I Love My Church

Today is Sunday and our Sundays are busy! I walked around our church today and thought about how blessed we are to have a place like Celebration Church to spend our Sundays. I saw people drinking coffee and hanging out in the Blend. Happy families were dropping off happy kids in the nursery. Four year olds said things like, "I am so excited to go to the green room. Green is my favorite color!!" Hundreds of elementary kids had an awesome time and my first grader came home singing "Jesus... you are the light to the darkness around me." I love my church.

We dedicated babies and toddlers to God along with their parents today. Our pastor, Joe Champion, spoke over each of their little lives and I could hardly hold back my tears as he prayed over two beautiful adopted girls and their precious parents. The sermon was about creating a SERVOLUTION as we ramp up to serve and reach our community like never before. The music was off the hook and thousands of people were touched by a living God who has the power to transform lives and set people free! I love my church.

Birthdays

We created a new tradition in the Allen Family this year: big birthday parties will occur every other year. "Big birthday parties" are defined as inviting 15 or more friends somewhere so that mom and dad can drop $300 for the kids to have fun, eat, play, and give us a headache overall. Don't get me wrong... we love creating memories for our kids and allowing them to spend all of our money. However, I think once every two years is memory enough.

Yesterday, we celebrated Brett's 7th birthday with friends at Main Event, where I get overstimulated about five minutes after crossing the threshold. You can play laser tag, rock climb, putt-putt golf in the dark, bowl, and play video games and pool. This year, Brett wanted to have a rock-climbing party, but we weren't sure all of his friends met the 48 inch height requirement so bowling it was.

Of course, Brett wanted to invite about 50 friends (he IS his mother's son, after all) but we decided he could either invite his baseball team or his class at school. He chose baseball. Then, he tacked on a couple of girls, his cousins, a neighbor and a few church friends. Lucky for us, Spring Break caused a few of them not to come!

All in all, 12 of the coolest kids in town accompanied Brett to his party and here's the proof:

Bee-Bo

I love the "Belly Button Book" by Sandra Boynton. It's all about how Hippos love their "belly b's" b/c they are "round and cute and funny." Belly buttons aren't always cute and funny. Although they look like a button on some people, they are more like a protruding nose without nostrils on others. I have funny stories about belly buttons: My friend's 2 year old likes to rub hers and suck her thumb to put herself to sleep. My East Texas friend said her belly button was hurting when she was pregnant b/c the baby was pulling on it. I reminded her that it's the baby's belly button attached to something inside her, not the other way around!

Needless to say, belly buttons are interesting. I am so glad someone wrote a book about them!

My new name for belly buttons is one that I learned from Boynton. Sandra says "You might not know what 'Bee-Bo' means. Or maybe you've forgotten. It's just the tiny hippo way of saying... BELLY BUTTON!" The hippos take their Bee-Bo's to the belly button beach during summer; they sing the belly button song, and they wear cute swimsuits to show them off.

The only caution is not to let your bee-bo show in wintertime. I would add that you should only show your bee-bo if it looks like this:

World's Smartest Kids

I have some breaking news... hold onto your seats. I know if you have kids, you probably think they are smart. You probably think they are cute; you might even thing they are smarter and cuter than the average kid. You might be right. However, no kid, not one, can compare to MY KIDS. You heard me: I have the world's smartest kids living in MY HOUSE.


Brett is 7 years old today. He is handsome and kind; he loves others and is very obedient. And, he's smart. Smarter than any kid who has ever lived. He got his smarts from his parents, but we were never THIS smart. Brett can put together 400 piece lego sets by following the instructions all by himself. He can do addition, subtraction, and even some multiplication. He knows how to ride a bike without training wheels. He is articulate and can argue like a Harvard Law graduate. Did I mention he's only seven?


Sydney, well... she's only four months old. She's smart too, however. Most babies can't do half the things she can do at her age. She sucks her thumb. She rolls from her back to her front. She rolls from her tummy to her back. She smiles and coos. She even knows how to follow me with her eyes as I walk across the room.

You don't believe me that my kids are this smart? Watch this video of Sydney kicking her legs and Brett reading and you'll see...

p.s. If you don't think the same things about your kids, shame on you!

"Turned Around" Does NOT Mean "Lost"

If you're anything like me, you do not pay attention to how you get somewhere if you are not behind the wheel. That's what happens to me when I am riding somewhere with Greg. I don't pay attention. So, when I have to go there on my own, I get "turned around." See, there's a difference between getting "lost" and getting "turned around."

When you are lost, you have no idea where you are. You can't find your way home. You are not sure how you got there and you have to stop to ask for directions.

When you are turned around, you are just off track a little. You know where you are, clearly. You know the name of the street and how you got there. You're just unsure of how to get where you are going from there. All it takes is calling your husband for help. He will help you and tell you you are always getting lost. But, it's not true. You are just turned around.

Saturdays with Brett

So, I am sitting here with Brett (letting him stay up extra late on a Friday night) and he wants to write a blog. I type faster so he's going to dictate what I write... here goes:

Tomorrow, I am going to play my Nintendo DS a lot. What are you going to do tomorrow? I have baseball practice and I also plan on going on a bike ride while my mom runs. I have a batman bike and it is so cool. I like it so much, I'd like to ride it every day that my mom wants me to. I am going to try for three miles.

I am going to eat Captain Crunch cereal because it has fruity tasty stuff. What are you going to eat for breakfast (question mark, he says)? I wake up at six o'clock every morning. What time do you wake up? Did Lincoln live in a log cabin? Yes or no? I can't think of anymore. This is hard.

Top Ten Reasons Greg and Stacy Love Children's Ministry

We have some of the most amazing kids at Celebration Church. We feel so blessed to help pastor over 1000 kids in a week! We find ourselves in this place under Pastor Joe and Lori Champion's leadership being more thankful than ever that God's plans for us are more than we can even think or imagine for ourselves (Eph. 3:20). Here are the top 10 reasons we LOVE working with kids:

10. We are always cool in their eyes!

9. They are always ready to give a great hugs or a big smile.

8. They share important things with us like, "I lost a tooth today" or "Check out my new Bible!"

7. Kids never limit themselves or God... He can do ANYTHING! Such great faith...

6. Hearing a preschool kiddo recite his monthly memory verse is priceless!

5. Sometimes, we get to see God's calling and potential in kids before anyone else does (besides mom and dad).

4. No dressing up on Sundays... jeans and tennis shoes is our typical wardrobe!

3. Camp is part of our required job description every summer!

2. We can deliver sermons without the fear of rejection. Kids love to hear a good message and they don't scrutinize your every move!

1. We get to be a part of kids' first time decisions to follow Jesus!!