July 2015

On the road again...July was our month to travel and visit family and friends in the north. We had a great trip filled with many wonderful adventures. Read on for more details.

Before we started our journey, we celebrated Thad's 5th birthday with family and friends. It was so cool to have his cousins from Albania be able to partake in the festivities this year! His secret agent party was complete with a secret mission, encoded messages, clues, and a minion pinata. The kids looked awesome in their undercover disguises (see the smilebox at the end). It is hard to believe that our "little man" is now 5. He is an articulate, sweet, funny, spunky little guy!

Next on our agenda was the long journey to visit Nana and Papa in Michigan. It seemed like an eternity was spent in the car but it was so worth it! Our adventures in their neck of the woods included swimming in Lake Superior, visiting cool playgrounds, touring a copper mine, celebrating Thad's birthday again, reading stories, playing games, and so much more. Thank you Nana and Papa for so much fun!

Our next stop was Grandma and Grandpa Rice's and the Rice Ranchers in Wisconsin. Our adventures there included swimming in Uncle Doug's pool and taking tractor rides, playing games of monopoly, battleship, and cards with Grandma and Grandpa, running around with our cousins, celebrating Thad's birthday again (the little man got thoroughly spoiled), and so much more. It was fun to go thrifting with our cousins and find silly things to put on (see the smilebox for a good one of Thad). It was also sweet to be able to finally introduce Marie to the Rice Ranchers. Her cousins were great with she and Ava! It was a blessing to have our good friends Pete, Dorothy, and their kids come for a visit. It was precious to meet the newest addition to their family and fellowship with them.

Next up was the Rice Tribe in Illinois. Our time there was a whirlwind with all the preparations for nephew Caleb's wedding. The kids loved seeing all the animals, playing with their cousins, helping pick berries, and more. The family all converged there for the big wedding and it was such a blessed time to celebrate Caleb and Mariah's union before God. The Lord truly blessed the day as it was supposed to rain and he gave us sunshine and hundreds of family and friends to celebrate with! Thank you Lord!!! Thad was also given the honor of being the ring bearer. He couldn't have been cuter! (see the smilebox again).

We returned home exhausted from the travels and so ready to sleep in our own beds. There were mountains of clothes to wash, mail to sort, and communication to get caught up with. It was so worth it though! During our time away, Auntie Meredith gave birth to our new nephew, Gabriel and we can't wait to meet him. Jeff also continued working on his Master's degree and is finishing up another class. We hope that your summer has been blessed by friends and family as ours has. See you next month!

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June 2015

June has been a really fun adventure. Here are a few highlights from the month:

We went to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO for the first time. It is like stepping back in time but then adding an amusement park to the mix. There is something for everyone. We were blessed to get to enjoy the experience with some friends of ours and their kids. Eli loved all the roller coasters while Thad was more of a splash pad and ball house kinda guy. There is so much to see that we hope to go back again so we can enjoy more of what Silver Dollar City has to offer.

We participated in the local library's summer reading program and both boys got to choose a book to have their name engraved in. We are also in the middle of two other summer reading programs. Reading is a good way to relax after a crazy day in the pool or the water park.

Papa and Nana bought us season passes to the new water park in town and we have been multiple times. There are big water slides, small water slides, a lazy river, wave pool, fun floats, and so much more. The boys love everything but keep going back to the wave pool over and over. Thanks Papa and Nana!!!

The boys both got to participate in swim lessons this year. Eli learned more strokes and beginning diving techniques while Thad worked on breathing and kicking. Both boys are fish and have no fear in the water!

The boys also participated in a nearby Vacation Bible School program. They both had fun learning about walking in the way of the Lord. There were fun crafts, games, and songs.

Daddy took two classes for his master's degree this term and has been busy several hours a week with reading and homework. In his spare time, he has been working on putting up a privacy fence in the back yard and helping out with projects at the Anderson's house in addition to Mommy's never ending "Honey-Do" list.

This month we were able to start the process to adopt Marie. It is going to be a long process but she is worth the wait!

Both girls are growing up so fast. Ava tries to run everywhere while Marie says "no-no". They like to splash in their kiddie pool but Marie's true desire is to be in the big pool with the boys. Marie has started to say some more words and got new hearing aids and orthotics this month.

It is hard to believe that June went by so fast. Stay tuned next month for details about Thad's 5th birthday and our vacation north!

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