Toads-in-the-Hole

Two weeks ago, Aimee and I finished our first, and perhaps last, tour of duty of Vacation Bible School. In a fit of thoughtless generosity, we volunteered to be Shepherds at our church’s week long VBS extravaganza. It sounded like a good idea at the time, and the first 30 minutes or so were good fun with lots of singing and dancing. Then it came time for us to Shepherd our various groups (Aimee had 12 4th and 5th graders, I had 19 2nd and 3rd graders) to various activities.

What this really amounted to, however, was a near-constant exercise in discipline. Shooshing, stern remonstrance, and sometimes even physical restraint became our daily routine as we tried to keep the more disruptive kids from Ruining It For Everyone. My group’s boys were especially tiresome; constantly talking out of turn, getting into things (that phrase never meant much to me until that week), and hitting each other with sticks. I carried Adelaide in our (beloved) Baby Bjorn (thanks Pam and Mac!) the whole time, which I think was something of an advantage, as it kept me more physically rooted and less likely to commit assault upon my charges. Similarly, the little hoodlums seemed to agree that while Adelaide was strapped to my chest, my physical person was off-limits.

Captured here was my second-favorite moment of VBS, in which the kids were able to play with some very tame chickens and brand-new miniature goats. Predictably, shortly after this photo was taken, two of my boys had to be banished from the activity for making two of the baby goats butt heads.

My favorite part of VBS was, of course, the end. All the boys solemnly shook my hand, and several thanked me enthusiastically for showing them such a good time. All the girls hugged me. Then we sang “What a Wonderful World” and it was over.