July 2017

Travel, Training, and Trials made the month of July a crazy one to say the least.

The beginning of the month found us in Michigan at Nana & Papa's house. The fun started, despite rain, with the putting up of a ninja line and new swing-set. The fun continued at several of our favorite playgrounds and a tour of another mine for the boys. Our adventures continued on the beaches of Lake Superior where the Lord granted us several days of glorious weather. In the middle of all that fun, we celebrated Thad's 7th birthday. He was super excited for a new rocket and a fitbit type gadget. The kids loved every minute of being spoiled by Nana & Papa and, as always, were sad to have to leave. Even Zeke seemed down-trodden as we began our trek home.

In the middle of all our fun up north, we found out that Eden's judge ordered the adoption to take place the beginning of August! We are super excited and in the middle of working out all the details that take place leading up to an adoption. It is a little crazy to think that in several days we will be without any foster children for the first time in 4 years! You might be wondering what we will do next. We are asking that same question and petitioning God for clear direction. Our current plan is to remain open, however, we will probably not accept any long term placements because of our age stipulations and the policy set forth by DHS that limits how many children under a certain age we can maintain in our household.

After arriving home from being gone for almost 3 weeks, we began the re-entry process. Thanks to Nana and her wonderful washing machine, the laundry was not something that needed to be conquered. Thanks to our neighbor we didn't have to battle the lawn either! The kids got re-acquainted with their toys, the pool got a work-out, and the fridge was restocked. Then Jeff participated in a 4 day training for school in a nearby town. It sure was hard to have Dad "back at work" after all the fun we had been having with him!

It was shortly thereafter the the trials began. Jeff is having some health issues, Zeke messed up one of his toes requiring vet attention, Thad broke his arm, Eden ended up with a black eye, Leigh Ann messed up her shoulder, her phone broke, and a myriad of other crazy rough stuff is taking place. We know that we are facing some spiritual warfare with the impending adoption and ask for prayers of protection.

Despite all the tough stuff, we have so much to be thankful for. We have wonderful family and friends who are walking this road with us and lending a hand and prayers! We are close to doctors (and vets) who can help with medical stuff. Thad was able to compete in a swimming competition prior to breaking his arm (he would have been really bummed to miss that). We have a comfortable house with air conditioning so that even when the temps soar into the 100's we can find rest. God has been so good to us.

Sorry for such a long slide show. I guess I got a little carried away with beach pictures! If you have trouble reading the word on the bottom of the pictures, make your screen smaller and then re-open in full screen.

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June 2017

Happy summer! Summer for us brings a much needed change of pace. Jeff is home, the honey-do list begins as do our many summer activities. Read on for more about the start of our summer adventures.

We kicked off the summer with a trip to Silver Dollar City in Branson. As always, fun was had by all. This was Eden's first time to go. A favorite of all is the huge splash pad. Eden took considerable interest in figuring out how the water spurted up from the ground. It took several face fulls of water and lots of laughter before she finally gave up.

The following week the boys attended tennis camp and Marie took swim lessons. The Lord blessed us with absolutely beautiful, albeit hot, weather. Thad and Eli both loved it and wanted to go for a second week. Eli's team won for being the loudest. It was a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp so every session ended up with a devotion and character trait to work on. I'm so thankful for Christian men and women who take an interest in the spiritual growth of my kiddos. Marie also loved her lessons. She was already a little fish but the lessons took her to a new and hopefully safer level.

The boys continued practicing with the swim team. Eli moved up a level and is progressing nicely with the more advanced swimmers. Thad is hoping to move up soon as well.

The Summer Reading Program at our library is always a source of enjoyment and competition in our house. For every 5 books read at their level, the kids get a prize. This year Thad fell in love with reading and it showed. He finished the program in 3 days and wanted to continue to get more books. Eli also finished before we went on vacation.

When we weren't running the kids to camps and therapy, we were working on the house. The living room, dining room, and master bath all have new paint and the dining room floor got several coats of new polyurethane. Jeff has also been working on several other projects on his honey-do list. I'm so thankful for a handy husband!

Next up was the start of our 3 week vacation visiting family. Our first stop was Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lynda's house in Illinois. We stayed for a couple days and enjoyed seeing all the farm animals and swimming in their pool. Some highlights included horse-back riding, working with the chickens, and playing games together.

We then headed for Wisconsin. We were so blessed to be a part of Jeff's parents 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration. The family worked together to host over 100 guests for a complete dinner, dessert, and dancing party. There was much laughter and some tears as precious memories were shared. All four of their children, twenty of their grandchildren, and their one great-grand child were in attendance in addition to two more great grandchildren who are yet to be born. It was such a testimony to God's grace and faithfulness as all the blessings of the past 50 years were shared. Thank you Lord for the Christian heritage you have passed down in our family! I also wanted to say a special thank you to Kristen for hosting us and putting together all the many details of the 50th celebration.

We had fun partying, swimming, playing games, eating and just being together. Our time spent with family is always so sweet and goes by WAY to quickly.

Our final destination was Leigh Ann's parents in Upper Michigan but you will have to wait for the details of that stop until next month!

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