Vacation Bible School

Knox was definitely not sure about the pony rides at the kick-off!

Poor Mommy had to get a pie in her face on Friday evening at the closing ceremony! Our kids raised about $800 for Operation Christmas child, but unfortunately, most of this money was raised by the boys. In keeping with tradition, the girls of the ministry had to get a pie in the face! It was in good fun and the kids loved it!!

Wow-where to begin with this week! We had an amazing experience last week with VBS! Our average for attendance was 220 kids, what a blessing! God did amazing things last week in our church and in our family! We had a blast, and loved every minute of it!

Eli & Knox were lucky enough to have their own Great-Aunt Pat teach their class. Eli had one of the best weeks he's ever had! He learned about Joseph, Zacchaeus, and Adam & Eve. I was so proud of how much he learned last week. He can tell you exactly what Jesus said to Zacchaeus, and even asked me to show him Joseph in his toddler Bible. I am so thankful he is developing an early love for Jesus and his church!

Pool & Sun!

We have two water babies on our hands! These little boys love, love the water. Eli is so enthusiastic about swimming, jumping in, and blowing bubbles! Knox has also enjoyed the water a lot this summer. He enjoys leisurely floating around the pool in his Nemo raft. Last year was such a success, we decided to keep our membership at the Atkinson pool! Thanks Sara, Charlie, and Mac!!

Another new favorite activity for these two is playing with their wagon. This wagon was a gift for Eli before he was even born, and they are finally able to enjoy it! Eli loves to pull Knox around the court outside our house, and Knox is plenty willing to enjoy the ride!

Happy Father's Day & Happy Birthday!

We had a great weekend celebrating Father's Day and Jerrrold's 30th birthday! My boys are so fortunate to have Jerrold as a father. He spends so, so much time with them. We are so blessed that he has flexibility with his work schedule and is able to get home early each afternoon.

Eli tells everyone every day that he will play basketball with his Daddy that afternoon. He normally follows this up with, "Knox will have to take a nap." Just like everything else, they are learning to share his attention too. I am so proud of him and the relationship he has with our children! We are a very blessed family.

Second Child Syndrome...

Our second child is so loving, but in his own way. He offers many, many kisses and is now bear-hugging us all. He comes up behind me and grabs me around the legs, it is absolutely precious. His big brother is not as amused by his bear hug/tackles. This picture is right before one of the major hugs. The photo above that is Eli trying to pacify Knox with an appropriate hug, not one that knocks you down if you are also a toddler.

I often feel sorry for Knox because so much of what we do as a family is geared around Eli's interests and abilities. I have started to become more intentional about making sure that Knox is able to participate in anything we are doing. As I have begun to pay more attention I have noticed that Knox rarely is "left behind." He sticks close to his big brother and mimics most everything he does. Knox pitches an absolute fit every Sunday morning at church! He hates nursery and can't bear it at all if my sweet friend Becky leaves the room. Jerrold is always the one to drop them off and bear the agony of leaving a screaming child. Jerrold has started putting Knox in Eli's room and he has been tear-free for two Sundays in a row! This is a big victory for the Simmons clan and the gracious crew at church!

Touch a Truck!

Eli's sweet, sweet Daddy took him to "Touch a Truck" in Summerfield this past weekend! They had such a great time! Little Knoxy had to stay behind and take a morning nap, so this was a fun adventure for Eli and his Daddy! Eli is so attached to J these days. We'll give him choices for certain things and he always picks his Daddy, and he normally wants to exclude Knox. He is just really beginnning to show signs of real jealousy, but Knox is also starting to become much more engaged in all we do. They are both so sweet, and such busy, busy boys...