normally be asleep before Awana even gets finished. That meant that on Wednesday nights, I could drop the girls off at 6:30 and I would be free until I needed to pick them up at 8pm.
I envisioned going to Starbucks, grabbing a table, and sitting there reading a book, knitting a scarf, writing a list, or doing anything else that I wanted. I thought about shopping in Montgomery Village and not having to listen to "Are we done yet?" or "Can I have this?". I was sure it was going to be 1.5 hours of bliss.
Then reality set in. Last week when I took the girls I realized I was nervous to leave them at Awana by themselves. I new in my head that they were fine. I knew they would have fun and be safe, but in my heart I was worried. What if Grace got scared and Mommy wasn't there to comfort her? Would they know to get Emma Jo? What if Emma Jo didn't know anyone in her group and she felt lost and alone?
I did leave them and headed out to Montgomery Village. After struggling with the number of cars going so fast on the winding roads in the pitch dark, I finally got to Montgomery Village and realized J. Jill was closing in 5 minutes. So much for that option. With the stores closing it made me realize how late it was at night (7pm!) which made me think I needed to get back to my girls. So I went to a Starbucks, got some coffee to go and headed back to Awanas. I parked where I could see all activity into and out of the gym. I turned on my light and enjoyed my coffee and book from the comfort of my car.

This week was much better. I was calm and collected as I drove the kids to Awana. Not as rushed and frantic as last week. I got them there on time and got everyone to their assigned groups. It felt great when one of the leaders greeted Grace by name, took her hand, and escorted her to their group. That reassured me that someone was looking out for her and taking care of her in my absence.
Then I headed to the nearest Starbucks. I got some coffee, secured a table and worked diligently on my Fantasy Football lineup, read my book, and started on Christmas wishlists. I did notice myself checking my watch every 5 minutes to see if it was time to go gather up my girls. Finally around 7:25 I headed back. I didn't want to be late. I reached the parking lot at 7:30. So, like last week, I parked close, turned on my light, listened to the radio as I worked on Grace's new scarf.

Awana

Last night I took the girls to their first Awana meeting. Awana is a cool club that young people can attend where they learn God's word in a fun and exciting way. Last night was the annual Family Pizza Night and B.A.R.F. night, so I got to stay and walk through the program with the Grace (Emma Jo went with her age group on her own).
There are three age groups for Awana, Cubbies (PreSchool), Sparks (K-2nd), T&T (3rd-6th). The Awana night is divided into three sections, Games, Large Group and Small Group. Games is just what you would think. Everyone in that age group meets in the Gym and plays games. The Sparks played Dodge Ball (and really enjoyed trying to get the leaders). The T&Ts played kickball (and Emma Jo's team won!).
During Large Group everyone in that age group meets in the Chapel and sings songs and learns a Bible lesson. Last nights lesson involved a colorful bracelet which can be an aid to help spread the message of Christianity. The leader explained what each of the colors represented, gave a Bible verse to support it and then passed out bracelets to each of the children.
This was also where Grace found out what B.A.R.F. night is. It stands for Bring A Real Friend. Since Katrina brought Grace, they each got $20 Awana Dollars! Next week is "Store Night" where the kids get to buy prizes with the Awana Bucks they have earned.
The last part of the evening was Small Groups. During this time the kids go over their workbooks and practice their verses and activities. Successful memorization of a verse or completion of an activity earns them Awana Bucks and jewels or patches for their vest or shirt. Emma Jo ended the night with $31 Awana Bucks because she completed two activities.
They talked about the night all the way home and then had to share each of the details with Daddy. The only concern I have is the time. My kids are pretty well trained to go to bed at 8pm and get up at 6:30am every day. Last night we didn't get to bed until 8:30 and the kids didn't fall asleep until 9. We'll see how today goes...