Concert

Greg and I got to go to the Chris Tomlin concert Friday night with some friends, and it was so much fun! The two opening bands were really good, too--Rend Collective and 10th Avenue North. Our kids love a couple Rend Collective songs, so Greg videoed those to show them. We had crazy good seats in the 2nd row, right in front of the stage! Amazing to be worshiping God and singing with thousands of other believers. Such a powerful night! So glad we went. 

right in front of our seats and the stage before it started

This evening was the first time we'd left the kids alone at night for more than an hour, with Kari as the designated "sitter." She's been "babysitting" her siblings for short periods of time since she turned 11-years-old, so we've been easing into it for a little while, but it still felt pretty strange leaving them at 5pm, knowing we were going to be over 30 minutes away for several hours. I held my phone in my hand the whole time and checked in a few times. It helped knowing they had grandparents close by and a bunch of trustworthy neighbors, too. The kids did great! Kari got them all in bed by 8:45pm (we let them stay up "late") and put herself to bed at 9:45pm. This is a whole new world for Greg and I--so exciting! :) We are determined not to use her too much, though. We did pay her a little this time, precious little--$7 for the night. :) I think it gave her a greater sense of responsibility, though, knowing she was going to be paid for her services. She knows she will not be paid every time she's in charge. We'll figure out the plan and change it as we go.