Vacation Bible School

I love VBS!  So many of my favorite childhood church memories include VBS.    I love the sound of children running around the church, reciting memory verses and singing songs of praise.  I mean, seriously...their excitement about Jesus is infectious!  I love VBS.

I talked with some other moms in the Bellevue MOMS Club about VBS in our area.  Several churches put on a fantastic week of Bible fun for kiddos, but few take kids as young as 3.  A lot of the moms take their kids to Western Hills Church of Christ because their program is one of a kind.  So, I signed Emmanuel up.  Thankfully a friend and I talked so that our boys could be in the same class. We enjoyed the first night so much, that we even signed Mia and Joshua up for the rest of the week.  It was an amazing program!  I am so thankful that there are so many sound Biblical programs in our area so that the kiddos can learn about Jesus and build a strong foundation for their faith.

E and his "class" rotating to another station

E and his buddy with their teacher 

E listening to the Bible Story

Cousin Joshua

Reese running off with some of the church's toys...

Reese trying to figure out why he can't feel Joshua's hand.

E petting a chicken that I secretly wished we could take home and raise :)

A huge thanks to the Children's Department at Western Hills Church of Christ!  We'll definitely be back next year!

Emmanuel's First Trip to the Dentist

Emmanuel is 3, and for about 2 1/2 years, I've been wondering when he should have his first trip to the dentist.  As it turns out, my pediatrician (and my sister-in-law) said that we should wait until he turns three. Now, three seemed like a really long time to me because he had 13 teeth when he was 12 months old.  He cut his 2 year molars at 18 months, and well, he has had a lot of teeth for a really long time.  Nevertheless, three was the general consensus...so, we waited.  

July came and E turned three!  It made sense to schedule all of us for a cleaning at the same time (and same place...more on that in a minute).  So, Team Foster loaded up in our minivan and took a trip to the dentist's office.

The boys waiting in the waiting area.

Now, I realize that most parents take their kids to a dentist that has a super cool office with TV's on the ceiling and video games in the waiting room.  I've even heard of dentist's offices that have a Chuck-E-Cheese-like feel with a place to redeem tickets for no cavities.  Cool, fun, and exciting, right?  Absolutely!  But, with Emmanuel, I decided to go another route.

Our dentist doesn't have flashy gadgets in her waiting room or TVs on her ceiling, but she does have over 25 years of experience in dentistry.  She is professional...and incredibly competent.  And, well, my dad taught her how to ride a bike.

As a matter of fact, her father was the pastor of the church that my parents worshipped at when they were a young married couple.  She has more stories about my father than I could have ever imagined.  So, you see, it's not really about the teeth...it is about the relationship.  It is about the connection.

He wasn't really feeling the dentist's instruments.

And, maybe, just maybe Emmanuel won't dread the dentist as much as I did growing up.  Maybe, just maybe, we could call it "Storytime with Dr. Jangdari."