I started this blog about a month ago when we had a big meeting to discuss the upcoming VBX at our church. Lehr and I have volunteered at this for the last three years, but until now, the kids have 'just' been in childcare (or a Sunday school-type class) during the event. But THIS year, Eli is a rising Kindergartner, so he gets to participate in the real deal. Gulp. Not sure I'm ready for all of these big things! It was hard to sit through the meeting. When they presented the material to be covered, the interactive games to be played, and the songs to be sung, I was totally choked up. First of all, the team that worked so hard to put this program together (all from our church), did an amazing job. Amazing. Secondly, Eli would be soaking all of it in. He is that spongy type of kid that picks up on random billboards on the highway, and whispered words in songs, and other 'nothing' things that go over most people's heads. So when I saw how cool the study and presentation was, I knew that Eli would take every bit of it home with him. Oh so cool.Now we find ourselves halfway through the week of VBX and it has lived up to every bit of expectation I had. The kids are getting such a great experience, and Eli is loving every minute of it. He is in a small group with about seven other small kids, two of which he knows really well. They meet up with all of the other VBX-ers (of all ages) in the auditorium for a 'rally' after dinner each night. This includes leader-games, music, skits, and lots of loud cheering. This is my biggest tear-up time. Seeing that huge room of excitement and life, and seeing my little man, my baby, in there.....no words do it justice.
If you know Eli you know that he loves his music, but it is rare to see him let loose at church, or in other crowded, "big" arenas. Even though he knows the songs by heart, when Lehr plays on stage, Eli usually stands close to me and just watches instead of air drumming or dancing. But when they started playing the songs this week, the older kids had arm and hand movements that corresponded. Eli watched intently and started mimicking them right away. Wide-eyed, my little man put his hands up when they did, he spun around when they did, and he raised a fist and shouted "HEY! HEY!!" during one of the liveliest tunes. And he did all of it without any of his neighboring friends joining him. (Another HUGE plus for me since we've noticed a 'follower' trend with Eli in the past.)
The outdoor games allows for much fun for Eli. Even more so because they are all new to him. Sac races, tug-o-war, large puzzles, and team-board racing are opening his eyes to a whole new 'sport' that he doesn't even know is coming his way in the way of PE soon. So so cool.
And don't count Mad Dog out. She is in the pre-school room the whole time, but they are doing SUCH a great program as well. They have a lesson, they go to the rally, they play games. And she knows the verse and hand-motions even better than Eli. That girl is a sharp one as well, and I'm so glad she is getting to experience such creative and caring minds, even when she's *only* in childcare for such an event.
I can't possibly include all of the shots I've taken of the kids this week, but here is the link to the main library I created (which includes plenty of the kids).
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