Just Because..........

I love her sweet smile!

And the Rainbow Fades Away

Well, after 24 long weeks of lesson plans, craft preparation, and a whole lot of patience and restraint, our Noah's Ark Rainbow Club finally came to a close.  Over the course of 24 weeks, Brenna earned all five of her club badges!  I'm so very proud of her!

The club takes a break for the Summer, while we focus on Vacation Bible School.  I'll be teaching the preschool Bible Adventures at VBS again this year, so my work isn't over yet, but I sure do appreciate the break.

Along with Brenna, most of my kiddos will be moving up since they will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall.  Our children's program for K-5th usually has a different focus each semester, so I'm not sure what activities will be coming in August, but I'm sure she'll enjoy it.

Princess Brenna

Thanks to a friends birthday party, we got an early start on our Disney Princess dress-up.  One of Brenna's friends had an all girls birthday party at Tutu's and Tiara's where the girls got to dress up like their favorite princess, complete with glittered hair, make-up, manicure, jewelry, and shoes.  Then they moved to the Royal Party Room, where they drank pink lemonade from china tea cups and ate popcorn from crystal bowls.  After cake and popcorn, the girls put on a fashion show where they got to strike a pose on the stage.  The girls had a great time!  Now Brenna's really looking forward to getting all dress up again and having breakfast with the Princesses as Disney World!

Easter 2012

My mom and dad came over for a visit the week before Easter.  Dying Easter eggs with Mawmaw has become a tradition for Brenna and after weeks of waiting she insisted we do it the day they go here.  So they got busy decorating eggs and the Easter tree.

Soccer - Week 2

After the very exciting start we had in our first week, we got dealt a very hard blow the second week.  There was a super-sized 5-year old who was super-fast and dominated the game on both sides of the ball.  She had legs as least as long as mine!  By the end of the first half, even her coach was asking her to please pass the ball, so her teammates could at least get a kick in.  She was the only one to score on both teams.  It was a tough game all the way around, as Brenna came home with a swollen and bruised fat lip after a failed attempt to steal the ball.  Brenna was alittle disappointed about the game and some tears were shed over not scoring goal.  While we try to impress upon her the importance of just having fun, she seems to have a competitive nature that just won't be beat!  I can't imagine where she got it from..............

Pecan Pie

I've already stated on here before that I'm not much of a baker.  But, since my parents were coming over for a visit and because Jacob likes them so much, I baked a pecan pie.  Anyone can cook right, advancements in food preservation have taken all the hard work away.  The results may not be as appetizing as the made from scratch option, but for those of us who are willing to cut a few corners, you can cook anything out of a box or jar.  Or in my case, Both!

Texas Blue Bonnets

Family Fun Day at Long Meadow Farms

Last week our neighborhood hosted a family fun day with lots of fun for the kids.  There was food, a train, a bouncy house, rock climbing wall, and lots of games and give-aways.  So, Brenna and all our neighborhood friends met up for a good time!

Froberg's Farm and Strawberry Picking

Last week we enjoyed a treat; sweet, juicy, ripe strawberries picked by our little farmer and friends! My friend Jamie and I loaded up the car and headed out for Alvin, Texas and Froberg's Farms where they haves acres of strawberry patches just waiting to be picked. What better way to spend a beautiful friday morning than stomping through damp, muddy garden rows, lugging around buckets while picking produce. Who would have thought something I despised so much as a child (of course I wasn't doing it for fun) would bring so much enjoyment for Brenna. Brenna, Avery, and Brady (sort of) got busy and 2 hours later we had 12 pounds of strawberries! Oh my!

Brenna's First Soccer Game

Oh my!  What a day!  Brenna did fantastic for her first soccer game!  She was very concerned about scoring a goal in the game, even though Jacob and I repeatedly assured her that it was all about trying your best and having fun.  I was praying for just one goal, so she could enjoy things that much more.  Oh, she enjoyed herself alright!  By the end of the game, she had 3 goals and 4 saves on goalie!  We were so Proud!  Her coach began referring to her as "The Beast"!

We have 8 four minute rotations, with a half time thrown in.  We have 7 members of our team.  There are 4 kids in play each rotation, with 3 on the field and 1 at goalie.  One of our little guys decided the crowd was too big and refused to play at all.  Then early in the game, another guy fell down and decided he was done.  So, Brenna ended up playing 6 out of 8 rotations, serving as goalie for one.  By the time fouls and halftime were taken into account, the game ran over an hour.  Brenna was whipped with all that running!  But she did fantastic!  We have her first goal on video.  She did do a celebration dance after her first goal, but unfortunately you won't see that because as soon as the ball went in, the video went to the sky because Jacob was jumping up and down!  Needless to say we were so excited!  By the time she scored the 3rd goal, I thought I might pop!

Here's some shots from the game.  Jacob even came home and put together a video!  We're so proud of our little All-Star!

Waiting for the game to start!

Brenna's First Soccer Practice

We gave Brenna the option to be part of a team sport this spring.  She had to choose between t-ball and soccer.  When I asked her which one she wanted to play, she immediately responded "Soccer" to my dismay.  I told her to think about it, since I personally was leaning toward t-ball, but she was not swayed.  So soccer it was and we decided to join the YMCA youth league with some of her friends.

Another thing we missed because of sickness, was Brenna's soccer team's first practice.  I was alittle concerned, since I don't know anything soccer (hence the reason I really preferred t-ball) and thought we might miss out on some important soccer play and strategy.  Turns out there's not much strategy involved with 4 year old soccer!  Keep it in bounds is really the only rule!

We headed out early for our first soccer practice, to kick the ball around alittle before our other members showed up.  Brenna's always been very athletic and enjoys gymnastics, t-ball, basketball, and soccer, but this was our first attempt at team sports.  Turns out soccer seems pretty natural for her.  She had no trouble jumping right in and following along with dribbles, goal kicks, and ball throws.  She runs hard and fast and generally keeps good control of the ball.

Back in Business

Unfortunately, we've been out of commission for about 2 weeks due to sickness.  Brenna caught a virus that eventually turned into pneumonia.  Thankfully, we caught it early and avoided a hospital stay, but it knocked her down for quite a while.  Because of that, we missed out on the entire week before and most of the Spring Break.  But we're back in business now and making up for lost time.  It's been a busy week and I've got lots of pictures to catch you up on, so come back soon!

One thing we missed while we were sick was our very good friend, John's birthday party.  Shellie was crazy enough to trust me with his 3 year old pictures.  Shellie and I have struck a bargin when it comes to pictures.  I take pictures and she takes care Pickles and Moose while we're away on trips.  Since I really like to take pictures, I think she gets the dirt end of this deal; literally since her part involves a litter box.

Here are a few of my favorites from John's 3 year old shots.  I love his belly laughs!

Houston Rodeo and Live Stock Show

Another year, another rodeo!  I've said this every year since we've moved to Texas.  If you've never been to the Houston Rodeo then you don't know how big Texas really is.  We kicked off the opening of the Rodeo with alittle lasso practice.  The Helmcamp kids drug out the saw horse calf and got down to business.  The big girls went first and did a great job.  Next Reid went to show Brenna how its done.  On Brenna's first attempt, she roped herself.  You can see the look on Reid's face as he stood by saying "What are you doin'?"  She eventually got the hang of it and roped her first calf.

One Cold Saturday Morning

As some of you may remember, we had a pig problem back in late summer.  After several weeks of terrorism, hog traps, and new fencing, the pigs final detoured from our homesite in preference of greener pastures.  Literally!  They thought the homes closer to the creek had juicier lawns.  Our poor yard has since lay barren in places patiently waiting for spring.  In an attempt to not have to re-sod, we (along with our neighbor who suffered the same problem) visited the the local nursery for a load of good healthy dirt.  Brenna thought the huge pile of dirt in Daddy's truck was fantastic.  So, on one cold Saturday morning, we got to work.  Including Brenna!  She was the helpful little worker!  Now let's hope that in the coming month, this pays off. 

Happy Birthday Brenna.......Kinda

Stop, you don't have to check your calendars.  Time does fly by, but not quite that fast.  Brenna is the youngest in her class, which will likely always be the case since the Texas cut-off for school registration is August 1st and Brenna's birthday is July 31st.

For each child's birthday, they have a mini-class party.  The parents bring snakes and the kids sing Happy Birthday.  Since Brenna is the only kid in her class with a summer birthday, they didn't want her to feel left out.  So, Happy 1/2 Birthday Brenna!  At Brenna's request, I brought rainbow cupcakes and popcorn for all the kids and some fun rainbow party masks!