Brendan, the Tae kwon Do kid

Brendan just started Tae Kwon Do this week. Here is his first day in his new Gi.

What a vacation!

In the beginning of August, we went on vacation to Branson, MO, and then to Mountainview , AR. It was a wonderfully relaxing vacation. Not fancy, but definitely what we needed in terms of family bonding and relaxation. We saw a few shows in Branson and enjoyed them all very much. My favorite was The Haygoods. They are 7 brothers and 1 sister that sing, dance and play many different types of instruments. They are teeneagers and young adults with a tremendous talent for performing to a live audience. The boys' favorite show was the Hamner and Barber variety show. It had magic, comedy, ventriloquism, dancers, music and a very touching tribute to veterans. In Arkansas, we visited Blanchard Springs caverns and the Spring itself. Both were wonderful! We also rafted down the white river, which was so pristine and peaceful! The boys had lots of opportunity to skip rocks on this trip, a family favorite passtime.

The Summer's over

Well, I can't believe that Summer is over and the boys are now in 8th and 4th grades. Here is a picture of Brendan on the first day of school. We have a friend whom we have been praying for since April, that has cancer. He wishes he could be going back to school this week. Griffin was diagnosed with cancer on Easter weekend and has been going through very aggressive treatments ever since. Please join us in prayer for Griffin.

The Spring is always an incredibly busy time, but this year it seems even extra busy. We went to LTC in Dallas, which was great. Ryan had a couple of band competitions right after that, then we went to San Antonio for State Math and Science competition. Brendan has just started a new season of baseball, with Wes and Shawn coaching. Last night we went to our good friend Jacob's graduation and today th boys and I went to the JR. High camp out and Wes went to Martyn's "Bachelor Party". They went to a ranch near Centerville for some fishing, hunting and riding around on ATVs, good ol' guy time. We have a day and a half left of this school year. Parties on Tuesday, and half day on Wednesday. VBS is coming up in a hurry too. Will try to post pictures soon.

My sister gave Wes and me a great "date night". She gave us tickets to the "Straight No Chaser" concert, which was a blast!

In April, Ryan and I went to San Antonio for him to compete in the State Math and science competition. Before the competition, we all went to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Ryan won 6th place in Science at State again, and his team won 6th place in the team competition.

Ryan spends a lot of time practicing his trumpet. I enjoy listening to him play while I cook dinner. You'd think it would drive me crazy, especially since his favorite place to practice is in the middle of the living room, but I really like it.

I guess it also reminds me of my grandpa, who also played the trumpet.

Looking back at some highlights from 2009

In August, we went to Rogers City, MI on a mission trip. We helped the congregations there, with a VBS. It was a great time of fellowship and serving together. We thank God for this experience.