Last Splash

We enjoyed our last Backyard Bible Adventure of the summer at our house. Our group of about 25 enjoyed a morning of beautiful weather, great fellowship and poolside fun. Our theme this summer has been "Making a Splash." We began the summer talking about changing the world by starting with our own hearts, and we focused in particular on being kind to our families. As we progressed through the summer, we moved our focus outward. At our second BBA, we looked at Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet. We talked about how developing a servant's heart would bless our church and community. And now we are ready to make a splash in the world!

For our final lesson of the summer, I told the children that we can all make a difference in the world. God gives each of us gifts and talents, and all of us will have unique opportunities to influence, teach and bless other people. I have known most of these children since they were born, and it is such a pleasure to watch them grow up. Each one will have a unique sphere of influence. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for each one!

Our sandcastle cake was inspired by the April 2008 Family Fun magazine cover. To make this great summer cake, bake a sheet cake and two round cakes. Use a serrated knife to level the cakes as needed, then place your first round layer on your serving dish. Ice the top of this layer, and add the second round layer. Cut graduated circles from the sheet cake, and layer these rounds on the cake, sealing with icing. Give the extra cake to your adoring husband and children, who probably gathered in the kitchen when they smelled cake. Ice the top and outside of the cake, dipping your icing spatula into a cup of hot water as needed to help it glide smoothly across the cake. Cover the iced cake with graham cracker crumbs, and finish off the design with ice cream cone turrets. Flags, paper umbrellas or candy can add a punch of color, if desired.

In the above photo, Carlie is sporting our Backyard Bible Adventure craft. Our congregation supports missions to Panama, and Operation Christmas Joy provides an opportunity for children to become involved. We fill plastic shoe boxes with age-appropriate trinkets, toys and toiletries for boys and girls. At our house, we make a family affair of shopping for boys and girls the same ages as our children. Shoebox gifts are collected by our church and wrapped by the youth group. Then they are sent to Panama and distributed by missionaries.

Sara Bills, who coordinates the project, has so many heartwarming stories to share about children who have never received a Christmas present. One little girl thought the pretty package was the gift; she couldn't believe that she could open it to find more surprises inside!

So at our Backyard Bible Adventure, we sat on beach towels and strung necklaces to be included in shoebox gifts. I purchased necklaces in bulk from Oriental Trading. The children made two: one for a boy or girl their age in Panama, and another to keep. I told the children that when they wear their necklaces, they can say a prayer for their friend in Panama they've never met.

One of the moms started feeling queasy on the drive out to our house, and she was really sick by the time the party was breaking up. As she was gathering everything up to head home, I encouraged her to let her boys spend the afternoon at our house. We were working out the details as another family was saying their goodbyes.

"What do you tell Miss Melissa?" Allison asked as she thanked me for inviting them.

Immediately Ford responded: "Can we stay too?"

Oh, that made me laugh! I feel like it's a successful party when the children don't want to leave. Thanks to all the moms who came out and helped us make a splash this summer! You are welcome in our backyard any time!

Flip-Flops and Belly Flops

Today we had our second Backyard Bible Adventure of the summer, and it was so much fun! Backyard Bible Adventures combine the fun of a birthday party with a spiritual message. Our theme this summer is "Making a Splash," and host Karen Pruitt welcomed us this morning for a pool party. Karen has such a heart for young mothers, and she treated us to a refreshing summer lunch of chicken salad croissants, fruit salad, jello salad, pickles, deviled eggs, chips and an ice cream sandwich dessert. We mommies sipped iced tea and lemonade on the screened-in porch while the children enjoyed picnic lunches by the pool.

At our first BBA this summer, we talked about changing our hearts and being kinder to our families. Our Bible story today came from John 13. As the children sat around the pool, we talked about how we would feel if we all had to walk home from our Backyard Bible Adventure in our flip-flops. The children agreed that we would be really hot, tired and dirty by the end of our journey -- and that it would feel wonderful to dip our fit into cool water when we got home. This gave us an interesting perspective to look at the story of Jesus watching His disciples' feet.

Washing the apostles' dirty, calloused feet was truly an act of service. We learned that we can make a splash in the lives of those around us by developing a servant's heart. And we talked about ways we could show kindness to people in our church and community. Our final thought for the day was Matthew 10:42: "And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward." We all agreed that we want to be as refreshing to those around us as a cool drink of water on a hot summer day!

Scroll down to see more images from our day, including easy cake and craft ideas!

The children flipped for our festive flip-flop cake!

To make this fun summer cake, bake 1 1/2 cake mixes in a standard sheet cake pan. Allow the cake to cool, then release it onto a platter. Use a toothpick to trace the shape of the left flip-flop lengthwise into the cake. You will cut the flip-flop out with a sharp knife and invert it onto the remaining half of the cake to cut the right flip-flop, but first measure the widest part of your first flip-flop to make sure you have enough cake on the other side to make a balanced shoe. Use your toothpick to adjust the first flip-flop if necessary, then cut away the excess cake. This first flip-flop is your pattern for the second one, but be sure to invert it onto the other side of the cake so you will have a left and a right shoe. Position the flip-flops on your serving platter, but make sure you leave enough room between them for decorating the "insoles."

Ice your flip-flop cake, then draw designs into the top of the flip-flops with a toothpick. Use decorating tip 47 to pipe ridged stripes around the cakes. Use round and star tips to fill in the top of the cake. To make the straps, cut a drinking straw into six equal pieces, and cut four lengths of grosgrain ribbon. Thread two straps through a straw piece, and insert this into the flip-flop toe area to make the thong. Stretch the ribbons across the cake, thread each one through a straw piece, trim as needed, and then insert one into each side of the flip-flop. Use the remaining two ribbons to embellish the other flip-flop. Complete the look with graham-cracker crumb "sand" sprinkled around the flip-flops.

These monogrammed sport sippers will remind the children that sometimes being kind is as simple as offering someone a cup of cold water.

For our craft today, I ordered sipper cups in bulk from Oriental Trading. Although they were smaller than I had anticipated, 9-year-old Carson assured me that he would use one, so I felt like the other kids would like them too. These cups come with paper inserts for decorating, which makes them ideal for kids craft projects. And presenting them with personalized liners makes them a great favor for birthday parties, Bible classes and school parties.

You could make laminated paper liners for this project, but I chose to make monogrammed fabric inserts for the children enrolled in our Backyard Bible Adventure program. I found a floral-print fabric in sunny, tropical colors for the girls, and a vibrant blue fabric that looked almost like pool water for the boys. I ironed a fusible backing to the wrong-side of the fabrics to give the liners a little more body. I used a paper insert as a pattern and cut out the fabric liners with pinking shears. I monogrammed the girls' names in a scripty font, and the boys' first initial and names in more masculine selections.

I assembled all the cups ahead of time, and handed them out at the party at the end of the devotional. We had crayons and markers on hand for those who wanted to decorate their own liners as well. I hope using their special cups this summer will remind the children that God gives all of us special opportunities to serve others. And that we will be blessed when we share our cold cup of water with someone who needs it.

Karen's swing set was a great gathering spot at our backyard party. The picture of Carlie (top row, center) reminds me how it felt to swing so high that you touched the sky. Several photos demonstrate the spirit of helpfulness we talked about today. I love all these kids and can't wait to talk with them at our final BBA about making a splash in the world!

We're "Making a Splash" ...

With Backyard Bible Adventures! One of my goals as a mother is to integrate faith into our daily life, so these birthday-party style get-togethers are a great way to help my children move from playing to praying with ease. We alternate homes, and today we met at the home of Tiffany Johnson for a great morning of outdoor fun. At Backyard Bible Adventures, we do a craft or activity together, share a brief devotional, and enjoy a potluck lunch. And we always allow plenty of time for free play and fellowship!

Our theme this year is "Making a Splash," so we are celebrating the summer with cool pool parties. As we move through the summer, we will be talking about making a splash in our homes, church, community and world. For our devotional today, Rob Lyle told the children about a grumpy man who was dissatisfied with his surroundings. He was very rich, so he decided to change the world. He used lots of money to form committees, but all his work was to no avail. So he tried to make his country change, but failed. So he tried to change his state and then his city, but again he was unsuccessful at every level. Then finally, he began to read God's Word. He learned the Golden Rule in passages like Galatians 5:14: "For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " So the grumpy man's heart began to soften. He looked for ways to serve others and found that his kindness had a ripple effect throughout his community. As time passed, his city, state, and country became better. And soon the rich man discovered that he had changed the world by changing himself.

As the children sat around the pool, dangling their feet into the cool water, they listened attentively to Rob's lesson. Several shared ideas about how they could make a difference in their world by being helpful, kind and obedient. During our devotional time, some of the boys led songs and another led prayer. It was heartwarming to look around at the sky and trees while listening to hymns and prayers right along with the usual backyard sounds of children laughing, playing and splashing.

We did not do a craft at this BBA, but party favors included leis and mini-beach balls. Our sweet snack brought a taste of the tropics. I made orange-flavored cupcakes frosted with blue buttercream icing, then piped shells around the outside of the cupcakes and spooned graham cracker crumbs into the center. Paper umbrellas finished off the cupcakes. I hope sending the children home with these little island cupcakes in their tummies will encourage them to make a splash in their world!

Scroll down for more images from our day. My friend Allison captured the fun in vivid detail, so check out her blog for some truly stunning photos.

With our busy summer schedule, we have worked in two more dates for Backyard Bible Adventures: Friday, June 20th; and Tuesday, July 1st. And we may try to work in a trip to SurfSide Water Park in Auburn, Ala., to close out the summer. If you live in the Montgomery area, we would love for you to join us!

I'm sure the boys will come up with some creative sports variations with these mini-beach balls purchased from Oriental Trading for our BBA, and Emma will enjoy tossing her ball around the pool area. But this afternoon Mary Ashley had them all to herself, so they were her babies. She placed four inside their inflatable raft "crib," and enjoyed strolling Love's Kiss, Sleeping Beauty, Ducky and Ball around the pool.

Lunch is Emma's favorite part of Backyard Bible Adventures! She does her part to clean up by eating food off the plates of children who are too busy playing to stop and eat.

Thank you, Tiffany, Everett and Belle for opening your home to us today!

Play Time

Babies in the Backyard

"I'll meet you in the baby pool!"