Vacation Bible School

We just hosted Vacation Bible School at our church. I taught a class of kids. I think they were ages 5 to 10. I was never quite sure exactly what ages they were supposed to be because I had one four year old and possibly one or more past the age of ten. It didn't really matter though because my group of kids were great and I'm going to say that it was the best group in the entire Vacation Bible School even though I have no grounds to make such a claim.

VBS started on Monday. I stayed after church the Sunday before to prepare my room. Looking back now, I should have spent more time throughout the preceeding weeks preparing. Alas, this was my first time and hindsight is 20-20. We spent part of the afternoon that Sunday getting my room ready, part yelling at my two punks, then the rest of the afternoon in Martin County with the fam for father's day. We had a violent water balloon fight at Mommaw's house. I claimed to be the winner (once again, I have no basis for making this claim, I just feel like I should) and was promptly doused with a bucket of cold dirty water by a nephew that is getting altogether too big for his britches. (Yeah, we say britches. It means pants.) We were late getting home Sunday. This is important. Keep it in mind. I stayed up past eleven, watching a PBS documentary about West Virginia, helping hubby study for his Algebra final, and making Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Tartlets for VBS the next night. I ate about a dozen of them while I was making them. They're really good!

I, of course, had to work Monday, just like I have to work most days. I left work, picked up the boys, and went straight to the church to finish preparing my room. I had a helper, an Assistant BKCMom if you will. She helped finish up the room and get all of the craft stuff together. Our VBS had a safari theme. My group was the "Elephants". We rocked. Ask anyone. We told the entire assembly everyday that we rocked. It's true. We really did rock. That first night we got home between 9pm and 9:30pm. Keep this in mind.

At our vacation bible school, we were visited by a large dog named Copper. Copper has attended vacation bible school for a couple of years now. Big BK remembers him from last year. The little kids loved him. Well, most of the little kids loved him. My Big BK thinks Copper is fantastic. My Baby BK, on the other hand, thinks Copper is every bad thing that babies dream about or something. Every time Copper got near Baby BK all through the week he would scream and cry and tremble in fear. It was kind of funny up until I saw that the child was actually so scared that he was trembling uncontrollably. After that, I tried to limit his interaction with Copper. As long as the goofy dog was not within a few feet, Baby BK was okay. Any closer than that and he flew to pieces. He was like that all week.

Tuesday after work the boys and I actually ran home and picked up dad and went back to Vacation Bible School. I was home about an hour. We got back at around 9 or 9:30 pm. Keep that in mind.

Wednesday was easier. Hubby finished his summer class Tuesday so he actually stayed home all day with the boys. He browned off some ground beef for me. I ran to the store, picked up the stuff I needed to make taco salad and used his ground beef to make some taco salad for VBS. It was really good. As soon as it was completed and the boys were dressed we were right back out the door. We got home about 9 or 9:30 pm. I'm not going to say it again.

Thursday, I was so far behind on stuff at VBS I stopped at church on the way home so I could work on some stuff. Hubby met me down there. I thought he was going to help. He thought I just needed him to open the door. He fulfilled his roll, at least what he thought it was. The boys were absolutely no help whatsoever, as usual. I think they might have set me back a little farther, even. Again, home at 9 or 9:30.

Friday was our last night. I spent all of my lunch hour buying stuff to give the kids bags for being so great. At the end of the week I had 16 kids. This is a little different that the 1-2 kids I have in Sunday School. I bought them some things. I wish I could've done more but there were so many of them and so few people in my house with jobs. Again, I didn't go home, stopped at church on the way and went right to work. My class learned a cheer to help us remember the Lord's Prayer. We practiced it because we were scheduled to perform it for the assembled crowd. It wasn't a paying gig but it was our first gig. We rocked it out. We were probably not home until 11 pm Friday night. We had fun though. 

We had church Saturday night. We got up at 9 am Saturday morning, the latest I've been allowed to sleep in a long time, and went straight to Lowe's. Big BK had to buy some floor paint and some wall bricks. We did need bricks for a retaining wall hubby is building out back. I don't know what the floor paint was for but we didn't actually buy it. I bought some flowers that still haven't been planted. (I'm writing this on Monday.) We were home a while, then it was back to church. We stopped to buy some groceries on the way home so, again, we were 9:30 pm getting home.

Sunday found us at church again, after which we had to return to Martin County to be with the fam. We had a memorial service with hubby's side. We went to the cemetery. I and Big BK laid flowers on Angel BK's grave. He told his brother that he missed him. When we left he told him goodbye. I cried. We had an observance of my smarty-pants nephew's birthday on my side. Then we went to ride four-wheelers. We were past 9 pm getting home then too. I was up past 11 pm doing laundry. I hate doing laundry. Have I mentioned that before? 

So, the gist I'm getting at is, for an entire week, basically the only substantial time I've spent at home has been to sleep, and, in my opinion, I've not done nearly enough of that! I loved Vacation Bible School. I had a great group of kids. Everything went smoothly and I'll be more than happy to do it again next year. Boy, am I glad it's over this year though!

Big BK approached me during vacation bible school and said that Copper wasn't a dog. He's a man in a costume. Dog's don't wear shoes! Big BK was going to find out who it was. He worked hard at it too and had to be put into time out so that Copper's true identity couldn't be determined. Later during the week Copper barked at him. It was a very low ruff-ruff but it was all the convincing that my kid needed. He declared that Copper was in fact a dog.