Sent On A Mission

Easter!!

2011-04-24T20:14:00.001-07:00

Titus, the Ray... always has a smirk on his face.

Baby Jude is almost 1! This was his first Easter, he enjoyed taking all the eggs out of the basket and then putting them back in.

He is sweet, smiling at Josiah's antics.

Josiah loves getting his photo taken, or taking the pictures himself (he took the one of Jude and I).

A second of Titus. These are in front of the flowers by Concordia Maplewood.

The four little ones, getting so big!

Elise chose this dress for Easter, she wanted to match her doll!

It is soo good to have family close! We had a nice supper together, and then an egghunt!

All 6 local cousins ready for church.

Our little family.

He is Risen... He is Risen Indeed!

December

2011-02-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

Continuing the catch up, here is December:

For the last four years, Elise and I have gone to the Nutcracker together, it is our gift from my grandparents. It is enjoyable to have this time together as well as to see her mimic the dancers as she glides around the house! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

Titus is opening his first gift of the year, and it happened to be a favorite, a xylophone! Thanks Mary Jo and John, we have a musical house with that one!

Elise got a pink tree with all the fancy little trimmings to put in her girly bedroom.

Oh, the places we find marshmallow! And let me tell you that it doesn't matter how long the marshmallow has been MIA, there is celebration and quick consumption when one is found!

Snap shot of the sweet baby boy with Woody's cowboy hat.

Elise loves this fur cape that she got this year with her volunteering bucks through the Seminary.

Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Baby's First Christmas...he had a ball!

Elise had a matching outfit with her doll Mandy.

After opening many gifts, the cousins take a photo together.

The campus did a little skit for the Christmas party this year. Josiah got to be the Joseph character. (He has the tan hat with green wrap on it)

Elise is teaching Jude about snow.

It was fun sharing this Christmas with Titi and Matt and baby Gideon. Good looking family!

As promised the cheerleaders received their new uniforms and poms. So cute!

At the preachers basketball game there was an intramural tug-of-war during the half time show. Needless to say, Mike was in it! Our team took home the gold, way to go boys!

Mr. Wil, a student, thrills the crowd with his dribbling skills. Titus often tries to imitate him when we go to the gym.

Jude in front of our tree before we took it down. He liked eating on the nativity characters!

October and November

2011-02-01T12:32:00.001-08:00

This is definitely not everyday activity, but I thought this was a good picture of my kitchen table over the lunch hour. We run a busy but happy little house here!

Titus wore this costume to his preschool costume party. So cute!

Sickness blighted our family a few times this winter, Elise was sleeping so peacefully that I had to take this picture.

October 31st, one of my favorite days of the year. Candy and Dressing up are two of my favorite things! Here is Mike the Idaho Potato farmer with Jude, the potato in a sac of potatoes!

Elise was a fairy from the book series Fairy magic. Josiah was Peter from Narnia, and Titus was the happy little clown from The Little Engine that Could.

We had not been to the arch since we had left for vicarage, so we spent one afternoon walking around the museum and learning. It really is a sight to see!

Magnificent!

We got to be in Springfield for cousin baby Gideon's baptism. He is so sweet.

The whole family, to include Veronica's mom Nana.

It was a gorgeous day and so I had to steal a shot of the kiddos!

Josiah was elated that he was able to hold his first baby cousin on this side of the family.

Jude soaked up some special time with Grandma and Grandpa too.

We visited my grandparents in Michigan on a whirlwind trip. It was so good to be at this home away from home, to enjoy all the sweet smells of Grandma's and just hug them! This was their first time to meet Jude, as well as Titus.

Molly the dog was a little jealous of the baby sitting in her typical spot, snagging the attention from the man that belongs to her!

What Titus does during 'rest' time...

What the big boys were doing during 'rest time' that day...

Josiah commented that his favorite part was shooting the gun as well as listening to Grandpa's stories. I must agree on the later!

The assembly.

We also visited Frankenmuth, MI - the home of Bronner's Christmas store. Bill and Mary were the ones who directed us here, and we had a memorable time with them.

It was fun to see them enjoying time with their god-son again.

This baby does not match this seat!

Mimi and Papa visited for Thanksgiving, and seizing the moment, I put them to work setting up the Christmas tree. We then celebrated our Christmas with them that weekend.

Our first round of snow came and we enjoyed it! Outside for sledding was the obvious choice for this crew!

We celebrated Josiah's birthday with a sports theme this year. Fittingly, we had it at the field house. The kids ran and ran and had a great time.

Josiah's pinata selection: a football jersey.

The football cake to mark 8 years!

Elise was asked to join a cheer leading team at the Seminary that cheers for the Preachers (the collegiate basketball team). She is enjoying this with her friends, in the next post they will be in their new uniforms and have Pom-poms!!

August and September....

2011-01-31T19:08:00.000-08:00

It is about time I posted some of these pictures...sorry for the delay. I guess it takes me getting locked into my home to get these things done!

In August, Mike returned home to an eager family!! Shortly thereafter, we all returned to our 'regular' schedule of school and work. I am again watching Peter and Oliver during the week and homeschooling the 'big kids' in addition.

Here, Titus and Oliver get ready for their first day of pre-school together. They go across the street to "Miss. Kim's", there are three others in their class.

The boys are also learning a few other things here too...

Michael also began school, this time doctorate work!

Titus and Jude really enjoy each other, I am so thankful for my children and their capacity to love.

September came and Elise turned 6!

Jude's first feeding...

A fun afternoon with the sem. kids.

Sara and her family stopped by for a visit. It was the first time we had all gotten together for a while!

Cousin reunion!

Sem soccer...this year we added Titus to the line-up!

The second annual "Dress Up or Dress Down" dinner. This year we invited Jamie, Paul and crew, what a collection of people! (Mike is a rabbit hunter, in case you wondered.)

We took a family field trip to the pumpkin farm, it was incredible!

A little of this and that and Nathan's Wedding

2010-07-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

My nights have been filled with sleep lately as Jude has made a new discovery....his thumb! Yes, I know it is not good if they are thumb suckers for years on end, but I am sure thankful to end the frantic midnight search for the binky!

Elise and Jude hanging out at the Grandparent's pad.

Before leaving for the wedding in Texas, Titus and I made coffee cake to bring along. Josiah was the photographer for this one.

Grandma and Grandpa treated us to our first ever Branson Show. Yakov Shmirnoff's Russian Circus. We loved the slinky woman, the ballerina, the dancing poodles and the fire woman.

When we arrived in Texas, these flowers were on the bedroom vanity. They were an amazing array of flowers put together by my cousin on Michael's request for our anniversary. I got to smell the sweet aroma of flowers every time I walked into the room...thanks husband on 9 years!

A better photo of the flowers:

In Texas, we were invited to a brunch to meet the bride's family. It was a good time to talk and get to know them. Here, the little girls ate at one table.

The big girls were all at another.

It was a joy to see Gramma holding baby Jude and enjoying him. They both lit up for the other as many smiles were shared.

On the day of the wedding, it was a glamour spa in the house. The girls had their hair in curlers, thanks to Vicki, pedicures and manicures followed.

Here is Vicki, the manager of the salon, with two of the three primping princesses.

The end results: One cute little girl! Here she poses as 'The Three Musketeer Barbie'.

My four sweet kiddos before we leave for the wedding, and cousin Peter.

Playing outside the church, the cousins found something in the dirt.

It must have been really sunny, but they still obliged me this picture!

In the church right before the wedding we met up with Mom and Dad.

Jude with Cousin Heather.

Father of the Groom, Gramma and Grandpa Art after the wedding.

All the great-grand children of my Gramma (with exception to Thaley and Eric Jr.) in one shot, needless to say, they are not all looking at the same time!

Elise and Kaitlyn at the church, lovely hair!

Cousin Madilyn joins the two girls.

Thought this was cute, little Shay checking out all of Sara's jewels.

The good looking groom, my Cuz, Nathan.

Congrats to Nathan and Joy! We are blessed to have her join our family, and had a great time celebrating with them. Now we are in the countdown to the next family wedding....a few more weeks and then we will be in Michigan together!

Colorado to Missouri via Kansas!

2010-07-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

Before we left Colorado, we celebrated Titus' 8th of July birthday. Here is intensely opening his birthday envelopes.

Elise, Katelyn and Josiah all helped make Titus' birthday cake.

The finished product, a sweet little farm scene.

Elise poses with her cupcake cow.

Titus before he devours his cake.

Jude was exhausted from all the party events and found a nice place to nap.

We then left Colorado's cool climate to be in humid Kansas, but it was enjoyable with our great friends the Stewarts. Here Christy gets a baby fix holding Jude.

Moses and Josiah, still easy friends as the day they met.

Mr. Lou served up back yard smore's, we all enjoyed that!

The kiddos enjoyed a romp after lightning bugs and then posed for this picture.

Elise and Hannah enjoyed playing all sorts of dolls, we didn't see them for hours at a time they played so well together!

The next destination was Grandma and Grandpa's house. The boys are all hanging out together here.

Titus helped Grandpa make some tasty pancakes.

In front of Grandpa's lily pond, the flowers bloom during the day and close again at night.

I was interested in the flowers, Titus in the water.

More journeys to follow...

Colorful Colorado

2010-07-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying our time in Colorado, and I can't believe that it is almost time to move on. Jamie and her boys are also here and enjoying visiting her mom and family. One day we went to 'Grandma Kim's' for some slip'n'slide fun with all the Snyder cousins.

Here, Jamie poses with our little Jude.

Our two big kids and Peter all attended VBS with Mimi. They had a blast and are still singing all the songs.

My roomate Sherri and I got to have brunch in Denver with all the girls in her family. They had come out for a Women of Faith conference.

Titus has enjoyed Colorado immensely. He is an outdoor boy, and there are few places where you can have so much outdoor fun year round! Here he and Papa were going on an errand, both wearing their Texas best.

One of my best friends since gradeschool, Sarah and her son Cooper came to visit us. Jude and Coop were born within one day of each other. It's fun to think they could go to kindergarten together!

This is Titus' way to wear a ball cap. I think that he likes it like this because it sticks firm to his head, and he can still see!

We spent as much time outside as possible. Here we are in Red Rock Canyon, a beautiful place they just opened to the public 2 years ago. There were red rocks all around, and people were rock climbing from either side of the cliffs. There were also some Ft. Carson soldiers training to hunt snipers there so we came across fake blood on different rock formations. Papa took us through a pass where they had blown dynamite to mine the rocks. It was a beautiful day and a fantastic hike. The kids kept pretending they were archeologists. Here Elise takes a breath from the hiking and blows a dandylion.

Papa, Mimi and Titus smile for a shot.

Here are the big 3 in the canyon...can't look any better than this!

Four Bears, Fourth of July

2010-07-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

While enjoying making cupcakes for Titus' second birthday, Mimi discovered a little family of bears in the backyard. The mama bear is two years old, from a bear that had triplets. She herself then had triplets, which you see below. They were so cute, toddling around the yard. A couple times one would fall and startle the other two up the closest tree. I had never seen so much. The new mommy just hung around and kept an ear out for their safety. When she heard me open the screen door to get these shots, she stood on her hind legs and looked at me as if to remind me they were not teddy bears. Point taken!

That is not a rock, but the momma. She is a cinnamon color compared to the little black cubs.

Also thought I would include our fourth of July family picture. This was shot at the infamous Broadmoor Hotel.

Here is Jude dressed in red, white and blue. Look how bright his little eyes have become!

Baby Jude's Blog Debut

2010-06-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Born April 30th, it is time to reveal our sweet baby to the blogging world. We love him and know you will too! So without further ado, here is our little boy.

March and April

2010-05-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

From a Lion to a Lamb, this Spring proved a delightful one for us. We definitely took part in our share of Easter Egg Hunts this year, but in my opinion, better to do many now while the opportunity remains. (Why do they put age limits on Easter Egg Hunts? This is another reason I really love Halloween...there are no rules that I am too old to collect candy from strangers!) Our first hunt of the year was at Paul's college. They had a petting zoo as well as a "Hare in the Air" ie. an Easter Bunny that was helicoptered into the scene of kids to deliver the delectable eggs. In Titus' age group, there were so many eggs the kids couldn't help but step on them every way they turned. Unfortunately, the parents were not allowed to go into the grassy area with their children and therefore could not coach these children on what the point of their baskets were. Result: Children looking confused as to why their parents sent them in the middle of this field with many other children their age.

Note all the eggs on the ground around the slightly dazed toddlers. It wasn't until I told Titus, "Pick up, clean up the eggs and put them in your basket." That he moved forward. This taught me two things. 1. Gone are the days when I spent afternoons 'training' my child on how to egg hunt. (Yes, I did do multiple drills with Josiah on egg hunting around our house...but he really did enjoy it...it wasn't just the crazy competitive mom's agenda.) 2. I must spend a lot of time teaching how to clean up now as that is what I promoted to Titus, and he readily understood!

Here Elise takes part in a definitely more advanced hunt. My hint to her...Dash to the middle and let the other little ones get bogged in the front lines of eggs. (Is this competitive?)

After a week of warm weather, this day was unreasonably cold...but we persevered for the golden eggs!

I was impressed, a two week old camel. I had never even seen one before!

Here Titus is discovering the fruits of the plastic eggs.

A few days later we had dinner as a family and everyone brought their baskets for a little hunt in our backyard.

Oliver discovers one beneath the bush.

Titus is proud of his assortment.

He now fully understands what should be in the eggs.

In fact, when asked if he wanted eggs for breakfast one morning, he started jumping up and down in celebration and saying, "Please, please, please." At first I took pride in the fact that my child was making wise food decisions in opting for the protein based egg over a sugary cereal....then I realized the misunderstanding as he gripped the candy filled basket with his chubby little hands.

To reintroduce the true egg, we also dyed some with a variety of colors.

Each of the children came out with a very different look to their eggs. I love watching them each think creatively, and yet so differently given the same materials.

A very happy Peter.

To further celebrate spring, we visited the butterfly house.

Josiah reads about the many species at the dome that we were about to step into.

A Preggo picture for all of you wanting them...it was so hot in here! I guess they do make it the temperature of a rain forest, but really, did my feet have to swell even more?

I thought the flowers were so beautiful.

The four boys viewing the water fall, and all wishing they could jump into the water!

Very sweaty, mostly happy children.

The seminary hosted an egg hunt as well, this one the week after Easter. For those of you who may believe that enough is enough...we truly like to celebrate the joy of Easter year round. Therefore, one more egg hunt was well celebrated. I thought this shot was beautiful of the campus bell tower and the amazing tree below.

What a spring, and yet, we were waiting for our little baby boy to spring out and come be a part of our lives.

January and February Celebrations!!!

2010-02-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

We have many things to celebrate in January and February, and so here are some of our party times! First, a great friend of mine sent me this fun shirt dress for my birthday...thank you for keeping me stylish! That is celebration enough!

Titus loves the snow, and he has been enjoying every minute of the cold weather, and when he is inside he is wistfully looking outside. I don't typically let him suck his thumb out of bed, but this was just too cute.

Elise liked my outfit this day and so she asked to take my picture... on seeing it, I realized I don't have many pictures of this new little baby on the way!

The little boys are quickly coming on age two. There are so many things that they are learning together every day. I love having them as a pair, to see how they approach certain circumstances. Even in a task of building blocks, their personalities shine through. They are a good balance to each other, a perfect pair of cousins.

Oliver is proud of his tower.

And what is a tower worth, if you can't make it come crashing down?

Last week we had a special teacher come to our classroom every day to teach us about the Chinese New Year celebrations. Here, Miss Mary is teaching the kids the Dragon Dance...or at least our rendition of it! Praise the Lord for some warmer weather! We also flew kites that afternoon.

Elise and Peter enjoyed our lesson on using chop-sticks! I was impressed by their success in eating with them. (However we did have forks available for bailout.)

Elise had a 'show day' in which we were welcomed to watch her practice ballet. Most days the studio is closed to parents and friends so the girls will keep focused, however they allowed us to come and watch this day. She is so coordinated and loves dancing, she gets that from my mother!

Her teacher Miss Marilyn has been teaching dance for many years here, in fact a lot of the parents of the girls in Elise's class were also taught by her! She has ultimate control of her classroom, and the girls enjoy their time with her. That says a lot for a class of 40 girls all age 5 and 6!

Our good friends at the sem learned that they will be going to Texas for the first church to pastor. As they are from Montana and Pennsylvania, they have a lot to learn about the Lone Star State. They invited us to Texas Day at their home to learn a little bit of Texas trivia. It was a great time, here the kids are enjoying a Texas treat of brisket and tater-tots! (note the hook-em horns signs the kids are attempting, and their longhorn apparel.)

This school year we hosted a Valentine party, a lot of fun and love was shared.

Miss Mary tells the kids a story with felt pictures....a huge success.

The Girls get their own table:)

Who wants juice?

Titus and Oliver enjoy their cupcakes.

This is at the Sem's Valentines dance. I can't believe that I didn't get a picture of Michael and I, so here is the one I did get...of Miss Mary and I. Sorry Valentine!

November and December

2010-01-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

We jumped right into November, loving all of the leaves that the trees around us provided....and also the fact that we are not required to do our own lawn maintenance this year! The kids played for at least an hour, building leaf piles and then plowing them down.

It is only natural to want to see if you can bury yourself with a large accumulation of leaves like this. Here Peter emerges....

Two beautiful belles, Elise and Gracie.

A quick, but wonderful trip to Texas was enjoyed. The sweatshirts were from the pride of a Papa, they boys enjoy wearing them to match each other.

We still can't believe it, but Josiah turned 7 years old!! Here Elise is pictured with the Yoda pinata that we made to enjoy at Josiah's party.

Josiah tries it out, and adds the essential light sabor.

Getting ready for the big moment, ready to blow out the candles on his R2-D2 ice cream cake.

Promoting peace, Jedi Josiah and Yoda:

School continues to be enjoyed, for some reason I just love seeing them all read together!

Go Mimi, Go! Another blessed year for my mom that we were able to celebrate at 'home'.

The first portion of Michael's school break was spent in California visiting our great friends from Spokane. We had a wonderful time with them, and we loved just hanging out.

It ws so special to see all the kids together again, and how easily they got along. We made cookies and decorated them like professionals!

The kids also enjoyed rock'n out together.

When in Northern Cali- it is a shame if you don't take time to go to the Jelly Belly factory...mmmm.

Here is a duck and pond crafted entirely out of Jelly Belly's... Grandpa Myers, I like your ducks a lot more than this, but it could be worth a try. I would be willing to eat the colors you don't need out of every bag:)

All decked out for Christmas, the giant Jelly Belly welcomed us.

As a tradition, Elise and I have attended the Nutcracker Suite together for the last 3 years now. I Love it and so does she. This year we were accompanied by our great friends and it was spectacular!

This is the two of us after the evening...we even hit Mc. D's for a healthy dinner!

On Christmas Eve eve, we exchanged gifts with our friends, here Elise poses with her godmother Mary Jo and Mia.

A trio of friends.

For Christmas Eve we went on a trip into San Fransisco. We stopped for lunch at Muir Beach, it was a sight. I kept thinking that at any moment I would spot the pirate ship from Goonies coming around the rocks!

We had such a nice barefoot afternoon on the beach! The kids enjoyed building things in the sand and running up and down the waves of foam.

Josiah and Mia enjoying a rock seat at Muir Beach.

Practicing his tae-chi on the beach, Titus is also thankful for the restful day on the sand.

This was a beautiful spot to find overlooking the city and the Golden Gate bridge!

This is the first time any of us had walked on the bridge. It was a bit chilly, but we got thre right before sunset so the hues were amazing!

We got this great shot up on a wonderfully winding road by Muir National Forest.

Back "home" Mimi taught Elise some of her skills of fashion and sewing.

Elise loves opening presents!

It sings, and it blinks, what could be better?

Titus just is into tearing paper, this is the perfect time to enjoy that skill!

Josiah hosted his first art show in celebration of the semester's work he had accomplished. We had drinks, snacks, and awards for people to place on their favorite piece.

Our city received a wonderful, light, powdered snow... and a lot of it. Here our good friend Niccy takes Josiah and Elise down the hill. The kids later went to a huge hill in our area that was quite steep. The city provided hay bales at the end of the run so that people would crash into them, rather than the reflective pond at the base of the hill! They loved it!

I can't believe how quickly time is passing, but they say time flies when you are having fun. It seems like every day here is filled with joy and thankfulness, and a lot of fun!

Octobuuurrr...

2009-11-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here is the outline of our October, a little bit of everything going on.

Josiah is learning how to write ordinal compositions, or instructions to do a basic skill. So here we are learning how to make pizza according to Josiah's directions. It turned out tasty, one explicit instruction he had said, 'Add pepperoni, and then add a lot more!" Peter was in charge of spreading the sauce on the foccocia bread.

Elise managed the task of slicing the olives.

Another school project involved the characteristics of light. After learning about how light travels, how shadows are produced, and what light sources are, we spent some time conducting a shadow puppet play. Peter and Elise sit in anticipation for Josiah's skit.

Can you guess who these two puppets are by their shadow?

None other than Lucy and Charlie Brown and dog Snoopy. Our good friends have turned us on to the Peanuts cartoons and comics, and so Josiah did some of his favorite skits and comic strip reenactments. We all laughed at his production.

Outside of school we have been having some fun as well. Michael's 31st birthday was celebrated by us hosting a game night. We played cranium and a few disguised guests arrived. Below are Anna Marie Presley and her fourth husband Michael Lockwood.

Next we have "The registrar and her husband....uh- I think his name is Matt."

James Bond and his Russian beauty snuck into the night's activities.

Queen Mary and William also made a royal appearance.

One of the interesting elements of still going to college at this age is that intramural sports are still a regular part of the population's lifestyle. Jumping in the air to dodge an incoming missile, Mike, the 31 year old, is about to pummel his opponent with a rubber bouncy ball in the Saturday dodge ball tournament. Needless to say, his team took first place.

Peter is ready to go out for our daily walk. I never know who is going to accompany me, but it is always an adventure.

A personal adventure I had was excavating some ancient bricks from this old apartment that the Seminary is tearing down. I had put together a treasure hunt for the campus and decided to use these crumbled bricks as the location markers. A friend and I braved the rubble around 11 at night and had a fun time scavenging and being sneaky as security, locals and cops drove by the building. It reminded me of high school adventures to the old bridge in Manitou.:) You are smiling if you have been there.

Octoberfest was a wonderful event as always! Each year at the sem, they hold a party that is fun for the entire community. Mike enjoys a few minutes with Titus in the large baby bouncer, friend Samuel crawls over to join the fun.

Anne and I raced in the challenge course. It was so much fun!

Mary, Anne and I standing with some of our kids before the festivities.

Titus is bundled all up to keep warm on such a cool night. He also enjoyed the pretzels, as you can see in the pictures.

After many really rainy and freezing days, the sun broke free and it warmed up again. Finally the Indian Summer that we had considered lost. We spent some extra time outdoors to soak up the last rays of the year. Peter is just hanging around after school... note the brilliant red leaves. Since this picture was taken, all the leaves have transitioned, and most have fallen! It makes it hard to find lost light sabers in the backyard!

Oliver has been enjoying balance and coordination skills with keeping all the Lego's on the edge of the couch, and then he collects them and drops them in the play toys area and creates a tower.

In addition to Dodge Ball is the Intramural Football season. The kids and I love to go and watch the games being played. Observers are in for a competitor's treat. Here, the kids help Mike to do some pre-game stretching.

Michael's team took on the other undefeated team, which happens to be our good friend's (also named Michael) team. Our team came out on top this game!

This is Josiah's pumpkin that he designed. I like the teeth, it may have even been a self-portrait for him. He lost another tooth this week by falling out of a tree and them having me remove the tooth the rest of the way!

Titus Ray was a valiant knight this year. He walked around like he owned the place (he does that most places). However, his stomach was growling like a mid-evil dragon, and so he and Daddy went in the gym to enjoy the football game on the large screen and the chili cook off together.

Elise chose to be Ashoka, the female Jedi who was a padawon to Annakin in the new 'clone war' series. This girl could sure win a duo!

A proud pilot, Josiah used some of his dad's name badges and patches to complete this uniform. Doesn't he look sharp?

Josiah and Elise pose together with the pumpkin man and scarecrow. By this time Titus was inside and enjoying his second bowl of chili.

"All hail the Queen!" Again the queen arrives in her regalia, and knight Titus is there to protect her. Halloween night, 2009

Samuel, the Lion had us all over to his den.

Ten Points if you can guess who Michael is dressed up as! I still think he looks handsome!

Elise had asked me to dress up as one of Pad Mae's hand maids. I complied willingly to this request. (She also has asked to name our baby Leigha, if it is a girl. This we have openly rejected, but she believes that is what the girl's name should be.

On Halloween, the children dressed as the Star Wars cast. (Although Josiah was technically a ninja, not a Jedi.) Oliver is Yoda, Peter is Luke, and Elise is Ashoka. Titus just enjoyed the ride and the warm blanket he was covered in.

Another fun filled month for our family! And now we enter the more 'busy' months of November and December. I can't wait!

September Slides By...

2009-11-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

September starts with a birthday at our house, and for our only daughter to turn 5, just seemed too soon. Here are the cakes I made per her direction.

The second is the barbie silhouette. She had a purse pinata, and many friends from around the campus came to take part with us....I don't know where those photos got to...???

Off to school again!

All ready to go to a wedding, the children line up for a photo...before getting too dirty.

Outside of the church, our family gathered for a quick picture. It turned out really well, however Elise was mid-sneeze!

What a lovely bride! Miss Allison is a good family friend and favorite babysitter for the kids. Justin, you know you are blessed.

Josiah delighted in the mashed sweet potatoes served with all the toppings, and presented in a martini glass.

Josiah, Elise and Eden enjoyed playing together. Eden was the flower girl. The kids usually try to set up a play date with her whenever they come to visit Grandma.

Another typical day at school, here we are studying what makes a portrait. The assignment was to create a person with their lunch items. Turned out cute...and tasty. Josiah likes the realistic....and quantity!

I like the eyebrows on this one.

Going for the full view, Peter adds some string bean legs and spaghetti arms to his masterpiece.

Field Day! I can't believe it is already that time of year! This is the family event that kicks off the school year. It is one of my favorites as it has something fun for everyone involved. Elise loves getting her face painted.

Josiah and Michael lend a hand with the slack lining game, it is to help people learn balance.

Titus was more than satisfied with his ice pop.

My kids celebrate at the sight of a package. Thanks Mary Jo for the fun shirts.

October, here we come!

August at a glimpse...

2009-11-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

When first hearing of our vicarage assignment, we read a lot of books about the area we would be living in. Out of all the activities and fun things to do, the children wanted to go slide down a rock water slide. Finally, on our way out of town, we took an afternoon to do so.

Here the group waits in line, watching others make the descent into the mountain ice melt pool below. I decided to play photographer for this one!

Uncle Matt came out to help us with the trek across the land to our home. Here he helps Titus to get a good view of the events to follow.

Once we arrived back home we got to live with Paul and Jamie and their family. We had to wait 15 days for our new town home to be finished, and although it was a little cramped, it was a lot of fun. Here Oliver and Titus enjoy cousin time together.

Baseball anyone? Paul is about to blast the wiffle ball across a few yards. Matt is in the street ready to field the ball. Both children and adults had a blast at this game.

Close cousins, both in age and friendship. These two boys are a joy to watch interact. Sometimes it is parallel play, other times they are fully engaged with each other. They will share whatever is on their plate (Titus takes, Oliver gives) and they watch each other and repeat the other's sounds. They are the set of twins I had always hoped for...but at the end of the day I am only in charge of one....best of both worlds!

To help the backyard to keep from turning to mud in the fall, Paul and Michael took on a project of laying a brick paver patio. I guess they needed something to do with all their spare time! Michael would return from the Air Force Reserves, Paul from school, and they would get right to work. Of course, Peter kept them both in line.

With my two oldest visiting Grandma and Grandpa, I was able to go out and about the town. Peter would ride his bike and I would push the other two babies quickly to keep up.

We squeezed in a day at the zoo, right after a light rain and before lunch time. Grandma was in town, so together we could manage 5 little ones at this wild place!

Josiah is looking sharp for his first day of school.

One Last Time...

2009-09-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks of living in N. Carolina, we squeezed in as much activity as possible! Although we were there a full year, it was only enough to tap into the endless resources of the astounding area we had been placed in.

Here, Elise and I are enjoying our new matching dresses that Mimi made for us and the two dolls. I think we look quite fashionable. Thanks, Mimi!

Our beloved family, the Egglestons showed us the beauty of Jordan Lake, a huge natural lake that was only a half hour outside of our city! Dr. E's boat was a delight for all of us to take part in. He took the time to teach Mike a thing or two about setting it up.

Titus enjoyed his time on the soft sandy beach.

Dr. E and Josiah get ready to take her on the day's first voyage.

Getting a little bit deeper, they pause for a picture. The boat itself was pretty light weight, all they needed was a good breeze to take off.

Once more, Titus is smiley and content to be on the beach.

Our little spot on the water, just a perfect day.

When leaving any place after living there a while, is missing the great friends you have made. Josiah and Elise both treasured their friendship with Janey. Hopefully it is one that will continue on as time goes by.

I was able to make one last stop at the local outlet stores, and I got these little shoes for Titus with the money his Great Grandparents sent. Obviously, he loves them. Here is but days away from walking on his own. An accomplishment that happened the day before we moved. Maybe he was inspired by an empty house to run in?

One last day at the pool was spent with many of our friends from church. We had a pool and picnic afternoon, and it was a great day in the sun. My children, whom started the year with a fear of putting their head under the water, and clung to the walls of the pool, have obviously overcome that fear this year! The seven friends all jump into the pool together. (They did this many times in order for me to get the "perfect shot")

Josiah does an individual dive. Quite fearless.

Elise flies in behind him with no regrets!

Jordan had some impressive form with her flip dives!

Josiah's last sport of the year was baseball, and this was by far his favorite. He really played well, and had a great atmosphere of coaches and teammates. Here he poses at his last game, where he hit a home run.

Titus is just chill, watching all of the goings ons.

And in true form, I squeezed in one last trip! What started out as a day trip to the beach, evolved into meeting our friends in the Williamsburg area of Virginia. Still trying for one last 'beach day' we discovered two things:

1. There are no natural beaches in this part of Virginia

2. The un-natural ones leave a little to be desired.

Wake-boards aside, the kids did enjoy their time on this semi-industrial river. The nice thing was that the 'sand bar' extended almost to the rope, so the kids could even walk way out in the water. Below, Mike and Titus share the water with this large boat.

The delightful part of the trip, was hanging out with our friends, who had the greater idea of going to Busch Gardens! Thanks to the military, they picked up the tab, and we enjoyed a half day at the park. Even at the end of the day, when we took this picture we were all still smiling!

Josiah and Elise experienced their first grown-up rides, and they both loved it! First they did the log ride. Buddy Nate and Josiah are heading to the top of the ride.....

....then they are zooming to the bottom.....

...SPLASH!!!

Two soaked, but delighted customers!

Michael and Elise take their turn....she was smart and tucked behind the seat, so as not to get as wet!

Elise also enjoyed a pony ride that the others were too tall for, she did this one a few times.

Josiah and I did our first loop-the-loop roller coaster together! He insisted that I would love to do it with him. Unsure, but willing, we went. It was totally awesome! We are in the second seat, behind the guy waving. Our hair was flying back, which says a lot since Ziah's is so short!

One last photo before we left, Elise smiles for me.

Our last month of vicarage was a special one, and we are so thankful for all the people and things God provided us through the entire year. It was like no other experience. Even though we had many last events, it seems like we have endless thoughts about our time there.

Birthday Boy!

2009-07-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday Titus!

The Birthday Boy.

Titus' personal cake.

note: Mom and dad were surprised by the size of this cake. For Titus' own health concerns, we decided to give him only a small piece. The last of the remnants are now digesting in my stomach.

The Cake Makers
Thanks Samantha, Allison, and Arden!

The 'other' cake... since we had our party after our church's Wednesday night worship, I got this one for all who joined in on the party.

Looking around to make sure that he is really allowed to be doing what he is doing.

Notice the icing begins to resemble paint. It is not by coincidence that the chair cover is removed from his high-chair.

Birthday Balloons!

The after-bath! Thankfully someone gave us a cute outfit for his birthday, the green outfit is in the cake rehab center (laundry room).

Grandma was able to celebrate with us.

Happy Birthday Little Boy Titus!

Teeth!

2009-07-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

Growing Baby Teeth

Full Set of Baby Teeth

Lost 4 Baby Teeth, Growing 4 Permanent Teeth.

Eclectic Teeth. (Sweet Tooth, Grease Tooth, Salt Tooth, Wisdom Tooth, Cavity Tooth, False Tooth)

Perfect Teeth.

Another Haircut..

2009-07-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

"It's time for a trim," I told Elise, holding my breath to what I thought would be an instant battle.
Yet, as she usually does, she surprised me with, "OK, mom. I want it short like Megan's."

Megan's....Megan's? No way am I cutting it that short, you are my baby girl! I can't cut it that short, I will cry all night if I do!

"Let's just cut it a little shorter, and we can always go shorter another time if we want to," I reply with vagueness.

Lo and behold, here is the result. Very cute, I must say.

And speaking of cute, I found one of these in my basket today!

The 3rd of July!

2009-07-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

We are blessed to know so many people with so many gifts and abilities. I think that is one of my favorite parts of being involved in the church, the diversity of members. One of our good friends happens to be the PT for the Railhawks professional soccer team. Lizzy invited us to a game, and boy were we glad to take her up on that invitation! The game was on Friday night, under stadium lights. It reminded me of high school games! Thank you so much for a memorable night!

Here is our favorite Railhawk star of the night, Lizzy!

Front row seats with good friends Rev. Pat and Paul, Lizzy's father and husband.

Elise liked "Swoops" the team mascot.

Titus was thrilled with the first firework show he has seen!

The five of us, after one great night. (thank you Evan for the photo)

Mary Jo's Box

2009-06-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Nothing brings more excitement to my children's faces than a special package from a loved one. They definately get this from me, as I have almost a ritual of things to be done before opening such a prized possession. Well, this week we received one from Elise's godmother Mary Jo. She was so thrilled that all of her ensembles this week have contained something from the box. These are just the ones that she specifically asked me to take pictures of as a thank you.

One of my favorite items in my closet is my goucho pants, they are the comfort of sweats but with a bit more beauty and flair. Elise now has a pair, and asked me to match her for church.

She also wore this dress for confirmation Sunday. She wanted to wear it out for a field trip, but I did ask her to wait for a more dressy occasion. She literally counted down the days for this one, and then danced down the stairs when the day finally came. (Notice that she is en pointe or on her tippy toes - a recently aquired skill)

She and Ziah smile for their mamma.

Funny thing, I had made this tutu for her in October. Cute, right? She thought it was way too itchy and did not want to wear it. So, I sent it to Mia - Mary Jo's daughter, and thought she may get some use out of it. This week it arrived in the clothes box and Elise thought it was sensational. She wore it to dance, even though it was June and had not decreased in the itch factor!

Final Days of School

2009-06-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun filled few weeks, getting into all sorts of events around town and creating some of our own. We participated in the LEGO store opening at our local mall. Here the children built a lego brick to be added to other bricks culminating in an 8 ft tall LEGO Yoda! It was a busy place, but we enjoyed it greatly. I never even knew the complexities involved in the art bricklaying!

Here the "Master Bricklayer" sits by the "Master Yoda" prototype.

For a fun day on street safety, we created box cars and a chalk highway. The children had a car show and then got to follow a map around the streets to pick up items on their list.

Elise's car was a 'toy car' and Josiah's was an ambulance / tow truck.

Micah and Even created 'Lightening McQueen' and 'Doc'.

Janey's was 'just pink and sparkly'.

Here are the kids cruiz'n around.

Micah stops to gas up!

On our last day of school, we had a lemonade stand. Since we first moved here, he has requested to do a lemonade stand and so I said it would be fine if he was the one to do all the planning. He and Elise did a fantastic job deciding what they would need, buying their items, making posters, and serving their customers.

Titus observed in the background with me, and he enjoyed standing with the help of this fence, and eating the moss that was growing on it. Mmmm.

Not only did they sell lemonade ('And it's strawberry, so it doesn't taste bad,' as Josiah said a few times as a selling point.) but they also sold the golf balls that they had dredged up from the surrounding golf course ponds.

Aren't they ambitious? Would you have stopped?

A moment to brag...

2009-06-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

Some of our summer evenings we have enjoyed cheering Michael on at the ball park. He has been playing softball on the church's team. He has had many homeruns out of the park! Stud.

Photos by Elise.

Some more cute ones!

2009-06-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Titus really enjoyed his first taste of corn....or at least chomping his incoming teeth on the cob!

His absolute favorite food right now is orange slices.

And here are some classic bathtub shots.....

A little shaggy...

2009-06-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Those were the words I heard enough of daily that allowed Mike to take his first official snips of Titus' hair. I thought his hair was still fine, but Mike claimed to be the official barber for the boys in the house. So here are the before and after shots of my little 'not quite one year old'.

Note the critical 'hair is touching ears' in the before shot:

Afterwards, not the high and tight like I requested...all customers are satisfied.

A few fun days...

2009-06-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ah...how nice the weather has been. We have been spending every moment outdoors that we can. Titus starts out on his blanket, but is soon elsewhere.

Josiah seems to involve a physical element into our day, this time we use lightsabers.

And Elise has been busy setting up 'camp' for the dolls that Mimi had sent her and I for mother's day. These dolls are like the ones that my sister and I used to play with, and so now Elise and I are enjoying all the social scenes with them.

The tent and bedding....

A c0mfortable hammock....

breakfast.....

And return home in time for tea.

My little one just hanging out, wondering why mom is always pointing that camera at him!

Josiah's Soccer

2009-05-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

This year was another stand out for Josiah with soccer. He played YMCA ball, and loved every moment of it. Even when he was not on the field, he ran up and down the sidelines with the ball. His team was the Mudcats, they were red. You should have seen the victory lap(s) he ran after he scored the final goal of the season to win the game. Here are some shots:

Here are his adoring fans!

At the 'closing ceremonies' Josiah's coach commented that he was the fastest on the team, and most willing to play any position...he was never ready to rest!

Days in Dover, Delaware

2009-05-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

This April we enjoyed a week in Dover. Michael's reserve duty incentivized our trip, and our great friends being available to visit sealed the deal! Since our friends had their normal weekly events to keep, we hung out with them every moment we could, and then did our own activities while they were busy.

The first place we went to that is unique to Dover is the Victor Victrola museum. Victor was the inventor of the phonograph. My Grandpa in Michigan collects radios and phonographs and so this place was always of interest to me. We saw some pretty incredible antiques and learned a lot. I thought I would be the only one in the group of 4 that would be interested (being as I was the only one over the age of 6) but my older 2 children enjoyed learning, and Titus even bobbed up and down when we heard the music playing.

This is the phonograph that we listened to. We learned that the phrase, "Put a Sock in it" came from this machine being too loud. As it didn't have volume control, people would put a sock in it to make a more quiet or muffled sound.

This is one of the first internal phonographs, and it held a compartment for the listener's records.

These dolls were phonographs too, and would play music or recorded sounds.

The kids and I also enjoyed playing in the pool. Here they are just before heading out the door. We are quite the lively group.

In the afternoons we would hang out with our friends. One day I was in the house and I heard Elise say, "Boys, put your shirts over here." The phrase definitely peeked my interest, and I headed outside to see what was going on. The boys had decided to wrestle a little bit (and of course they must be bare chested). Here is the picture of the fearsome set. Who would you wager against?

On Friday, Nate hosted us at his school's cafeteria for lunch. We had a fun time seeing his daily environment...it was a busy and regimented school room, lots of kids to feed! The kids all enjoyed the pizza and blue cake!

Saturday we drove into Washington DC to tour the White House. First we sat on the side of the road to eat some delicious panini's from a bakery/deli in Annapolis that we happened upon a few years ago. It was still just as delicious.

Elise was looking chic, and ready for the day's adventure.

Titus was ready too, but already a little restless from being in the car seat on the ride over....how would he survive the Capitol tour???

Praise the Lord, we stumbled across a yard sale that had a infant cell phone exactly like what I had searched 3 stores for but couldn't find! I was so thankful, it was a high price for a child's toy at a garage sale ($2), but I let that go since it was in DC, I was desperate, the ones I had looked at were just under $20, it it was brand new!

Two good buddies...

The Cherry Blossom Festival had been the week before, so the trees were magnificent.

After a bit of wandering (some intentional, some not...) we found the Capitol. It was like a mirage for the children as it was a very warm day, and they were quite parched.

The highlight of the tour was finding this statue of Sam Houston. The kids were quite proud of it, especially after all of their Texas history lessons they have received from Papa! I must note that it is the only statue of the 100 that had a colored marble base, and burnt orange at that. The rest were either grey or white, true to form Texas, true to form.

We didn't get the whole tour... many times through the tour we were told we could take the elevator instead of the stairs like everyone else took. I had thought that this was out of kindness or sympathy that Shelly and I had to tote the stroller from one floor to the next. However, the one time we took the tour guide's advice to use the elevator, she said she would meet us on the lower level, that we could find the group very simply. When the doors to the elevator opened, our group was no where to be found! I think she told them...hurry and we can escape those crazy women with the young kids and the baby with the noisy cell phone toy!

A shot with Old Glory

Back at the hotel, we kept ourselves occupied by spiking the boys' hair...I think this was day 11 or 12 of being there. It is the time when your entertainment is pretty simple, yet creative!

Josiah looking cool...

Titus gives it a shot, thanks to sister Elise.

We also visited our old stomping grounds and fed the horses that we used to feed and pet every day. I think they remembered Ziah.

What once seemed a plague of dandy lions to our backyard, didn't seem so menacing as I snapped this shot of Josiah contemplating the wish he would make before blowing the seeds across the field.

As a family we got to visit our Pastor from Delaware. We truly appreciate both he and his wife, and had a good afternoon on the back porch eating lunch and relaxing by their little river.

Mike had to have his share in daring events, and this time he was challenged by his wife to remove a dead branch out of our friend's tree.

Here he is trying to reach the branch.....

And here is a view for perspective on how high up he was.

He had a few kids modeling his behavior.

Our trip back home lead us across the Bay Bridge Tunnel, or the 'up-down bridge' as our children called it. This was pretty incredible. The road was designed to cross the bay by bridge at some points and then you go down into a below water tunnel and rise back onto a bridge again (2 times)! It allows safe passage of really huge ships to go over the road.

We stopped on the little tourist spot in the middle to look around. Titus was wanting his dad to share the toy more.

My 'crew'.

Hope you enjoyed this Captain's Log of our journey!

Earth Day!

2009-05-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to celebrate Earth Day in town at the Art Museum. The city had a festival of fun for the children to do all sort of crafts and projects. This is definitely my kind of party! Josiah's turn to use the camera, he wanted to show Mimi my new haircut.

Titus is ready for a day in the sun, sporting his new sun hat:

At the party, one of the stations hosted other people's "trash", and you were to find creative ways to re-use the items. (I have tried to convince Michael that dumpster diving is en vogue a long time ago, but I don't think that his mind has been changed yet!)

The group gets ready to create:

Elise begins with plastic tubes and foam stars:

And yields a bouquet of flowers!

Titus uses the same plastic tubes and simply makes himself a teething toy:

Josiah's turned into warfare, a nice bow that shoots plastic bullets:

After 'flirting' with strangers and repetitively dropping/throwing the new sun hat, our little one finally rests...mom put sunhat back on!

It was a good day, enjoying the earth that resounds in praise!

Old McDonald Had a Farm....

2009-04-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

We had a delightful time today out in the country! Truly, I could picture myself living off the land in this manor for a while....maybe after we move out of the depths of the city! Here are some fun shots of the kids (none of which are goats) and the animals we enjoyed. Have I mentioned I love homeschooling?

The farm had quite a few baby lambs, some just a few days old. The children gave them some alfalfa pellets.

They also got to hold a few of the angora bunnies.

Here is an egg that a chicken just left behind, and a stray feather too!

My HOT husband and our baby boy. Titus adjusted well to his baby backpack, so much in fact, that he fell asleep fairly quickly!

A few more animal shots:

They also had a garden in which the children picked lettuce, spinach, and a few radishes.

It was quite the educational day for all of us! We even got to enjoy a fresh picked salad for dinner tonight.

Psalm 85:12 "The LORD will indeed give what is good, and ou land will yield its harvest.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T07:20:00.001-07:00

Hope you all had a good time for Easter. We sure did. Here are our family pictures.

Time for Titus

2009-03-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

We have taken a few shots of our little one, he remains a wonderful little boy. Just last night he started to army crawl across the floor. I had liked that he was only going side to side, but now he has mastered all directions, he is only inhibited by speed, but I am quite sure that will follow shortly.

Titus and Papa...he would watch wherever Papa was.

Big kid sitting up, singing, and using his toys like a microphone:)

Baby and Mimi...quite the snugglebug.

Elise and Titus as he begins to crawl.

Grandpa and Titus with their hats.

Grandma and Titus smiling.

Grandparents and Grandbabies

Sleepy time clothes.

Peek a boo, Titus' new tunnel toy.

After a dinner of apples and peas, we went to change a diaper and found this!

Hope you enjoyed our sweet little guy!

School Days, School Days, Good Old Fashioned Rule Days....

2009-03-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we sure have been up to some school days, but I am not sure how "old fashioned" we have been! Here are some of the fun things that have caught my photography interest. At the begining of February, we studied President's day and some of our well known Presidents. In an effort to remember the names and faces of Washington, Lincoln and Obama, I had the children create their rendition of these forefathers as Wii Mi. I wish I could post the final results here. I think they did a really great job. We made some classic log cabins, and each child added a bit of their own personal flair.

Josiah's was meticulous, even had a handle on the door.

Elise's was mostly mortar, and for some reason her pretzels kept breaking and she thought she should eat the broken ones.

While Mimi and Papa were in town, we celebrated our 100th day of school. Each person was responsible to bring 100 of any type of item. Thank you all who participated online, it was fun to have you at school with us. I must say that everyone impressed me greatly! Papa brought a few types of candy and taught on the difference between 100 pieces and 100 calories:

Elise drug down the stairs an enormous trashbag filled with 100 babies and animals from their toy room:

Josiah selected 100 of the finest Legos:

Mimi brought 100 ants and read a story about the 100 ants marching:

mimi, the picture must be on your camera...sorry!

Titus picked 100 fun stickers:

Michael found 100 rubberbands and showed us the many uses of the amazing item:

I joyfully collected a boquet of 100 twizzlers (and later learned that 2 1/2 equaled 100 calories:(

We also have made sure to add in some physical fitness in the cold months here. On Thursday we enjoyed a family game of golf.......

then on Friday it snowed in a very rare fashion and we were able to go Sledding!! I am so grateful for my ZIPFY. It got some speed even on these little hills.

In an effort to keep from being all work and no play, we decided on Monday night to enjoy a "Dress Up or Dress Down Dinner" where everyone had to come dressed out of their normal attire. We all kept our characters confidential until the dinner bell rang, and my what an ecclectic group we were!

Josiah was Nathan Hale, the first spy for the patriots to be caught and die for his country.

Papa was James Bowie, a hero of the Alamo. (It happened to be Texas Independence day)

Elise was Princess Genevieve from the 12 dancing princesses.

Michael was Al Capone.

Titus was a beach bum.

Mimi was Princess Jasmine.

I was the Queen that was honored by the building of the Taj Mahal.

Who knows what all adventures we will experience this month, but hopefully will share them with you soon.

Groundhog's Day

2009-02-05T08:23:00.000-08:00

On February 2nd, we went to our capital city to observe the Groundhog's day traditions. Here is the little varmit in his cage before the big moment.

Elise says, "He is littler than us."
Josiah says, "....but bigger than a mouse."

Later we went outside to watch if the groundhog would see his shadow. The master of ceremonies pulled him out of his box, luckily it was a warm day here, so the little guy did not bite anyone!

Josiah wanted the groundhog to Not see his shadow, and to end winter.

Elise wanted the groundhog to see his shadow, cause she wants to go sledding again.

Here, the groundhog gives his verdict to our mayor. He says, "I see my shadow, 6 more weeks of winter!"

Josiah, and the crowd moaned. Elise said, "Yipee, Yes!"

These are our friends Micah and Even.

Here we are, enjoying some warm weather, before it turns back to winter!

The master of ceremonies and the groundhog posed for a picture with us!

January Events....

2009-02-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

A few things that I guess I had not posted yet, but should have were the miscellaneous events in January. Titus continues to grow, and he is a smiling one. He has never met a stranger yet.

Elise had her first dance and ballet recital. She had really enjoyed these classes, and so she is in the class again this semester. Here she is with her 'team' of girls and her wonderful teacher Miss. Andrea.

Josiah received a gold metal in Karate, he really enjoyed his lessons but has decided to take basketball, baseball and soccer at the YMCA this Spring/summer.

Here my two big kids have made their first ginger bread homes...they are covered in big sweets! They both enjoyed the creating, and especially the eating.

Titus is a blessing, he often resorts to naps on the go because of all our activity! Here is my sweet one in a cat nap.

Now you see it.....

2009-02-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

Now you don't! Josiah has now joined the ranks of the toothless. Yes, my oldest child lost his first tooth (surprisingly by natural means) just a few short days ago. He is quite proud. He was very courageous (and so was Mom) when it came time to remove the dangler, but he knew there would be a prize under his pillow if he indeed let the tooth be removed. Here is the boy before ....

and after.

Now we just need to do something about the wind tunnel sound that seems to accompany him where ever he goes!

Inauguration Day....

2009-01-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

of the Zipfy, that is! All I asked for Christmas this year was a shiny, speedy Zipfy luge. People were shocked at my request for 2 reasons I think: 1. I am 30. 2. this state is not known for having weather cold enough to freeze. But I knew that the opportunity would arise, and if not this year, maybe next. To my wonderful surprise we awoke to an unexpected blanket of snow thickly covering our backyard.

So without further introduction, here are the first runs of the Zipfy!

Elise is plowing through the fresh snow.

Josiah and Elise smoothing a path.

Just these two, but I am sending these photos now, because I am pretty sure that I will have my hands full of wet clothes in a few minutes when the kids come in!

Offseason?

2009-01-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

For my Christmas gift, Mike gave me an experience. I was delighted to accompany my family to Myrtle Beach! We did this after New Years, and so naturally the weather was rather cool, but we had an amazing time together. Although we did not see Blackbeard, the kids still enjoyed the "Pirates Prison."

Yes, all of the kids!

The evening we arrived, we told the kids we were just going to walk on the beach a bit, since the sun was going down and the air was cool. They did their best to stay 'mostly' out of the water.

This is as far as Josiah's ambitions got him the first night, when he tried to build a sandcastle. However, I promised him we would be back the following day to give it another go.

Elise enjoyed carrying sand around, throwing it around, and then digging up more.

This was Titus' posture for most of our beach time. I loved having him snuggled in so close, especially since it will probably be the last time I get to carry him in this sort of way. I am sure he will be another explorer in the ranks when we visit the beach next time!

After a wonderful dinner at a local hole in the wall "Mr. Fish", we headed to the hotel. We made the decision to go swimming. Mike took the older two in, while I got Titus dressed in his swimsuit for the first time....and did a little photo shoot!

Here he and his daddy adventure the water together. Do not mistake Titus' face for fear, no, this child was intensely kicking!

The other two joined in a photo, but only for a moment. They too enjoy splashing around a lot more than posing for Mom's pictures.

Now if this photo doesn't speak of a good day, I don't know what would. Krispy Kremes, Starbucks, kicked off shoes, and a wide open beach for enjoying!

And here we are enjoying it!

It was a lot warmer this morning, and so the kids were given a lot more freedom to be wet!

And, much to Josiah's delight, there was the building of a sandcastle. Michael, the head architect, made sure to include seashell walls for solidarity and design, a pyramid, and both interior and exterior walls and gates.

Sharing Our Joy with the World

2008-12-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

The First Feeding

2008-12-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

With eager anticipation, Titus eyed his first spoon of solid foods. The famous dish of baby rice cereal was about to be served.

Upon his first taste, Titus was not as anxious and devourous as I had expected. My assumption is that he is holding out for the real good stuff. "Mom, could we just get to the meat already?"

Ziah's Birthday

2008-12-21T18:30:00.001-08:00

Here's to a Happy Birthday. We had a great time and loved all that were able to celebrate with us this year.

A rare collection...

2008-12-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

During 'quiet' time we were listening to Peter Pan in Scarlet, the sequel to the original Peter Pan. The Darling children return to Never land and are in search of Hook's treasure. While guessing what might be in the treasure chest, the narrator comments that Mr. Darling often proclaimed that he should "keep all his children in the bank, because they were worth more than all the money in the world."
As I look at these last few months, I can't help but reflect the same thoughts. So here are my treasures, and the joys we have experienced as we invest our time together.

We did not bring too many Christmas items with us this move, but we could not leave behind our favorite manger scene. The children celebrated when this one came out of the box. It is fun to see Elise and Josiah playing out the First Christmas for their brother Titus.

We also elected to leave behind the big tree, so this year we got a cute, live tree from the local nursery. After Christmas, we plan on donating it to our church for them to plant on their property. We also are making all of our decorations. This is our angel, and since we have added many bedazzled green bean can lids! It may be one of my favorite trees we have had yet.

As I have been giving the children a little more freedom in their clothing selection, I am always interested to see what they come up with for attire. This is their choice one day as they are about to go off to school. STYLE!

SNOW! Yes, two brief hours we had a collection of snow grand enough to go out and play in! It took us about 30 minutes to find snow clothes, but it was well worth the wait. The kids played for at least an hour outside. Funny thing is, they could not pick up the snow at all because it would melt. So, they just enjoyed running back and forth and seeing their footprints.

Peek a Boo, baby!

Here he is sharing a couple thoughts on his day.

Fresh out of the tub and into the warming towel.

I went on a shooting spree one fall afternoon. The weather was ideal, and there were only a few golfers by the pond, so the kids and I escaped for a little mosey around. We had fun enjoying the beauty of the cool air and hot sun.

Some have said that I only send the smiley pictures...here is one in between smiles!

Here is my six year old! Such a sweet boy.

He later asked if staring into the sun could really make you blind.

Are you surprised? Of course there will be more of Titus, he is so expressive and can't help but be in photos. Or, the other two have the ability to say, "Mom, enough already!"

I hope you all feel as wealthy as I do today:)

A little Fun, Festival, Fall and Freaky!

2008-11-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest collection to our photos out and about. Enjoy!
While in Richmond, we visited a beautiful park, it is a city I would love to live in at some point.

For school we were talking about emotions, and here are a few....can you guess what we are?

A: Exhasperated.............pensive.........................happy.

Titus is happy again in his outfit from Alaska...thanks Kathy!

Our whole family enjoyed going to the stat fair. We got to pick fruit at the 'pick your own' agriculture display. It was a rather cold weekend, so we snuggled together at the trick bikes arena. And, in the spirit of never squelching the ambitions of the youth, we waited in line for Josiah to take his picture as a wiener in front of the Wiener Mobile...

2008's Halloween adventure.... in an attempt to honor my husband's "Just let them decide what they want to be for Halloween" idea, here is our motley crew. Now, I must comment that the Halloween event on the day prior, the children were completely different in costume, and on the night of, a third ensemble fashioned. Each was fun in the end, but created a little drama until we left the house. Needless to say, I will be re-assuming the role of costume coordinator next year.

Elise: Princess and the Pauper dancer, Josiah: Pirate, Michael: a pastor, Titus: Baby Halloween, Amy: 'Queen Halloween'

Halloween night we celebrated with Tommy and Megan and big sister Jordan. Elise was Genevieve from 12 dancing princesses, Josiah was Albert Pujols from the STL Cardinals.

Even the most simple activities are enjoyable with a baby. Here Titus is enjoying a bath.

.....and he loves to snuggle in the towel afterwards.

These are the lovely fall leaves that we are enjoying out of our front door. This picture can not justify the magnitude of these leaves! Come visit us and see them.

Lastly, the thing that is freaky:

Happy 30th Birthday Michael!

The Outer Banks

2008-10-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

Once more our breath has been stolen by the vast creation around us. We were invited to spend some time in the Outer Banks with some friends last week. Located on the northern shores of North Carolina, these small bodies of land are surrounded by strong ocean currents, continuously shifting sand bars, and over 2,000 sunken ships justifying the name "graveyard of the Atlantic". In this area are many lighthouses. And for our schooling, we did a unit on lighthouses. We studied about the reasons why thy are needed, the different types of light sources used over the years, and stories of the light keeper's lives. To complete this unit, we visited Cape Hatteras lighthouse. It is the tallest lighthouse in the North America, and was once the tallest brick building in the Americas. It is a beautiful sight, just under 200 ft tall. Josiah, Elise, Michael and I climbed to the top, while Titus enjoyed the company of our friends safely at the bottom. From the top we could see way out into the ocean as well as across the peninsula.

We also enjoyed watching a variety of animals. These white cranes were so sleek with their thin necks and moved so gracefully along the shore.

I personally enjoyed the Great Dane that was frolicking like a young puppy up and down the shoreline. He was easily as tall as Josiah when on all fours, and must have been an older dog judging by the grey hairs around his snout, but he could bound from one side of the point to the next in effortless strides. A couple times, when Josiah would run to one of us to share some of his 'news' this dog would rally up behind him looking for a good game of chase. I am just thankful Josiah didn't turn around, or he would have been terrified!

In the Outer Banks there is no law against driving your vehicle onto the beaches, so there were all sorts of 4-wheel drives along the sand. Most of them had large shore fishing poles fixed onto the front grate of their vehicle. I had never seen such a thing, and if we ever have a chance to go back I would love give shore fishing a try. They were catching fish after fish out there, and someone told us that it was one of the most incredible places for shore fishing.

At the point of Cape Hatteras, two ocean currents collide, one heading North, the other heading South. Seeing these large waves collide made me realise why this area was so well known for its rip currents. It made me want to keep a keen eye on the children....and it made Michael want to try out surfing for the first time. After a 30 minute tutorial on the world wide web, a few minutes with the locals at the surf board rental company, and a lot of positive thinking, my Big Kahuna challenged the ocean. As you may notice, there were some considerable waves surrounding him, especially since there was a nice storm about to blow on to shore!

Many failed attempts later, Moon-doggie decided to go to the bay side to learn on some smaller waves. He came home beaten by the waves, but with a smile on his face and the desire to do it again.

Much like his father, Josiah also was up for a challenge. My son, who used to not put a toe in the water, was learning to boogie board. This kid could not get enough of it! He would lay on the board where the waves would have their last break, and would be swept in by the water.

Elise enjoyed her time on the beach playing with the many sand toys our friends had brought along. She filled buckets and dumped buckets. She sang and danced around and twirled. She got dirty and was always wanting to stay longer.

Titus hung out close to me. When we first arrived at the ocean, Daddy dipped Titus' little toes in the water and I think I heard my easy going son's first protest. As the photo depicts, he was not too thrilled about what his dad was up to. However, he really enjoyed the tent that we placed on the sand. I molded the sand into a little seat for him to rest in. It was deep and soft sand, very comfortable. When it was really windy (the storm front) we tied his tent to the truck to keep him from flying away! Our friend's dog 'Ren' kept watch over Titus.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching my family. The whole time away I was relaxed, not having anything to really accomplish. I don't remember the last time I experienced this! I really was blessed by the company of our hosts, Barb has become a trusted friend. After a long day at the beach, and nice showers to wash off the salty brine, we watched Love Story. Michael and I had never seen it before, and we both thought it was good....for a depressing movie anyways. I am glad our 'story' has been a lot more joyful, even though we say 'sorry' a lot!

The house we stayed in was on a little inlet where we could take the kids in the kayak. Mike took the kiddos individually, and then Josiah took me out for a ride. He did all of the paddling. So chivalrous. :)

On our way home we took a detour to Kitty Hawk where the Wright Brothers made their first flight. It was so windy there!! Mike laughed as I kept saying this, as he thought everyone knew that they selected the spot because it was the most consistently windy place in the US. I guess I didn't learn that fact growing up. The kids had fun running down to the last landing spot of the first day of flight, and Mike loved soaking up more aviation factoids. Titus and I, well, we thought it was windy.

Needless to say, we are loving our year on the East coast. I know that these days will be memories we will keep forever. We are all so thankful to be here, and for the church and people we have been placed in ministry with.

Lastly, I want to share my favorite bumper sticker that I saw on the trip:

Focus on Fall

2008-09-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

This week in school we enjoyed the anticipation of fall. Even though the calendar says that fall is upon us, the world outside our window still reflects summer. The humidity continues, along with the green coloring of the trees. So, we decided to learn about signposts of fall and the things we have to look forward to, the changes we hope will soon occur.

As a family we walked through a local national forest where they have 'talking trees' that give you a tutorial on the age process of a forest. It was quite enjoyable. We were the only ones on the path, and as dusk began to fall the stillness crept around us. Micheal said, "Just imagine this dense forest, but no paths, no food, no lights, and being all alone....and someone is looking for you that you don't want to find you." When I told him to stop creeping me out, he just remarked that these are the fun things he got to experience in college. Once again I was reminded as to why I didn't choose a military academy! All in all it was a good experience. We saw a few things that we had not seen before like a brilliantly orange mushroom.

(Well, actually I had seen a cross-stitched cloth of the like at my friend Sarah Simpson's home, but I thought the colors of yarn we just selected to coordinate with my friend's mom's 70's orange counter tops! Not an actual fungus.) So, I took a picture.

Also, we spotted a few spectacular spider webs. This particular one is not in the forest though, it is in front of our house...pretty welcoming, huh? He was just so big, I wasn't going to kill him!

Along with decorating pumpkins, we bobbed for apples. Josiah wisely used the sides of the bowl to retrieve his. Elise used her hands and mouth. I went for the stem, and when I added rules to make it hard for Michael, he outsmarted them all by suctioning his apple out of the bowl!

To be involved in our communities activities, we enjoyed the fall festival in the old downtown. The highlight was definitely our encounter with the Power Rangers!

Next week we will enjoy The Story About Ping...and eventually pictures will follow.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses Pool Party

2008-09-15T18:39:00.001-07:00

We all had a wonderful time at Elise's birthday party.

She said the best part was opening presents...that would have been my answer if I was her! She got some really fun things this year from family and friends. Each item was perfectly girly: ballet clothes, Barbie, surfer clothes, ponies, movies and money to go shopping..... what could be more fun for a four year old??

She also enjoyed playing follow the leader in the pool, even though Josiah was the only one following.

I made her little ballet slipper pinata, and the kids enjoyed beating it up.

On Sunday I took her shopping and her selections were Barbie Diamond Castle (because it sings), pink jumbo marshmallows and an electric Hello Kitty toothbrush.

I enjoy this little girl so much!

Titus enjoyed time with Daddy.

Lastly, Josiah took this of the little guy and I...he is 2 1/2 months already!

Happy Birthday, Elise!

2008-09-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

My Sweet Elise is 4 today! This shouldn't feel like such the shock that it is, especially since we talked about 100 times yesterday about it being her last day of "3"......and that we heard her singing for about an hour after she went to bed, "I am four tomorrow, tomorrow I am four....four, four, four, four, tomorrow I am four.:) So here are a few shots of our four year old over the last few months:

On her new bike and ready to go!

For a Daddy/Daughter date, she and Michael went golfing. They both enjoyed it, but she was ready to come home after the 8th hole. (It is the hole in the picture, as well as the one in our back yard!)

Her birthday party is this weekend, so more photos to come from that! Love to all,

And I thought it was hard with two...

2008-08-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Hats off to SAB-Mad (mother of 4 under the age of 5 at one point) and all other friends who have managed to get 3 or more of your own children under the age of 5 to look good in the same photo! Here was my first attempt. Needless to say, I will be refining my skills.

Titus Ray

2008-08-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

An Adventure to Share...

2008-05-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

So this will again be another summer for change...in fact, I don't know of a summer yet since marrying Michael that has not possessed much change! We learned last month of our relocation station, and needless to say, we are ecstatic! All of us keep thinking of new questions and looking into the answers of our new hometown and all that it holds, yet we also have a lot going on here before the big move. First, I have to complete my last week of work and Micheal his last week of school. Then we will immediately leave town to celebrate Joseph's graduation from Med School, and spend time with our dearly loved friends (of which you will soon have many posted pictures I am sure). On the return home, Michael will be off to Europe for military duty, and I will accompany the kids to Grandma and Grandpa's for a week. When we get back, it will be time for VBS, then Mimi will be flying in for a visit. I look forward to having her help me sort through clothes as well as play with me and kiddos while awaiting the birth of her 7th grandchild! Hopefully the baby will come around the first week of July, and after the baptism we will be loading a truck to head east! It should be a fast but wonderful time! A few pictures to catch up on the last few weeks...

A Spring day at the Botanical Gardens.

Attempting our own skills at gardening!

Vicarage call service....he looks pleased!

Michael and I on vicarage call night.

Some of my best girls!

Me and the little one to come.

Indispensable Friends.

The crew of cousins jumping on the trampoline.

Do we wonder where their oddities come from??

Jamie and I patiently waiting.

A Towel Princess and a Sleepy Boy.

Love to all of you, Amy

Out of Order...

2008-04-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

I noticed that there was a collection of pictures that I never posted. I think that this error occurred when I was self diagnosed with 'dramatic posting stress syndrome' (a disorder that flares up when all of my friends want to know why I have not posted in a period of time). So, without further ado...some pictures!

The first selections are from our wonderful night of dancing and dining with our Sem. friends at the Valentine's Dance. It was a great time, reminded me of Prom...without all of the drama of finding dates!

Good friends Ryan and Anne (this picture redeems the egg-blowing photo of Anne posted previously:)

Charming Bill and Miss. Mary

Some of my girlfriends....

and finally, my love Michael and I!

Sweet Elise took ballet classes this year and enjoyed most of it...

that is if mom accompanied her through the lesson.

I do believe her favorite part was receiving the flowers from her teacher on the last day. She was so proud of these!

I had taken this picture in the beginning of March to show my mom my belly... I feel I have doubled since then!

Michael enjoying a day.

On an appreciated warm day we headed to the park to do some 'Spring Training' as a family.
Josiah caught up to dad for the tagged out.

Elise and Ziah worked as a team.

Ziah played catcher while Elise got some batting practice in.
I, worked on my shots (photo that is) and got a couple of hits in, but the kids were less than impressed with my 'sprinting speeds' this year. Love to all.

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's

2008-03-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend visiting Grandma and Grandpa. There was an assortment of activities including:

bike ridding,

bird watching, tree identification,

reading and just hanging out with family.

The most standout memory for the trip was definitely our time at Build-a-Bear. Although there were no bears built, the kids were overjoyed with their selections. Josiah picked a Triceratops that he named Dino-Mite. Elise picked a pink Cheetah and named her Princess Aruzia.

They took great care filling the huggies.....

Giving them baths.....

Combing their hair.....

And hugging them up and down! Thank you Grandma for such a fun date!

On Sunday Michael was the guest speaker for Trinity's Confirmation luncheon. The whole family was there, so we snatched a quick picture. Don't we look good?

He Has Risen....He Has Risen Indeed!

2008-03-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

This year's Easter celebrations have been shared with many friends and family. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by such a great group of people who love and trust and believe in the same Lord Jesus Christ as us! May we share his name and life with all people...

Our dear friend Anne called up and asked if we would like to partake in an activity that she remembered her grandfather doing with her when she was little. Always up for adventure and celebration, our response was YES! Here is the account of our efforts of this new skill...Decorating Blown Eggs.

The first skill to master is the appropriate size hole to 1. blow into the egg through in order to get the yolk and whites out appropriate sized hole #2. When either hole was inadequately small, this would be the appearance of the blower:

If the blower, in frustration, tried to enlarge either hole too much...the dismal result would be as follows:

Josiah took a try and did quite well. Out of a baker's dozen he completed 2...

Elise and I did one (together)

and Michael and Anne got the awards for stamina as they successfully finished the rest.

We all enjoyed dyeing them together:

And here is the outcome of the hard labors:

Unfortunately we still have one unsolved problem: How does one get the needle and thread through the little holes to turn these hollow shells into decorative ornaments?

On Maunday Thursday, we drove down to Grandma and Grandpa's house and enjoyed a party with all of their friends and special guests Uncle Charlie and Aunt Barb. The next morning we continued south to visit our family's great friends. Lou, Christy, Destiny, Moses, Hannah and Chaco were great hosts! We played all over the city and had much fun continuing friendships. Destiny was a love, so caring and ready to help with all the kiddos, they really look up to her.

Moses and Josiah acted as though a day had not past since their last playtime together. Superheroes and PowerRangers were in full action.

Elise enjoyed all the delights of having a girlfriend her age, and Hannah was always sweet and ready to take part in everything.

We all enjoyed an egg hunt at the YMCA, but the true excitement came when finding the baskets that were hidden around the house in precarious places. After that the children hunted for the eggs that were meticulously set about the house.

We also praised the Risen Lord together on Sunday at their church. It was a great church that is so fitting for their family. We got to visit with past friends from Fairchild, the Shiftlets, in the bible study that we attended. Josiah especially liked that he was picked as a volunteer to help lead the "Shake a friend's hand, shake a hand next to you" song. Elise loved the candy in the little egg and basket she received from her teacher!

Happy Easter!!

A moment to share precious moments...

2008-03-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Last post: January 6, could that really be true? Unfortunately my computer does have a better grasp on time than I do, so I must admit that it has been a while since the last post. Feeling the urge to share the events in our lives, I will gasp no more, but will rather get to the pictures that encompass some of the life lived lately.

First we have Elise's doll station. For a few months before Christmas she had located this toy in a magazine, and every time we recieved the magazine she would say She cherishes it, and the 10 babies that usually cram on to it for bath time.

We have seen our fair share of cold weather here this year, but a new experience for me and the children was the outdoor ice skateing rink. The boys lasted a lot longer than us girls...

After one good ground cover of snow, the kids and I made some snowsculptures...they are supposed to be self-sculptures of what the kids think they look like. I am not sure if Josiah truly envisions himself with a mustache....or if that is in the future.

Biscuit also enjoys the snow, this last time it snowed I had let her outside and forgot about her. After about 2 hours and 2+ inches of additional snow, I went to go get my puppy....she was chomping onto a freshly fallen tree branch and had 2+ inches of snow on her coat. She couldn't have been more happy.

We enjoyed making our Valentine's day cokies and eating them. For dinner that night we had Fondue, you can see by the kids faces how much it was enjoyed!

Well, that is all for today's documentation. I have a date with my

love and our laundry! Till next time:)

Shedding a little weight

2008-01-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

After I got my New Year Do, Elise wanted hers done too! So, I cut as much as I was willing to let her shed, and she likes it a lot. When I needed to even it out a little bit, she said I didn't need to take any more though. She also wanted to show her Mimi her hair, so here it is!

New Year, New Hair

2008-01-02T20:16:00.001-08:00

This is for my fan club, so that they all can get their hair styled like mine! In fact, I think that Katie Holmes recent pictures taken for InStyle magazine were modeled after my cut. Just kidding, this is for my mom:)

Walk'n in a Winterland...

2008-01-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

For it being as close to Christmas as it was, the weather was exceptionally nice. We desired snow, but kept getting sunshine mixed with rain. We decided to decorate our house for the holidays, even though it seemed too soon.
Upon Josiah's request, we set out the deer that he had asked for on his 3rd birthday, yes the lawn ornaments that we affectionately know as "Teek" and "Tank". Michael had to develop a way to rig up the lights as we have no outdoor outlets, but he was up to the task.

Then, the snow came and so did the play outside. Papa helped build a home for Elise and a bomb shelter for Josiah.

Luckily for Josiah the walls were firm, because Papa didn't hold any of his throwing force back! The dugout wasn't fail proof though!

Josiah took a few in the noggin like this one! But he survived and was out for more.

This war ended peacefully.

Elise wanted to modify her 'home' and then invited Mimi in for a tea party! Girls are so different than boys!

Lastly, Michael and Biscuit share a good wrestle in the snow. This is truly Man's Best Friend. :)

Two days later is rained some more resulting in the over-use of rain boots this year, but we are thankful for the brief time in the snow. Hopefully we will have a little more snow in these next few months, we have to take out our Tube-boggin for its maiden run of the year! Love to you all.

Birthday Time!!

2008-01-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

December is a great month to celebrate a birthday, and our family would surely know! We started off with Josiah's 5Th birthday! Phase 1 of the 2007 celebrations began with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Zeigler. Ziah's special request was cheesecake and we went to an established bakery dedicated to cheesecakes to select choose his favorite. After much debate, and desire to try them all, we walked home with a White Chocolate Raspberry Cake baked on a Chocolate Cookie crust. Quite refined taste for someone so young, but I definitely enjoyed his selection. He also had an Indian themed birthday party, but those pictures will be presented another day, as I forgot my camera and relied on Mimi's photography.

Next in the line-up of births was Mimi's. She and Papa traveled over hill and over dale to get to us, but once they arrived we had a wonderful time together. We made her choice of Fried Catfish and coleslaw for dinner and finished the meal with a "Hazelnut Angel" cake topped with a raspberry glaze and torn mint leaves. It was magnificent. Elise was delighted with the whipping cream. To complete the night, Michael rented the first 4 Episodes of 24, the 6Th season...a show that all of us watched snuggled in together on our one basement couch!

I just thought I would add this picture in there to show where some of Josiah's 'personality' stems from...

Tim's birthday was on the 21st of December, and mine follows on the 22nd. Sorry, no pictures for this either as my day was recorded by Mimi and I forgot to steal the fotos before they traveled back. A memorable time was having Dad make my choice dessert: Homemade Doughnuts! He used to make them a lot when we were kids and he enlisted Elise to help make them for my birthday, mmmmm......

And on to the most well known birthday of the month, CHRISTMAS! We found ourselves in Springfield this year having a great time with the paternal side of the family this year. Michael preached at our home church, and then we came home as a family and opened gifts. Stockings were the first to be investigated.

If the stocking fits....

Michael taught Elise how to power the train that Grandpa had gotten Josiah for his first Christmas oh so long ago.

Uncle Matt deciphered who the gifts were for, Josiah and Elise passed them out.

There was even something special for Biscuit under the Christmas Tree...what a treat! I think this is why she always greets Grandma first!

Lastly, we have reading time...Elise's new favorite book: Pinkalicous! For girls who love everything pink! Even Josiah enjoyed this one.

Life with Little Ones...

2008-01-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

Recently we have had the privileged to hang out with some of our favorite kiddos. It seems that when the nanny's are sick (or have children that are) we get the opportunity to enjoy some of the cutest kids at our home! Elise and Josiah are always more than willing to help our and look forward to the next visit from our guests.

Here, Elise and Olivia are being "Supergirls" helping out baby Anna with all of her reading needs.

The weather was ideal for some playtime outside, so the kids and I enjoyed the backyard...Grady was all smiles as usual. He and Elise would race the cars down the slide.

Some more reading time for Miss Anna, and just some good old fashioned cuddle time with Elise. How could we not have another baby? The kids are so thrilled to take part in the lives of little ones, but it may be different when they are around ours 24 hours a day!

And when our company left, we had a little fun on our own to finish the day.

Our Family of Elves

2007-11-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help but do this, I think it is so funny! Put the url in the box to enjoy this one! Amy

www.elfyourself.com/?id=9605645739

Mission Completion....Fall Photos

2007-11-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

My goal is to post the rest of the cute pictures taken in the last few months here, but it seems like an unending battle at times, the kids are just more precious every day and their habits endearing! Here we go for an assortment of pictures!

We went on a family boat ride in Forest Park for Elise's baptism birthday. This started out as a twilight outing and ended as a pitch black darkness adventure. I am so proud of my strong armed man! He rowed us back to the dock in safety, only a few ducks nesting were disturbed! With the home school group we took a trip to the pumpkin farm, this place was quite incredible! There were pumpkins, hay ride, mazes constructed out of hay bales that freaked me out as I crawled through to 'comfort' Elise (yet could not see her even though I was grasping her leg) and a host of animals all with names from Harry Potter. My favorite was the llama named Firenze.

Josiah's favorite part by far was the zip-line, where Elise preferred the tractor bikes. It was a good time enjoyed with friends. The best part was that we got to pick a pumpkin at the end which the kids painted enthusiastically.

There were a few opportunities for us to dress up this fall, of which I take full advantage! We had a trunk or treat at our church the Sunday before Halloween and our friends from the Seminary hosted a trunk with a super-hero theme. Josiah was Spiderman and Elise Super-girl. They are with friends Aiden as Superman and Brody as Dash.

The children also participated as peasants in the Sem Home school's production of Reformation Day. It was a very well done program which the kids performed in front of the chapel immediately after worship, they gathered quite the audience and were encouraged by the boo's and cheering of the crowd.

This collection of photos is not complete without the inclusion of Michael's favorite intramural sport, Ultimate Frisbee! This is the championship game of which he has had the honor of being champion two seasons in a row! (Just don't ask about football!) The guys really enjoy this time together, and it is fun to see the artistic game played. My favorite part is seeing Michael leap into the air above the other guys' heads and snag the Frisbee down....or maybe the best part is the bag of popcorn the kids and I share at each game!

Our family was blessed with the arrival of good friends Miriam and Alex, along with their two delightful twin girls Addison and Jasmine. Elise was enthralled with the thought of these babies to play with, and Josiah is a true baby holder. Between these girls and the Maddry twins, my children think that a double birth is common, and therefore have been praying for twins! I am not discouraging this talk as I have always prayed for that myself, I just hope they are not disappointed if God's answer is no!

After having visitors, we got to visit some friends and family up north before the cool weather hit. The kids and I drove up to Michigan to visit my Grandparents, cousins and Aunts. Michael was working out at the base and finishing up the dry wall in the basement. As we headed up to Michigan we stopped in IL near Chicago to visit some of our friends the Robarges who are out on their vicarage year of seminary. It was good to spend 4 hours together, roaming around a convenient meeting point ~ IKEA! We continued on further in to the windy city and stayed the evening with good friends the Shirley family. They are in a lovely home and sweet boy Kaleb is a lovable cuddle boy, and loved running into the guest bed set up in his playroom. Katrina is also pregnant, about 2 months ahead of me, and she reminded me that the tiredness will go away in a very short while!

At Grandma's, we had fun going on a bike ride, having a tea party, and the boys played a little basement golf. It was wonderful to enjoy the intimate time there, see my Aunts, go to the amazing market of Nino's and enjoy my Grandma's wonderful soups and Grandpa's wonderful stories.

Lastly, I have the photos that were just taken yesterday!!! Wow, I am impressed with myself right now! We have gymnastics every week for the kids. They are in the same class and love to do this together. Elise and Josiah have both learned an assortment of new things and love the running and jumping involved. Their teacher is very patient and enjoys having them in there.

And with this I will close tonight. Love to all, until next time.

Parties and Purchases...

2007-11-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to share that I just purchased flossine sugar on e-bay!! This is so exciting because I will now have the one item that all of my parties have lacked.....cotton candy! For only a few simple dollars we will have 9 flavors to choose from. I must say, I am disappointed that this didn't come to fruition before my daughter's "PINK" birthday party, but I will involve it someway, somehow for my son's "Indian" birthday.

Well, enough about my future tooth decay, what I really wanted to share are the photos from the before mentioned pink birthday party. Elise was so excited that her turn for a party had finally arrived. She loved making the invites and thinking of all the people she wanted to invite. We had the party at a park so that friends could run around or play the variety of 'pink' themed games we had. Michael did a good job of hiding random pink items for the 'I spy something pink' game we played, and as always the pinata was truly a 'hit'. This year the pinata was filled with candy from Guatemala. I wouldn't recommend the mango flavored gum, not quite for my palette anyways!

Elise was elated to see her favorite teacher Miss Lisa!

Let the games begin! Grandma helps them list pink things that could be found in a store. Elise strikes a pose by her ice cream cone pinata. She was both the first and last batter up. Josiah ran for the candy, but after his descent on the sugar strewn area, he realized he would prefer the cone for hat, as noted in the second picture with Elise eating a most tasty piece of cake, goes down smoothly as it was covered by pink frosting! Is there any other way to enjoy cake? The group sings as Elise attempts to distinguish her candles.

It's About Time!!

2007-11-10T05:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it has been a while....a long while since I have blogged at all. Sorry fan club (or SabMad) for this lack in time and fulfillment of expectations, but we are ready to go, at least today! I have 26 minutes and counting before the children are allowed out of their playroom/bedroom for the day! I am going to post our favorite pics from the last 2 or so months of absence. Love to all, Amy

In the last few days of being in Colorado, we spent time with the Brossetts. We had a blast with the kids, ate a huge Fondue House style dinner, and Elise especially enjoyed dessert.

We also made sure to take the children to the Air Force Academy and saw the monumental chapel where Michael and I shared our first kiss as man and wife!

On our way home we visited the Strahm Family, Micheal's cousins whom own a dairy farm! We actually saw one calf moments after it was born, and the following morning we got to help feed some that were just days old! Josiah loved it, Elise didn't like the mud, and Micheal as always was the clean-up guy for another one of my proposed "experiences." Josiah also named 3 of the boy calves. His choices were Josiah, Joseph, and Joe.

On coming back to the sem, we encountered the Family Park day. This has to be one of my favorite events of the year as the children have a blast. It was really well done this year. Elise liked the small pool and played in the water the whole time, Josiah preferred the fire engine's spray of water! A good day to be a PK in training.

Another exciting event in our lives was going to the Cardinals Baseball game. Granted they did not have the season that they had last year, but we had a blast and stayed to see the last pitch! The kids had both won 2 tickets to the game through a summer reading program, they were both so proud to "take us out to the ballgame." It was an evening game, which is just magical under those lights. While the kids and Michael were searching for the mascot, I got to see a home run to which they set of a series of fireworks! It was a fantastic night.

Lastly, though out of order, I will include our Halloween picture. We went as the characters from Shrek. Josiah was the knight, Elise a Pink Dragon, I was Fiona, Biscuit was Donkey and I hope that you can tell who Michael is! He modernized the character by adding the blackberry to the waistline!

Some of our Guatemala Pics!

2007-10-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Some Condensed thoughts on Guatemala :)

2007-09-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Even after one month of being back to the States, I find myself still processing what took place in Guatemala and how it is affecting me. I have noticed that there are a few different themes that occur as I replay my experiences to friends who ask "How was your trip?". And so in this blog, I will attempt to summarize what these thoughts are. I am going to write in four segments: "Our time in Antigua", "A Few New Things", "The Mission", and "Continued Ministry". I will recount some of the experiences shared by the 'Concordia Six' as we affectionately named our 3 coupled group.

The Concordia Six

Our Time in Antigua:

The abundance of rain made us thankful for slickers!

An archway on the second floor of an Antigua Building.

A most important part to ministry is communication! So, the first week in Guatemala was spent in Antigua learning Spanish and about the amazing culture that would forever impact us. We attended a 5-Star language school where each of us had our own personal tutor to walk us through our own Spanish program. Since Michael and I were both 'familiar' with Spanish we considered ourselves at the intermediate level when we signed up for the school. On the first day, you are asked to take a placement test to appropriately assess your skill level and select a textbook from the grade levels A-G, G being the highest. Humbly, we were both placed in "Grado A."

The second story of our school, whiteboards abound. Michael and his teacher Edgar enjoying a map.

The school was in a well manicured, open square with phenomenal vegetation all around. Each student/teacher pair had their own table, two chairs, and white board. It was all very open, and I truly enjoyed being able to look around the room and see all my friends studying away! We were all very blessed in our 'maestros' (teachers) as they seemed perfectly suited for each of our characters. For example, Michael was paired with a gentleman named Edgar who was in his last year of law school. Whenever I would look over to their table they would be deep into the textbook, whiteboard filled with sentence structures, and intensely discussing the use of words. My teacher, Magda, allowed me to take a different approach of just using conversation and experience to teach. We talked about our lives, children, social issues, Guatemalan adoption views, history of the country, and freedoms of the U.S. When I did not know a word, I would say the English, she would fill in with Spanish, and I would quickly scribble it down on my flashcards. We also worked on conjugations of verbs on the whiteboard, but I must admit that much of our study time together was out in the city, walking the streets, talking about the incredible country we were in, and going to museums.

This brings me to another point. Antigua, although distinctly Guatemalan in vision, is a very well-off tourist town. There were as many 'gringos' as there were indigenous people. It was a good way to acclimate us to this new world. We were able to walk the streets safely (even though it was still important to use 'big city smarts') and really get a feel for our environment. In the afternoons, after 6 hours of school, would tour the city. We went to a coffee plantation, a few cathedrals, some telling ruins, and at the end of the week hiked a volcano! It was all irreplaceable experiences.

"How hot can lava really be?" thought the man with the burning stick.

We also visited the Lutheran Center in Antigua. Margrette, a friend from my parent's church in Colorado Springs, asked us to bring some pictures and information to a friend of hers at this center. The pictures were of her husband in 1951-52 at the center in Antigua....where he had done his vicarage! At one time the center was an active outreach to the city, and Robert Huebner was the assigned vicar. When delivering the photos we got to take a tour with Nury, the director of the center. Her current responsibility is to research the land to identify and excavate the ruins that they have discovered to be under the property! There is thought to be a whole building on their property, buried about 8 feet, of which they must uncover in order to fulfill their long-term goal of building a property fit for a seminary....quite the endeavor...well worth the effort in my opinion. It was a remarkable place to visit, and I had many aspirations as to what I would love to see happen there! (Now if someone would only ask, and then fund my ideas! Right Bill?)

The Lutheran Center in Antigua.

While in Antigua, we stayed with a host family. Our family lived on the edges of town in a beautiful home. Even better was the relationship that we built there. We stayed with a family of 5. Lesbia, the mom, was the perfect hostess and was very helpful in our Spanish learning. She even wrote out many Guatemalan recipes for me!! The and her husband, Eduardo, had 3 girls ~Maria Jose, Andrea, and Marcella. They also had a young golden retriever named Dulce (Candy). This dog was so similar to our own! There were two other students who lived at the house with us, Kimmy and Donielle. They were teachers from New York and they were very nice in showing us around and helping us get acquainted with the city a little bit. It was great getting to know them as well. We were very well fed, and spent the evenings enjoying family. When leaving Antigua, it felt as though we were exiting a honeymoon of sorts, and were rather decided to return at some time in our future.

A Few New Things

First of all, Guate is a beautiful country. It is tropical in that there was much rain while we were there, resulting in some amazing foliage. When in Antigua I loved the walk from our sponsor family's home to our Language school as we could just soak up the vegetation and look all around at the distant volcanoes! It was a brisk 15 minute walk that was a great beginning to each day. We started in the outskirts of town and progressed into the city, passing a few incredible churches, historical buildings, and a nice futbol stadium. The temperature was just right for wearing t-shirts and pants, ideal. Had we of been in St. Louis during this week, we would have been in the thick of summer with 100 degree days and more humidity than a Colorado girl can handle!

The food that we had was very rich and satisfying. I am just finished translating many recipes from the Spanish to English so that I can share them with friends. Highlights were the rice milk for breakfast, the avocado soup for lunch and the tortillas and plantains for supper. And I can't forget to mention the black beans....sensational! We went to only a few restaurants while there but were pleased every time. I specifically recommend the 'Cafe de Contessa' if anyone should happen to find themselves in Antigua.

Bartering for your purchases was a huge change, and one that was difficult to grasp, especially with how competitive I am. I tried to assess what the 'true value' of the item was since I was dealing with both a different currency, and the local people's assumptions that 'all Gringos are rich and should pay more'. And although there is truth to the later thought, you still don't want to be ripped off. Yet, when I was debating whether or not to buy something because the vendor would not come down any further, Micheal told me that I was walking from the sale over 1 American dollar! So I turned around and purchased the item. There was one artisan's store in which the prices were more or less 'set' and I choose to do more shopping there than in the markets.

In the produce market, I was amazed. I saw so many different spices and foods that I had never seen....it was so hard not to purchase a thing! Flowers abounded in magnificent displays, and the odious smell of 'fresh' fish engulfed the meat section. There were a lot fewer tourists in this section, and as I was taking pictures I realized that many of the adults would hide from my camera, so I stopped and therefore did not get as many pictures as I wanted of this colorful, glorious place.

As far as changes that made an affect on our daily life, there were quite a few huge ones. We had to be so cautious everywhere we went, especially in Guatemala City. Our freedoms to wander or have individual time out in the open was not possible. I could not carry my digital camera in the city, it would breach the team's safety for such a valuable item to be in sight. All money and personal information like passport and credit cards had to be in a concealed place, or just left in the house altogether. We had to keep an eye up at all times to see what those around us were doing, and while in the city we had 3 - 4 teenagers surrounding our team at all times keeping watch over us from the local gangs. Even the locals had this constant attention to their surroundings. There was no such thing as just deciding to go climb a near hillside for recreation, you had to be accompanied by a police escort! This was a surrender of freedom that I had never experienced before, and it was one that was quite hard to imagine doing for a long time.

Other changes included the bathrooms and plumbing for the city. It had all originally been plumbed with clay pipes, but with the earthquakes and effects of time, they were broken and had shifted. This being the case, you could not flush toilet paper! That took a few times to remember, it required breaking a habit that we have from toddler hood! The showers were also different. At our house in Antigua, we had hot water....scalding hot water!. We had to barely turn on the hot water and then let the ice cold water mix in for the 'perfect' tepid shower water. At our home in Guatemala City, we did not have the comforts of hot water pipes in the bathroom, and so we used a shower head that had electrical wires hanging out of it! Needless to say, I did not tinker with this equipment at all! The system was set up to have electricity running into the shower head, heating up coils on the inside that would then heat up the water that passed through. It was quite a trick to turn the water to flow slow enough so that it could pass through the coil at a rate that would render warm water. Once you accomplished the feat and felt proud of the trickle warm water you managed...someone in another part of the house would use the microwave or turn on a light, which would short the circuit to your shower head, starting over the process once more. Needless to say, I showered for shorter amounts of time than at home!

A nice change was the pace of life. Time was the people's greatest resource. They were so willing to sit and have a conversation. The day was started at dawn with a rooster's cry. Breakfast was served at 7 am. There was a mid-morning snack around 10:00 and then everyone broke for lunch around noon. There was a mid-day snack at 3:00 and between 7 and 8pm, we had dinner as a family. I could definitely go for these pauses in my day!

The Mission

The actual 'mission' of our trip was organized through "The Servant's Heart". They are a ministry comprised of many Guatemalans and Americans who seek to serve the poorest people in Guatemala city. The majority of the population in the area are displaced Mayans that fled the mountains during the country's recent civil war, they were looking for safety and work. They found the garbage dump to be their best option...their only option. Being uneducated farmers, they had no skills to offer the city. They could earn meager pay by pulling out the items from the trash trucks that could be recycled for money, and a bonus came when they discovered that much food and drink was in the waste as well. It is a consistent job, one that generations of people have shared.

On the rooftops in Guatemala City, the squatter's area behind us.

Many of the people whom this ministry serves live in a 'neighborhood' call the squatter's area. It used to be part of the city's large garbage dump, but has had a little dirt thrown over it, and the people have since built homes with various scraps from the garbage. Sheet metal, brick, clay, bath towels and bed sheets serve as dividing walls in this congested living space that is home to so many. Most have dirt floors. Recently the government has recognized these conditions as being unsuitable and has helped by putting in an electrical line for a single light bulb in a few of the homes. There are many chickens squawking, and decrepit, starving dogs roam the streets. Gang violence is prevalent, in fact, for a young man to not be involved in a gang is almost unheard of, so the people are ever watchful, cautious. It is so much for the eye to behold.

A young mom serving at the ministry with he little one in tow.

Yet, among this community that is seemingly hopeless, there is a growing desire for Jesus Christ. Our part in the ministry was to serve the people by building relationships and loving the unloved. What a blessing this was! Our first day consisted of us touring the elementary school that the Servant's Heart opened 3 years ago. This Lutheran day school is tuition free to the local children, but the parents do need to serve within the school one day a month by doing laundry, helping to clean after school hours, or working in the kitchen. There are currently 150 students enrolled in the school, and about 300 are on a waiting list to get in. Finances and space restrict the number of children enrolled. Breakfast, lunch, and after school programs are provided daily which allows these children a retreat from their home environment where most of them face starvation, abandonment, gang violence or abuse. So the kids flock to the school, they are eager to learn and strive to do their best with this great opportunity afforded them. Most of them have surpassed their parent's education by the time they are in 2nd grade. They are quick witted and aspire to be doctors, lawyers, pilots, teachers, pastors and models! They have joy in their hearts and a readiness to learn.

Our group did not actually teach the children in their daily work or classroom, but we were there to see the goings on of the school. The exception to this was a section we taught on personal hygiene. We taught about the importance of basic skills like washing hands, cleaning your body and brushing teeth. Our teammate Bill wrote an excellent skit about the evil Senior Bacteria and how he tries to infect your body and the only defence against his menacing ways is the valiant Don Jabon (jabon is Spanish for soap). It was a great skit where Michael was 'The Don" and I was 'el senior'.

Practicing 'good hygeine'.

We also taught after school events that were much like a shortened VBS. In it our friend Mary led music, taught about Jesus searching for the lost sheep, and made a craft with the children. Michael and our friend Mat did a skit of the lost sheep in Spanish. The incredible thing was that we were doing this for 60-100 children in a small cement room where the children seemed to pile together to enjoy God's Word. We then would hand out stickers for their sheep craft reminding them that "El Senior es mi Pastor", Jesus is my Shepherd. If they walked away with any thoughts, it was of the shepherd that loved them.

In addition to the children's ministry, we also prepared a women's study. Maryann had assembled hundreds of witness bracelet kit for the women to assemble after she taught on the woman who lost a coin and would not stop looking for it until it was found. The words that rang in my head, time and time again after this lesson, was that the coin was valuable - of utmost importance- that Jesus will not stop searching to find the one that was lost. When asked the question, "Do you have value to Jesus?" Some women nodded their head, some just wondered, and it was our joy to share the truth with them: Yes he values you so much that he would die on a cross and rise from death to save you! I think many women were quite affected by this thought, maybe even for some it was the first time they realized the were truly valuable.

Our team also served as spiritual guidance to the teachers and leaders of the school and ministry. We gave a few different studies for them. Michael even managed to get his slack-line down to Guatemala, and in his lesson taught on the 'balance' of leadership. Due to a lack in trees to tether the line to, we found ourselves up on the roof of the ministry building and the line was tied to the re-bar that protruded from the walls of the structure. It was a very thrilling event, and the leaders really enjoyed the challenge and message that this event brought.

The Servant's Heart also provides further education to their students after they graduate the 9th grade. When they graduate, The Servant's Heart offers to pay their tuition for high school and college if the student will work for them in the after school and Saturday programs for the younger children. Many of the students have elected to do this and have gained much responsibility and leadership within the walls of this ministry. They are thankful for their ability to serve the school that has provided so much for them. Even the six translators were once involved as children themselves, and now are attending college and in return lead the American groups through the week. They are amazing people with so much potential and drive!

In addition to the elementary school, The Servant's Heart also educates older students in occupational training and indigenous crafts. They are trying to provide people with the skills to make earn a living outside of the dump. We visited the site for their sewing department, wood shop, metal shop, bracelets, weaving, and the new t-shirt printmaking machine that was donated to them. They create many beautiful things that require tremendous skill and time.

Aside from teaching, we also took part in two community outreach events. The first was visiting the homes and people of the area. We would walk through the streets with our translators and they would knock on doors to see if anyone was home. When someone would stick their head out, our translators would ask if we could come in and talk with them. The six of us from St. Louis, plus 1-2 translators would cram into a home and visit with the people. We would talk of their problems and joys, their families, their hopes and fears. We would read the scriptures and we would pray for them. We did this a few times in the week and it was an amazing event, every time. People whose children attended the school were so grateful for our service, one lady even asked to pray for us and our team! That was a most humbling moment. Other people had never heard of the ministry and had never set foot in a church and did not know the story of Jesus! Others would tell us about themselves and just needed to talk about day to day life. Each one was willing and available to take the time for us.

The second outreach that the ministry runs is a food kitchen of sorts. The Servant's Heart provides food for a few hundred people in the neighborhood or by the dump four days a week. We went and served the food from the back of a small pick-up truck named 'Rodrigo'. Each person was to wash their hands with the water and soap that we provided, then would receive a bowl of food and some drink in a plastic bag (a Guatemalan modified Capri-Sun). For many this was their first and only meal for the day. It was a beautiful thing to wash the hands of the old and young alike. All were calloused, dirty, and cut, but they were attached to people with looks of gratitude on their faces. Visions from this time will be with me my entire life.

Towards the end of the week we took a trip to see the dump. Since the dump is no longer access able to Americans, we had to go into the city's cemetery to go to an overlook point. My stomach still lurches when I think of this site. We had to walk through rows of cement walls containing the caskets of others loved ones, all the time smelling a most horrific vomitous smell. Sections of the wall were broken, and empty slots exposed of where the living could not afford the year's rent for their deceased family member, the grave was broken, and the body cast down the hillside into the valley of the dump. As we got closer, there were enourmous vultures circling above, waiting for the rancid garbage...battleing with another vulture or a person working below. For miles trash was able to be seen. Constant beeping was heard as the large garbage trucks backed up to dump their collections onto the mounds of refuse for the people to sort. Directly behind the trucks stood people anticipating what might be found in their upcoming search.

The stench and despair of this sight is minimal compared to the sense of distrust and hopelessness worn on the faces of those living there daily. And it wasn't until we were overlooking the dump that I realized the truest tragedy of the people's life was the lack of relationship and trust with their government, their neighbors, their friends, their family....... In comes the Servants's Heart, providing them with stability, dependable friendships, and a relationship with this God~man named Jesus with whom they can give their trust. It is a contradiction to the rest of their society, and it is something that they can never truly live without. What a ministry this is!

Continued Ministry

To say that Michael and I have a desire to be a part of this ministry through our lives is a severe understatement! We hope to go back and serve on many different levels, only time and God's plan will reveal to what extent this will occur. Yet, we are not incapable of helping these great families and assisting the school because we are further away now. We have commited to supporting a child that will attend the Servant's Heart School hopefully until she completes her aspirations to be what she desires! We chose a little girl named Genesis. We asked for a kindergartener because she is close in age to our kids, a girl because we already have boys that we sponsor through other similar ministries, and I thought of my Gramma's church in Texas named "Genesis Lutheran Church" and how Genesis means 'Beginings' and how this is the begining to a great relationship for our family!

In addition to sponsorship we are collecting items for the future Seminary groups to take with them. Hygiene items, shoes, clothes, stuffed animals and toys are a few of the things that we will send. We can pack two 50lb bags per person going on the trip to take with them for the families! It is such a huge blessing to their community!

We also can lift our friends up in prayer regularly. There are countless events in my day that make me think of our time in Guatemala. In some respects that may be the case since we just returned from the trip, yet I hope that these flashbacks don't fade away. Each time a memory pops into my mind, it is an invitation to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. (Take a moment to do so right now if you will!)

Lastly, we have the joy of sharing our story with others and encouraging them to get involved in some way themselves. I highly recommend that if you are looking for a mission to serve, the Servant's Heart should be greatly considered. Their website is: http://www.theservantsheart.org/ You will be forever changed.

I hope that this encourages you to make a difference in others lives today. Thank you for all of the support; the prayers, finances, and encouragement. We love each and every one of you with the love of Christ.

COLORADO!!!!

2007-08-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

It is truly home when I come back to the beautiful mountains of Colorado. I have claimed each state that I have lived in as 'home' and I have truly felt at home in those places, but there is something remarkable, different, about coming back to the state from where you grew up. A large part of this homecoming is the fresh pine smell that the dry air carries deep into my senses. The clouds look like the ones from Toy Story, and the scene around me is truly 'purple mountains majesty'.
To be a part of all that is occurring around us, we walked down the street to feed the horses by my parent's house. It was great to bring these guys some sweet apples, Josiah jumped right in the activity, as he had much practice when we lived in Dover. There were seven horses, two of which were paints, and Josiah's highlight was the colt he wanted to call 'Bronco' (very fitting for this mile high state). "Bronco" even allowed Josiah to pet him, which is less common for the skittish young.
Another special thing to do at home is to make clothes. Well, in all truth, my responsibility in this is to come up with the project, and for Mimi to execute it! This time is was matching pajama pants. All three of us girls have a lovely pair of summer pj's to match each other. How sweet!