JBQ & Great Wolf Lodge

Those of you who follow me on Facebook or Instagram have probably seen a few posts about JBQ competitions. For inquiring minds, JBQ stands for Junior Bible Quiz. Chloe started practicing and competing in these competitions last fall with the Kidtricity team at our church. Earlier this month, Chloe and I traveled to Concord, North Carolina, so that she could compete in the Southeast Regional JBQ competition with the team.

We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge of Concord, which had an indoor water park. It was loads of fun!

Here's a selfie we took shortly after arriving with our wolf ears!

The first day we arrived we were on our own. We spent a few hours at the water park and went out to dinner. After dinner, we explored the lodge and took these pictures.

We thoroughly enjoyed the indoor water park during our stay!

I even let Chloe stay up late one night to play MagiQuest with all the other crazy kids running around the lobby. Hey, we were on vacation!:)

The team competed in 23 rounds over two days! These pictures were taken over the two days of quizzing.

Kidtricity placed 3rd in the Level 3 Division!

And, Chloe was the 3rd top scorer in the Level 3 Division! That was really unexpected, but I was super proud.

It has motivated Chloe to do even better next year. She told me on the drive home that her Daddy would need to build her a trophy case for all the trophies that she plans to win. Ha! She's not competitive at all.;)

The level of competition was fierce and our mostly rookie did great considering. We now know what to expect at future regional competitions and my hope and prayer is that we continue to improve. The competition makes it fun, but the Biblical truths these children are learning are what it's truly about, hiding God's word in our hearts. I am forever thankful to the coaches for the time and effort that they devote to our children. Words just aren't enough thanks.

Something else I wanted to share...One speaker at the awards ceremony really struck a chord with me. He said that while it was important to provide for the needs of our children, the most important thing that we do as parents is to disciple our children. Wow! It's awful to admit, but I had never thought about what my #1 job as parent is. As a parent, I'm making sure that Chloe and Evan are clothed, fed, getting into the right school, going to church, making good grades...but, in the end, my #1 job is to disciple my children! Truer words have never been spoken. See, even the parents can learn something from these competitions. 

An AUsome Party! {Evan's 7th Birthday}

We celebrated Evan 7th birthday last Saturday at California Yogurt Kraze with an Auburn themed party!

 

I snapped this picture of three of my favorite sillies on the way to the party! (Our friend Carly is an Alabama fan at heart, but she wanted to be an Auburn fan for the day!:))

I took a few detail pictures before the party and chaos ensued. We didn't have a separate party room, so the decor was limited to our party tables, which was a blessing in disguise.

And, I remembered family pictures, too! I was on a roll, y'all.;)

 Grandmothers arrived!

 

Then, our friends arrived and we "sugared" them up! I know that their parents really appreciated that...no need for thanks. Ha!

We had cake...

...with a fun little surprise inside!

Then, Evan opened his presents. There is something about the following pictures that I love: the chaos, the colors, the fun, the kids. The pictures just scream "kid's birthday party"!

And, there you have it! It was a short and sweet Auburn party.  I didn't plan any party games; we ate froyo and socialized. I've come to a realization about myself over the years. I love party planning, but am not a great hostess, so this party was perfect to me. Evan really enjoyed it. Thank you to all the friends and family that made Evan's party a success. We love y'all! Oh, and WARRRR EAGLE!!!