Give away!

Check this out! http://arewethereyetla5.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-2-of-our-blog-party.html

Got A Dollar?

A very dear friend of mine is embarking on her 5th and 6th adoption journey. Check it out here!

So....

Is it a bad thing if you are hoping that the piece of broken brown crayon is an unwrapped Tootsie Roll?

Is it a bad thing if you are not excited that the kids are off school for Veterans Day?

Is it a bad thing if your favorite time of day is THEIR bed time?

Is it a bad thing if you are counting down the days, hours and minutes until the kids all go to spend the night with other people???

Happy Halloween!

Too Funny

My kids are all watching Diego.

Josiah: How do ALL of the animals know Diego???

How do you answer that one??

Fall Fun 1

Fall Fun! 2

Back to Health!

Yeah, everyone is feeling better! Charis and Ella are home today as a precaution, but the are feeling great! Making a palace out of couch pillows right now. With periodic breaks to watch the Curious George Movie, of course. I might even go crazy and put clothes on them today. Although that could be a battle, because, I know if I had been in pjs for almost a week, it would be hard to take them off and put on clothes. They did get a bath last night and fresh pjs if you were wondering.

Olivia is on a field trip today to the theater. They were supposed to dress nicely. So my daughter, who usually dresses nicely, decided she wanted to wear her favorite shirt. Which would be okay, except she wore it yesterday. And spill dinner down the front of it. I just put my foot down. She tried to lift it a few times, but she is a tiny little thing so..... Anyway she finally left in clean clothes. A silky top shirt of black, pink and red flowers. Over top of a high school musical t-shirt. So Gabrielle and Troy are peeking over the top. At least it was clean, right??

REALLY???

I feel like my blog has been such a downer lately....unfortunately, this one is too. I've got four sick children. You heard me, FOUR!! Can you feel the panic???

It started with Olivia on Friday. By Sunday she was in Urgent Care. They did a flu test. No results yet. Because, what fun are the results (and being in UC for 5 hours) until after she is feeling better? She is feeling well enough to whine and fight with her siblings today. That has me thinking she is on the upswing.....

Or is would except the other three sicko kiddos are fighting too. Is it wrong to not medicate your kids for their fevers? (I'm just kidding, relax!) But when their fevers go up, they are much easier to deal with. When the fevers are down, the bickering begins. But when they are sick, it's not fighting over toys, no, we fight over the blanket and pillows and couch! (Wait a minute, they fight over the couch all of the time.....never mind.)

So last night, we got the kids to bed and settled in to watch The Amazing Race. Would you believe that it was an hour late???? Stupid football game. Grrrrrrr........

Well, time to go fill orders....snacks, drinks, get so and so out of whosits way....you get the idea. Apparently, by the complaints and the "mommmmmmmy's" from the other room, I am not meeting their every demand nearly quickly enough!

(Good thing God's given me a sense of humor!)

Starting to see some light....

Things are still really up in the air here, but the guidance we have been praying for is starting to emerge. Pray that we will travel the path the Lord has intended for us.

In Case You Were Wondering...

We're still a crazy as always around here! Always the hams, never missing an opportunity for a picture!

My Kiddos

The Amazing Race

Okay, if you know me at all, you know I love me some Amazing Race. Our household STOPS when it is on. The children are put to bed and threatened within an inch of their lives to stay there! It is the one night that I allow myself an evening snack. But that is not the race that I am talking about.

I'm talking about THIS race:

Acts 20:24

²⁴However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

And recently the race has all been up hill. I think I'm halfway up the Rockies about now. I'm just feeling unsure of what our future is going to look like. Does the congregation at Grace want us to stay? We can't live on the salary so I will have to look for work. But where? And how do I maintain a house for 7 people, laundry, dishes, etc, for 7 people? It is a full time job for me now.

I've been so blessed to be available to my children during the school day. That probably won't be the case next year.

I'm not complaining, really, just ruminating. (I love that word!) Wondering what God has next on the map for my race.

There are some things that God has put on our hearts, real passions, and yet, I am not sure that they are open to us right now. In fact, I am sure they are not open to us right now. In HIS time, right?

So, right now I am going on faith, in a way I am not sure I ever have before

Hebrews 11:1

By Faith

¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

That is so hard sometimes! Kind of like in the Indiana Jones movie where Indy has to step out onto the pathway across the chasm. Sounds easy, except the pathway is not visible to the human eye.

My Answering Machine

Although, I guess it is technically my voice mail. Anyway, the light is blinking again or is it still? I've been home for over 4 hours and keep wondering if I should check it....or maybe not, it's a lot of work. And most of the time it is a recording of a recording. But what if it's really important? Oh the dilemmas that I have to wrestle with. My life is so difficult!

I'm Fired!!

Elliana: Mommy, you are fired!

Me: Really?

Elliana: Yes, call your mommy!

Me: Who will do all of the laundry and cooking?

Elliana: Nanny! (duh) That's why you are calling her!

Yeah, who' s the diva??

Some New Things At.....

Check them out at 4 Princess Bows

Clothes, Clothes. EVERYWHERE!!

Oh. my. goodness. I have been in the process of changing over from warm weather clothes to cold weather clothes. For. 5. Children.

Let me start by saying we have been incredibly, incredibly blessed with hand-me-downs. In 10 years and 5 kids, we have bought almost nothing except underwear (hee hee I said underwear! That would cause my children to collapse in giggles.) shoes and socks. It has literally saved us thousands of dollars I am sure. If you wonder if friends would be blessed by hand-me -downs, the answer is YES!! YES!! YES!! And we do pass the blessings on when ever we can.

This is more than pulling a few sweater out of some rubber bins. This involves going through dozens of bags of clothing to determine what will fit who this year. The boy is easy, keep the t-shirts and change to jeans, add a few sweatshirt. For the girls it is a major process.

Ella is soooo picky about clothes. She hates socks and hates to have anything around her waist. She would wear her summer dresses and sandals year around if I let her. Which I don't.....But I have given in on the socks issue. IF her feet get cold enough, I guess she'll wear them. AND don't tell my mother-in-law (whom I love dearly!) that you cannot catch a cold by not wearing socks. Unfortunately, the dress supply is not as abundant this winter as it was in the summer. Three days in a row, she has worn *gasp* pants. Up until now, she was known as 'the girl in the dresses' by several of her preschool classmates.

Charis, well, it's jeans all the way, baby. And that can be an issue when your waist is still a size 12 months and your legs are 4T tall! Thankfully, Olivia wore 4 Slims when she was 3 (Charis is 5 1/2) that are adjustable at the waist. I just cinch them as tightly as possible. (And they are still roomy!!)

Olivia.....I can't even begin to describe her fashion sense. She always looks adorable in what would look ridiculous on anyone else. The biggest problem for her is she needs a 4T in the waist and 7 in length....

Gracie? This year she'll wear whatever is in her drawer. But she's in 5th grade. I doubt I'll have that luxury for long. She was so excited today because she wore a new (to her) shirt to school. "MOM! Guess what happened when I got to school today? Some sixth grade girls came running up to me to tell me how much they loved my shirt!!!!" She was so excited!

So, I've gone through what was in the attic. A clothing monster threw up all over it. Now I am down to getting all of the summer clothes washed, and sorted out and put in the right bags, bins and boxes. The trick is getting it done before the kids rewear their favorites making them need washing again. How can someone who has a family of 7 hate laundry so much? Maybe that is WHY I hate laundry so much!

Do You Ever Wish God Would Show You His Planner?

Wow, I do. Life is changing and we don't know exactly how, but we know it is changing BIG TIME. We are spending lots of time praying for God to show us exactly where he wants us and what he wants us to do. We trust him, but we want to know what direction he wants us to take. Please pray for us!

Conference

And the correct guesser was (drum roll please....) My mom! (She commented on Facebook in case you were wondering.)

My conference this morning was for Josiah. Mrs. Phelps, his teacher, is a doll! And she really cares about her students. I am so glad that Josiah has her as a teacher. I requested the conference because I, if you'll excuse me while a brag, because Josiah is just to darn smart. The little guy taught himself to read while he was in preschool. (Of course it was because he wanted to be able to play on the computer without needing help. But that is besides the point.)

Now, I didn't want to come off as one of those parents. Remember I used to be a teacher. Those parents are the ones that think their child is the smartest child since Einstein. (Yeah, right, Einstein didn't speak until he was three or four, Josiah was reading by then . Just kidding!!) I just wanted to make sure that he was being challenged so he wasn't becoming a disruption or distraction for the rest of the kids. Have I mentioned how much he loves to talk? I had visions of him finishing work and then talking to his neighbors.

But, thankfully, Mrs. Phelps has it all under control! Yay for good teachers!!!

First Parent Teacher Conference of the Year

Tomorrow 9:00. Any guesses as to which child it is for??

check out this blog!

LOVE IT!!!!!!

Disappointment

I don't usually post here about political things or television. But I am greatly bothered by a new show on F0x. It is a show that I really really wanted to like. You have to know that I am pretty much a geek and LOVE music. I love singing. Any guesses? (And I am really excited about the new Fame* movie coming out this week.)

I really really wanted to like Glee*. REALLY! I'm married to a music teacher! And I look just like the actress who plays the wife of the show choir director on the program. (Okay, not really.) The first episode I liked a lot. I thought the Celibacy Club thing was little tasteless, but that's okay. Something I could overlook.

I've been so saddened by the turn the show has taken the last two weeks. I don't need to watch teenagers singing about sex, engaged in sex, etc. Okay, yes, I know that lots of teenagers have sex. That doesn't mean I need to watch it. I am even more saddened that we, as a society, have condoned this behavior by turning it into entertainment. I am angry that the target audience of the this show is obviously, as evidenced by it's 9:00 time slot, teenagers. I am angry that the teenager girls in the "Celibacy Club" use sex to control the behavior of the teenage boys. I am angry that praying to Jesus (in the first episode) to remain celibate is seen as a joke. I am angry that what could be a wholesome family show is what it is.

I am saddened that some Christians I know think that this is wonderfully written and funny. I personally think that a teenage boy 'servicing' adult women that he works for is not original or funny. I am saddened that the network thinks that we (the general public) are not smart enough to enjoy a funny, well written show that isn't smothered in gratuitous sex.

Maybe I have offended you, or made you think. All I know is that this is not what I would allow my children to watch at any age if they are living in my home. Because I don't want them to find it funny or to think that this behavior is okay. And it is not what I want on my television if Jesus should come back tonight.

7 Years Ago...

A Princess joined our family!

Not Again!

Remember Barf Fest a few weeks ago? Well, other than Ella having a cold a last week, we've been pretty healthy.

But then, last night Charis started running a fever. Yes, Charis. The one who never gets sick! I should have seen it coming when she came home from school, turned down a snack and took a nap in the middle of the living room floor. NOT the safest place to lie down in our circus. The kids kept running through, narrowly missing her head while I cringed and cried out warnings.

She skipped dinner, but by about 7:00 the Tylenol/Advil cocktail she was on kicked in and she was feeling well enough to start to pick on the other kids. (I wonder if it is considered child abuse to NOT medicate your child for a fever?)

So, once again, my grand plans for today are rearranged. But that is okay.

AND on the good side, I found my keys!! Of course they were in a place I had looked at least two other times. I think the kids were moving them around just to drive me crazy and I finally just lucked out and came across them before they moved them again. I am sure that several of you were up all night wondering about my keys, so I thought I would put your mind at rest so you can sleep tonight!

Things I Have Found While Looking For My Keys

1. The missing umbrellas
2. An attachment to the vacuum cleaner (one is still missing)
3. The floor of the closet
4. A lot of dust.
5. Missing books.
6. A diaper bag (haven't had anyone in diapers in a couple of years.)
7. The missing hair brushes (a blog entry unto itself.)
8. Glow in the dark bracelets
9. 5 headbands, so far....
10. Where one of my precious children wrote on the kitchen table WITH MARKER!!
11. The USB cord for my digital camera (didn't know that was missing.)
12. Olivia's library card
13. The bandages (always a necessity around here)
14. My scissors
15. Scotch tape (which is like finding gold in our house)
16. My kitchen counter (I'll bet my hubby doesn't believe that!)
17. The missing Littlest Pet Sh0p monkey

Is anyone else noticing what I haven't found????????

If You Want to Make God Laugh....

Tell him your plans!!

I had such grandiose plans of what things I would get done once school started. You know, four kids in school all day. The baby in preschool four half days a week. Wow, time to do what I want to do! And that is when God started laughing!

My attic is still a train wreck. I haven't even vacuumed the upstairs! The bathroom floors still need scrubbed. Clothes still need switched over from summer to fall/winter. The ugly wall paper still needs to come off of the upstairs bathroom. The border in the dining room still needs taken off and replaced. I still need to find cheap bedding for our bedroom. And the list goes on and on.

Why? Well, I was blessed with three hair bow parties in the end of August. One of which was huge! And I am still not done making the bows ordered there, although I am close. AND someone has been sick ever since school started, minus a day or two here and there. Ella had a stomach virus that lasted a week. Then less than a week later, most of the rest of us had it, including Ella who had her second bout. My migraines have been out of control. I have started a new Sunday school class for third through sixth graders. (I'll post about that later, I found a great resource on knowing what is in the Bible, how it is structured, who wrote what, etc....)

Have I mentioned how crazy it is to try to keep up with homework for all five kids? Yes, even the preschooler comes home with homework. So three of the kids have it every night. So I have to make sure it gets done. Sign behavior sheets and homework planners. Make sure Grace works on her multiplication fact. Listen to Olivia read for 15 minutes (which includes an additional five to ten minutes for whining.) Help Charis with her alphabet.

Oh, did I mention laundry for seven? And meals?

And did I mention I am babysitting a precious little one two days a week?

It's all good, but, WOW, I am not getting much done...

Thirsty For God

1 O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

Recently, you may remember, we were all sick. I mean really sick. And I was thirsty. Really really thirsty. Dry mouth, dry throat, cracked lips thirsty. And I wanted a drink of water so badly. It was all I could think about. I couldn't drink, or I'd just be sick again. I was so thirsty I was dreaming about drinking water. Not that there was a whole lot of sleep going on that night.

Several years ago, I got into the habit of praying when I cannot sleep. I makes me a whole lot calmer than lying in bed getting upset because I cannot sleep. God and I have lots of really good conversations when I cannot sleep. Sometimes I think he keeps me up just to talk to me.

So, I'm lying in bed talking to God. Mainly telling him how incredibly thirsty I am. And he could have reprimanded me. Reminded me of the 40 days (not hours, DAYS) he spent in the desert without food and water. But he listened to me whine for a while. Then he whispered in my ear, "I wish you were that thirsty for me."

A Clean Kitchen

On Saturday, before the black death settled in and took out 6 of the 7 of us, I spent almost the entire day cleaning my kitchen. (In case you are wondering, Risi is the only one who did not end up sick. According to Sheri, Ris probably scared away the virus....she's probably right.)

So my kitchen looks great, wiped down everything, cleaned up my hair bow stuff, scrubbed the stove. It looks great......unless you open the cupboards or the fridge or the drawers. Didn't make it to cleaning those.

On the outside it looks great, on the inside, not so much.

And that really got me to thinking. I've spent a lot time on my outside recently. In the past year, I've lost a lot of weight. And mostly for health reasons, but, truthfully, I wanted to look better too.

But I got to thinking, what if someone one opened my drawer? Pulled out my silverware drawer? Would they find crumbs? Cupboards that need wiped down?

We are so aware of our appearances. I wonder what life would be like if we spent as much time working on our insides as we do on our outsides. What if I spent as much time in my Bible everyday as I do taking a shower and fixing my hair? What if I spent as much time in prayer as I spend on the computer each day? What if I spent as much time in worship as I spend watching the news each day (and let's face it the news is pretty depressing!)

Just some thoughts, for me and for you.......

How do you look? On the inside??

Welcome To Puke City!

Last week my poor Elliana was sick for several days with a stomach bug. She dehydrated and looked and felt awful. We eventually had to take her to the doctor to get an anti-nausea so we could rehydrate her. If it didn't work she'd have had to be admitted to get IV fluids. Thank God it worked and within 24 hours she was fine.

We all were. For almost a whole week. Then Josiah started in. I don't think he got it from his sister, because, after all, it had been a whole week. He missed his first day of Kindergarten. He wasn't thrilled about that. Within 24 hours he was fine. Up running around as always.

Then this afternoon, Ella started again. Then Josiah. Can I tell you how much fun we are having??

AND we are supposed to go my mom's tomorrow to see her and my sister that I haven't seen for over a year. AND the kids are really excited about going. AND, now, at least one is staying home with Kevin.

So please pray that no one else gets sick. And that everyone feels better. This is just not fun.


Yep, we got it. 6 of the 7 of us. So much for the plans to see my sister and her crew this weekend. THANKFULLY all are well enough to go to school tomorrow! They are way too energenic today. It's kind of a bummer when you still feel rotten and the kids are high energy. Ah well, did I mention they go to school tomorrow??

Ella Starts Preschool

Looks pretty proud doesn't she? I admit, I had a pang I didn't quite expect....

Too Funny!!

I had a really rotten day with my kids today. Then someone sent me this....PERFECT!!!!

The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of the main computers resolved, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. ' Hello ? '

'Is your daddy home?' he asked.

' Yes ,' whispered the small voice.

'May I talk with him?'

The child whispered, ' No .'

Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, 'Is your Mummy there?'

' Yes '

'May I talk with her?' Again the small voice whispered, ' No '

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, 'Is anybody else there?'

' Yes , ' whispered the child, ' a policeman .. '

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?'

' No, he's busy , ' whispered the child.

'Busy doing what?'

' Talking to Daddy and Mummy and the Fireman , ' came the whispered answer.

Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, 'What is that noise?'

' A helicopter ' answered the whispering voice.
'What is going on there?' demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. Again, whispering, the child answered,

' The search team just landed a helicopter '

Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, 'What are they searching for?'

Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle...
' ME . '

Josiah and Grace

This morning....

Grace: JOSIAH, STOP PUTTING PILOWS ON MY HEAD!!!!! (Grace yells everything!)

Josiah: I'm just making you into the Eiffel Tower!!

Josiah's eye and first days of school 2009

It is hard to see, but Josiah has 5 stitches in his left eyebrow from falling down the stairs. Lots of bruises, too. The stitches come out tomorrow morning.

Grace and Olivia on their first day of school, Gracie is in 5th and Olivia is in 2nd. When did they get so big.

Don't ya love the matching outfits? I wonder how long they will think matching is cool?

Josiah and Charis leaving for their first day of Kindergarten. Charis was the only girl in her class today. There are only 12 girls in the whole Kindergarten class, so each class will only have 4 girls and probably 12 boys! Aye, yi, yi!

They really were more excited than they look! They are in separate classes, but guess who they played with at recess today???

I think

Charis needs her own blog. The things coming out of her mouth are so funny, I can only imagine what is going through her mind~

At Kindergarten Screening:

Teacher: Why do we go to school?

Charis: Because my mommy says I have to!

*************************************

On the way out of the door from Kindergarten camp:

Day One

Ni Hao! Ni Hao! (Chinese for hello)

Day Two

Adios! Adios!! Adios!!!

************************************

Number of curtain rods that Charis has destroyed by swinging from them: 2

Kindergarten Camp

Charis and Josiah went to Kindergarten Camp today. It is a great opportunity for the incoming Kindergartners to come in for a few 1/2 days and get to know the building, the teachers, etc without the big kids being there.

Afterwards I asked what they did. And Charis put her hands on her nonexistent hips and said, "Well, we DIDN'T camp!!"

What If The Church Danced??

12 Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

II Samuel 6:12-15

What if the church dance? Really danced? Just because God is God? Danced for joy??

2 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;

they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—
the grain, the new wine and the oil,

the young of the flocks and herds.

They will be like a well-watered garden,

and they will sorrow no more.

3 Then maidens will dance and be glad,

young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into gladness;

I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

Jeremiah 31:12-13

By now, you've probably seen THIS video....If you haven't you really should....and leave your inhibitions and how you think things 'should' be done, and allow yourself to be caught up in the joy displayed here.

What if the church displayed this kind of joy? See, to understand what I am talking about, you have to watch THIS! I can only imagine people would be drawn to it! We are all looking for a measure of joy in our lives. I challenge you to try God as He really is the only source of true joy. Of course there are many things that can give us happiness. Our children, our marriages, our friends, our hobbies. But, for me, only God can give me true joy. The kind of joy that lets me do this:

with a migraine. Dancing for joy in the Lord!!

A couple of years ago, Kevin had the kids at our sister church, Sharonville UMC and my kids were having a blast. They were running around the lobby like it was their personal playground. And some of the 'Propriety Police' were frowning on it. Kevin was trying to calm them down, when our dear friend, Pastor Jim said, "That's right kids. Stop having fun! If people knew that church was fun, they might want to come!"

What a statement.

If people knew that church was fun, they might want to come. If we danced for joy before the Lord, people would want to come!

Oh, the freedom that comes from dancing for joy before the Lord!

What if the church danced?

Reasons I Love My Kids

Josiah: Don't you wish VBS went the whole summer?

Charis: Don't you know VBS is all the time? It's everywhere......

I think she has some holes in her theology that might need filled in......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While eating ice cream:
Charis: Everyone, you cannot be messy, eat like me! Eat like a prince.

Ella: I can't eat like a prince, I'm a princess!!

Josiah: And I'm a king!! I know!! Let have an ice cream eating race!!! ('Cause that all makes sense together!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Josiah: MOM, WHERE DID YOU GET MY NAME???
Me: From King Josiah in the Bible
Josiah: OH, I THOUGHT YOU GOT IT FROM JOE!!

HUH?!?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight we took Charis, Josiah and Elliana to Kr0ger. Interesting to say the least. I made my list based on LAST week's ad. There was only one (can you believe it?) race car cart, so they had to take turns. I had to separate Josiah and Charis from the front of the cart because Charis's insistent kisses for her big brother were getting loud and drawing attention. Elliana only almost got hit by another cart 3 times. AND my husband took us and our 467 items through the Express Lane. I think they were glad when we left! I know I was!

Thankfully the police officer that Charis ran up to and hugged last time was not on duty today!

I love being the mom!!!

How Cute Is This??

4 Princess Bows

Jury Duty, Day 1

I sat...for a long time......and sewed about 50 bows.....a really long time. At one point I called to check and and Kevin says, "I hope you don't hate what I've done to your dining room." (That was reassuring. ?)

Then I sat more. Watched a little CNN, spent some time playing on line, had a little lunch. I was called back at 1:45 (At least it was supposed to be at 1:45) to be told the trial had been continued and I was not needed. Sniff, sniff......Everyone wants to be needed, well, except at jury duty!

So I am home, and I am back on call again tomorrow. Jealous aren't you??

And my dining room looks great!!

The shelves are new. All of the items on them or hanging are from our mission trips in Cub@.

Jury Duty

Tomorrow I start 2 weeks (yes, you read that correctly) 2 weeks of jury duty! Pray for me and my family! Kevin will have the kids. Wow.....I might get caught up on a few things! Did I just say that out loud????

Community Dinner

Every third Wednesday of the month our church holds a Community Dinner. Just to serve the community. No strings attached, no heavy "churchy sell, " no 'come in to Bible study.' Just dinner. In the colder weather we have spaghetti and salad and garlic bread. During the nice weather we grill out. It is such a blessing to serve the community, to get to know new neighbors or just catch up with old friends! The kids play corn hole, run around, chalk, blow bubbles and just generally be kids!

Friends enjoying each other's company

Thank God the predicted rain didn't fall!

Mmmm, burgers and dogs....we had so many people to serve that we could hardly keep up!

More from our trip

Praise and Worship......there are no words.......