VBS (Read if you want to laugh)

We've had VBS (Vacation Bible School) all this week at our church. This has been my first experience ever with VBS and we all had a great week. It was every night from 6pm - 8:30pm. I was one of the crafts leaders and Tonii was a group leader. Dane was in one of the pre-school groups and Beka just hang out in the nursery with one of her surrogate grandmas. Tonight was the last night and at the end of the night all the parents came and the kids did a performance up on the stage of all the songs (with motions) that they've learned all week and then certain kids volunteered to recite the Bible verses that they learned all week too. Well this morning Tonii said "Honey you should go over the verses with Dane and maybe he can be one of the volunteers tonight." To which I responded "We have been and I will, but Dane doesn't really like to be in the spotlight honey and I don't think that he'll want to volunteer." Fast forward to tonight. Dane is the first kid to volunteer to say the first verse they learned Col 3:15 Always be thankful. Then as they all got up on stage for the performance Dane was all the way on the right side of the stage and by the time they were half way through the first song Dane had shimmied his way in front of all the other kids to make his way to the most front and center spot possible. He sang with fervent passion and did NONE of the rehearsed motions, but did his own CRAZY dances. He put on such a show. Tonii and I (and most of our friends) were crying because we were laughing so hard. I wanted to sink under the seat I was so embarrassed for him, but he was right at home passionately singing and dancing. I don't know where he could possibly get it from. I wish that I had photos, or a video clip would be even better. If someone else has some I will post them later and send if I get a video from tonight it is going to America's Funniest Home Videos (yes, it was really that funny).

Hives

SO we are fairly sure that it was hives caused by an allergic reaction to food coloring. I never would have imagined that. Apparently it was the dye in either the Capri Sun or the Fruit Loops or perhaps just an "overdose" for him in one day that caused it. He is fine now.

Parvo or Hives?

A couple of hours ago as we were getting in the car to go to VBS Dane's face started looking flushed. By the time we got there (15 mins later) his whole face had very red sploches all over it and the left side looked swollen, but he was feeling just fine. When VBS was over Tonii took him over to his sister's house. Where better to take him than the house of a pediatrician and a dermatologist?! They think that he either has parvo or (and I think this is more likely) a hives reaction to food coloring. My kids very rarely get anything artificial or fake colorful. I mean I don't even buy juice on a regular basis. Today, for some strange reason, I let Dane have 2 Capri Sun drinks (that is like unheard of for me to do) and a bowl of Fruit Loops for a snack in the afternoon. He has never even had Fruit Loops before, we just bought them this week because they were on sale. In fact, he is so unfamiliar with them that he calls them Fruit "Lips", which I just got such a kick out of. We gave him some Benadryl and we'll see how he is in the morning.

Last Day of Swim Class

These photos are from Dane's last day of swim class which was 6/13. You can see him getting ready to jump off the platform with his swim belt on, then standing with his teachers Sean & Michelle and lastly floating beautifully on his back in preparation to do the back stroke! It was an awesome, albeit intensive, program that we will definitely do again next year if we can get in. In addition to helping him with swimming and water safety it has helped build confidence and an understanding that God can protect him wherever he is. His favorite song while taking swim classes has been "You Never Let Go", and he'd repeat over and over "Oh no You never let go through the calm and through the storm" and then add in his own lyric "and in the pool".

Swim Class

Last week Dane started a two week intensive daily swim class at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. He and his cousin Audrey are doing it together although they are in different classes since she did it last year also. It is intense! He is so pooped after class and sort of wiped out for the day. His group is led by two UNCW swim team members Michelle and Sean and Dane has only 3 other kids in his group. You can imagine the amount of one on one instruction and actually swim time he is getting with that ratio. It is so cool because I have already seen a huge improvement in him after just one week. He cried almost all of class for the first two days, then he cried just at the beginning for the next two days and then on Friday it was like magic. All of a sudden the Lord answered my prayers and Dane was smiling, laughing, doing a really good job and actually having FUN! At the pool on Saturday with Daddy he displayed some new talent and a lot of new found courage and confidence. I already know that I definitely want him to do it again next year. Now the trick is going to be being disciplined enough on my end to actually go to the pool (we have two great ones in our neighborhood) and work on the technique and fun stuff. These photos are from the very first day of class.