"man camp"

that's what the kids call it. Dave started with Odin and took him camping for a weekend. They leave as a boy and come home a man. It is a time when Dave gets to speak the truth about life and show our sons what it means to be a man. It is the birds and bees and so much more. 

This year was Jeremiah's turn to go. Dave said it was an amazing weekend together. The spent two nights camping in the north woods with a campsite right on the lake. 

Some of their best discussion came while out on the canoe in the lake or when sitting by the fire. 

Bacon and eggs for breakfast cooked over a camp stove. Nothing better.

Jeremiah returned home a man. He knows what it means to be a man. How to show love and respect. How to be responsible and accountable. Dave taught him what he needed to know to start the journey. Now it is time for Jeremiah to take the journey. What an amazing opportunity to show God's love and to develop long term bonding relationships with our children. 

Wedding in the woods

All five brothers are in a quartet

We went to a good friends wedding in the woods and it was beautiful.  Up north Wisconsin. 

Every table had a different woodsy/nature centerpiece

Name cards were made out of pieces of birch

You drank out of mason jars

Blue-grass band that even sang about tomatoes

Bonfire

Wildflowers

Lots of love in the air! 

Never Giving up

I am not sure about your kids but all of my kids Love legos.  Yesterday I worked on this airplane with Jonah from 11:10 until 3:37.  Besides getting up and helping others when the time arised I sat there and helped him and I was so done with legos by noon already. 

I just wanted to keep getting up and to do other things but he kept asking me to sit by him and help him. Seriously, I am ancy pancy.

how could he just sit there and do that all day. 

He never matched the right colors just found the right pieces

it didn't matter to him

he was just trying to get the airplane done and he was not giving up.

Then we go to open house for Odin and Jonah.
Jonah brought his airplane in the van with him and guess what-

Olivia was having a crabby day yesterday

ALL DAY

and she decided to hit the airplane

of course it smashed into tiny pieces just as we get to the school.

Never Giving up
Jonah picked up all the pieces through a few tears and started putting it back together

Jesus

He never gives up on us

He is the answer for every problem and every need that we have.

His death on the cross bought us healing, deliverance,peace, liberty, protection...

He is the one who rises up to provide for us and defend us

calls to us when we are alone

never lets us down or leaves us

He is with us at every turn and his eyes are always on us.

He sings over us, teaches us, nutures us and protects us and leads us. 

We are always Safe in his arms and he does not disappoint. 

Look to him, trust him, wait on him he will come through.
Open your heart

Never Give up
because he never gives up on you

Painting

My kids love to paint!

twister

 anyone

Date with Dad

They were going to hang out on the beach until a sudden storm hit out of nowhere.

Odin thought they were storm chasers.

Random pictures

Helping me bake...

and they still have a thing for head bands.

Trusting in the Lord
Dave went to the dentist the other day and I went to the TMJ specialist in Milwaukee.  Everything we both need done would cost us 10-15,000, so we decided to wait until our adoption is final to start fixing anything.  We would just have to charge it all anyway because  we have no dental insurance.  Let me tell you, it is not fun!  My appointment was interesting though.  I learned way more about my jaw and muscles than I ever new.  All 3  Dr.'s I saw were great.   I forgot a book though. It was a pretty long 3 hours.
  Thanks to my mom for watching the kiddos.
The whole way there and back was so nice.
 Music cranked
Worshipping the Lord at the top of my lungs
Hands praising him
I love it!!!!
Removing all distractions
Pouring myself out
Giving everything to God.
When we are struggling we must enter into God's rest. Nothing will get us through those times better than resting in God.
It's a spiritual rest that comes by faith.
Resting in God means to have absolute trust and confidence in his care for you knowing that he will supply all your needs, and that he is more than enough for you.
The truth is, any kind of battle you are having belongs to the Lord. 
So in giving our battles to him, and laying them at the foot of the cross, we are entering into his rest.
He has bought our souls with a price.  
Trading our ashes for beauty.
   Enter into his rest.
Feel his presence and get to know him more deeply
and trust him more than you did before. 
We serve an AWESOME god!

High Heels

Blanket rides

 Did you ever do this as a kid?

Our little worker Man

Nanny's Glasses

Welcoming our friends home. 

They brought 3 African beauties home during the middle of the night.  My kids thought this was a blast during the middle of the night when they are supposed to be sleeping.  They were all so excited.  Such a beautiful family.

Tinker Toys

 All of the kiddos have something for ninjas!

sidewalk chalk

Olivia bites her nails so much we can never paint them so she thought chalk would work better.  She has no interest in eating that.