July 2013

The theme of July was "on the road again". We did lots of travelling and were blessed to visit almost all our family and many of our friends. The kids did great for all the hours of sitting they had to do in order to get to our far off relatives. There was so much activity packed into this month but I will try to keep it brief so you can enjoy the pictures.

For the past three years we have kicked off the month of July with a birthday party for Thad. This year was no exception and like other years he was given multiple parties as we celebrated with many people. He received many wonderful gifts from swim apparel and toys to fishing supplies to games and puzzles. One of the funnier moments of his first party was his exclamation after opening his new beach towel. He said over and over, "Thanks so much for my new rug Mommy and Daddy!" It was hard to convince him it was a towel! Silly little boy.

We also enjoyed the 4th of July parade in Sheboygan again this year. We have been blessed by the friendship of Ms. Anita and her generosity in having all the family come for the parade and cook-out! God  blessed us once again with beautiful weather and fun was had by all. The fireworks were awesome and it is so much fun to get to watch them with our cousins.

During this time, we found out the test results from Eli's procedures last month and were told he has allergies. We now wait for an opening with an allergist at Children's Hospital for further testing. Please pray for healing and answers as to what is causing all his stomach pains. We also found out the test scores for Jeff's AP Chemistry students. His kids did phenomenal and as a result Jeff will be awarded money to buy supplies for his classroom. Thank you Lord for this blessing!

We had two reunions in the first weekend of July. First, we got together with friends from Rawhide. We now have so many kids between all of us that we fill and entire swing-set at the playground and then some! It was another gorgeous day and we had a great time catching up with old friends and watching the kids play until they were wore out. Next was the Rice family reunion. We had spent time on and off over the weeks leading up to this so it was a great way to cap off the time together.

As you will see in the pictures, we spent tons of time in the great outdoors. We enjoyed everything from swimming in Lake Michigan to the Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan.

After our time in Wisconsin, we packed up and headed north to Upper Michigan to visit with Leigh Ann's parents. Once again, we enjoyed beautiful weather and fun with family. Nana and Papa live in a gorgeous area right on Lake Superior. The beaches were plentiful and the scenery was breathtaking. The kids spent as much time in the water as they could while we were there.

After we returned home, Jeff started two weeks of training for school. Leigh Ann and the kids used this time to catch up with friends. We were also blessed with a HUGE answer to prayer. God provided a mini-van in a way that could only be from Him. Praise God for answered prayer!!! We now have room for several more car-seats!  We are still waiting for our homestudy to be done. Please pray we would be patient for God's timing in all this. We are so excited and can't wait to meet the child/children God has for us!

There is so much more I could tell you but because the smilebox is the longest I have ever done, I will wrap this up. WARNING.. The smilebox is over 200 pictures long. It will take a while to get through it. I hope you enjoy seeing the pictures. We have been so blessed and it is hard to narrow it down to show you only a few. Next month will be shorter...I promise!

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June 2013

Summer officially started this month and with it the temperatures that make you sweat within seconds of stepping outside the house. It made running a little more challenging and keeping hydrated even harder. The temperatures didn't keep us in the house though and we enjoyed many fun activities this month.

The month kicked off with Eli taking his first golf lessons. He took to it like a pro and enjoyed golfing with Daddy, friends, and Grandpa Rice. Thad also took his first swings and enjoyed walking the course as much as the rest of the guys.

Eli also learned to ride his bike without training wheels. One day, he decided to take them off and ride without them. He took to it like most athletic things and within a short time was riding like a pro. He has had his share of road rash but it is more because he likes to do crazy things then because he doesn't ride well. I have been told that it is a boy thing!

Eli got to take his first road trip with just he and Dad. They loaded Nana and Papa's stuff in a Budget Truck and drove the 16 hour trip to Upper Michigan. They unloaded and then they headed to Wisconsin to drop off the truck and jump in the van with Grandma and Grandpa who drove them the rest of the way home. All of this took a span of four days...Whew!

We enjoyed a trip to the Monkey House bounce house this month too. The inflatables are so much fun to jump on and are a really good work out. The kids were so tired after that they took great naps. It was fun to have their friend Travis along too.

We finished up our physicals, turned in our paperwork, and are now waiting for the home study to begin. Foster parent training is not for the faint of heart. Waiting is so hard and we have been told the next part of the process is the longest! Please continue to pray for God to pave the way and that we would welcome children into our home that would be a good fit with our family. We are also praying for a mini-van. We have had cause to put three car-seats across the back of our car on a couple of occasions now and it is not a good fit!

Part of our adventures this month was a trip to Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Eli underwent a procedure to try and discover the cause of his stomach pains. The scope revealed burns in his esophagus. We won't have a definitive diagnosis until the biopsies come back in a few more days. The rest of his digestive tract looks good which is a huge praise! Please pray for a clear diagnosis and easy treatment that will quickly heal the burns.

We enjoyed visits from Ms. Laura Scheible, Grandma and Grandpa Rice, and our cousins from Illinois. We didn't realize we could fit 16 people in our house let alone sleep them all for a few days. It was a cozy fit and we had a great time. The pool got a work out for sure!

Next we  headed to Illinois to be a part of Cousin Caleb's graduation party. Eli had another first when he got to shoot Micah's gun. Thank you Micah and Caleb for the shooting lessons! He and Thad had a blast being real cowboys. They put on their boots, played with the farm animals, and even enjoyed riding a horse! Thanks Rebekah for the awesome rides! Completing the cowboy activities was barn dance complete with caller. We learned many new dances and did the dosado until we had blisters! It was so much fun. Congratulations Caleb on your graduation!

As I write this, we are in Wisconsin on the next leg of our road trip. July holds so much more fun but you will have to wait until next month to hear more! Until then, enjoy the pictures.

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