Corn VBS Week

 The weekend after the Fourth of July, the kids and I drove to Weatherford for another special summer tradition, Bible School Week in Weatherford/Corn/Cordell! This was our fifth year to attend the Evetts' VBS week and spend the week visiting with friends and family. 

These two boys graduated out of VBS and were volunteers this year. I think they had just as much fun as the kiddos though. I caught them running around the church giggling too many times that week!

These girls were excited to attend VBS together. 

The girls were excited too!

We spent a couple of days with the Evetts and Millers in Cordell. Minecraft is always the activity of choice when the boys are together, and the girls end up joining in. 

We did kick them off Minecraft one day, and they built a really cool train track. It took me back a few years when Nathan was obsessed with trains. 

I'm so thankful we got a picture of all the kids together before we left one afternoon. 

I didn't get pictures, but during the week we also visited Momoo, and Grandma and Grandpa, and of course spent lots of time with Granny and Grandaddy. The kids always build forts in their basement when we visit. 

Katherine even made a video tour of her fort. 

On the last night of VBS, the kids always perform some of the songs they've learned during the week. Then they continue to sing them all summer long, and I soak up their sweet voices singing Biblical truths. 

It's always a little sad to say goodbye to our friends at the end of the week. 

Fourth of July 2025

 Fourth of July has become one of our family's favorite traditions. For the past nine years, we've hosted a cookout/fireworks party at our house, and we look forward to it every year. 

We gathered in the afternoon for fellowship. One of the newer traditions has been the kids performing a concert of sorts each year. 

This year, Laura and Katherine recited the Preamble and were adorable!

Then the older kids who took history together recited the Declaration of Independence

The kids performed an encore of This is Amazing Grace. I'll never tire of hearing them worship the Lord together.

After the concert we all enjoyed a delicious traditional Fourth of July meal of hamburgers, hot dogs and all the sides. Yum!

After dinner we took our annual fence picture. It's amazing how much the kids grow every year. 

I hope they're all still coming back for Fourth of July parties decades from now!

Nathan 3D printed a rocket this year that he wanted to launch to kick off the fireworks for the evening. He worked so hard and troubleshooted so much to be able to execute his plan, and it was so cool to watch! I'm already looking forward to next year's model!

We spent the rest of the evening lightning things on fire and enjoying the other neighborhood fireworks. It's a little frightening how much my  kids enjoy blowing things up, ha!

We somehow ended up with a giant surplus of sparklers, so the kids had at it at the end of the night, and lit up sparkler after sparkler.

The aftermath at the end of the night!

These Fourth of July parties are sure to be core memories for my kids and their precious friends who are as dear to us as family.