Can I just say THANK YOU

Erik & I just spent the past two days on a personal planning retreat. It was a wonderful time for us evaluating areas in our lives and planning for the future. We are so grateful to God for providing this time. BUT this time would not have been possible if the most wonderful mother-in-law in the world had not sacrificed her time and energy to come down and watch our kids.

Grammer, as she is fondly called, came down and babysat for us from Saturday into Sunday for some meetings and a wedding, went home to PA on Sunday evening and then turned around and came back on Monday night and just left a little bit ago (Wednesday evening). Now, in addition to taking fantastic care of the 3 very tiresome children who adore her, she also cleaned our house. We came home to a spotless (vacuumed) living room, scrubbed clean kitchen floor, kitchen cabinets cleaned inside & out, and through I haven't been upstairs yet I won't be surprised to find laundry washed & folded (since she does this pretty much every time she comes).

So Grammer, since you are one of the faithful readers of this blog, THANK YOU. I do not show my appreciation for you enough. We could not accomplish the things that God calls us to without your love, prayers, support & sacrificial service! We are grateful to God for you.

Family Update

Just wanted to put a few updates on the kiddos.

Karis- She is getting better at riding her bike. She loves playing with Mercia. Though she is still extremely selfish we had a nice report about her welcoming a new girl in her children's ministry class and then she saved her snack so she could give it Jotham. We celebrate God's grace on her.

Jotham- Little man is getting more and more into cars and trains. He is also really enjoying reading more and loves to have us read to him. He is talking more and is getting more into helping at home.

Mercia- She is doing well. The allergist is hopeful she'll grow out of her milk allergy- whew! The other day she rolled into some yogurt that Karis spilled on the carpet (don't ask how that happened) and she starting getting hives. Her favorite thing these days is to get up on all fours and rock back and forth. She still can't move, but we're not complaining.

Joyful Motherhood

So often my day is a fight to be joyful in my role as a mother. I was recently sent this very helpful article and thought I'd pass it along:

http://c4.atomicplaypen.com/sites/BBC/resources/images/1237.pdf

County Fair

One of my favorite things to do every summer is go to the county fair. I love walking through the smelly barns, seeing the beautiful quilts, checking out the photographs, etc. The first Monday the fair opens is usually family day so kids get in free. Since Monday is Erik's day off it always seems to be a perfect time to go. This year was my favorite visit yet. We decided to forgo the rides and amusements and park closer to the barns and exhibits. I'm so glad we did! The kids loved the Old MacDonald's Barn, where they saw lots of baby animals. Each stall they came to filled them with excitement. It was fun running into lots of CLC families. We enjoyed soft pretzels with cheese for lunch and yummy ice cream for dessert.

Karis was thrilled to ride a pony. Jotham later told us that he rode the pony, when we asked him if Karis did he said, "No." We decided he was telling us what he wanted to happen but was too scared to let happen.

Cia hanging out in the stroller. She was very pleasant the entire time.

Cute Video

I just watched this video on YouTube and thought it was pretty cute:

Pachelbel Bedtime

Beach Feet

We just got back from a trip to Belmar, NJ. Erik blesses me every year by taking me there for my birthday (it is one of my favorite places on earth). We had a wonderful, refreshing time there. My Mom served us well taking Mercia on numerous occasions so we could take Karis and Jotham to the beach or for bike rides (which they love).

I was also able to use my birthday present (my camera) a lot. I enjoyed trying to take "artsy" pictures- I'm not talented at photography but I enjoy it.

So here is my "series" on feet:

Summer Birthdays

Every year in July we go to York, PA to celebrate summer birthdays with our family there. I know it was awhile ago but I wanted to post a few pictures. It is also a great time with lots of great food and fun with family.

This year Karis got comfortable enough to "swim" on her own.





Jotham loved the corn on the cob- it is always SOOOO good.

Girlie Update

Thank you for those of you who have prayed for Cia over the past few months. A few weeks ago we took her to the doctor again and he recommended that we take her to an ENT for tubes. We asked him about taking her to an allergist because I had read a study that linked ear infections to allergies. He said it was worth pursuing. We are so grateful we did. About 3 weeks ago we took her to a wonderful allergist (thanks Jenni for the recommendation) who was able to determine that she has a "life-threatening" allergy to milk (she got hives from the prick test). Anyway, that day we switched her from nursing to soy formula and it has made a huge difference. Her skin went from sandpaper to silk. And she has been ear infection free for 3 weeks now (this is the longest she has gone since March). We are so thankful to God for healing her and making us aware of the allergy in the way he did.

On another note she has started rolling all over the place and sits up pretty well now. Yesterday she was getting up on all four. She is making lots more noises now. She is a real sweetie and we just adore her.