A Toothless Girl!

I almost forgot! Kaitlyn lost another tooth while Dad was away! When your children lose their bottom teeth, they really don't look THAT much different. But, when they start losing those TOP teeth...it's a whole different story! They look different and sound different when they talk!

I don't like it when they start losing teeth, because it's just another reminder that they are growing up...TOO fast!!!!!

Busy Week

While Dad was away serving at the Philly World Changers project, the kids and I stayed very busy! We went swimming twice, ran errands, went grocery shopping, got to visit with relatives visiting from MO, played with some toads, and enjoyed a picnic at a park with some friends! We missed Dad while he was away, but are thankful for so many of our new friends who helped us have some fun while he was away!

Uncle John and Aunt Claudia were on their way to visit family it Pottsville, PA and stopped by to spend some time with us! When you live nearly 1,000 miles away from ALL your family, it is a HUGE blessing to get visitors!

We enjoyed having a picnic lunch and playing at the park with some friends!

Early Birthday Celebration

Dad's birthday isn't until Sunday, July 12. We're celebrating early because he is going to be busy on his birthday as the World Changers Worship Speaker. He actually had two celebrations. On Thursday, we asked some friends if we could bring some pizza over and visit with them. When we got there, Dad was surprised with a yummy ice cream cake! Today (Friday) we served Dad his favorite cobbler he requested instead of cake, and he got the Bourne Trilogy as his gift from Mom, T, K, and L!

Happy Birthday Dad!!!! We love you! We are excited to hear how God is going to use you mightily next week!

If you'd like to keep up with the Philly World Changers project, you can click here. The staff will post pictures and updates on the 2009 World Changers Blog!

Enjoying Nature

For our summer schedule this year, the children and I have been packing a picnic lunch and going out for nature hikes on Mondays! We usually take our camera with us. All the pictures below were taken by K! I think she got some great shots! She would find her object...zoom in just right...and say, "perfect" in a hushed whispered tone, and SNAP the picture! She's so sweet and creative! T was busy trying to find another frog. L was busy tracking down the HUNDREDS of butterflies we saw! It was such a fun Monday!
On Sunday night, we picked our first bell pepper from the garden! T got the honor of picking it:) Today, we picked our first zucchini. I was so excited and wanted to take a picture, but I spared you all the boredom:)
Are you enjoying the great outdoors this summer? Do you have a vegetable or flower garden you enjoy spending time in?

Finale to the 4th

Since we were busy both Friday and Saturday evenings, we didn't have a chance to set off the fireworks we purchased. So, we did that on Sunday evening. T and K enjoyed sparklers, but L wanted nothing to do with them. We got to see a really cool hot air balloon, and Dad got a really cool picture of it with the children in the foreground!

4th of July Weekend!

We had a fabulous 4th of July weekend!

July 3rd

• Went over to Mr. Bob's house to watch the huge logs in his yard be cut down to lumber he's going to use to make some benches. Mrs. Dollie showed us their beautiful gardens and bird feeders!
• Went out to eat lunch!
• Went grocery shopping
• Dinner and Red Lion, PA fireworks show with some friends (see picture)

July 4th

• Our friend, Brian, got to hang out with us while his Mom and Dad went to a wedding
• Went to Brian's house and swam, ate dinner, set off fireworks, made s'mores, and hung out with three other ministry families!

July 5th

• We got to see some precious friends of ours from Mississippi! Christine's parents live just a few miles from us! We haven't seen our friends in about two years! Now, we're going to get to see them TWICE a year!

Dad and I were talking about how this has been one of the BEST 4th of July's EVER!!!! We were disappointed about some of PA's firework laws, but the good times with friends evened it all out!