Let the Good Times Roll!

Well, it's here----my crazy long week where I go to work for 8 hours and then volunteer for 4 hours as I serve as the Green Team Leader for VBS.

Is it going to be a blast? You betcha!

Am I going to let the original Katie O. (as in the pre-schooler version when I first was dubbed Katie O.) out? Oh yeah.

Is it going to be a caffeine filled week? Oh you better believe it.

Training happened over the weekend and although admittedly I've been out of the VBS circuit for some years but this one was unique. How so? Well we talked about security threat procedures. Granted we are in a foreign country, on a US military base but it just caught me off guard. Oh well, if my Girl Scout days taught be anything it was to be prepared.

As previously mentioned we're using the Panda Mania curriculum so it's a panda filled week. No problem for this panda lover! Check out my awesome shirt that not only did I make, but I get to wear all week! Yeah, I really should have made two.... but he has freckles just like I do. The panda (without ears, but with freckles) is on the front and the "God is Wild About Me!" is on the back.

Give me another day and I'll be able to sing and perform with hand motions the theme song "Wild About Us." Hey- just cause I'm able to, doesn't mean I will. Eh, who am I kidding? I've already caught myself humming the tune and it's only day one. Spend any amount of time with me and you'll hear it.

Sorry. It is rather catchy! I should be working more on the hand motions for the leaders' performance of Undignified for Friday. Again, such a shame that so many of you are located in the United States and unable to make that performance.

My team grew (as in almost doubled) since the roster I saw on Saturday, but I also got 2 more assistants so that's good. My kids are awesome and I'd say 80% of them are 5. How do I know this? One of our games tonight was to see how old everyone was. Let me tell you...28 has never felt so old! Also during this game I realized that not many 5 year olds know their middle name...I guess they never get in trouble?

There were a few tears when kids realized their friends weren't in our same group or when parents left but nothing the tackiest green paper umbrella couldn't make better. (I'm just so glad I don't have to carry that around as the leader of the group!)

My fingers were painted while I held a stencil down with each hand while tables of 2 painted their shirts. The kids teased me since I had paint on me but they didn't have much on them...I wonder how that happened.

The girls out number the boys probably 1:3 so when we sing our theme song that breaks into two parts, I help the boys out. They will do the hand motions and try to be heard over the girls!!!

The little boy who prayed over our oh-so-kid-friendly meal of hotdogs and tots prayed for good tasting food. It's so hard not to laugh when you're not expecting it to be voiced but secretly hoping the same thing. 

During story time, when asked for different types of bears I was the one in the back feeding answers to the kids. It's not cheating...the koala, kodiak, and the sun bear all need to be known! Oh and I even kept my mouth shut with we were supposedly listing types of fish yet some of the following answers were accepted : whales, dolphins, jellyfish, seahorses. Who is teaching these kids science?!?

I've got twin girls that are adorable that with 2 other non related girls seem to always be by my side. There are two brothers 4.5 and 6 that are so cute and are always sticking together.

By 7:30 some of the kids were looking pretty sleepy. I was trying my best to keep the energy going but my reserve fuel was almost gone. One little girl asked if it was midnight. I told her no, but checked my watch just to make sure.

After one last round of Big House (aka the touchdown song) I was more than ready to get out of the marble floored, high ceiling, kid filled sanctuary and into some quiet even though tonight was a blast and it brought back a ton of RCP memories. I figure I've got 4 more days of this so it's probably time to get to sleep and get ready for the repeat tomorrow...

And oh yeah. If this post seems like a million times happier than the last two it's because it is. I'm still dealing with a lot of σκύβαλα (skubala) but nothing like getting a letter from one my little girls (Keiry) and watching 160+ kids sing, dance, and just have a blast to put things in perspective. I'll still be an adult when I have to this week, but I think I'm going to act more like a kid when I can...why let the small stuff bog me down?

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139:14