Pumpkin Patch time!

Hello, friends! 

Apparently, we've started a tradition here in the Omaha Leong household. Once a year, during Scout Week, we head to Vala's for a day out at the pumpkin patch! 

Honestly, when we first moved to Omaha and heard about Vala's, Megan and I had the same reaction: who would pay that much money to go to a pumpkin patch! That seems like a total waste of money. However, 2 years ago, after hearing so many good things about it, we decided to give it a shot. Honestly, it was a pretty good idea. 

Vala's isn't a pumpkin patch in the traditional sense. It's sort of like if Disneyland and a pumpkin patch had a baby. There are shows. There are rides. There are animals. There's food to eat and things to see. We've gone for 3 years in a row now and each time we go we see something new and we run out of time before we can do all the things we did the year before. After our first time going a few years ago, I decided that 2 things can be true at the same time. Vala's costs a fair amount of money but is simultaneously worth the cost of admission (during Scout Week). 

Lest you think that this is an add for Vala's, I'll say that it certainly isn't perfect. We only go during Scout Week because otherwise the price of admission would a little bit out of our price range. However, when you take 25% off for the families of scouts, that makes it work a little better. Also, when we're talking about a theme park experience, we're also talking about theme park prices. We know exactly how they make their money and I have the empty bag of kettle corn to prove it. =0). 

In 2023 we went on a whim. In 2024, we went as a way to celebrate finding Gus after he ran away. This year, we decided to officially make it a tradition. We also brought a family friend and another family friend joined us for a bit too. We took the kids out of school early so we could spend as much time as possible at the park, which was the right call. 

We've hit a bit of a rhythm in terms of things that we know we want to hit. We rode the train. We jumped on some giant trampolines. We raced pedal racers We saw some pig races. We (well, everyone but me) rode the mini roller coaster. There's a section of the patch devoted to eggs that the kids really enjoy. We ate at the rib place like we did last year and we bought some kettle corn like we always do. This time we let the kids bring some of their own money so they could spend it on whatever they wanted (spoiler alert: the answer was sugar... The answer is always sugar). Everyone slept well when we got home, that's for sure. 

Ultimately, even though it wasn't the cheapest of days, I'm happy for a new family tradition to be born. I keep hearing about how quickly time flies with the kids. My hope is that we can provide enough of these family traditions that the kids can look back fondly on their childhoods. Then, eventually, they can pay for my ticket to get into the pumpkin patch. =0). 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Bellevue Kickoff!

Hello, friends! 

This week, Bellevue University started with its first bible study of the year. Well, to be fair, it wasn't actually a bible study. As per Bellevue InterVarsity tradition, our first event of the year was game night. The plan was simple: order some pizzas, play some games, and get to know one another. 

Another tradition of mine is that I always order too much food for the Bellevue Kickoff. I don't know if it's my optimism or just a value ingrained in me that we should never run out of food (thanks, Mama and Papa!) but I'm always going to over order. Based on our initial invitations and such, we knew that we'd probably have between 5-15 people at kickoff, which means that 3 large pizzas would probably be plenty. Did I order 4 just in case? Yes I did. Did Dominos give me an extra one because they accidentally cut the pizza wrong? Yes they did. Was it too much food? Yes it was. Did I partake of another Bellevue InterVarsity tradition by going around the student center trying to give away food? Yes I did. Do I regret any of it? No I don't. =0). 

Our crew was mostly regulars from last year but we did have 2 new students, which was nice. Neither of our plant winners from tabling showed up, so we played games to determine the winners. We played "Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza" and "Uno", and all friendships remained in tact. 

From here, our student leader will be leading bible studies and I won't be there regularly. I may try to get out there another time through the semester to support our student leader but we'll see. Either way, I'll continue to pray for the Bellevue students and that their community will grow in love for Jesus and in love for one another. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Back to the Tables!

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday, I did something that I haven't done in YEARS... I went tabling. 

Tabling is a staple of college ministry. It's exactly what it sounds like. You sit at a table and wait for students to come by so you can tell them about your group and try to get them to sign up. It's not always glamorous and it's not always fun, but the potential of it is always exciting. 

You never know who you're going to meet and the students that you meet at tabling are often the ones who become a part of your group for years to come. You wouldn't have met them if you weren't out there tabling, so you table. Last year, at Bellevue's tabling event, Jill met Ashlyn. Ashlyn signed up and brought her roommate Liberty to the bible study. Liberty got involved and went to Ambition where she gave her life to Jesus. Now Liberty leads the InterVarsity group at Bellevue. The LORD works in mysterious ways... =0). 

I haven't stretched out my tabling muscles for a while because I haven't needed to do it. When we moved to Omaha, I didn't have a campus assignment to start. When I worked part-time with the group at UNL, they didn't do any tabling. We were only allowed to do tabling at Bellevue since last year, which was covered by our student leaders. This year, because of work, Liberty couldn't do the tabling last night, so I hopped in, although she was able to join me this morning. 

Most of Bellevue's student body does their coursework online, so the New Student Orientation isn't jam packed with students. The students who are in attendance are primarily athletes and/or international students. Between the session last night and the session this morning, maybe only 20 or so students got connected to InterVarsity. On the one hand, that's not a ton. On the other hand, any one of those students could be a catalyst to the chapter thriving, so I'm not too worried about it. 

Grading my tabling skills over the past 2 days, I'd say that while I haven't lost my touch completely, I was definitely out of practice. We had all the good stuff like we normally do, stickers, candy, cups and such, but we tried doing a plant raffle, which was decently successful. We also asked students to join our SnapChat directly, which was new for me but apparently that's what the young people are doing today. 

Like I've said, the joy of tabling is in the potential. I'm praying that of these 15 or 20 students who expressed interest in our group that a few of them would decide to hang around and become part of the Bellevue community. Maybe some of them will invite their friends. Maybe someone who we met yesterday or today will give their lives to Jesus. The possibilities are endless. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Black Widows Assemble!

Hello, friends! 

With the start of the new school years also comes the start of extracurriculars. Thaliea will be starting a new dance studio (she's already been cast as a flower in the Snow White ballet) soon. Scouts is starting a little later than usual but we'll be getting going soon enough with all 3 kids in the pack. The big one for me though is the start of Ezra's soccer season. If my math is right, this will be my 11th season coaching Ezra's soccer team and our 8th season as the Black Widows.

As soon as I had Ezra, I knew that I wanted to be really involved in his extra curriculars, whatever those may be. I lucked out that he loves sports like I do; the wrench in the plan was that I wasn't anticipating soccer being his sport of choice. I never played soccer growing up, so it was a new adventure for me. 

In the early years, coaching was easy. All you have to do is make sure the kids aren't using their hands, are kicking the ball and not their friends, and know which goal is the right goal. There weren't even formal practices during the week. It was a lot of fun all around. Usually, the Y puts a bunch of random kids together so it's a new team each season. In 2022, Ezra decided that he wanted to ask a bunch of his friends to play with him and the Black Widows were born. We've been together ever since. 

For the past few years, I've felt a lot like Marge Simpson giving piano lessons: she doesn't know how to play the piano, but she's just trying to stay one page ahead of the kids. =0). I've spent many an hour watching YouTube videos trying to figure out what drills to run during practice to build the kids in their skill as well as understanding of the game. I'd like to think that the team has gotten better under my coaching. What I lack in skill and soccer knowledge, I try to make up for in positive attitude and encouragement. 

Honestly, last year was a bit of an up and down year. During the Fall season, we went undefeated in the 3/4 division so we decided to make the jump to the 5/6 division. During the Spring Season, as a team of 3rd and 4th graders playing against 5th and 6th graders, we had another undefeated season, which was lots of fun. But, we also tried our hand at entering a club tournament and got absolutely crushed, showing us how much more we had to grow. We had our first in-practice fight and had one kid leave the team because of trash talk gone too far. It was the first season where I wondered if it was a good idea to keep the team together. 

We'll see how much longer the Black Widows go. YMCA soccer goes through the 8th grade, so, in theory, we could go until then. Ezra has already told me that he wants me to keep being his coach (which is encouraging to hear). But, with this being the last year of elementary school, next year everyone may be headed out to different middle schools. Maybe that will mean they want to stick together. Maybe it'll mean it's the end of an era. 

Either way, I'm trying to enjoy this season. If the Black Widows continue beyond this year, I'll be happy to keep coaching. It it's the end of me coaching Ezra, I'll start coaching Jonah and we'll start the cycle all over again. For now, I'm just thankful that I've been able to invest in these kids over the years. Hopefully, it's been as much of a blessing to them as they've been to me. 

#GoBlackWidows

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

New Rhythms

Hello, friends! 

Today marks the end of the first full week of school for the kiddos, which means we are fully into school season now. This weekend will also start soccer for the boys, so it's all starting for real. 

With Jonah is kindergarten and all 3 kids at the same school (#GoldenYear), that means that some of the rhythms from last year have changed. None of these changes are bad, they're just different.

- Full Day Sabbath. For the first time since we had Ezra over 10 years ago, Megan and I can enjoy a full Sabbath. We've been taking Sabbaths on Mondays for as long as we've been married. Before we had Ezra, we would say goodbye in the morning and not see each other until dinner. For the past 10 years, we've split Sabbath in half, with one of us watching whatever kids weren't in school for half the day then being out and about for the other half of the day. With JoJo in school now, we can go back to that full day experience. So far, it's been pretty great. 

- Making lunch. Our elementary school has had free lunch for the past few years, so this one is brand new to us. Because JoJo has so many allergies, we decided that it would be easier to just make him lunch instead of risking cross-contamination or some secret ingredient we didn't know about. So far, we've been doing a good job of giving him some variety. I'm sure that ham sandwiches every day would grow stale after a while. 

- Getting to the Panera. A few years ago, we moved daycares, and JoJo's daycare was right across the street from a Panera. So, on Tuesdays, I would drop the older kids off at school, then drop JoJo off at daycare, cross the street to the Panera, work there all day, then pick up JoJo on my way back to grab the older kids. Now, with JoJo in kindergarten, I park the car at their school after I drop them off, hop on the bus, then take a quick walk to the Panera. It's a little more inconvenient but not terribly so. 

- Snack Time is forever. Apparently, learning takes it out of you! This was true for both Ezra and Thaliea when they started kindergarten. It seems like just yesterday we stocked the snack drawer full but it's already looking a little sparse! The culprit? JoJo is SUPER hungry when he gets home from school and just wants to eat. He can't even wait for dinner to be ready. I think it's at least in part because he doesn't have a morning snack and he's learning to eat faster so he can finish his whole lunch during the alotted time at school. 

These are a few of the new rhythms that we've had to adopt. We also changed soccer practice for Ezra to a different day, Thaliea changed dance studios so her lessons are on a different day, and things like that, so the after school rhythms are up in the air too. I'm sure we'll get it. It'll just take a little time. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

The School Year has started!

Hello, friends! 

After 10 very full weeks, the kids are back in school! Today, we dropped all three of the kiddos off at school to start the new year. There weren't any tears (today) and everyone is excited to get back into the school year rhythm. 

School actually started yesterday for Jonah. We're not sure when they started this (definitely after Thaliea was in Kindergarten), but this year, kindergarteners, 6th graders, and freshmen all started a day early. I think it was so they could get used to their new surroundings before all the bigger kids showed up. So, yesterday, we dropped JoJo off for his first ever day of school! He came home very excited, VERY hungry, and at least a little bit crankpants on account of being so tired. He slept very well last night. =0). 

Ezra and Thaliea started today, which means that today was the first day of what I have called the Golden Year. This is the only year that all 3 kids will be at the same school meaning we only have ONE dropoff. It's going to be absolutely glorious, not having to spend any extra time in the car, getting to daycare and school. 

One thing about the start of the school year is how much money we're going to save. We're massively cutting down on our lunch budget since the kids will be eating at school. Also, since Jonah is in kindergarten, we won't be paying for preschool or daycare anymore. Added to that, Megan is going to have more available hours for work, which means that we can go on lunchtime dates instead of evening dates, saving money because lunch is cheaper AND because we won't need a sitter. We had our first school time date today and it was great! 

Don't get me wrong. I love my kids. I love spending time with them and I hope they know that we're always going to be there for them. The start of the school year also means the start of soccer (#GoBlackWidows), Scouts, and dance and I try to be involved in all of those things so I can spend time with the kids. It's just, well, this was the first year when I thought that maybe those Year Round School kids may be onto something. Summer felt SOOOOO long, especially after we got back from our trip. I'm glad that the school year has returned and that we can all go back our rhythms. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

One Year With Phoebe

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday marked one year since we brought Phoebe home and officially became a dog family. She was actually born in June but she stayed with her mom a few months before we could actually pick her up. 

Friends, it has been quite a year and I'd say that Phoebe is very much a part of the family. She has her own personality and honestly, even though I've never considered myself a "dog person," I'm very glad that she's a part of our family. Here are a few observations about Phoebe and about her being a part of our family for the past year: 

- Phoebe is a smart dog. Apparently goldendoodles are a smart breed of dog. Phoebe follows that tradition. She's picked up on the little training that we've done pretty quickly. She was housebroken pretty quickly too, which was a huge blessing. She just learned how to play fetch, which is great too! Of course, there are still some areas for learning but that's true for any of us, right? 

- Phoebe is a creature of habit. She's found some things that work for her. She has her spot on the floor where she likes to lie. She knows when it's dinner time. No matter how many times we tell her that there's no reason to bark, she goes apoplectic when someone opens the front door. She has her favorite toys and the toys she won't even bother with. We've been learning her likes and dislikes so we can all get along. 

- Phoebe is ridiculous. There are some quirks that I'm not sure I'll ever totally understand. When Phoebe sits, she sits on the side of her hind legs instead of on her bottom. Apparently, that's a goldendoodle thing but it looks silly. Phoebe loves holding hands. Phoebe doesn't eat socks anymore but she does steal them and lays on her rug with them, daring us to get them back. 

One of the pleasant surprises is how helpful the kids have been with her. I was worried that the kids would be all about playtime but not actually want to care for her. We're still working on them picking up poop but at the very least, they haven't forgotten about Phoebe. 

So, we're one year in! Goldendoodles are supposed to live between 10-15 years, so the plan is for Phoebe to be with us until all the kids are through high school (for context, Russian tortoises live 50-60 years, meaning that Gus will be around longer than I will...). Here's to many more years of holding hands, playing fetch, finding socks where they shouldn't be, and in general, that dog dad life. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

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