Cousins

Our kids love their cousins though they don't get to see each other as often as they would like. This weekend my younger sister and her family were in town so we decided to combine our birthdays. It wasn't fancy but it was fun! Out of 12 cousins 7 of them celebrate their birthday between June and early September.

Natalie, Molly, and Brandon spent a lot of time the few days before making decorations, cards, and anything else they could think of to add to the festivities. They came up with some great ideas!

Happy Birthday Cousins!

Gobbling up the cupcakes.

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Jed had his day in June. For fun Natalie and I

made cupcakes that were supposed to look like a beach.

Allison got to celebrate a second time for her July birthday.

Mia celebrates her special day this week! (She was just out of the pool in this picture.)

Nathan opening some presents ahead of schedule for his late August birthday.



Natalie is 12 in August.


Molly is officially a year older in September.

I know that's only 6 cousins, Jimmy couldn't make it today. It was good to be together and to be able to share the excitement of another year. It seems time passes so quickly in each of their lives.

Happy Birthday!

Allison turns 19 today! Happy Birthday! While in grade school I don't think Allison was always too thrilled about having a summer birthday afterall kids who celebrated their birthdays during the school year got to bring treats on their special day. Children who had summer birthdays celebrated their "Half Birthday". While fun it wasn't always as exciting. As has been the case with many of Allison's birthdays we have plans. The nice thing about plans is that they make for memorable birthdays. When Allison turned 1 we were in Mackinaw, Michigan on vacation. While there Allison enjoyed chasing the seagulls in the park while calling them all "kitty!".

One year we were tent camping in Door County, Wisconsin when we were hit with a downpour. It rained from breakfast through late into the evening. Allison and Joel played a game in the van while Ken and I took down the tent and everything else and packed up a gallon or two of rainwater and retired to a hotel before we left town early in the morning.

Our birthday hat was bought on vacation right before Allison's birthday and because she was young enough then she gladly wore it around town for her special day.

Six years ago we were on our way home, on Allison's birthday, from a vacation when we received a call. We made plans all the way home, ordered pizza for the kids from our cell phone, dumped all the luggage in the sunroom and went and picked up Brandon. I don't think we can top that, she'll have to work on that one.

While it truly seems like we just brought her home from the hospital in a car Ken decorated with pink ribbons she is growing up to be a beautiful young woman.

Happy Birthday Allison!

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Life goes marching on....

There are some times in life when some things that happen make you realize that you are not as young as you used to be (and I'm not talking about the aching joints when we first get out of bed in the morning).

This weekend we are going to a wedding. I remember when this young person was born, as moms we shared pregnancy stories and we shared milestones as our children grew and increased in number. Now this young lady is getting married and I know that she is only the beginning of many to come. Now that I think about it an old roommate watched her daughter get married earlier in the spring and just tonight our oldest daughter is getting together with a friend that has just announced her engagement - yikes! Life is moving quickly.

It's times like this when I wonder, "Are we doing a good job training our children in the ways of the Lord?" Are we teaching them all they need to know? It makes our job as parents seem so much more important when I think that in a few short years it could be a child of ours walking down the aisle to start a new season in their life.

I am excited for our friend's daughter. This young couple is walking with the Lord, she is marrying a young man of integrity. It will be a wonderful time of celebrating with them.

So while I contemplate that some day I will be the mother of the bride or groom I am struck with how life is moving on. I pray that as the days move on that my family and friends are walking with the Lord, that they are daily growing closer to the One who put our families together.

And if I wasn't sure I was getting older tonight Natalie had her first official babysitting job. :)

More Family Pics

A funny picture of Joel holding a lion cub in South Africa a couple of weeks ago. I can almost hear the noise he made when he first picked it up. He told me that it felt like he was going to drop it and that is why he made the face. (He has a picture where he is smiling but I think his expression here is comical). The Lord showed Joel some amazing things on his mission trip!

Nice little pussy cat.

Ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, ....

..... ashes, ashes, they all fall down!

(Nathan's new favorite game to play with everyone.)

Daniel hanging out in the tree.

Sophie needed a bath so Nathan and Molly decided to help Dad.

(Don't worry we dumped the pool when they were done.)

Decision Time

Brandon playing at the park.


Nathan loves the playground and thinks he can keep up with his older siblings.


Allison is teaching tennis this summer, too bad they don't teach in the dark as her shirt is so bright that it almost glows in the dark.


Our fish, Molly.

Is it possible to do anything without an MP-3 player?

Nathan spends a lot of time just pouring water into and out of things.

I started this blog towards the beginning of our adoption of Nathan as a place to share my thoughts, so I wouldn't overwhelm my husband with all of my words. :) It has been a lot of fun to share with others how the Lord has put together our family. Well, Nathan has been home a year, we are totally finished with the process and I have to make a decision. Do I continue with the blog or finish up? I am torn as, honestly, I enjoy blogging. I have some ministry things to take care of and I am wondering if it would be better to invest my time more with that. I'm praying about what to do, but while I am deciding here are a few pictures of some of our kids enjoying the beginning of their summer in between the rain.

One Year Ago Today!

Ken and I have reflected quite a bit recently about where we were a year ago and where we are today. We are both in awe of the Lord who has blessed us so greatly with seven wonderful children. There were times in the journey to bring Nathan home we wondered if it would truly happen. The Lord taught us so much during that time about how to trust Him and to wait for His timing, lessons that didn't always come easy. I know for me I have re-visited those lessons in the last year.

Nathan is an active toddler and learning new things every day it seems. He loves his brothers and sisters, wanting to copy anything they do - which is difficult at times as he is still little. He is such a joy!

What a year it has been - Nathan came home, Allison completed her first year of college, Joel just returned from a mission trip to South Africa, certainly not a dull life we live. A year later it still brings such emotion to think of bringing Nathan home.

"For this child I have prayed and God has granted me what I asked of Him." I Samuel 1:27

(You'll need to pause the playlist music down the right hand side, sorry about that.)



"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait on Him." Lamentations 3:22

Random Pictures for Fun

Please pray for Joel this week.

He is in the second week of a mission trip to South Africa/Mozambique and is ministering through a VBS and hut-to-hut evanglism.

This is what happens when the big sister comes home from college.

She doesn't get a lot of personal space.

Molly being cool while watching a 3-D movie.

When you are the littlest
and can't reach the screen door knob from the outside.
You wait patiently.

This safari-type hat so fits Daniel. He loves animals!

We have found that since Allison has been home she can't get enough of Nathan. So we have found her playing with him after we have put him to bed. I guess then she doesn't have to share his attention. Luckily he goes right to back to bed without complaining.