Our 'Went By Way Too Fast" Summer

As I look back on the last few months and welcome the coming of cool autumn weather I am thankful for the many adventures God granted us this past summer.

We've been busy with gardening, swim team, chartered fishing trips, camping, trips to the beach and best of all a trip to see my family in Utah.  Occasionally we have family  travel this way to see us, but the last time we were in Utah was June of 2010, quite a while ago.

Last school year ended in May with the Challenge B campuses participating in a Mock Trial at the county courthouse.  Rachel played the role of a housekeeper who witnessed a battered woman murder her husband.

Almost every time we travel to the beach we make our way to Rehoboth and eat lunch at Nicola's Pizza and then head over to the arcade for an afternoon of skeeball. Elise is OBSESSED with skeeball!  There's a better chance of winning if you stick out your tongue.

A view of the garden from the front porch.  This year for the first time we planted red potatoes and were blessed abundantly.  A week and a half after planting nine tomato plants temperatures reached below freezing.  Of course we lost them all and had to start over.  This spring was also a first for growing lettuce, boy did we have lettuce.  I couldn't give it away fast enough and Dave claimed I was trying to kill him with it.

Lift up the window shade, pull it down.  Lift it up, pull it down.  Tray table down, tray table up. Tray table down, tray table up!  Spilling a full cup of ice and Sprite all over yourself and the seat.

 

You get the idea!  Traveling with four children to Utah, oh so fun!  Thankfully we had a direct flight into SLC.  This time was the first for NO changing diapers on my lap in the tiny bathroom on the aircraft.

Rachel, Paige and Rylie enjoying some cousin time together.

A huge shout out to Amber (far left) who so bravely took on the activity of tie-dye with ten kids.  My sister Robin on the right.

My very own tie-dye.  I've lived a sheltered and deprived life.  My best friend Keri in the blue dress.

At the 1950's sock hop, which my hubby refused to dance at. 

From the looks of Rachel's face I don't think she wants a hug from me.  He still won't dance with me! 

Daddy rescued her from the clutches of my arms. He still won't dance.

Of course Grandma and Grandpa have to participate in the Chicken Dance.

Dave's mid-life crisis, a 1944 Willy's Jeep.  He wants one so bad he drools whenever he speaks of it!

 My brother Mike and his family posing in front of Grandpa's beloved '56, during the Cache Valley Cruise-In.

Only Dave would bat one handed.

My siblings, their spouses and fifteen grandkids.  Goodness, too many to name! 

Rachel, Joseph and for the first time this summer Nicole swam for the Piranhas Swim Team.  Because of the different age groups we were at the pool every morning from 7:45-10:00am.  When summer swim ended Nicole promptly informed us she is NOT swimming next summer!  We'll see about that!

Bragging rights!  Joseph caught the biggest rockfish during a chartered fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay.

 

Thanks for joining me on this journey!  What did you all do this summer?

 

The New Harry Potter

This is what happens when you give two little girls free range of scissors and card
stock. 

They make Harry Potter glasses.

JAM 2013

Posted by Rachel

I was fortunate enough to participate with my church, Fellowship Bible Church, in Junior High Adventures in Ministry (or better known as JAM).

The purpose of JAM is to glorify God by equipping Jr. High students to serve Jesus Christ by giving them training and "hands-on" ministry experience.

FBC rented a huge bus to travel to Cairn University in Philadelphia, PA.

We drove for four hours then stopped at a rest stop for lunch. After we ate, we drove for another hour and finally arrived at Cairn University. During the trip, we traveled through West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Figure that one out.

My dorm, Room 161.

Kid's Day on Saturday! My "buddy" was Catherine. She was soooo sweet!

On Saturday, every JAM student receives a child to hang out with for the day. After participating in different planned activities, every student sits down with their "buddy" and shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with them.

The kids typically come from low income neighborhoods, inner-city Philadelphia and most have never seen a Bible or have been to church.  One of my friends relayed to me that her "buddy" told her that he is never fed breakfast. That's when I realized how fortunate I am.

One thing that is cool about JAM is that you see a bunch of teenage guys interact with little kids in a way you've never seen before!

One of the activities was a puppet show. But not any puppet show! They shut off the lights and used a blue light to make the puppets glow. The puppets sang Christian songs. I heard my friend's little girl behind me singing along at the top of her lungs! It was so cute!

 

Another activity was watching professional skateboarders, well, skate!

 

This is the DJ for the boarders. Why does he have a comb in his hair?

This is why you wear your helmet. Seriously! Wear your helmet!

They were getting pretty high! But it gets better!

Two boarders spread the ramps apart and laid down in between. Don't ask me to do that.

This boarder had a Duck Dynasty beard. I wonder if he would have a tan line if he shaved it off...just wondering.

Afterwards, we made our way over to BINGO! All the stuffed animals in the front were prizes for the winners! (everyone is a winner at JAM!)

After BINGO we left the nice air conditioned building for the petting zoo. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of that. While at the petting zoo, I saw something I didn't think I'd see. My little girl from JAM 2012!! I went up to Indyia and asked her if she remembered me. She said yes! She's seven now! I remember when she was trying to climb up my leg to get away from the petting zoo animals! I feel like a proud mama!

After the animals, we sat down with our "buddies" and shared the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. Catherine had heard the gospel before and her family was trying to go to church every Sunday. After talking with her, she gave her life to the Lord!

After our kids boarded their buses, we all met back at our training rooms to discuss what happened with our "buddies".

Later that night at chapel, the number of students who gave their lives to the Lord was announced. Ready for this? 81 kids accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

The ride home on Sunday was fun to say the least! After one hour of driving we stopped at a rest stop. My friends and I split a very doughy pizza. I needed something else to eat, so I bought something from Starbucks. I'm convinced that's what made the ride home fun....110 calories of awesomeness....is that a word? During the last four hours of the trip, we all sang, "Wheels on the Bus", but replaced the first letter of every word with a V. Please, please, please, don't ask.

Look who turned 9

Someone celebrated a birthday.  Nicole requested ribs, baked beans, and fresh pineapple for dinner with Mississippi Mud Cake for dessert.

Somehow I managed to mess up the cake. Really mess it up!

Actually the truth is while making the frosting I had the bright idea of cutting back on the amount sugar, after all it called for an ENTIRE box of confectioners. Not to mention the two cups of sugar that was already in the cake.  I guess that can be expected from a Paula Dean recipe.   Anyways, because there wasn't enough sugar to make the topping solidify it ended in a soggy gooey mess. 

So after Rachel's competitive swim training we ran to the store and searched for a replacement (Nicole did not know this).

We decided she should have her very own pint of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. 

She was a very happy birthday girl!

The Empty Tomb

Our Easter celebrations began with sore throats, stuffy noses, itchy noses, and lots of sneezing.  The virus invaded our home a week before Palm Sunday with one child and has slowly moved around to each one of us.   It's still here, lingering, it won't go away. I am it's latest victim.

Our church, Fellowship Bible Church attempted something knew this Easter.  Instead of holding Palm Sunday service they decided to host an Easter egg hunt.  I know at first it sounds odd and not to mention just plain weird.

My kids say I'm getting old.  Maybe I am!

FBC would still hold Palm Sunday service but instead on Saturday evening and call it Palm Saturday, then hold the Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning.  Fellowship Bible desires to expand their outreach ministries with the Gospel of Christ, so the thought would be to take the light of Christ from inside the church walls and out into the community on Palm Sunday morning.

I desperately wanted to go to Palm Saturday evening service, however with Dave and Elise sick I didn't feel I could leave them.   So on Sunday morning those of us not yet sneezing went to the Great Easter Egg Hunt.  Rachel participated in Gospel Face Painting, sharing the Gospel according to each color.

Oh, and I might add weeks before this took place the church asked members and attendees to donate 1500 dozen plastic filled eggs.  Yes, you read that correctly, that amounts to 18,000 plastic eggs.  Well, the Lord provided much more than that.

I guess this really wasn't an egg "hunt" as most of the eggs were in plain view.  I tried to get a picture once all the children were released but I'm just not that tall.

Some stats from the egg hunt:

22,000 filled plastic eggs
2500 people in attendance of that 800 kids searching for eggs
335 children's faces painted as the message of Christ was explained
458 pounds of hotdogs
80 racks of hotdog buns
Countless seeds of truth sewn

Of course we have to dye Easter eggs every year.

Every year we also make Easter Tomb Cookies.  An Easter devotional that explains the Gospel by using ingredients like walnuts, vinegar, egg whites, salt and sugar.  The "tombs" are then placed in the oven over night.  In the morning they are hollow or empty, just like the tomb on Easter morning. 

After church on Easter morning we hid our plastic eggs around the house since it was 40 degrees and sprinkling outside.  Actually Rachel wanted to help hide them this year, I guess she's too cool for searching. 

Finding eggs!

Now we have to count the eggs and yes Dave and I sat on our behinds while they searched for 67 eggs. 

Rachel was attempting to take a picture of us.  Of course Dave has to be goofy.  Clearly I am the level-headed mature one. 

Finally after six or seven pictures he decides to obey me and get with the program.  He is so difficult sometimes.  Yes, he is sporting a beard these days, I like it.

This is how we spent our Holy Week leading up to Easter. 

Because of the work that Christ accomplished on the cross we have hope here on earth and hope in eternal life with Him someday. 

Hope you had a blessed Easter Sunday! 

Being a Mom Is Hard Work

Nicole and Elise spent the better part of the day playing "mommy and babies", pretending they were the mother of triplets. 

Whewww!  That thought alone makes me want to go take a nap. 

So when I realized I hadn't heard them playing for awhile I stopped shoving my face with Doritos and went on a hunt for the little mean one.

This is what I found.

  The hooded towel is supposed to be "really long hair, like Tangled".

It's exhausting being a mom, especially the mother of triplets.  Now where the other two babies are, I have no idea.  

Aruba

Beware, this is a very, very long post with lots and lots of pictures!  Turn back now if you think you might get bored. 

This past November Dave and I were unexpectedly blessed with a six day trip to Aruba.  Amazingly, it took place over our anniversary and I finally got my long awaited honeymoon. 

Kohler Equipment was awarded this trip by Kawasaki Engines for being in the top twenty dealerships in the country. Graciously, Gary and Terry gave the trip to us. 

Neither one of us had passports and Dave realized he never owned an official birth certificate, so begins the scramble to obtain them.  Boy was I in a panic, I really, really, wanted to go to Aruba. Yes, I was totally freaking out. 

Then to figure out what to do with the kids, that's kind of a big one.  So I asked my stepmom Marilyn and my Dad, (Grandma and Grandpa) if they would like to spend a week with the kids.  Of course, the answer was yes.

This was the view from our hotel room that awaited us when we arrived Tuesday afternoon.  Absolutely stunning!  The weather was 82 degrees, hot, humid and the sun extremely intense. 

Very neat pool with a swim up bar.  This pool was shaded by the tall swaying trees in the picture above.  The water was almost bath water warm,  not exactly refreshing when you're hot.  On our way to breakfast in the morning, people would already be lounging by the pool.  Even though we didn't, guests were permitted to put their towel on a lounge chair at 7am.

The beige and silver colored bands wrapped around the trees were to prevent the iguanas from climbing and destroying them. 

These adorable creatures were everywhere, walking around the pool, crossing our path.  This particular one was being fed by everyone around the pool. 

One of the many docks where you could partake in any number of activities.  Yes, the water truly is turquoise blue and the sand is remarkably white, clean and very soft.  Being a coral island, the sand does not become hot as coral does not absorb heat. 

We stayed at the Marriott Resort which is the u-shaped white hotel in the middle. The yellow hotel to the left, which is in the process of being built, will be the last luxury high-rise hotel on the island.  The beaches were fairly full during the day, but come dark, they become completely deserted.  I thought this to be a little odd, as I assumed people, mainly honeymooners, would want to walk the beach under the moonlight, it was so beautiful and romantic. 

So ... I asked a cab driver, who by the way, drive like lunatics.

I asked curiously, "Why are the beaches empty at night?  It would be so pretty, but there's no one."

Without hesitating, she replied in her strong Aruba accent, "Do not walk the beach at night. Especially with your wallet on you.  Stay with your husband."
I promptly said, "OK."

La Trottoria, an Italian restaurant situated at the base of the California Lighthouse on the northwest end of the island. The view was truly breathtaking, as it overlooked the island and ocean. A perfect location!  Reservations were made for five in the evening as to be able to watch the sunset. Just beautiful!

We met Doug and Denean at the Welcome Reception on the first night.  They invited us to join them for dinner at La Trottoria.  We pretty much spent the rest of the week together, I'm sure they were sick of us.

The view from our table on the patio at the restaurant. 

On Thursday we took a Jeep Safari Excursion with the Kawasaki group to the Natural Bridge and Natural Pool.  It was a great way to navigate the island without a map. Although when it was over I told Dave I really needed to go to the chiropractor.

The California Lighthouse was the first stop on the Jeep Excursion.  Here you could purchase a coconut with a hole drilled in the top, then fill it with a drink of your choice.  Not for me though, I can't stand coconut flakes. I am my father's daughter.

The story goes, fishermen from hundreds of years ago would discover great fishing spots.  They would then pile rocks in order to find the location again.  Soon it became a tradition for anyone who visited Aruba.

The north end of the island is a stark contrast from the south side. The northeast coast, while exposed to the Atlantic, has extremely rough seas with treacherous currents and a rocky coastline.  Lots of steep cliffs everywhere on the North side.

 

Several who have seen this picture comment,"Wow, you are really sunburned on your face." 

 

Actually I'm not burned.  It's dirt!  Yep, dirt from riding in the four-wheel drive jeep. 

 

Mental note: Next time get in jeep number one, not jeep number four. 

After returning from the jeep excursion we took a leisurely walk down the beach to find a late lunch.  We stopped at a small restaurant  located at the end of one of the docks.  Dave, for the first time ordered ceviche, which is a dish of raw seafood marinated in a citrus sauce. I'm boring, I ordered shrimp cocktail.

My Man! Lunch on the dock.

Another view from the hotel. These huts could be reserved in the evening for the following day and they were always full. 

 

Dave surprised me with dinner on the beach at Simply Fish for our anniversary.  Again, the view was spectacular.

Please excuse the no makeup!  I should have known, it was our anniversary. Again, another picture of me holding my hair because of the wind.

 

The pool at 7pm, when everyone leaves to go out on the town for the evening. 

Kawasaki top twenty group the last evening.

The view every evening. 

 

I cannot even come close to adequately describing what a fabulous time we had.  I loved every moment and every second of our five nights and six days in Aruba.  I would go back in a heartbeat.