We are excited to venture into canning - or "jarring"!
So far we have peaches, salsa, marinara sauce, pickles, and sweet relish . . . and the corn! (Over 32 jars in total ready to enjoy!).
We plan to add many many more as the garden continues to produce - our family of 7 eats through food very fast!
It's magical to peel back each layer of husk to reveal the golden corn kernels within - "Mom look, it's CORN!!!" God's design is so amazing!
We are thankful for our local Farmer's Market and for friends who share their harvest. We now have 4.5 dozen ears of corn canned (or "jarred" says Mike) in our freezer! 
Hard to believe this little guy is almost 1-year-old . . . let's not rush anything.
Let us appreciate Kolpin at 11-months!!!
Our little girl is developing a sassy personality . . . and blond curls.
Maegli has become a little chatterbox of late. It's been fun to listen to her sweet voice singing songs; squealing in delight, telling jokes and stories; carrying on conversations with us, her brothers, and her stuffed animals; and talking through imaginative play as she is dressing up or creating delicacies with her cooking toys. She has no trouble keeping up with the boys, and no problem asserting herself and voicing her desires. She is one smart and tough cookie! Too fun!
"I know mommy, it's me, mommy!"
Camp YoungLives 2010 was a huge success!
We have had so much fun on our archeological dig learning about Ancient Egypt and uncovering Biblical Truths. We discovered amazing facts about our human bodies - God's marvelous design, learning that all life is precious, and that God created each of us with a unique purpose. We may not be called like Moses to lead people out of Egypt, but we can all play an important role as a part of the body of Christ. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for god works." Ephesians 2:10
This week we completed our Egyptian warrior training: spear throwing, sword fighting, and horse racing, worked together to quickly build a pyramid (relay style), attempted to tame the snakes in the snake pit (parachute), tried to cross the Red Sea without getting wet (getting soaked by the sprinkler!), and worked to rescue each other from the crocs along the Nile riverbank. We made our own strappy Egyptian sandals, reed grass pencils, woven baskets, and created a fantastic play-doh Egyptian scene. We nibbled on Rice Krispie treat pyramids, fruit kabobs, and finished the week with an authentic Egyptian feast.
Camp has filled our house with laughter, energy, chariot races, and Bible songs. We have a fridge covered with crayon "masterpieces" and a table top full of foil crafts. Camp is always a lot of work, but we are thankful to have this special two weeks with our kids every summer.
Now it is time for camp tear-down (getting our house back together!) - - -
and to looking forward to next year!
Yes, I eat pizza.
And I like it!
In week 1 of Camp YoungLives 2010, our Egyptian explorers followed clues and dug into their Bibles to uncover the great mystery of "where did we come from?"
We learned from our excavations that "God thought of everything" when He designed us; that God made us each special. "I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are your works." Psalm 139:14
We have used our marvelous bodies to bend and stretch in a Egyptian warrior game of Twister, run in chariot races, crawl through caves to find unexpected (wet) treasures, turn ourselves into Egyptian creatures with pool noodles; we have used our God-given creativity to craft Egyptian jewelry, mosaic picture frames, embossed canisters, decorate columns with hieroglyphics, mold clay snakes; we have utilized our senses to make and enjoy "desert dessert" (rather than "dirt dessert"), edible pyramids, Egyptian honey rolls . . . Week 1 concluded with cupcakes, candles, and a Birthday celebration - celebrating the life God has given to us, and the "gift" of Christ.God has gives us to much to celebrate!
This has been an awesome week of fun and learning - We look forward to Week 2!!!
Starting this week, Our annual family Summer camp will take us to EGYPT as we venture on an archeological dig to discover eternal truths: God's Word.
(once again inspired by Answers in Genesis curriculum).
We have been busy this past week painting our camp shirts; planning activities, snacks and games; and gathering 8 appliance boxes from two home improvement stores! Tonight our sun room will be transformed into an Egyptian archeological dig site complete with hieroglyphic-covered columns, pyramids, palm trees, and headquarter tent.
The kids are super excited for two weeks of Camp YoungLives!!!! And we can't wait to spend two very special weeks enjoying each other, celebrating our Lord, and learning from His Word.
We always knew our four-year-old, Davis, was special. After nearly 4 years of therapy, 4 orthopedic surgeons, and 1 neurologist, we have a diagnosis. . . not a definition. This diagnosis will not define our son. Davis was created for a purpose, formed by the Divine hands of God. God has been at work in his life and we can't wait to see what God has planned for his future. God is bigger than a diagnosis.
Davis has been diagnosed with a mild case of Cerebral Palsy.
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a non-progressive motor condition that causes physical disability. Cerebral referring to the cerebrum, which is the affected area of the brain, and palsy referring to a disorder of movement. It is caused by damage to the motor centers of a developing brain, possibly during pregnancy or childbirth. Almost half children with CP were born premature.
We praise God our son has an incredibly mild case. He has low muscle tone, tight ligaments preventing full-range of motion of his right wrist, and speech challenges. Davis was born premature (at 31 weeks gestation, 9 weeks early). He spent 5 weeks in the Neonatal ICU and remained on an apnea monitor for 9 months. We first began therapy when Davis was just 6-months of age.
God protected Davis from the very beginning, and He protects our boy still. We are thankful for this diagnosis. We praise God this is a non-progressive condition. We praise God for specialists who can support our son. We praise God for our son.
Davis is an amazing boy. He is our fighter. He is a brilliant four-year-old with a gentle, loving spirit and a glorious giggle. He has always risen to meet challenges. Davis is incredibly gifted in his cognitive ability but has always had to work harder than most physically to overcome motor limitations. He is a strong boy! Davis has worn ankle braces and a wrist brace for two years. To prevent injury to his leg joints, he will most likely always need a brace or shoe insert. We are excited at the possibility of wrist surgery in the future to correct overworking ligaments and give Davis more wrist mobility.
Now that we have a diagnosis, we can continue to move forward.
Praise God!
The baseball month is finished. Our family has been at the ball fields with Hendrick's and Davis' teams for 20 games this June. We have cheered and played and sweated and thoroughly enjoyed watching our big boys play.
Hendrick's team made HUGE strides over the course of their month-long season. At their final game, they were working together as a team to field the ball, making really good plays! Our boy learned a lot this season. Hendrick worked on his swing and enjoyed "killing" the ball at the plate and running the bases, always completing his jaunt with a hop onto home plate. Hendrick's laid-back nature was apparent on the ball field (he enjoys the game in a non-aggressive way). The snack after each game was great motivation for making through the game in 90+ degree heat. . . and the pizza party after the last game was a hit.
We're so proud of Hendrick - Great job slugger!!!
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