Workcation

We just returned from our family misson trip in Bryson City, N.C. What a wonderful week it was - enjoying fellowship with members from our church family and serving the Lord with our hands, our voices and our attitudes. I was especailly grateful that my children were able to see individuals giving up their personal time to help a summer camp prepare for their campers. Lots of landscaping, construction and repairs were completed as well as just assisting the staff. The kids helped pull weeds, pick up trash and clean up from meals. They also visited a nursing home for the first time and hopefully learned out to interact with the people living there. I conducted mini Day Camps at a KOA campground in Cherokee, N.C. and was blessed to have the girls attend and invite children to come and make them feel welcome.

Since this was a family mission trip, it wasn't all work. The afternoons were spent together playing and having family time. Our most favorite was tubing down Deep Creek. Everytime we told Eli we were going tubing he would say "Woo Hoo". We took them to get ice cream, play in a "river water feature" and enjoyed several games of Uno, Go Fish and other card games with the other kids on the trip. All in all it was a wonderful "workcation". lightening bugs

One exciting night for all of us was to see a dear friend of ours get baptized in the creek. It was such a special moment for everyone, including him and his family. I was particularly thrilled for the girls to witness this occasion. Children are never too young to participate in missions and learn what it means to serve the Lord. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend it!

Spoiled or Loved?

God Bless the woman who marries this boy...it won't be his momma that ruined him, instead it's his sisters! Eli has been feeling a little under the weather lately so his sisters made him a pallet in the Moses Basket and are feeding him grapes and milk. We are praying for his wife daily!

All smiles in this picture, even with a fever! Who wouldn't be, with this kind of treatment?

This is just pitiful or sweet, depending on which way you look at it! :-)

Summer Flowers

It is the little things in life that bring a smile to my face, like my summer flowers blooming in full glory...

the day lillies standing so proudly

my one little gardina bloom, oh my they smell so good

and my beautiful gerber daisy's that we bought for .25 cents a plant when Lowes had to quit watering their plants due to the severe drought. Jeremiah thought they wouldn't make it, but they are tough little plants, tough enough to handle these hot Georgia Summers!

Madi Beth is Five!

Madilyn actually turned five last Thursday, and enjoyed her day being the Birthday Princess! It was complete with a meal at her favorite place...Waffle House, face in the cake and a few wonderful presents!

Who Doesn't Love a T-Shirt?

Guess what I got as part of my mother's day gift from good ole hubby? If you guessed this shirt, you guessed right! And right now they have some specials going on - free shipping for ordering three or more shirts in one order! Wild Olive is also very good about donating to charities that have values and purposes that honor our Lord! So go check them out - Wild Olive Tees and wear God's Word for everyone to read!

All in this together!

My husband and I recently had the privilege of meeting with our adoption agency leaders. They were so gracious to fly to Atlanta and answer any questions we and many other waiting families had. We came away from that meeting with a peace, knowing that God's hand is still in this and we are to be still and wait. And just a note of encouragement to all the NSN waiting families: we are told there are still plenty of children that need to be adopted, it will just take time. Hang in there, we are all in this together!

What have we been up too?

It is the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. Besides Christmas I think this is one of the busiest times of the year. Here is just a little of our month in pictures...

End of the year program for our co-op...

End of the year kids sing for church...

Picking strawberries and making jam...

mmmmm...

spending an afternoon with some old friends...

making some new ones...

receiving a long awaited trophy....

a trip to the Georgia Aquarium...

petting sting rays and hammerhead sharks...

hanging out with our buddies...

dancing in our recital...

dancing in her first recital...

and receiving our beautiful roses for a fantastic performance! School is out for the summer! And we have such an exciting summer coming up. Gracie has joined a swim team and practice has already begun. We have VBS just one week away and a family mission trip in line after that. Then it will be off to see my family in Colorado again, always a wonderful time! A trip to Boston is also a possibility in July as well as a trek down to the Gulf! Lord willing, we look forward to experiencing all this as a family!

He comes home tomorrow...

...and he has three little munchkins who have missed him greatly!