"Iguanas" Club

Awanas ("Iguanas") Club is back and we have TWO clubbers now! This program is phenomenal for teaching kids virtues (built in family night lessons), helping them learn about the Bible and memorize verses, and for its wild and excessive amounts of fun (can fun be excessive?). We're really choosy about our activities, so L had to decide between this and Girl Scouts. It wasn't even a question. This is literallly her FAVORITE activity EVER! It's been "Iguanas-this, Iguanas-that" all summer long, and finally Gryffy gets to see what all the fuss is about.

 Lorelei's a Spark this year (just like Mommy was, once upon a time in her own little red vest) and Gryffin's a Cubbie. Lorelei's giving Gryffy a hug during the Sparks singing/pledge opening time and reassuring him about how much fun Awanas Club is before she joins her friends. It's just so precious how she looks after little brother. Grammy said they were holding hands in the back seat of the car today, and it was so cute it made Grammy cry. 

Including Lorelei, there are FIVE kids from her half-day kindergarten class participating (Elliese, Ethan, Tyler, Emma, who is also from church & soccer--okay, so we invited the whole class of 17), another good friend from full day who L plays sports with (Hannah), a preschool friend & returning clubber (Sammy), plus THREE more friends from church & small group (Katherine, Aleya & Brooke), even though it isn't our home church that offers it. Another half-day kindergarten classmate might come next week as well (Bella, we hope to see you!), so suffice it to say that the kid is surrounded by clubber chums. Totally surrounded. She's just so excited!

 Mommy and Daddy wanted to spend more time getting Lorelei settled and snapping some photos of our big "Spark"ling girl, but it was time to part and walk our little Cubbie down the long hall to his orientation.

The kids made crowns with their names and stickers. Daddy got to help with this craft.

 Is he not the cutest little Cubbie ever?!

 Then it was time to snap a photo for the front of his guidebook. Gryffy's just waiting patiently for his turn.

 Looks thrilled, doesn't he?

 He wasn't clinging to our leg all evening though, because soon enough, Gryffy spotted his friends, too!

 These boys have grown up together. They used to have playdates as babies while their big siblings were in preschool. You can tell how happy they are to see each other!

 And our third little musketeer, Jack, completed the boys in Gryffy's group. Gryffy and Jack know each other from church and now from the same preschool. We do small group with Jack's mom and dad, and his big sis, Katherine, is in Sparks with Lorelei, just like Jonny's big brother, Sammy.

 They were causing a wee bit of mischief during the Pledge of Allegiance. Oh, boy.

 I love how Jack's got his arm on Gryffy's back, clearly communicating something very important.

 Oh, how I wish I could see into my little Hobbit's curly head.  What ever is he pondering?

 Gryffy doesn't usually cooperate this well for bedtime prayers, but my how sweet he looks here. I'm so proud my boy's a Cubbie and my girl's a Spark now. I can't say enough about how much we love our amazing Awanas Club (and how excited Mommy and Daddy are for the built-in date night--thanks, Awanas)!