VBS, Chuck E. Cheese and More Miscellany.

This week, the girls went to Vacation Bible School at a local Catholic parish. 

In the car on the first day:

I tell ya what. Walking these two girls into the church twice a day for drop off and pick up while also carrying a baby in a car seat and lugging Harris along, who was usually crying because he didn't want me to hold the baby, only HIM, was a real treat. More than once, Harris stopped and dropped in the middle of the parking lot to bawl his eyes out and throw a fit.

But it was a really good week and a really good program. My girls told me several times over the course of the week, "Mom! When life is scary, God is good!" or "When life changes, God is good!"

They learned songs, they ate snacks, and they made friends.

And I had mornings just with my boys, which was wonderful. 

I expected to run a lot of errands and get a lot of things done. It's like I thought I was taking two goldfish around instead of a crazy toddler and hungry baby. Two pitbulls would have been easier. But I still did enjoy time with the boys.

I took them grocery shopping.

This is the moment when Harris decided that this dark square was sacred and refused to move from it for a very long time.

And then we hung with all of the cool kids at the seafood counter.

As per usual with a shopping experience, I kept running into the same people over and over. Some of them laughed at my constant predicaments with Stubborn Harris, one man told me I had "better learn how to control him" (Haha joke is on YOU, sir!), and one wonderful. older couple from Ireland kept telling me how wonderful they thought Harris is. Which was nice. And which I needed to hear. Because I wanted to be finished with shopping and couldn't.

I think we needed to pick up a total of 4 items, and it took 68 minutes. I started to wonder if I would ever see Dan again and if I did get to, would we even recognize each other anymore? Would Harris be 18 years old and still wearing his same size 6 toddler diaper?

But alas, we finally finished and Harris got his hair cut.

And later that night, I got this pic of the boys. I mean, that is SO cute and almost makes me forget the horrendous shopping trip from earlier. But no, I cannot forget. It was seared into my memory with the anguish of a thousand DMV visits.

The last day of VBS was also Gwen's birthday. Gwen's birthday comes at the end of birthday season for me--June in March, Harris in April, Dan in May, Beck now in June, and Gwen in July. Throw in a few other special occasions and holidays--our anniversary, Father's Day, Mother's Day, end of school stuff, and a new baby--and I feel pretty much done with big celebrations. BUT, we promise our kids a real party for their fifth birthday. So this is Gwen's year. PLUS, she reminded me early on in the week that she expected her candy bar poster AND her named spelled out in pancakes. I'm actually glad she said something because my fried brain would have forgotten.

A little excited, you might say.

Gwen is my early riser, and despite my telling her the night before to stay in bed until we could bring breakfast to her the next day, she got up somewhere in the 5:00 hour and informed that she was ready for her pancakes and to please step on it.

I only succeeded in making the "G" this year, and I supplemented it with a heart-shaped pancake, which was found acceptable. "W" is a really hard letter for me to make in pancake batter.

She loved the candy bar poster and and opened several gifts from Grandma Sandy. Our gift is the party, though Dan has also promised her a trip to Walmart to get a new bike.

After those birthday festivities wrapped up, we headed to VBS. Not RIGHT after, mind you, because that would have only been 6:30 a.m. Thanks, Gwen, for that lovely wake-up call.

There was a program the last day of VBS for the parents to watch their kids perform the songs they had learned that week. Dan was working from home that day, so I put both boys down for naps and went to the program ALONE. Glor. I. Ous.

At the start of the program, they had technical difficulties. My friend Chrissy whispered to me that this happens every year and soon someone would make an announcement that they were changing the order of the program while they fixed the slideshow.

Sure enough, one minute later, an announcement was made that they were changing the order of the program while they fixed the slideshow.

Gwen's class was one of the first. My Gwen, who likes nothing better than attention, who stole the show at her dance recital last year, FREAKED out and cried and ran into the arms of her camp counselor.

Crying and about to freak out and run off.

Afterward, I asked her what happened, and she said, "I just didn't want to do the show today!!!"

June had a good time during her song.

Yes, I had them wear matching dresses. Yes, I'm the worst. No, I don't plan to change.

The next day was the party at Chuck E. Cheese. I kinda hate Chuck E. Cheese. It's gross and crowded and has creepy animatronics. Harris was terrified.

But I will say this--while my feet did stick to the gross floor and the animatronics kept blinking all of the time ("I don't want them to look at me" said June), Chuck E. Cheese was a breeze (rhyme!) because they took care of absolutely everything, and the kids had a marvelous time.

Here is Gwen blowing out the candles on her cake. I took her to Wegmans the night before to choose a cake, and then casually steered her away from all of her preferred choices until she settled on what I wanted--a cookie cake. And she did not regret it. Cookies cakes are the best kind of cake.

I know this is blurry, but this was the look on her face after she blew out the big "5" candle. So excited!!

After playing 6 trillion games and winning 60 katrillion tickets, all my kids pooled their tickets together and were able to get one very lame blow up guitar.

I need to make a t-shirt that says "I went to Chuck E. Cheese and all I got was this lame piece of candy" because that pretty much sums up how I feel about the prize options there.

But again, I make fun of it but kinda became converted to the Chuck E. Cheese birthday party because of its general ease.

Gwen has been mourning the loss of her birthday since the second the party ended. 

It was a good week. Lots of fun! Today we are all kinda crashing.

And some miscellany:

Wearing some of her presents--

Playing with the new tea set:

The three older kids have decided to start all sleeping in Harris' bed every night. It has mostly been good. Gwen snuck out one night because June and Harris were being too loud. Those partiers.

June was unable to figure out her pajama shirt one night. That's a sleeve hole.

And before church today:

June with a magnifying glass, Gwen with a pig snout, and me with a baby. Of course Harris refused to be in the picture.

He also refused to get in the car. I took this picture from inside of the van. Harris wanted to be picked up, Dan said no and that he could come down the stairs by himself, Harris said no, we all climbed into the van and waited. He was calling our bluff! He knew we weren't going anywhere without him. 

Sigh. I feel like 2 year olds have more power than they should.

The End.