Vacation Bible School at Beulah Hill

Nothing is quite like Vacation Bible School, and Beulah Hill's 2009 VBS, an all-day event, was no exception.

The pews began to fill with eager Bible learners before 9 a.m. Saturday.

The Youth try to figure out the parachute.

Grab it Emma! It's getting away!

Okay, you guys. What can we play with that won't embarrass us or make anybody stare too much?

Jackson easily masters the Balance Maze, like he masters everything he tries.

Umpteen Tug-o-wars were held. None of them were fair.

Are these Frisbees for balancing or throwing? Well, here it goes. . . .

Yup. There it went!

Meanwhile, at the beanbag toss: "Take THAT, and THAT, and THAT!"

NO, Miss Delores! I won't throw my pacifier out the nursery window again-- I PROMISE!

While Donna calmly snaps photos, the hazards of foil streamers go unnoticed.

One more time-- WE'LL turn the rope, YOU jump it!

The ENFORCERS. Sometimes it takes five to supervise one.

Okay, everybody make yourselves really SMALL!

OOPS! Where'd they all go?

This is the Story Room where the most valuable lessons of Camp Sonshine were shared.

Lessons like "Never light a real campfire inside the church."

Lessons like "Never leave the snack table unguarded."

And lessons like "Never invite strange animals inside your tent, even if they're stuffed."

Now, our next activity is do dive from the top of the fire escape into the kiddie pool. Who's first?

And the rule of this fun game is "Don't get anything above your ankle wet."

Of course, we follow ALL rules! Now get OUT of here with that camera.

So if a bird flies in, we can really add him to the membership roll?

No helpers were more appreciated than our couriers who delivered Bob's Pizzas. YUM YUM YUM! And thank you, Bob!

I can't look at the bubbles right now-- Mr. Ken is pointing a camera in my direction.

Two things I'm really good at: SMILING for Uncle Ken and blowing bubbles sitting down.

So every time you jump we call out a girl's name, and when you miss that's the girl who gets to kiss ya.

Okay, we could use a few more lifeguards over here at the pool.

Pastor Bryan doesn't just 'talk the talk,' he 'walks the walk.'

What Would Jesus Do? Fix Caroline's shoe before the balloon launch.

Okay, whose the wise guy who told the kids we would shoot the balloons down with slingshots?

There they go! More than 50 balloons. I bet my yellow one makes it as far as northern Murdocksville before it bursts. And by the way, am I the only one who sees words in the sky?

All over now but certificates and some good ol' singing. Songs like "I Am a Promise," "Love is a Flag Flown High," "Awesome God," and "Who is the King of the Jungle."

Wow. Six hours of VBS. Was it worth it?

I won't know till I open the goody bag!

Seriously, it was a great day of Bible teaching and fellowship. Thanks to all the children and adults who participated in making it a totally positive and memorable occasion.

Whirlwind of Activity

When I posted TWO posts on Sunday, July 5, little did I know I wouldn't get to blog again for nine days. Last week wasn't the busiest week I've ever known, but I generally like to blog when I have up to a couple of hours to plan my pictures and do my writing. Last week didn't present many chunks of time that large. So to summarize, let me just list some of the routine things that filled the week. These won't be sequential, and I won't even try to designate what day some of these things happened. I don't remember!

• Held Brianna and Claire every chance I got
• Played piano at the hospital
• Church service at Manor Care
• Took advantage of Snapfish offer: 50 prints for 50 cents (baby pictures have already arrived, ordered another 50+ of genealogy prints)
• Redid back walkway
• Gardened: watered, weeded, pruned, harvested
• Had first tomato sandwich from our garden (not the bread)
• Finished a good book, Kit's Wilderness, which combined elements of old coal mining communities, family heritage, and family stories, among other things
• Started another good book, Anne of Green Gables
• Prepared music for Vacation Bible School
• Loaded car with games and toys for VBS
• Celebrated an 80th birthday with a good friend and her family
• Agreed to help with Moore County Library's Summer Story Hour (this Wed., July 15, at Carthage library at 10:30 a.m.; Thurs., July 16, at Vass Town Library)
• Watched a couple of great Agatha Christy tales on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery. The sleuths are Poirot and Miss Marple.
• Went to the third summer concert by the Sandhills Community College Jazz Band (See upcoming blog)
• Read Jennifer and Amanda's blogs (among others) to see baby pictures I didn't take!
• Had several nice walks with Judy
• Judy shared blueberries, peaches, baked apples, watermelon, cherries, and more fruit with me.
• And last, but not least, responded to a friendly e-mail reminder that I hadn't blogged in a long, long time. : )
• Enjoyed the next round of Judy's homemade chicken salad

I'm sure I've left out a lot, but at least I've made a dent in the backlog.

At first opportunity I'll post a couple of blogs about the Jazz Band Concert and Vacation Bible School. And I promise pictures next time!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

America turned 233 Saturday, and the birthday was celebrated all over the world, not just by Americans. In spite of our imperfections, more citizens of the world look to the USA more than any other nation as a bastion of democracy and freedom and a source of hope for world peace.

The celebrations can be as diverse as the citizenry, but there are common threads. Good food, patriotic music and parades, family and friends, and last but not least--FIREWORKS--the louder the better!

Judy and I grilled up some hotdogs. She conjured up a chili recipe that won first prize at the state fair. Add in cole slaw, potato wedges, and grilled onions, and it was a worthy feast. And did I mention Judy squoze lemons for her homemade lemonade?

Saturday near dusk we headed over to the Pinehurst Harness Track/Fair Barn for fireworks. They have been excellent every year the village has sponsored them, and they did not disappoint us. When we arrived, the afternoon family activities were winding down.

Under a three quarter moon the crowds began to filter over to the field where the fireworks are always held. In the distance we could see the startup of fireworks at Aberdeen Lake and CCNC.

We got prime seats and for a few minutes just talked, and watched children playing as the sky darkened.

Any guesses what the picture below is? See under the picture.

It's a group of kids all lighting sparklers at the same time!

Obviously, it was now dark enough for the show to began, and it was a humdinger (whatever that is). I'll let them speak for themselves.

You'll have to supply your own sound effects.

The crowd was very well-mannered. There were oohs and ahhs. There was occasional applause. You would have thought you were in the Dean Dome during a not-so-close game. No tension, just relaxed exuberance.

The "fountain" fireworks" were loud and cool, but don't show up so great in still photos.

I'm not sure, but I suspect I accidentally captured some spiritual warfare. See the angel and demon? Or was it just me?

Still photos of fireworks are pretty blah at best, so I'm gonna load 1 or 2 videos of the very best displays. If you didn't get to see any live fireworks this year, you might want to take a peek. But if you were lucky enough to be with friends and family, munching some good food off the grill, or setting off your own pyrotechnics, don't waste your time with mine. I can't compete!

Pinehurst' Closing Display!

Claire's Home: When Can She Come Out to Play?

Yes, Claire's home, and she, Jennifer, and Matt are all doing great. When they arrived home Friday they were greeted by an appropriate array of pink balloons.

Here are the likely suspects. They have yet to be apprehended, but were seen leaving the scene with wide, incriminatingly satisfied smiles on their faces. I can almost make out that license plate.

By Friday evening representatives of the Home Parenting Quality Control Inspection Team (alias the Grandparents) made an obligatory call. Everything seemed to be in order. The proud parents did not resist sharing their precious Claire. Nothing suspicious.

Yes, this lovely child meets and exceeds ALL standards. Make sure you change her regularly, use premium fuel, and have a full checkout every 3,000 miles.

Saturday evening, the higher up authorities (AKA GREAT-Grandparents) dropped in for a spot check to verify the original report. They found everything in order.

Matt: "See-- here's her little mouthie."

Jennifer has some awesome photos of her own, but I'm not gonna steal her thunder! I'm sure she'll be blogging when time permits. If I were you I'd keep checking Jennifer and Amanda's blogs for exciting photos and comments. Those blogs are Green Grass and The Talbert Report, with links in the left margin of my blog.

Hope you've all had a Happy Fourth of July. I'll be blogging about ours soon.

There's a New Show in Town: Meet CLAIRE!

At 3:45 A.M. Wednesday, July 2, Claire Devon Kirby made her debut to less than a packed house. The maternity waiting room that had been overflowing and even raucous all day now only held me and Judy. Jennifer had called us at 6 A.M. Tuesday from the hospital and we were there by 8:30 standing vigil. Actually, we were sitting, and I was reading more than I was being vigilant. Jennifer and Matt were the only ones doing any hard work. I'll leave it to Jennifer to tell the front line events in her blog when she has time. My job is just to show the FIRST PICTURES, hot off the press. I don't know if I'll have funny captions, it'll depend on my mood as I progress. Well, let's jump right in.



Proud Mom Jennifer with her precious bundle, Claire, while Dad Matt looks on approvingly.

Claire weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces at birth. She's L-o-o-ong, too. 21 3/4 inches.




Some pictures need no words.

SEE, I told you she was long!
Okay, Grandma's here. Gimme the baby!

YES! She looks like her parents, not her grandparents!

Brianna's been helping me train for Claire!

Matt handles little Claire like a pro.

And there's soccer, Duke basketball, and much more to learn about. . . .

Great Grandma Thelma will never get tired of holding her granddaughters.

Okay, Great Grandma. Your time's up. Hand her over.

Great Granddaddy Jack hides his pride well, doesn't he?

Now Jack, I think you've held her longer than I did.

Amanda, another professional blogger, knows a great photo op when she sees it.

Can you tell Stephen's done a lot of this the last two months? Matt, if you need any pointers, here's the guy with real world experience.
Amanda has been waiting not so patiently for her niece and for Brianna's BESTEST playmate to come out and play. That day finally arrived!

There is great joy in the Loyd and Kirby households, and among our extended family. As an unbiased Dad and Grandpa, I predict that Claire and Brianna will, in the years to come, bring as much happiness to everyone whose lives they touch as their stellar Moms, Jennifer and Amanda!