tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19579782840461907762024-02-20T11:52:28.135-06:00The Segar Chronicles~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-88284321840468206192013-12-01T17:28:00.001-06:002013-12-01T17:28:14.931-06:00Reasons to be THANKFUL!!<p><font size="3"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgxJGfQlZmOwcN7OSLFJtkT793u01PyYfEZcSl6BQQUfHqIjfH7Mz7AeMCiWBHAZyaOwDdHdrqpsFBZ_Voy_Rj7b__r3m-V8WVrXBejpwxXtDLoiP-avRBF26Tw0HBBcC7BhbmsDgzXg/s1600-h/2013-11-27%25252018.54.05%252520%2525282%252529%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="2013-11-27 18.54.05 (2)" border="0" alt="2013-11-27 18.54.05 (2)" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2q_4f8IOIC95B5JESYTYwzedzRFydYANhmxjR37LK2poVAeyq2t6HABXQ8V3YTfQoKoOxo2j1eY6cbMIdrM5Td6_Ub6nOnQOtoM0rKES5Wj8n7S8jnugss5oVAfjJYQYDwt77ok3GSo8/?imgmax=800" width="292" height="144"></a></font></p> <p><font size="3">In this week of Thanksgiving, I first wanted to capture this year’s school pictures of these handsome guys. Eli – kindergarten; Trevor – 5th grade; Brett – 7th grade. I’d say these are very good reasons to be thankful. </font></p> <p><font size="3">There is another BIG (or little?) reason for us to be thankful this year … just over one week ago, we told these 3 fellas that next Spring they will be getting a baby brother or sister. We weren’t really sure what to expect for a reaction – but Eli didn’t believe us, Trevor seemed pretty excited, and Brett told us “Congratulations … I’m really not sure what to say” :)</font></p> <p><font size="3">This will definitely take some adjusting – but we are getting used to the idea and I know it will be a big blessing (in a small package). </font></p> <p><font size="3">Other than that, things have been clicking along like normal. (ha) Brett played football this fall and loved it – of course. He decided to pass on basketball this year because he didn’t feel like it was “his sport”. I’m sure that he would’ve done fine, but I’m not going to push him into doing something he doesn’t want to do. Trevor didn’t play any sports, but has started playing trumpet in the middle school band – I think he likes it so far and is having fun with it. And Eli is just loving kindergarten. He got a perfect score on his assessments just before parent-teacher conferences at the beginning of November. He is learning to spell lots of words and even helped me read “Green Eggs and Ham”. He does his best to try and keep up with those brothers (and usually holds his own). </font></p> <p><font size="3">As the Advent Season begins today, we are so looking forward to celebrating the events that lead up to the birth of our Savior. How could we be more blessed than to receive a gift like that? </font></p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-57233730643048186202013-08-22T01:22:00.001-05:002013-08-22T01:22:21.589-05:00Can Blogs Expire??<p>Wow – I guess I’m not all that good at writing a blog. There has been so much going on this summer & now school has started. What happened to all of that precious time? I took an intentional blog break early on because I decided I didn’t want to spend any more time on the computer than was necessary. Basically work, online banking and the occasional Facebook post. (What? That last one was not really necessary? Oops!) </p> <p>Anyway, after that break – I just had too many things to update about that I ignored all of them and chose to focus on my husband and kids and just enjoy summer. I still worked, but I actually took some time off. We went camping (much more than we did last year), spent a weekend at the lakes, took the kids to a waterpark, and just generally enjoyed summer. June started with a week of VBS, and then was ridiculously busy with baseball. But it was still so fun. Brett did rec ball and was on a tournament team. Trevor did rec only. I think they both enjoyed it a lot but were still happy when they could have a breather. Eli was a trooper and went to lots of games. Truth be told, I ended up bribing him with Icee frozen slushies (or he conned them out of Grandma). Oh, and did I mention the major event of Brett hitting “teenage’ status?! WHAT?? Great. </p> <p>July & August were when our summer happened. Although we didn’t go on a big, major vacation – we did relax. Brett & Trevor learned how to fish. Eli learned how to ride his bike without training wheels and a Ripstick. He is a determined little fella. Good thing we did all that camping so that he’d have some concrete on which to practice. The bike thing he picked up on the very first try. I guess this means we may have waited a little too long to have him try it out. ;) </p> <p>During August we have had a few more big days… Trevor turned 11, Eli turned 6, and Matt turned … ummmm… older. Ha! We are just grateful for every day that God gives us as a family. We know that each day is a gift, and we do our best not to take them for granted (even though I know we still do). </p> <p>And as of Tuesday, August 20 – we now have a 7th grader (JUNIOR HIGH!), a 5th grader (MIDDLE SCHOOL!) and a kindergartener (FULL TIME, BIG KID SCHOOL!). This also means we are done with sending our kids to their “2nd mom”. Gretchen has been our daycare provider for the last 13 years, and we could not have gotten this far without her. She has been amazing for all of it – and she probably has no idea how much she’s taught me about parenting over the years. It makes this mom a little (or a LOT) sad to think of how fast time is going. I’ve always known it to be true when other parents have said “enjoy this time” or “they grow up so fast” or “before you know it, they will ____”. I just hope we are doing what we can in order to enjoy this to the fullest, and also giving glory to the One who deserves it all. God, your blessings on us are wonderful, and we are so very grateful. I sure do love this life! </p> <p>Here are my school kiddos… :)</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjf8eCZgEr2njfJ5wV1YpGzHbcu66Fr6cK1Ea6Yl3R6NCWEUX7WcyVYn-HFqvIug9dk6VrztF16RfqITA6sFXDaq0pVVdyBninxr9VJ9IBfZ-7H1gwvdyKo9KFoFgCS4-HdRDpODoJi0/s1600-h/P1140733%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1140733" border="0" alt="P1140733" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Qbf_S4JUs94/UhWuETo3PUI/AAAAAAAAAxU/r1QUtoABbE8/P1140733_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="151" height="207"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6oHP4Dsz3I0OzSWv9E5h8QbUscSNAkD37mX2lEfQngqksZOScKFw-hItSvQFm9EzIOowo-G9yDZLBNr8rmYjiYsJh9kM8jpXQRniWIq9UoSOXUP5hQ8lYCKx-tBCxvP_dschzCtpLaNk/s1600-h/P1140734%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1140734" border="0" alt="P1140734" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHxZfEpwsPZO9H6wmh9KiUlHwGGyfXIPhqwj-BjecKTWCw15-Gy11oCA2d0Lx7Hlc5J4g3-HfAzyAU7p6mFQGcJBJJKh5s9Cf2ovppAujnd6n8y5tUDV3YAtfp_nu2NBxILWTM8asB4Q/?imgmax=800" width="150" height="205"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6Qekrk13C2g/UhWuGfnypNI/AAAAAAAAAxs/xhdVQFb-_-Q/s1600-h/P1140732%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1140732" border="0" alt="P1140732" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ZnHJ51i9bm4/UhWuG2BFTII/AAAAAAAAAx0/-JajzF4teQ8/P1140732_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="149" height="204"></a></p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-45478777199740394732013-03-09T15:54:00.001-06:002013-03-09T15:54:11.037-06:00But they that wait upon the Lord…<p><font color="#000000">I think I have always loved eagles (or as long as I can remember, anyway). They have one at the zoo – in a cage. So beautiful to see it up-close. But out in the open? SOOO much better! These pictures were all taken in the last couple of weeks – 1 is about 1/2 mile from our house, and the other 3 are about 1 mile from our church. Breathtaking!</font></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKzk5aPh4qFjLps6ItWwPv6g6t-pIhJLyZJC3Hi2eGPToLZ_gbJue06S5ng8v2VBIfTjZ5Em7EYwDieK7b7sVNPIL7Hc3N3_D_sLFtYhmVRkrR_r1iihcKDroWnVnFNBF4PRvSYXvPvY/s1600-h/P1130443%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130443" border="0" alt="P1130443" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6u1OzXIuvaA/UTuvdrMFulI/AAAAAAAAAvo/UEnBgyjF68U/P1130443_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhuDFFj9JkBMS2gw8akSCMKQ8XBRrCNIE832BnJzCr0KZZNDkxH5k9WNs34aZ6ms5Bo65Te-8FmwJ7OUz1FDg9YIpnFJm9Hc7Bwnq8JGvpOGYb4VPo3-bLMTey36H90d0PeB7HQSAE0o/s1600-h/P1130444%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130444" border="0" alt="P1130444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkswB3L6zHSfgFeEHxByzB1zk8gmKd2T76T_G-OUbmL5hDfXW-pN0RSCLJZz1oLXqtOj872mjJQR5C-QqK-2jY0XAfcqJGE0aSLYc4lOj6TDsB7RXX_cxnwvhdtlNJonqgSlZsfYGhzs/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJD3-U4oveTvmqk1_ak_Y84M9aiv2nx3X38vxO6LbxMmmB7OV_lrt_iT-7pqOMxJDCsfwrZpthx_HRv58lier_YBGWZkV6tyea_fjd0YwQGSDnYuZBSK2-Hd-V_CL-J5RW6t6DhNYKiA/s1600-h/P1130434%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130434" border="0" alt="P1130434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9gREhjCbdVIPtyhfJAUKWKnVbboJsFAsNonb4wVaWDF1cSIGY5-H8dJl_d383g6WZgWqMUJujddTtFEyrBK1LG9H62mBnfLbqyKXG-S2bL4ne_3oLMqC10zrjnYPdW2_fXIuCLhIl_I/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Evs-z7e-qmU/UTuvfg_cVoI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/WRy3GUiMtlw/s1600-h/P1130439%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130439" border="0" alt="P1130439" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTie37HctfwjuGB6u2IoLbEr3Hm5hH_71Wc97A6wR8cC53mIGCUm0UAlgzTSP-cNWZh74eHSKgTOtqOCEtOlBk85ILzIFjH3fcFQwu625BRBFpH-32barT_KGS-wM6VwjMbcp3o20tYtw/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p><font color="#000000">It would be a slight understatement to say I have a passion for these birds. Sitting in my living room, you’d be surrounded by pictures of these magnificent creatures. But they are more than just beautiful. They are our country’s national bird – a symbol of freedom. And they are also something that God uses in scripture to speak to us. </font></p> <p><font color="#000000">One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 40:31 – “…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” </font></p> <p><font color="#000000">And this week that verse took on a whole new meaning. Because this week, <a title="http://www.bkhooyer.blogspot.com/" href="http://www.bkhooyer.blogspot.com/">Brent and Kelli</a> left to go and meet their new baby girl. The one God has had planned for them all along. We have hugged & cried over the waiting, and watched as they endured some bumps in the road as they continued on this journey. We have prayed for them & with them about this little one – and now they have her in their arms. I can’t share pictures yet (there are lots of rules related to that!!), but we are overjoyed to have her as part of our family. They will be gone for a while yet as the paperwork is processed – but today we offer many, many prayers of thanksgiving to the God who is the author of this beautiful love story. They are one step closer to their <em>Destiny</em>. And we could not imagine things any other way. We love you so, so much sweet, little girl! We can’t wait to welcome you HOME! </font></p> <p><font color="#000000"></font></p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-72543009677895477232013-01-25T23:07:00.001-06:002013-01-25T23:07:40.711-06:00July 25<p><font size="3">It’s not July 25 today? OH! It’s January 25. Right. That’s why it’s 30 degrees instead of 85. I think I prefer July. </font></p> <p><font size="3">The reason I’m writing about July 25 is because it’s a day that’s etched into history for me in a way that no other day is. It’s the day that my dad entered into Glory. So it’s always a bittersweet day when it rolls around. So today, January 25, 2013, marks 5 1/2 years since he went Home. Hardly seems possible. So it’s fitting that tonight my entire family is getting together to spend some quality time … it’s our Christmas hotel night. Yes, we already celebrated Christmas, but one of our gifts from mom was a hotel night – so tonight’s the night. God just doesn’t miss details. I love that. </font></p> <p><font size="3">But… back to July 25. I wanted to capture how I spent July 25, 2012. (Yeah, this post is 6 months late, but who’s counting?) :) I took the day off from work and spent some one on one time with Trevor, since Brett was at camp & Eli still went to daycare. We had the whole day planned, and he was looking forward to it just as much as I was. Or at least I think he was. It was our “Random Acts of Kindness Day”. I got the idea from another blog (I honestly don’t remember whose blog it was, so I can’t even give credit where credit is due). But here is an account of our day.</font></p> <p><font size="3">It’s no lie when I say that I woke up that morning and missed my dad so much that it actually hurt. But, God took that mourning and turned it into dancing (well, not <em>real</em> dancing), but He definitely spoke to me through music that day. I took Eli to daycare & was listening to KNWC, and right when I needed it, they played 2 songs in a row that completely hit me (in a good way). “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me, and “Better is One Day” by Kutless. Yep, my dad is right where God wants him. And I can’t wait to see him again someday. </font></p> <p><font size="3">On to more of our day. Here is a list of our random acts of kindness…</font></p> <ul> <li><font size="3">Took a bag of groceries & thank-you card to Gretchen to let her know how important she is & how much we appreciate her </font></li> <li><font size="3">Took a casserole & a get well card to a friend who recently had her appendix out (she’s actually a sweet friend who just happens to have a son who is one of Trevor’s best friends… bonus!)</font></li> <li><font size="3">Took a flower to Grandma L. at work so she would know we were thinking of her on this day too. It’s not an easy day for any of us, but especially not for her.</font></li> <li><font size="3">Took mini brownie cupcakes & a thank-you card to the police dept</font></li> <li><font size="3">Took a cake & thank-you card to Phil & Wendi since they took us boating the weekend before.</font></li> <li><font size="3">Took our crib mattress & changing table to Paul & Steph to get the nursery ready </font></li></ul> <p><font size="3">Then we headed to Sioux Falls for a couple of other things. Trevor got to pick where we ate. True to form, he picked McDonalds. (umm, I should have used some veto power, but I didn’t) And I told him that because he picked McDonald’s we had some extra cash left over to do one more random act,so we gave the money to a homeless woman that was standing on a corner in the heat. We told her how much God loves her.</font></p> <p><font size="3">After all of that, I surprised Trevor & took him to the Butterfly House & park. We went through the aquarium displays & then to see all of the butterflies. I had never been there before, and Trevor’s class missed out on this field trip, so it was fun to take him there. Then we played in the park (they have very cool equipment that is a little more interesting to older kids, and they have a gigantic shelter house – the shade was a welcome sight on that hot day)! We sat in the shelter house and prayed over all of the people we had served that day. I hope it taught him something about how we can show God’s love to others in many different ways. I know that I learned a lot that day & hope to make this a tradition with all of the kids. (Oh, and we stopped for ice cream on the way home!!)</font></p> <p><font size="3">Thank you, Lord for the memories of that day, and for blessing me much more than I deserve. Thank you for my sweet family. May we all strive to always be your hands and feet here. Thank you also for the memories of my dad. On July 25, today, and every day. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him and miss him – but I know you are taking good care of him, and his days are filled with praising you. Thank you for my mom and all that she is to our family. She has taught me how to love others well, and forgive even when forgiving is hard. Thank you for the gift of your Son. May we always show the same kind of love to others that He showed. Amen.</font></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-ctqaqrzui-EmOJkhVkL2a4RKQ6xNxaYEgaQR58_FuKRopMpfaK_XHhoqBhbK5sknwt1JtQR4R7u-abXiflj27od0qXG8EFFnN9NwGznR3lVX36N_lVPN7UR-rv-yovq6cWBeVHgR68/s1600-h/image%25255B4%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRwFXCMXZWK3aO8S_-pd9rJj9iRGE6Y-AU7TfrG9PKp-OzNdG5flamVa0lxvpTC3gbCnZARdk2QZFfqsSun8NqvAo6VV2gimm-3WFCq227-xqto8IHga28bzWM96iRgB6xrnbGKyNs7s/?imgmax=800" width="536" height="330"></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-39605475207687255792013-01-19T16:26:00.001-06:002013-01-19T16:26:07.097-06:00Randomness…<p><font size="3">Today is the 3rd Saturday in January, and it is 42 degrees! (very windy, but still – hard to believe)</font></p> <p><font size="3">I thought I should post this picture of Brett’s ankle. He got tangled up with another kid at basketball practice on Thursday, and needless to say, he missed his last 2 games of basketball for this year. </font></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbTaNiJ-Oy2iVe_WU7E8k5lp9YCz4AkZo0MDNTC5BEW23heKLu-1vBeU07MFHyrSnHl3Jfiv_B_SbY1Ezn3BoIldaMFtdYrYDVXrtDkEAPHdI4hAJLphsot5mDBXrvUiU88EYxZw_M2Y/s1600-h/P1130257%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130257" border="0" alt="P1130257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsi2TTa9-3yKlQ5akbi3W2XCXl9YQMt2eLekUkDhRq541mARGtNg-wqsXdsvzFQJpVKF4T_H1ePFTK2L-q_1CmXksUhWJkoRc48LeDiojFle_60MzJoBUQAn8Fig27WaUzk9n2DjrAxo/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here are some pictures of him having a bit more fun with basketball, though…</font></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkfVWeRo2kg7NYNOaSIJm-QTVB79u05g7PI8TvA1AM-pQGIYgK6dBdqg5wKL8ti9_jTUw9SXSnWQGPTJNdYNV2UHWRtJzUbrh7v79xL8C2qcYmwbg0G7VedWWINmJNRa2nY0DAhD-0jw/s1600-h/P1130229%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130229" border="0" alt="P1130229" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AUwRerjIr3s/UPsdYLMYjKI/AAAAAAAAAtg/4AFmDHrJC8Y/P1130229_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglEaHu_FBHExbGhcz8ZFeTrMarGBXUDgYtB938aGuLU_leDWZrFHaAy426aFHXXgb26LOZjlx5oqykXgN_X-sDM3q7Ef9T-19br8cFrxbKUagDhMAgezGWc-Wmgn1sK4gjCbF_VaenT0/s1600-h/P1130230%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130230" border="0" alt="P1130230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Y9bPG-IDyCnVzPC1AZrXrcv2O0bL6InoqJaf0d-U1Behr9RYCCteAd5P4yjdtAGysWHKAjlWKU6KxpVQ8yQ4hh4cUNUW6HIIQb-riWpU9_HHAlDDK8uEjDCtOs9cwEGqK6zFWfVOv8k/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfVDUm29Kpw6cL51qgoMqnQx8pNPedmj2SgtdHkTwTuh7Xfa7Mw_nxnZTtfrJ7FEW_4upLYRSdzswoiMrlMJ6KU71TcZeAZRf6Nj8hoH0XyvJZXz5YWPp4NsFEYIxYmSyAzhyDntj5JE/s1600-h/P1130231%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130231" border="0" alt="P1130231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bzA8Svaao9LfMIMCVc8OPuxuKY77OK2ATQ-illFeGTiFA8YD7EqcwT-scjzvtzcL_DJwDZwubfo9eo6A50qfsLY9FnxbZUcbQc5uh4Hr8_11RPCb6WlEoSRcs9_mBwN9v0FJBYEAzFk/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_kCnlCw_SWo/UPsdbpamC_I/AAAAAAAAAuI/gZ9hm4O5bOk/s1600-h/P1130248%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130248" border="0" alt="P1130248" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XB6E3eIvZnI/UPsdcKNnuaI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/4fQe5kDZhxg/P1130248_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p><font size="3">He did enjoy playing (this was the first year he’s done it). He isn’t sure if he will do it again next year or not. For now, he likes football just a little bit better – but we’ll see what next year brings. </font></p> <p><font size="3">And here is a picture of Trevor & Eli enjoying a game…</font></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUi-2KcqvlbUmgGkZS3KkKNMtir0W4JVH-FwtbqMQVgoWZF0hO06k43HmtNvBlWDjWIxXGMdvyonWGfJJ0da5kriiISZa83JkMV37mByPUE0yD9LnV9b8YiyphEOlaNoafPr7sehpMuk/s1600-h/P1130235%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1130235" border="0" alt="P1130235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg013dfSc2prf7eK2K2Jz6SxkfukZlgIpa6_dltnQser5NDfveYHcVxcf29VzD2EN1_DYxJT5SEm3UkM7Rt3X2JNeNqTKnQPwBItrnGNIupOOXg3W5599gfokowoYy-O3iOaDYLfQb1aIw/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p><font size="3">Oh, and just so I remember later … Trevor got his first pair of glasses in November of 2012. (and I think he looks adorable!!)</font></p> <p><font size="3">And since this post is all about being random, I thought I would post this picture of what I made for breakfast a day this past week:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oezVnAUJ_vM/UPsdeq8VK_I/AAAAAAAAAuo/evjbns9eam8/s1600-h/541742_4965129533397_1843105358_n%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="541742_4965129533397_1843105358_n" border="0" alt="541742_4965129533397_1843105358_n" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIQAONPjPnr76kPhdAXbTh2h8vg0czic813HQ8mBeBu9t0FX15GE0K56u-Te9VX2KyGBR5J8WSLWvWmBI40GBJu2DgN0XEP8lOXY9v9PA8ply1618PmffiSuDzMtKknGYL4FZxD6UY5s/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p><font size="3">I really liked them. I don’t know if the boys were all that impressed. Brett & Trevor each tried them, but Eli ate cereal (as usual). :) But Matt seemed to like them. It’s good for me to find new things for breakfast. I have been making breakfast for my family every weekday since school started last year. I usually make pancakes, French toast, eggs (scrambled, omelets, or fried), ham/egg/cheese biscuits, and cinnamon rolls. Just wanted to toot my own horn a little bit since spending time in my kitchen is not exactly on my “favorite things to do” list. I love those guys though, so if making them a good breakfast is a way that I can show that I love them, yes – count me in. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Okay, that’s all for now – time to pick the kids up from the rec center. (good way to spend a Saturday)</font></p> <p><font size="3">Later!</font></p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-49819030929460890462013-01-03T13:03:00.001-06:002013-01-03T13:03:50.677-06:002013–New Year, New Blog<font color="#000000" size="3"> <p>Okay, it just <em>feels</em> like a new blog… so it’s been 5 months since my last update. That’s probably not considered very “good” blogging, huh? </p> <p>I have missed capturing a lot (a LOT) of important things in the last year, and that part makes me sad. I know that I remember them (most of them?) right now, but I won’t for long. It’s not exactly a New Year’s resolution to be a more consistent blogger. I never really set out to be a blogger. (in fact, that word is kind of weird) I just want to have a place to capture some information about my family because there are so many things I have already forgotten & WISH I could remember! </p> <p>So anyway – hello, 2013. It’s so nice to meet you! And hello, again, Blog. Let’s catch up very soon!</p></font> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-16557276513471791322012-07-21T00:27:00.001-05:002012-07-21T00:27:03.222-05:00Thankful<p>You know the saying “It’s the little things”? Well, it’s true. Very true. I have been thinking so much lately about this – and yesterday I was in the middle of it. And it was awesome! </p> <p>Matt heard that the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) cars were going to be racing in the area, so he called & asked what I thought about going. I do like watching those races (really, they are FUN!), but I just didn’t think that Eli would want to sit through the whole thing. So Matt called Jed, who said he’d be interested in going – and they took Brett & Trevor along and had a “guys night out”. :)</p> <p>This meant that Eli & I got to have some 1 on 1 time after I got home from work (and picked him up from Grandma L). Since it’s been about 100 degrees most of the week, we tried to think of some things to do inside. First we made some supper (mom gave me some awe-some sweet corn when I stopped by – THANKS mom!), and then we switched the laundry. Eli decided it would be a good idea to walk to the train tracks – so we headed outside. </p> <p>We walked east & it was so fun just to talk to him and listen to all of his stories. He’s so dang cute when he talks because most of the time he’s so expressive. It’s also the time of year when the planes are out spraying the fields – so he got to see 6 airplanes while we were out there. He thought that was the coolest. When you’re 4 years old – sprayer planes are just as cool as any other kind!</p> <p>He got a little tired before we actually made it to the tracks, so we turned around & started to head home. Most of the way back, we talked about what it means to be thankful – and how we should remember to thank God every day. For whatever reason, he just seemed like he “got it” in a way that he hadn’t before. Maybe I made that up in my head, but I think he caught on. Anyway – we ended up sitting on the sidewalk in front of the house for about half an hour after we got home, and we made “Eli & Mommy’s Thank You List”. I adore that little boy so much more than I could say (and I feel the same way about his brothers)! But I wanted to capture our lists here so someday he can look back and see what he was thankful for when he was 4. ;) Eli started, and we took turns telling each other (and God) what was on our list. (*Note: I couldn’t figure out how to get the lists side by side, so it seems like this post is a mile long!)</p> <p>Eli’s List</p> <ol> <li>sky</li> <li>shooting stars</li> <li>pretty clouds</li> <li>Heaven</li> <li>lightning</li> <li>toys</li> <li>Reese’s Pieces</li> <li>rainbows (in his words, “that I saw at Grandma Langstraat’s house next week”) ;)</li> <li>snow angels</li> <li>camper</li> <li>sprinkler</li> <li>bird baths</li> <li>tomorrow</li> <li>tree house</li> <li>if we can buy a snowboard</li> <li>birds</li> <li>cheese pizza</li> <li>ABC books</li> <li>Christmas tree</li> <li>Mickey</li> <li>purple flowers</li> <li>ice cream</li> <li>Grandma</li> <li>baby kittens</li> <li>cousins</li> <li>coke</li></ol> <p>Mommy’s List</p> <ol> <li>family</li> <li>rain</li> <li>Jesus</li> <li>friends</li> <li>food</li> <li>sunshine</li> <li>rainbows</li> <li>seasons</li> <li>home</li> <li>grass</li> <li>today</li> <li>Bible</li> <li>our country</li> <li>saving us / forgiveness</li> <li>farmers</li> <li>jobs</li> <li>Christmas</li> <li>beds</li> <li>church</li> <li>senses</li> <li>fireflies</li> <li>moon</li> <li>eagles</li> <li>neighbors</li> <li>safety</li> <li>blessings</li></ol> <p>So those are just a few of the things we came up with. He also thought that while we talked to God about these things, we could also have Him say “hi” to Grandpa L. (*tears*) </p> <p>Then we went inside and had root beer floats & watched The Veggie Tales “It’s a Meaningful Life” movie. And then we snuggled up and fell asleep on the couch. The night was precious and I would not have traded that time for anything in the world. </p> <p>(oh, and all of the other boys had a great time at the races too!)</p> <p>Thank you, God for blessing me in so many ways – and for making these “little moments” a very BIG deal. Please forgive me when I take things (and people) for granted & help me to always know that these little boys are watching and learning from my words and actions. Please help me to live each day for you. I love you. Amen.</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-82672236771039265342012-07-09T01:23:00.001-05:002012-07-09T01:23:25.077-05:00This & That<p>I can’t imagine how writers do it. I sit down to write 1 post, and can barely figure out where to begin. Oh well, I guess that’s why I’m not a writer, huh? ;) </p> <p>We had a great weekend … we got to see some very dear friends that we hadn’t seen in 2 years. (much, MUCH too long!) Chris, Pam & the kids had a wedding nearby on Friday, so since they were in the area, we got to see them on Saturday. They stopped by the house for a while, and then we went and had lunch. Brett decided to stay home because he’s been feeling a little under the weather, so that was a bummer!</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6y_TKiPgXW7aocXzhgAfBWX7IPnE-24371WewI21PG0ANmKWi52-y-JgmKU8_aKAcMJWCs4Ta0y0GA44DMNPachO1lnzx59m2xIlWo-W0U8JBZCyBM1j9BNv0fZ9gJbgYNqs9xwOEz1A/s1600-h/IMG_06453.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0645" border="0" alt="IMG_0645" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdY_z8gxnmduJT3P7LvscYAkiP4YjR3tgrOSZYcuHQRvMFq-tPH4hL44A1OiyfCZMgbr1zQAD_909MlqqPFEI-oaT-4nGdgDhxtjJdA21ZUyPLwZFmNmD8S0xyeJSRxAvfj2rIkK0-l4/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYckpjmU5SeAoWjEyhK9sij1HLPoh9mNRvVFFshUPTMw8ch7kDk_Q9EGj6qqixlyAkh3J88mTm2zEZCTjFaV82YqCYRYnqUH_iFQCMPssdpfwztJrlPlY-9vc3g_G6Qu_KKmTjezZFab0/s1600-h/IMG_06493.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0649" border="0" alt="IMG_0649" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-hqncztNxJcI/T_p4pg-XEmI/AAAAAAAAArw/xHwyBA8mx10/IMG_0649_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>I just love how God puts people in your life when you need them. The time spent with these guys (although it was short) was exactly what I needed! Thank you God, for wonderful friends, and for great timing!</p> <p>Brett was still not feeling well by evening, so Matt & Trevor went to the Figure 8 races – and I stayed home with Brett & Eli. It turned out to be a spaghetti & movie night (well, toast for Brett), and that was a great thing too! Eli spent some time in the little-ish pool in our backyard, and he loved every minute. Hard to imagine since until now, he has always been perfectly content on the OUTSIDE of any water – and never really liked being IN it. (most likely got that from his mom!) </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89x7RBxUz25cVQDPlrF3xTolA_Tu3lBHqoxrZ_y7KL8WXuzx5rrNBFhCcFhLdjkioU6NthZmSNae23tHjkSrNLPWTLy47wvgUlldxNPySpDzFg2XDzoMM6vidNhiH71zzh9KWYxQL9GQ/s1600-h/IMG_0654%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0654" border="0" alt="IMG_0654" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lVtUTBgkaIPTz3uiDLR-oPh-L6gg_B0ptQrPypqNLFuKWAA2hEA19jDfb1sg9-9Fh11uepwpqfIcKpXWfBwxAgRBDYvcNIWNCoVwHHeMebk7t3mv2lz7xRw5yGxD-uoKR86O4x0lsLk/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSVIzelz0p0l3banhWyHA6e80FSZ2ycXjccsIL8LnrUJuZeCm9hkSKKRObYPy3ra48Kq_T09TT4c4yqrTMh_yeqXpIOzLSZUQJrDy61u6QvGx30qjlsO8ibcAOimlCUM0D_44wHgLS8g/s1600-h/IMG_0669%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_0669" border="0" alt="IMG_0669" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaWdmaY_xC1QjoN2-sDZZHZxQ05B1Lrv6U8Uo0gXmMX5EKwnQ9skoR2p3W1eUiFrFtauWOFNko0v_sQv_j1BehPYtm5FNYooIcED63h8ywajQyFnYLMVrKkrwgQ5PCIBL2_5GytzAxHw/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> </p> <p>On Sunday, we had an awesome church service in the morning. Pastor Joel filled in for Pastor Mark, and he just had a great message! Some parts of it were so sad because the topic was ‘death’ – but every time he turned it around so that he spoke about how we are alive in Jesus. So many in our church family have experienced the death of a loved one in recent weeks/months – so he wanted to give them some comfort. Funny thing is, even though my dad has been gone for almost 5 years (incredibly hard to believe!) – this sermon touched me deeply as well. Sometimes it’s just so unexpected when that wave of grief will still hit – and I’ll be honest, it happens a lot. But God is always faithful, and I am comforted by something I read, or a song I hear, or whatever else He chooses to use. Anyway, it was just a great service. I wish I could be that good at teaching life lessons to my boys. I always feel like I am tripping all over my words, and they’ll never get anything good from it. I know that’s exaggerating, but I just really, really want for Matt and me to be good parents who teach our kids the <em>right</em> stuff.</p> <p>Okay, moving on. :) In the afternoon, we took the kids to Sioux City where we surprised them with tickets to the Bandits football game. They were SO excited! We have been wanting to go for a couple of years (since we had never seen an indoor league game), but just never made it work. We rarely get to do stuff like this, so it was such a fun treat! It was a play-off game, so that was cool! Brett & Trevor loved every minute of it – but Eli ended up falling asleep. Guess he wasn’t as thrilled as I thought! ;)</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz75VmZXrJ1JVMAr7xNGPYyOQDOIHMB-mKbQSqAMLu_2URi1SzJIbQbiyKx4rF0B7m372i6auA_HZnEOAJgcQFqDhph08MKSbVbZzjafIzXAXcNg7d4kAJHVrVKLWbmvW6l9_6sbyhmGc/s1600-h/P1120260%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1120260" border="0" alt="P1120260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuthB2H2hGLHe6Xu_HCMu0BZso8ft9hnRocxnPi1m3Y5auXnuDYJWD7XsnWZxceA0QJ_PXjavXLeV36sb4uLQuyYgw4xsGcZ_x-3LBeAqRWl8M69-jG7myf7V3bt_JwE33vMbUyoAGTU/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHhNEgg97wqI65BSQF2UCOsHbsBzlBmaYWMx4nll-B5Vdzp2eVrnm21VMOGgHeTlASoK_BR0i_Uhv-9-0hF89GFhRkSuSqcQr0-Oe1dUAiLjOb7QDjcwSN6Q6Wp2ycHCMVZ1D7C5ct4I/s1600-h/P1120275%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1120275" border="0" alt="P1120275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhZCHf83nwnVMQmBJiALWWu9zKc7v-JDoT5wrX6d6-UkT3UwFxIG_v_lUTNkDG-Jroow7Y88I_rMoBG3krvfCI-54S4dqdJ6vWtsuHM1x3NUqXEyqpnjFTXimbkbNvNyEPnNncarM0Ww/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>The Bandits ended up winning the game 61-28 (against the Mid-MO Outlaws), so at least we were cheering for the winning team!</p> <p>It was just a great weekend to hang out as a family (and friends!). Here’s to a lot more wonderful memories!! SO blessed.</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-17310030840131091392012-06-28T00:22:00.001-05:002012-06-28T00:22:18.370-05:00Brett . . .<blockquote> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYUenZ5F8MGu7nj9MGXZ6x6UvdN9XCZ1JFXstAGJRHlDQIIWqUzA-XAVz3EncbVxVlVqU0ZYMQRmE03B6ndYVNd482W70HBsuRO97Rs_RRv183U-sjBOAJX16CLOtuYqZVxgbhKT-jrk/s1600-h/P1120064%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1120064" border="0" alt="P1120064" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTqDLqXiKnQDFbkb69h9glcKjMPUbmY7ZX0EsqrqsUWxYIKL8MyKR_6cSnnpckqBi6QliQMWxSQfaBLLHCRDYekcvN29AyIv60_A8SBXmDGccZk5VCejLEnAgmTE7W90ByxfRzc0zEgU/?imgmax=800" width="197" height="162"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxYCzH23EVudNSNk5BmhV8t3cgl90sLym-GQEunBmxJ7h80BzPstYDRUiFLGhkn8WIM-B8G_JEA8pFISfq7N1CBqS92MUacFYU1u5hpY9_uWanhp9NWuVAz5avUsVsOIaqzG9LHbkyqw/s1600-h/P1110982%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110982" border="0" alt="P1110982" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FcjMBVKLZwDC9oz4N7FUnVJp2cu7pRxNoUHifUFE-K74l6ahO6vJwcCRmwHron-aiv9Bu6GVgGpPdbwZ_U7OSgu1Bp9HoJlPLlRp_gCGgBMntbTG8AnRgK0bqHSd51ujeTOmBDCLZRo/?imgmax=800" width="190" height="164"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanrJ6ITVXyIV-Qxm90UnNfQQkXEbYwrNVz3t8CjBqGcBl_5m5KbFeJoe6TLgSuPDthY1eyY_CdtBASv-ua0bm6p-65e1Bqo_Sc-1Pp1whHKqQ0aPBQ_aI3o1OCjfw-0RbWjaRI5aqfoY/s1600-h/Brett%252520June%2525202012%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Brett June 2012" border="0" alt="Brett June 2012" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5mt3b_eeIxEuXfeuyV8BeP6dkYkMMfIG1Tnb0ssocqnW9tpewIhku5B2VdaHa5MQwBKJoV2GwD5NDYrwpxY8cBD_ibxGC4JXEglfhmSfonMpCh2R1thThPV75yfjpHXo6xMipHlhFGs/?imgmax=800" width="104" height="112"></a></p></blockquote> <p>I know this is late, but I’m writing it anyway. On June 16, you turned 12 years old. I am so in awe of how fast time is going. You’ll be moving on to 6th grade at the end of this summer. I’m pretty sure it seems like YESTERDAY that we were trying to figure out how you’d handle 5th grade. :( </p> <p>You are a really great kid, and your dad & I feel so incredibly blessed to be your parents. You are funny. You have a soft heart. Your dad is starting to get you to like sports cars (oh Lord, help me!). You like video games, and you love sports. Right now you are nearing the end of your summer baseball schedule, and looking forward to football camp/practices/games – and that will all start in July or so. You also love Rec soccer, but since our school doesn’t have a soccer program – Rec is as far as it goes. Plus, in a few weeks you will be going to church camp, and will be gone from home for a full week (for the 3rd year in a row). Ugh.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpziUNe4c2vy_fPtGY6Fn2PhyPD1QgmqzHlQgeSgpMzG_wS24uN7-yYRYSV-EelzJaHF2bs2oqOdSLbZtN64Gmw6EfA7dqRwY0UCHiuVsIRlpuOWmRNK2zqRP-LYwMxzp12aeGobFWUg/s1600-h/P1110979%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110979" border="0" alt="P1110979" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uTY3r-16-ty9j9yrFXr-Pbv3S0iTt1iPXXy_pBOvYfUpycMn77XE_ccQBz70hWBIly5l-lqX83BYH0bQ9gtDknU8k6ttVDMTYDH0heJGYGwD-sGd4u_GXWQi1dobVlbRh16UAagxxzI/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-e89eO1ORcmk/T-vp8_T9QRI/AAAAAAAAAqo/Y9TLBm_7qnE/s1600-h/P1120042%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1120042" border="0" alt="P1120042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR99yy1uHkrLRL4N5nQqoZiAZu0Y3ZmpdQ7WL176xu9QmG__G5kDjofq4vNzqh4YIchw7RRdBruOzdn2dHAFsWims3KpdilCRF7snIxc66WiKkNlR2ZZUsjsVyflRUJtMYXtoNptpu14/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>(above left, Brett& Jose … right, 2012 soccer team w/ Jenn & Traci)</p> <p>You are such a great big brother. You and Trevor fight at times, and sometimes you just drive each other nuts. But MOST of the time, you are the best of friends. And Eli adores both of you! He laughs at you guys and is learning from your example all the time. I will be forever grateful that we have 3 boys. You love to hang out with each other, and I consider it one of my greatest joys to be a part of this journey. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Df1wuGgA5wY/T-vp_QlOICI/AAAAAAAAAq4/QSlws5e9J5o/s1600-h/P1110862%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110862" border="0" alt="P1110862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0r_9XIM0IyqQgxKp-XcR1m_VaDue-Ql0boZbAKev4AyL-W-0uBxVIFbJ1ujVu-fc-MNLsjT4ySlKq9UNhWDqvtZ7GnJ18Ihcc9XMxhY4m79K8fgt4Z5x2-PucUMdWuA2C9wOD9EUzHLo/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HF3_Q-jxEWk/T-vqBg0hpOI/AAAAAAAAArI/G5gVR5skXxk/s1600-h/P1110874%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110874" border="0" alt="P1110874" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-r0rUdOw5g8M/T-vqCF_9mVI/AAAAAAAAArQ/_wqRh353wtM/P1110874_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>I want to support every dream that you have – and I will do everything in my power to make that happen. (even if it includes 92 extra trips to town in a week) ;) I pray that you will make smart decisions and great friends. I pray you will always have a kind heart, and a love for family. I pray you will marry a great Christian girl who will adore you, and that you will enjoy a successful career in whatever you do (right now you want to be an architect). But my main prayer is that you will grow up to be someone who will chase after Jesus with all that you are. That you’ll seek and find Him – and that you’ll always bring everything to Him (good and bad). </p> <p>Oh yeah, and I love you. You’re awesome.</p> <p>Love, </p> <p>Mom</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-53460676214935076912012-04-09T13:01:00.001-05:002012-04-09T13:01:03.087-05:00Choosing Joy<blockquote> <p align="center"><em>“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”</em> (James 1:2-4 MSG)</p></blockquote> <p align="left"><font size="3">A friend sent me the scripture above. Sometimes it is so hard to choose to be joyful. I have been having a hard time the last couple of weeks. There is just so much going on, and a lot of things seem to be stressing me out. And … this Friday, April 13 would be dad’s birthday. There would never be enough room on this blog (or the whole internet, for that matter) for me to adequately say how much I love and miss him. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">So, here I sit. I fully realize that my problems are nowhere nearly as bad as what some (many!) other people are dealing with. Most of what stresses me out relates to commitments that I’ve made and having to choose between several GOOD things for those commitments. So I’m not complaining (or at least I’m trying not to). I just need to be reminded to be joyful. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">There is nothing on earth that can give me as much joy as my Father in Heaven. I have an amazing husband, 3 wonderful kids, and the best family! I have a great job and a few very sweet friends! But none of that can be first in my life. In order to find true joy, I need to look up. When challenges come my way, and when things start to feel like a weight on my shoulders, I need to go to Him. When I am missing my dad more than I know how to say, I need to cling to my Father. He will help me to manage it all. To laugh and cry when I need to, and to say “yes” or “no” when I need to. (and this is when I start to laugh – because saying “no” has never been my strength unless people ask me to try a new food!) :) </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="3">We just celebrated my favorite holiday of the year, and it helped to put things into perspective. God sent his Son to die on a cross for ME! Because He loves ME! I’m not saying I won’t continue to feel stress – it’s all around. However, if I am willing to give it over to the One who can help me with it, it can’t get much better than that! I just need to remember that sacrifice and that love. And then it’s not hard at all to choose joy! </font></p> <blockquote> <p align="center"><em>"So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." Ephesians 3:17-18 (NIV) </em></p></blockquote> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-69243630828927054372012-03-04T23:29:00.001-06:002012-03-04T23:29:18.773-06:00Birthday Blessings<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-t9hYvyzGeZ4/T1RO8nc_B9I/AAAAAAAAAoY/ZzDanzu7wqQ/s1600-h/P1110732%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110732" border="0" alt="P1110732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDwGozBRfGols-Q_jn5SBhyphenhyphentiF9awhrx7vxOFoZcl_Ynu_FmIyLAgt5ZvEBAdX0IgEj9s2ADZylrpvBxUo35JpfbsPrLaB8HiDuXEFT3LkrFxG5MHEu4uNI19FRLVJeCoe7cWfOOiDGw/?imgmax=800" width="428" height="398"></a></p> <p>It was Grandma’s birthday … so we celebrated with a family lunch at Mike & Pat’s house. Sure wish Eli would’ve been excited – ha! :)</p> <p>I wish I could put into words how much my mom means to me, but I just can’t find those words. She has taught me countless lessons. I’m not sure which is the most important one (or even IF there is a ‘most important’). She loves us all so well, and I want to be as good a mom to my kids as she is to me. I definitely feel blessed to have grown up in such a loving and fun family – and I thank God for that!</p> <p>Look at what we all gave mom for her birthday this year… </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5OGDyp9H0EE/T1RPCadftZI/AAAAAAAAAoo/9spnA6zVbAE/s1600-h/P1110712%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110712" border="0" alt="P1110712" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--NRj7L5aVOg/T1RPCzG3qtI/AAAAAAAAAow/xaOamruSsgI/P1110712_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="191" height="161"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkTP7ecWVhIlN0YabdXFUs2TfYNB6fVZ3OdqakZ8a_17HzF2UOaI3teRQTxISv78MVQo1i1F87zzmaMyIeBak5pSw0I1HPLKntw6X9Cn2BBteavV7w1xuE_cWsqYupiXp3qsiM0zmRpE/s1600-h/P1110717%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110717" border="0" alt="P1110717" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2P_16hjcFGo/T1RPElgId9I/AAAAAAAAApA/4ZQDQK2nVOc/P1110717_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="187" height="159"></a></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AHrRUrhWRQA/T1RPH281TUI/AAAAAAAAApI/EHIwtRarKU8/s1600-h/P1110719%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110719" border="0" alt="P1110719" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqidszaI41E9s3mC6q8rdGAfDK_W7AXMj0_sSECkr8ENhRhlLCCi1tJrdmCsqKnfgxXCunAg3PyDJdASBGFQb1abEeA8DckxPpvLUz7ltQ4CjXqobq8FZK-SOJAZqOrdN3DUQkNdh21Q/?imgmax=800" width="198" height="156"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdZlyTFVMZOF7FpRpyLYUbv-SFD1yKlxzdB22lUomtEJ0vfC-EGxGuuFKcNO7sB3ZxXO_M29JK2OwZqMOoFP4YcGcItHc468Ledk00DF32q48c0hBHEjMmppQH4SAjjFDhNVtYmz9wpU/s1600-h/P1110724%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110724" border="0" alt="P1110724" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ITpujLDjmbSn27EN2jv-QU66pmqDsWchXohQ21uDNhs8yEueftGT3w6zkgDb_vMVe6rrSClPRWJwh6nB6FYrn8q5CcrclGhfPU_Wt0AVgNZOM-GowssYwGNAw8O4Vt517K8K5W1P0hk/?imgmax=800" width="200" height="158"></a></p> <p>We started tearing up her house! It will be so different to see how it looks in a couple of weeks. It’s long overdue for her to be doing this remodel. I can’t wait to see the transformation!! I’ll try to get some ‘after’ pictures up later on.</p> <p>So anyway – happy birthday, Mom!! You are so amazing, and I hope that you know how much we all love you. We can never tell you enough!</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-71920026485966543612012-02-25T23:59:00.001-06:002012-02-25T23:59:18.638-06:00Daytona…<p>It’s almost time for the first “official” race of the year. Last year we hardly watched any racing. And we won’t watch it every week this year either because it just takes so much time. But – since it’s cold out yet, we’ll go ahead and watch the Daytona 500. </p> <p>I will be cheering for this guy:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eMj_2igG8-4/T0nKD1YwUdI/AAAAAAAAAmg/9H29w9MWuDc/s1600-h/Jeff%252520Gordon%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Jeff Gordon" border="0" alt="Jeff Gordon" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyvpa4yNogVs8vHF7AW4kf7KKsj-UJJxD8MaBsyvMOgo8fh-BIdzTUcCocGJu2iT1KN5GpAPlCGZNKyCtOxSk5mvIPurF2S5NNkkqJ2xRUq76yJAsvLW0Cx9mRaiscAoceumkOPtNoKk/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="164"></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Matt will be cheering for this guy:</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oQax4-6ukvvyiR2k-oBzYG1GaeQfvTwBaiaW3GQRWJqxV4PIS8gwkDzwAuSBtAicLS9it-KzGMvIIMZdmk29spDZKK9WMpvT2nL-srgAvxOTH42jgzts0ywsz1NN3no30epA55lG7BE/s1600-h/Jimmie%252520Johnson%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Jimmie Johnson" border="0" alt="Jimmie Johnson" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1RzwBdXoCqy32OuOHoaSTVT-FJjOh5R6bMiP6yhxKdCYh0nbFvK7uaavAinv-RzXKx8kTe1yDmXmFo07LDce4oIVx8nlWH683HUT8jgPi-n9sA7_VeU3lRdA6mrg1m3frJ7kHJPph8Q/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="164"></a></p> <p>(at least they are on the same team!!)</p> <p>So – let’s get caught up on what else has been going on … </p> <p>Stephanie & Paul got engaged! So there will be a wedding coming up – congrats to my sweet niece – love her so much and definitely wish them the best!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YHl5PKybiCk/T0nKGO8caFI/AAAAAAAAAnA/t1vZrsVDGsQ/s1600-h/Steph%252520and%252520Paul%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Steph and Paul" border="0" alt="Steph and Paul" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy-aR_iQBUh3B-RApltp48dU1jsiJdSNxs9az1a4FqMoervYMUQa40KyqBsoCSWfuE-G7pZSX7jenn-cj_LBLs944FfcERNEEZUtBEOZqu76310VGd0uxrkM1KUse8oBl4IBhxe0jWG4/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Brett & Trevor have been doing great in school. It has been a very mild winter, so they haven’t had any snow days yet. (shocking!!) They have started late a couple times, and let out early once. We got several inches of snow yesterday, but it probably won’t stick around very long. Spring will be here soon! Yay!</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUKp5tFVBoWZOHQF6lImhpYxIDkakmMOUjd0BsbMC-mjklDOUXJa8_g9EMkt0XqMj7qBSxlZGmoYskjmZDS9nho7nIDbCE9yTzyPd03ykT4vQUS0hmTYztH8pOKunsrHMevr79quPSAA/s1600-h/Trevor%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Trevor" border="0" alt="Trevor" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOnO_LyMyzIFgud7yxjYiatYkqcVVWUt7OjlnRGRwUsS7L8X-gYmn5F4ef3vjnvdWXGMh1Z7TPBmmSK5YyZVNsxwCQMqJMPi2q2536w6HywyFSRSiLvkIF_6svgY6Fk0CLWvKu1YTgTA/?imgmax=800" width="177" height="140"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpclw-7HLYRRDvsKkKGUjRL9Mjeg9NNLVcpOgDBwPcDiRDUlcNEo1KyDJNVHW6Remw-9-zE8dPqr-Y4dIbUXjeCMGyvrqB3wA3apCDl8A0okKdw5bbiaXYWJK4b1_gYo9ZI1FCTXdFqQ/s1600-h/Brett%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Brett" border="0" alt="Brett" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zKV7X-I0KP0/T0nKJbc6fvI/AAAAAAAAAno/cniyup-EnCg/Brett_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="175" height="138"></a></p> <p>Eli has been under the weather the last couple days – hopefully it’s nothing serious. Low to mid-grade fever and a bad cough. My little pookie will be going to Kindergarten Round-up in about 3 weeks. (puke) I can hardly stand the thought of that. How did our baby get to be 4 1/2 years old?! We are thinking that he will go to T-K this fall. (not sure that I can handle the thought of him going to Kindergarten … we’ll try to adjust by doing T-K first) :) It worked out great for Brett & Trevor – so I’m pretty confident that it will be the right move for Eli too.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYlR_hs9nEKeLbb7gZ_t46BGFQ_wQFD1aumhvU_F_7_-7AEqU7GP3XXEp-ctwo8v7E92FTxjj3mfDrY1sml4y-HrrrHv-sLHohD41Ixpl8dloil9XcfrDCzaLX-QdBqTpLbSL32wtSvg/s1600-h/Eli%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Eli" border="0" alt="Eli" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hXdVhju8akLyNEzDkCaYrjL0gyQOZW59naRjjkhXi2YRO-It2l5H9VXY7KSKakDhyElGEjuA-bpa7jPEas-G5AXO4p3FYJo9R3GKg3ki-eecWZScRlSLn4G59l3ZWab2gnngxr6q-eE/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>We’ll see how it goes. </p> <p>Thank you, God for the blessings of these boys. And also <em>this</em> one… ;)</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-x_mfB5EX4oU/T0nKMw4bR4I/AAAAAAAAAoA/0zQ1-qjJL2s/s1600-h/Matt%252520and%252520Kristi%2525202%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Matt and Kristi 2" border="0" alt="Matt and Kristi 2" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVS8PTu6HdBJCWlqbX1LXIrBxpCvEtSFfxA9KVmPsjedFgNWjzwPvAiT4V4nxvqXnXJ0bzF5XMyLU2hicWr7U_1L_QtHg-gNxqIT211YRycZoHbARTq9rnapccWtnJQaIiAkMRDm6wdI/?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></a></p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-33714882515886186922012-01-08T18:46:00.001-06:002012-01-08T19:01:44.672-06:00Starting over…<p>Okay, so that little ‘bloggy break’ lasted a while. And it wasn’t even an intentional break – life is just … life. And it’s busy. It’s so crazy how fast time goes. I know that people (including me) say that all the time – and it’s because it’s true. </p> <p>I don’t even really have anything specific to blog about … but figured I would just start somewhere. </p> <p>How about if I just mention the weather? What is going on?! It is January, 2012 and this week it got to 62 degrees or something like that. WHAT?! Awesome! It snowed once in early December (proof is below), but otherwise it has been dry. I know that won’t be good for the farmers in the spring, but on the plus side – I have not yet gotten my van stuck on our gravel road yet this year!! Yay!! :) </p> <blockquote> <p> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Lk6frerzst0/Two4zD82zGI/AAAAAAAAAlA/9WsBK3nIdSk/s1600-h/P1110209%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110209" border="0" alt="P1110209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eu0uowcXIfBNajSVDM-BiK9kyn_Mf-OH5hGWYmauDziL82sxrCblXjtW30n8YO5CuPtgt17Rh5Y8ABbGlcW-vho3Pi6QMJCyaBLAx8xlbFop6jBlwf1mXKpIG41qWaYeToiYDGxpy-o/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p></blockquote> <p>Well, another Christmas and another New Year’s Day have come and gone. We had some great family time and Matt even got some time off of work. (okay, well he still did quite a bit of work … he just didn’t, you know, get a paycheck for it) Brett & Trevor definitely enjoyed their Christmas break, and Eli got to spend several days at home with daddy and his brothers. And back to the weather topic – it was so strange that there was no snow on the ground during that time. I really wish I could have spent some more time at home with them – but thankful that I did get the Mondays off of each week (since Christmas and New Years Day were each on a Sunday). </p> <p>All 3 boys participated in the Sunday School Christmas program – the first time for Eli! Karter was in it too, so it was so fun to see all of them say their speeches and sing songs. The best part was knowing that this story was about the true meaning of Christmas – the birth of our Savior. Not Santa, not presents, not trees or cut-out cookies … but about the One who came to save us. What an amazing love!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5ihD6QV_v5s/Two40yt_fJI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/vfMK9NoWVHQ/s1600-h/P11102797.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110279" border="0" alt="P1110279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtzSz24q1btciV7kjOeJkxv1voF4RBsa-FJhM1J1NN3Sm-GZtICbYWduSndMzaQqEoqKWaCWnWhoOvKx5IUQMothFcVzJu_9x7t6aCnWLf1i4A3gf7wEGMpSfaq1-OK7lWpiSWoTznvQ/?imgmax=800" width="197" height="167"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRVDktSGFPZ2W5kB5gOEgf4PlIFu0dMMOIuv5LqQ8Mn13zhIL9T_cwmJ6P37MejQBJyNaemnXkEW2B-AjyRY_VN4k_kEPwFG8g_hyF4mj-UDnsbSXka-hbKiv5ZL1rm4I9pL4YArTZAc/s1600-h/P11102818.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110281" border="0" alt="P1110281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwXY2XWh8fdOZmN5NqwjBBs1TrJ4GR2qoD4TlbO-4WI3NCuG8YrtWupkFG2UraFjzRiJhyxYZmMVjcq-QYa_Al1J6yYV_ioFMucysRhVXmkJmH82FCEKrwklqL47_lb2wm_DLcjRFzSw/?imgmax=800" width="196" height="163"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-989YBDQBc0k/Two45Ta784I/AAAAAAAAAlw/r-mWUptYcoY/s1600-h/P11103094.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110309" border="0" alt="P1110309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndRpprsHv7uhdrzsyrUsLSvDinXhnKGLdRZRunAVrxebp5bwL7QcwOxZ07LwG7WTnsXXPE0T-LrI4VHGhYuJkzW0yoqcR1-GSDprYKaurN7mtG7PHkgg2PHKbA0BDKCCpC_4asQhxo-0/?imgmax=800" width="198" height="156"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQEEsoaAi24aQTck4DF30CUvdNqk40mYURFb_tA1RTBnxvgf5N1ZJBq4PxMT-U3cShYrz-hOqUddblWc91AZLF23tQCdYQbYZJjUyWtheRcFmknsoEmVDqKQtCvW0nyPu7SZx2ZfYD6c/s1600-h/P11103005.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1110300" border="0" alt="P1110300" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZkmTvCzoaxU/Two47-HWB3I/AAAAAAAAAmI/Nx-O6TDBDPk/P1110300_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="201" height="167"></a></p> <p>It’s amazing that God has blessed us so abundantly when we fail Him so many times. I am so thankful tonight for His grace and forgiveness. </p> <p>Here are some pictures of our Christmas activities…</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc34XA-QVGOkoBAcghAZlHknj8VYtzfmUNWCtU75TsdJoF9D-6C_uk9c2_6K2p4OIWiZ3Q7KCWLbiXxMewqyFy8ZadZVcLij3r7aplu1uLLsZZjDjjMfCmmLYniFZcXgUEOlO-fu6xJY/s1600-h/Christmas%2525202011%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Christmas 2011" border="0" alt="Christmas 2011" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQIJCwaNypA6j_vn6EUGmukFGatxEse4DgQqsOcd_afRzUJuZI-UiRPFBgjJUWMSKkHngsh2vCOPUx6wfTefVVQmQNR-fMBzNIwf7_egZDdbgqQRSCRwoLOD3RmLh6ZKkodiA_sBfPMY/?imgmax=800" width="517" height="351"></a></p> <p>I hope that I always remember the Reason for the season – but not just in December. </p> <p>Here’s to the best in 2012!!</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-28378812758977269842011-09-20T09:47:00.001-05:002011-09-21T22:29:52.440-05:00Summer Vacation<p>Our summer vacation took place 2 months ago. I wanted to get some of the pictures on here so that I don’t forget the things we did while we were gone. (not that I’d ever forget anything) ;)</p> <p>We were blessed to be able to go with family … unfortunately not quite all of the family. Brent & Kelli were unable to go, and same for Mike & Pat. So that left us, Wendi’s family, Mom and Jason. Our destination was Osage Beach, MO (Lake of the Ozarks).</p> <p>Day 1: we left home at 9am on 7/16. By the time we got to the resort and got all of the stuff unloaded it was midnight. LONG day. One of the cool towns along the way was called Chilicothe, MO. Just thought it was a neat place. There were several clusters/neighborhoods of Amish families along the way too. Wish we could’ve stopped by some of them – they had some roadside stands selling baskets, jams, vegetables, etc. Looked so interesting. Everyone crashed when we got there (especially Jason and Matt who rode the distance on their motorcycles). </p> <p>Day 2: We SLEPT IN! Once we woke up, Brett, Trevor and Eli went swimming with Matt (and Wendi’s family). Later, Matt went for a motorcycle ride with Phil, Matthew and Jason. There is a helmet law in MO (yay!!) so they had to go and get a helmet for Matthew first. Mom and I went to Walmart to get groceries. While we were gone, Wendi was sweet and took the kids to her place to watch a movie. After we came back, we took the kids swimming again. The water felt great because the temps were in the upper 90’s. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHoURZl3aIy9uganC8zcDcN846mx_E8ow1DzAAPC0uxSaDi46iz59cKtFwBaQbxVnA3MsPFXkMjLEv1rmuVmSUtGUl7KYvo3uhd3G1EvQHXdR8Fj6swdCegbXo_MWihDtL26YatnotF0I/s1600-h/P1100030%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100030" border="0" alt="P1100030" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrhFDpUsh2SGmBNos3C0kOukCV2TEYV5to9FYQI36kgtF3CkWTQIgH1efcHnVTyK2HS-Qg2svBS25yRSWX8xr09TvAI6fsnydL9cosH5nKZLf8lMgT9XC1RahmK9zg0i_Bcc58HlTdnA/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmO0YtDrPQ2N4oWggpHTAjJA9YdUdJSscg-O4KMifRJLqaTItVy5A7V3-ad2AlX5Nncyl2xa9PCKwluyoR4diBbeS2y9NKAnZWViYibVf5KSPI32ph2BogffUkcaVFQGHFmshDe_VteRA/s1600-h/P1100033%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100033" border="0" alt="P1100033" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirB3AeTxYHvDl-oWcU3yTdnWIFkbJHvvXB8A4Kj-E7-tasMDpvWAQcvZrI_eQQIc6ytfJcz7BVyW95nXbXRryp5tQ0Ky7gx6sF34J9_5liGjdw002LxDgpDzVm1NgniX-MeiZAHW-9hoY/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>We grilled for supper – had burgers, brats, chicken and hot dogs. It was so nice to be able to relax after a great supper. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5L7rbqlrVd7osnenh4LeV460LrNoKcTqvdbZt4hb2lOe_IzLPCPiiQDTopOE5OodClo7oXzdMLlKF2ZQTXNWxeTNBT6OCEceXORhd5wCnhU0Hxd4FL8I6znvunkLlpBY_thDK7_t8rtA/s1600-h/P1100038%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100038" border="0" alt="P1100038" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-HSq_JfXI6lY/TngasnxOJ5I/AAAAAAAAAec/lIar-kRjIeY/P1100038_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY48KARGwVRdjOgXQuJHlWwKCfLbMqdfIhRCC7qt59zfqjC8neoBjbgidhXtM_vlwOyMcuVhSmoyBtZ-7uydpK-yYVzI5X1QIF0ApsjKU2RCJioZTBqBzfUDQEEBI2UK_x52JxbEcQAs/s1600-h/P1100044%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100044" border="0" alt="P1100044" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-o2Ur3q2p-Io/Tngauv5B7YI/AAAAAAAAAek/hxCkGne5ypw/P1100044_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>After eating, we all went mini-golfing at Pirate’s Cove, and then got some ice cream at Culvers. Eli LOVED mini-golfing, and kept saying it was his favorite thing! </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7igIShRP0ARzFERR6-t1JMPgDMF-XM66Od_X-j1meNLbY-La_GM5HMp_8wyDQQtl-_f5RpixBNhB2QbGbHsquCBpO-eiz0HGMPO8AiLWMFJmVtUkoYBeVdnrreEKzD5YovcFasRTq48/s1600-h/P1100063%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100063" border="0" alt="P1100063" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimON1zsrNsyXkeaBKmQ978grzwK03_pcqAuqujJ4_p_1p5K8Po2BbFeK1Ebiy6Bm0h7maFYHxUdsxhAX5ctbf8f6rwFEN6p9b-zVW0Qs5-LB7Xg9J8st8_m-MwaR2ccpGdCgaqsdKXWxU/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNUHP_cmyxxuH-A0NHr2dpnVN9ntGjneLfWWFw5SgnFGJS-jisop05sr4BF0rCyL8eefKXAe4h2PQLqhuuHHXiTc2j2gT-kjY4LbYcpc5yi95DYArCkS2jKcGC5W3THRkEQp9lQ8RFkE/s1600-h/P1100113%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100113" border="0" alt="P1100113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOdUt5SoWLo11frcZAnXyhjF1vV_r_xQoHiFuhlVtyuBmInPTuow4iEXw2isEeCferoy0Inul1WWYkj-d-rMjjHubbxSAYFCR0pxPWkdqpejUdQJUXAhJYgIELbFPqqp5mHGNh6aihi8/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>It was a GREAT day!</p> <p>Day 3: I woke up early (7:15). Matt and the boys slept in longer and I took the chance to sit out on the balcony. It was so nice to listen to the water and the boats. The lake was so beautiful. Thick, green trees made a distinct line between the light blue sky and the dark blue water. God has some very impressive handiwork! I decided today that I should have never made so much fun of Matt for wanting to live in this state. If a person could enjoy this view every day it would be awesome! (but I think I’ll stay where we are) :) </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCl4rejmuLjdiZULK8Cid0UgMyn29yzXzLTj5n8efnZwob8j_TvqmX-MsoRLYTTmfibF6cg50-dh8nbWSqJ3tLhQvPt0dIBwmdAdB9lh_PrZEkzESl6mNOW4MIX45ewTsvygbH9xND1k/s1600-h/P1100039%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100039" border="0" alt="P1100039" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rPsnnSfwpQ0a9oQ8-ox2rDQYIXbhYdpzHIvJ3HZr4zUfwS-7REsnylqNk5Z8U19j7xYwMfC63aZnb0ZFe51HHuwRFPxIXNB1jkss_BDSVy-Rq9Ry2V4DHly3WN1UXzUGNOP1oo4Fahw/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJr3iR2hOLSTFqD3yIq790C1QQBoWF3e1ES8VqNCK8C1hD7KtFQUzfq3ft2Sckl5pl1LxFJDiYIjox_ermBLbvuNRzFkRYpa4WVlc49BIfnugRmrVFEZvyKoKKG7zv61Ll9-22K9K7eJI/s1600-h/P1100040%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100040" border="0" alt="P1100040" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eVEUKuZJA_8/TninI_cHStI/AAAAAAAAAfE/LjmZ7gKEgsQ/P1100040_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>We swam a while and then ate lunch (just sandwiches and easy stuff). We all left to go to the outlet stores around 2:00. Only got to shop for a short time before we headed to the Big Surf Waterpark. We stayed there from about 3:00 – 6:00. We had a great time in the water and sun (and shade)! Mom enjoyed watching all of the grandkids having so much fun! Jason and Matthew skipped the waterpark and went for a motorcycle ride instead. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-uNt25jYtDvE/TninJU7koAI/AAAAAAAAAfI/FGq5_G0r9-o/s1600-h/P1100191%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100191" border="0" alt="P1100191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXy3Dvr0LQWyN8w5xhwpqeuAAbNwFp3KthNS_9y9qiapogNdCyv2ua-LHKo-lrjyKST8SLA1Z2DVFovZr-RF5ImHK9yV008vMcbjxRCCSHr3i4VovSreeObmpFUFp8eMGWG-DI3uIeBao/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-hHwNEiL9Qqw/TninKCGDQpI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/ShHFHdyc_Tk/s1600-h/P1100145%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100145" border="0" alt="P1100145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNU514JkCfO5yjrAhjqbWPmFb-Tnm3ywoOvPtrIrjUwXyHgyynY1-h-dFGurW4u4SIjBLJg5vAbw0vi5loS-b01NPpTNnA4j3yj9rfc4sNs3QM8kLCABScS-9cP-z-SpM3X4lps55knyc/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>After everyone had enough of the water and the heat (temps reached at least 99 degrees), we went back and ordered some pizza. We decided to just get it delivered to the resort. Definitely another great day!</p> <p>Day 4: Brett & Trevor slept over at Wendi’s for the night, so that was fun for them. (I’m so glad all of the cousins get along so well – I know it could be so much different, so I do not take this for granted!) Once everyone woke up, Matt, Jason, Brett, Trevor and I went to the outlet stores another time. Mom was so nice to come and stay with Eli since he was still asleep.</p> <p>We shopped until around 11 and then came back to the resort. We all headed to The Bridal Cave. It was very interesting – I had never seen anything like it before! Mom, Wendi and Juli stayed back in the gift shop instead of going on the tour (Juli wasn’t feeling so well, and the stairs/inclines would’ve been pretty tough on mom’s legs). </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXp5JDlkMpVVvKwJMzUQoyzFn7u4vlRgQRJqCLjEcVBrSE4Kf2bjkgbJO281wkIi7v5QQQWxCHx4kVcX_fk3jp9n34m1pDBv83GyPuQ_aAuoDh_Os5W2wV9f-4shIC92E-FQBGSwaC2aQ/s1600-h/P1100199%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100199" border="0" alt="P1100199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbZ09vGbMC0RWnJLsI9VBJuGaAaeOs2bp1GXWf-pRwEpTKDdTGK8I7ocFny4Oi4H4dOobPz-JLcdsvRP2SDQp9ewutzyK5hwXcox4TrYdH0WZo7-C4glArFuoz5keLxKBFrgSss_126c/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmG-AivPB3IApWTUg6N3xQawkgeJF0hx5s81AeP-DfdP3QSoeySqMaK7W0O0fPcIVBwS6YZioZdK5GSw1eOxh3Xc4dovT5eNcWv-ygBKgUhM1WQOoZi3WwqXxRooZhRRweJLyffsy2wcw/s1600-h/P1100208%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100208" border="0" alt="P1100208" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-l16kuSAKPUc/TninLh6eoqI/AAAAAAAAAfk/MWUy5K-emAs/P1100208_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>We took a scenic route back to the resort and then everyone ate lunch. Some people took a quick cat nap and then we made our daily visit to the swimming pool. :) At night we had to make another trip to the store (it’s hard to know how much to buy when you don’t want to take tons of back home)! There was just so much to see and do here – and the kids even spent a lot of time on this day just sitting on the balcony watching boats, jet skis and people on the water. The temps today were above 100 degrees. Loved it!!</p> <p>Day 5: We started this day off with Matt making breakfast for the boys :) which was awesome! Mom and I went to the outlet stores another time so that mom could go to a few that she didn’t get time for during the first trip there. (okay, and I really could’ve spent all day just bumming around in those stores and pretty much window shopping) There were 110 stores, so there was no way to get to all of them. </p> <p>We came back to the resort and Matt and the boys had already finished 1 trip to the pool. We ate a quick lunch and then headed over to watch some helicopter rides. Matthew, Traci and Juli took the first ride. Mom and Nick did the second. We chose not to do this activity, but it was so fun to watch them! It was something that mom had wanted to do – so it was a priority for the rest of us to make sure that it happened. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtI9dwq3MQ1s0SiZuDLons968czz0dOwCjSHVzTEjB_fkG5VW5IGqffbty_gNZk_ZDxmq3Y8eZKI1VR2hkiTM0i9lulGuB7Iq8AiAD7hapzWkRQzF5dbaLdQ38zQE6FbDxY1ra-nMLck/s1600-h/P1100224%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100224" border="0" alt="P1100224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJXrBfqL7Er-ByUg5kB25cAvrf_m07XyAT62_03ddY6OWwrM4D4OH1sY-Y8ozA0UZCdLd56p0r_z4g_1tj38rSAAUjGjhUJ3XHE1L6yhn0HQhje0EN26_sUwDNrGsG7OT-nN0SX7wO_U/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EguVARdp25s/TninMsWnldI/AAAAAAAAAfw/904y_itcJNM/s1600-h/P1100221%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100221" border="0" alt="P1100221" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-s_7mSF507hs/TninM5eNybI/AAAAAAAAAf0/HDqcSAsvn14/P1100221_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>We came back to the resort pretty much to get ready and turn around head to the boat cruise. This was where we cruised around part of the lake. It was a really nice cruise on a big boat. (it was also very hot! I think it got at least to 105 out there) There were some amazing homes around that lake! (it was hard not to covet!) ;)</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDApYQhAuWCJfPzuozA6AfigFIjR6N_S-0CL0HtWj0W89SF7p-qgjwB6Ju8DUYrSbkVdtRW866PWGQxi2KBLmQqGNeyQECgTUYHB9Jdg2sg9JNKlHMXVkISLpBV8ucAnoT64lo1Raciqs/s1600-h/P1100266%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100266" border="0" alt="P1100266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kfCFsNGtX6iQdd4uaaQeO320hyphenhyphenF2yaLI_722GWhWHLC8bXvEvily3MLaun_4xqen-klH9NwAsi3NWLFFSjYkJa2wIam7-05JYF2drYP5g6s2Gj77o4jk81Q-dV07ixRQCbKAPeRNk9Y/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1m1NmR5tCULcsl_2ayn6keMHQh6qyvl-vmBq9_S1wMwEb32UWUBLdjwo0n4HyQFtLv3YKmNkswbZQVSDXk-pS9hUKTJKZwM4QYwLtWkrQaDoeds_Sky8YY1uLs75XhDf-bf5A5ULSCI/s1600-h/P1100244%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100244" border="0" alt="P1100244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5I2Qjq1O22MGIB7lNk2GEvcbyOgwpccjb4O3HGHXuvy2xaOHZYOvfpe53ziGbnicz2DnaovC7GsuyJKSeBNXRdeX5L53lo2EOSVBvY2EQYYsn6RTxRNACnKRQAvDFxEsy7MJAUHMGSpM/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>We came back to the resort again and spent MORE time at the pool. The kids got some pretty awesome tans during the week!! </p> <p>We grilled again for supper and then went to a family fun place. Everyone except for me, Eli, mom and Wendi rode the go karts, and then a few people decided to go on the bumper cars as well. Poor Eli didn’t get to do any of it & wasn’t too happy about that. Sometimes it stinks being the little guy! I felt bad for him because he had really been looking forward to riding a go kart with Matt.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TyvVvUstie8/TninOzoMEJI/AAAAAAAAAgI/98deGcn46BY/s1600-h/P1100287%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100287" border="0" alt="P1100287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDNLPzDc_LeDr2JMUVy2hLEcJa8uBoEMLUXCzQ4tHN7XznN1h74iMdfIyQq2dY7lN-OHQFCEf3Re-IzEjrF5uPVK6wK4EXgNLt5OupW23LtPjWLrXIW3ZYA6wZs-lJGiTiTo5BE-7D88/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdN5Q0J0fMFmnzy0G5D2C62f1r0tpZBXkjk2BpJfMIBIqQExDQXZFIozDXZimCFvIYJM0lbqAKDvfDwnpWQBZKHIuV_i9sJVPfvjwrid5rU34gHpNYaSMeqrHO7DdN9OiTw8RSy9BD-z8/s1600-h/P1100305%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100305" border="0" alt="P1100305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHbFk23cj-HtzXjAa0d8PxUPiyTAZ_GnYkX9Gz__yLLe4QRzXC1BoduKk1qWyX4g_hrtW8LmlKrbaUDBkRMbQkHJDh8wdW2MhU4eUqvJ6ou03Gd0mqOaAlTI8CBVqnifkHzS4gjdzRd4/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>After all of that, we ended up at Wendi’s place for movie night (well, not everyone). She made malts and we watched Despicable Me… pretty sure this is one of my favorite movies!! It was a busy day, but we enjoyed every single minute!</p> <p>Day 6: Eli slept in until 11 am (again!) … what a BUM! Matt, Brett and Trevor ate breakfast, and then guess what they did?!?!?! You got it … they went SWIMMING! :) Mom came to our room and hung out with me and Eli. By the time we were ready to go to the pool, the others were done. Eli played in the water for a little bit, but was fine with heading back to the room. We grilled hot dogs for dinner and chilled out in our room. We got the cooler, a bunch of towels and sunscreen and headed down to the dock. Wendi, Phil and Jason had headed to the marina and picked up a pontoon and 2 jet skis for the afternoon. We just spent some time on the lake and bummed around for a while. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6Zk_xR4F7AvhYoVBHb-QbjRU6q4dATWMAdLB7Rafj_QAMN0JknfqwTzKbo20X1ByRD2GX6cv81iuMoy3yOfyrKfl6TVbDQ-1a6uheAwz_N368Ax5Rvgj5QyMUMerM1JwCs1V-tQccHQ/s1600-h/P1100327%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100327" border="0" alt="P1100327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wTk-oLD0_IiXdIB-RnIgyc0qGV-F7Ui5eYQtJBP3QCTrN6nD0fJeUDiEY14LW_DECM1aO59Fi3ElM3hmNNDzAQ-Zn7czAp5ioJ7Q1dlC6rKGSTU1qE6I1G4OvTNTW7e81Jbr2C-_GS8/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkn4z421_MIE1leRuUh2XiFAUH0iU529_N-iwVFsk5yqQ0DOiWqBi9bYXrMLOIM0AUAzZ4lelMmwzP7XfOTWfkVRimht9TNMjy4JZ2VeZVhihT3JKgQON90ZxdMMgUz2g8TqZ3-7MjMM/s1600-h/P1100418%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100418" border="0" alt="P1100418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRfeAzGu8WPDk1o3f1AEPpdyTHtQd95PQ1At0fYG0AN0XwWmaUqMwXetD-XLoN2LmeQADHgdMxc1Tjvo_dYpf2Bc2t9rqAclpDVH5X7-ILqy5iEFDC8mHJqVPhuDBlFyJyQ4ULAdWMeM/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>Eli was getting tired of spending so much time in the sun. He stayed on the boat for about 1.5 hours or so. Then he and Grandma went back to the resort and relaxed in her room with some books and cartoons. (Grandma didn’t mind getting out of the sun either – but really Eli loves hanging out with her… all of my kids do – so it’s just so awesome that we all live so close and can spend so much time together)</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp99opkMNLTbiZfbyq1vJkziQKVr-PILjkY1JRyQiVzefh8_P4j70Ky63R4ZSTfkRaX22iYr9D5YyHup-DoP5YZpC4-pR6Q3corsQbTrKLhP1QR9ZOw27PpHtTQfDWBzpRtdu_Ffxi-sI/s1600-h/P1100333%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100333" border="0" alt="P1100333" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AFBWFvsm-S8/TninSlzc3VI/AAAAAAAAAgs/McZeaxGZ6eM/P1100333_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTGf-c1JOV3oB7v098cBAImjWEfB2Llm59kvU5Ep8-P0b5EjQclH9ZePFcz_O74rGTkekB-3-Yhi70C_VEznGgmT29SFR3roI9ibfwEcBL5VEdx3UnCpEPFrxrcHiJ-C8LoERRTI05fk/s1600-h/P1100379%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100379" border="0" alt="P1100379" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--Fb2sCglWbQ/TninTRJ-ViI/AAAAAAAAAg0/9GnI5Wy_sMw/P1100379_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>The whole afternoon on the water was so fun! Phil & Wendi took their tube along, so the kids did that for a bit. Everyone got to ride the jet skis (and Matt wants one now), and we chilled out on the pontoon. The temps were in the low 100’s, but it felt awesome out on the water!</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfS-RGPRbJ-utTPVOD60wxTe1SNH9DYI_aZKHaTzYT1gt53l8KsbwZhUKl3jAxJ4NOHMezdTteY6Z5BmNcGVAhfsEW9l0ZK7To9jXXN-Pdhi4aANRPyvMCFHjBTcRFhSeAwUhQg8iznSM/s1600-h/P1100334%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100334" border="0" alt="P1100334" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gUm3CqlSRzo/TninUFGHmWI/AAAAAAAAAg8/IWjmzF1WO7w/P1100334_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEf74207fKKPg8jnM74j2treKguiWiUcPqoE79TcCKK1a6gLhNsLE_pg9TLqRnKqBBJnxAAXYbdz1h_FKfWO_FccoHtKx4rNKSE-VGU-0a_sNMr_J_NCcc0IN7QdKMDvZbUo8YWqSYDs/s1600-h/P1100408%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100408" border="0" alt="P1100408" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AWFgFcrXKGw/TninUw_YrSI/AAAAAAAAAhE/uOBgQQ6aYBU/P1100408_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>We had to have all of that stuff returned by 6pm, so at about 5:20 Phil dropped some of us off on the dock (which was right by our resort). We unloaded our stuff and then they brought the stuff back to the marina.</p> <p>Everyone took showers and then we all went to Bob Evans for supper. It was SO GOOD! We were all pretty stuffed by the time we left. </p> <blockquote> <p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzpNwKi7PPZ4bYbe4VOS6KQ8fZjypmbyieNiKR4359rQQIplIFDfNYv8GcqIoep5yfNpkbWpo4pPtcOFjtgmmQ3E1dXh0GrOsAfBLjwAjy9uR1iA7zP58xsHKNuUAG0NmZKCMJk9-4xU/s1600-h/P1100464%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100464" border="0" alt="P1100464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJXz49gfICxkC3iZ9RqchKTftvEMx1-R0k-9H9lkLgtEL4Dj_9umzYU_TMNIEIXZU7sEMBLT136HyvUtguMuX6m33hzWJuYB9nEJ1n3Ip8jL7vJ7X7mydjbKcZNoAZ5Vc5HzNXmj0bhc/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p></blockquote> <p>We thought a lot about Brent, Kelli, Kim and Jenn on this day. They were all getting ready to leave for Rocky Mountain High in Colorado. Brent & Kelli are youth group sponsors, and Kim and Jenn will be going with their church as well. RMH is just such an awesome event and I’m so proud of all of them!</p> <p>Day 7: Matt, Phil and Jason went golfing in the morning (just 9 holes because it was HOT, and it also cost a lot more than golfing at home) ;) Brett and Trevor went swimming with Wendi’s kids (shock!), and Eli slept in again. He totally got the hang of how things should work on vacation – that is for sure! When he woke up, I took him down to the pool. Brett & Trevor had just gotten done and headed to Wendi’s room. We stayed at the pool for a while. We kind of spent the day just relaxing (and doing laundry and starting to pack a few things). :( </p> <p>Matt, Jason, Phil and Traci went to a few more outlet stores too – that’s 3 guys and 1 girl. There is hope for them yet!! </p> <p>At night, we went to Randy’s Frozen Custard for one last hurrah … it was so good, and the weather was perfect to stay outside and eat ice cream! </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgj0GJeGGW-hfIQNHlyU9p_vdHM0F-xF9L5BO474XlIaP-R0A2TAh6dlHYDK7wjHzojn-_eXN1xzB6AFl1sOIX9f-x59t5CoBc5yDU2KjPc_kkXEi0GQCSKbibNf2sdnQQmXO1b7rwSo/s1600-h/P1100517%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100517" border="0" alt="P1100517" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFcA3V9ML9FiHuub0ezBpJSZUUGwAwClRZrb6NJSnjN2vF5WSVhwTcrKrT1xBQA71QH6kKW9D3zijRL9gfHTdlJHE-pXvbEyj-Zj0R3VOe5eRW2wWcZuEm935OuFHk2mlHQcPBBoILtw/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zSysVo670MKUk_MUEYA7N1thTDmfZXYj11O5__HxR5nvMUzKKXzT9o7RIoIKaqMs1lODFZ_dHPGdpUzC3QfzYR7KDs-l0pIRzeHzOleQQ6wXMdUc2jBxY2YwYi5e7TsedMTdTWi_-sI/s1600-h/P1100518%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100518" border="0" alt="P1100518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideQvTByA0oeEBDP7GZFaPVUW8EbFhIBfuQLEA5od2TyH8qLNQH3DFiP8GNnEvomdsB7a-E5icke0W9DUKFwGJCsYD8X0eHE6PjCNWyPUmWVc9AdDnekkFUlXRUjanYtRfAFP1kKhp6bg/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>Day 8: we headed out bright and early (by my standards anyway), I think it was between 8:30 – 9 am when we left. We made a few quick stops, but nothing fancy. The guys rode their motorcycles for much of the trip (well, Jason didn’t have a choice, he rode the whole way there and back on his bike). The drive back was not quite as long, so we saved time somewhere. We actually did stop at one little Amish stand on the way back, so that was cool. It made me think of modern conveniences that I take for granted. Talk about a group of people who WORK HARD. It’s actually really impressive to me … </p> <p>We could have never experienced this time away if it hadn’t been for mom booking the trip. I know we can never thank her enough – she means the world to all of us. We really missed Pat’s family and Kelli’s family on this trip. And the whole thing DEFINITELY made me (all of us) miss dad. I would have given every dime that we spent on this trip (x 10) to have him back here. Okay, truthfully, I wouldn’t wish for him to leave the glory he is in now … but missing him hurts so much sometimes (a lot of the time). It helps to know that he was watching out for us and that he would be so happy to see everyone having such a good time together.</p> <p>I love being a part of this family – and I will not take it for granted. I will cherish every memory that we make together! I pray that my sons grow up to love family time as much as I do! </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiOsbbNihXQcfc6W1e9xZLwG9QvOOQO15K4g2JYBowidJ3T__0N1YvL6YsDE7c6CAjMKxSeIlMtjiVQsK74mdWo4mOpkP3II4YSURQsqDSoJyLRuxF3YMctXd37Vq-bfhwYMkLVVVUIU/s1600-h/P1100480%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100480" border="0" alt="P1100480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLtmzMJrk1eElqTXrZbRTAEYSUhBrqfqy1ZtCS21j_bmNhbCV79LKMeJtt9ydrXWIqYZtT73GANNI8kXD-B8rdBx83w0mK2HODobeXHKWs5cy85WrZ2yzIvzHTb9UhUyOr_4r3BP01QY/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfd95mp-XIJuZ7N4cMn-POxvFFVQcg3FZu21NxXN0CdOckKzk1DczbooypeXgeL4rnrl25K81xmQ7HTStVW6vMLuNAWkkfzhgwqMvmTcZi0YZ4B7K4Jto2TufKJyEnqTpyxjxERECSg0/s1600-h/P1100496%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1100496" border="0" alt="P1100496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCinmhd-8rOu0CPyjthNWEJiwZ0cvhqh1qlLjOFJ18WY7L1JOPcVK4-RZS-pI-27J3HuvZ9ihJDus_DK2ZxFO9kBBwnno_nEevLSI0aYY0KiqvGZIFaiya6ObZOv8EYxFY7AOGaPyQB5c/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-72343970165619023782011-07-08T00:02:00.001-05:002011-07-08T00:02:11.417-05:00Our Firstborn<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgnSs7hdnvehlHbWBQAlPZos9K1XZi_fezFG0EnQaAqGJnTge903XNGxcZWEVhukpx98zujOaXhIQkvmy5tQpzdm6tMVq5LNgh7pgn_-X5b5pOqGrGGQ2MY5Ig01QZT3uQjOvblUl4Fo/s1600-h/Brett%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Brett" border="0" alt="Brett" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRLxZxSyPgYOodSVKPErdWNIW8QZumxQPpBdgxbToo5jDktJyo4jS-9XoL0CHza-_ExHzRSkKwBppPe7TbePUGiBknUB_0TSHJ734zNYjSJOpbI6hObHpN6UC-sGSKmXYQ7I9EgqgYD4/?imgmax=800" width="376" height="268"></a></p> <p>Brett, just 3 short weeks ago, you turned 11 years old. Eleven! I can hardly believe that. You just completed the fourth grade, and at the end of August you will be starting MIDDLE SCHOOL. What?! </p> <p>You are such a great kid. You normally get along very well with your brothers. There are days that you guys fight (like brothers do), but I love that all of you are such good friends. You LOVE sports. Almost any kind. I think you could play catch (with either a baseball or a football) 24/7. I don’t know if you will play sports as you get older – but for now, you just love watching & playing almost anything. </p> <p>You love to hang out with your friends – so I think that although you love summer vacation, you kind of miss school because you want to see your friends. You also like to spend family time. I hope that you always like that! </p> <p>You are kind of a picky eater, but there are a few things you like to eat. (pizza, casserole, potato soup, nachos, bacon cheeseburgers, …) Seriously, we feel so blessed to be your parents. </p> <p>Our prayer for you is that you will always love Jesus and follow Him all the days of your life. We know that God has big plans for you, and as sad as it makes me to think of how fast things are going, I am so excited to watch you grow and to see what you will become!!</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJ2gitW0BuqMvLm0cxE8ulyuObj1zBH0zWO_oXX0GQrYm54nSz6Pv1HnQx-pz2QhgpeAmzy2TzpGIha6OC7ESOYu-g4gw11bX_QqrO8Uxgh4lIFpxu9rW29ahoRlJXOmvgV3haK8Mze0/s1600-h/P1070990%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1070990" border="0" alt="P1070990" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-CRhXp_OKI3g8ebpbc1cnEAGief_wMGav9ho22a0UcwzuyoY1i4fDn0WIDG3rl3SPDTrl2_zf0Cdv6LRPy_BZha8DhGoxamA9kITCjZXBDaOsvZdLKVvPGkeGnsPFI3wezeLr55fmW4/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLdB7aseKUyA5Le9HT-_1iaY6YfOjbniDLPfrcGBb9wKpA4ZHFwl530jmo6_fp3KCpAg2iHoshEf4tSdHz-sF3eIf79kmEvRc7Jiy0iPCG6FyBIjuBhpQ3r0zFH6Zi0ASlcy8oZQxtkI/s1600-h/P1090893%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090893" border="0" alt="P1090893" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-zuPb1wJmd8orCGhDNKQIka6Heo6rtVqun3f8PqmLAoSMtxZ5uDE02lZYDmQsmAOTCw7pfxi1xOcFB5IOhVwJUuplTzGqHREP4uwjqs8ZpkNR1x9pPTLf5a7-KlC9rOnCC4TdOWYk3g/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBXJGQhpVBpb3x8d4trMWvaVAX_7qw1gLS1hU3nKrnoXUiXCFYV9RDlUIXoRtLUE0AcUQ4PivDeR3uZZf82C-lGNVujYa-_gZg4JeKciCM4b9M_NrUOx89LzNeE8qiiENiv_pnV0zxeY/s1600-h/P1090572%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090572" border="0" alt="P1090572" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KU8qAUdosTQ/ThaG8ZMc0AI/AAAAAAAAAdc/nOVYFGMI57Q/P1090572_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV4YKXogCK7h7jeukeUfbbKMZH56Ly7W_TfYPGgCvKYIcqM7-6fWpN15B0ddP3Fdj7yetKdKxluC92MHFUai1IOTyiXo-WD_LXfmmn7bT0Omq1oz-hRd8ruhSxvWTYa_EDK2MU8DTmpI/s1600-h/P1090665%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090665" border="0" alt="P1090665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eiW7SzvvKFeP3_6qZmyhGnUf98e2Ty7c7MmMwgoTnzs5rS5FuI6pL8Mn6iO2JPkQt7jirfMIIrRhGe0yWjMPJhXISZ6TLz9kbGJZVl4H8ksaMey8aIMDUjFPzi87g1HeRohBjsmFtz0/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <blockquote> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MVhSrhQMwqE6PbdyUOyaCXEzbcEgCL7CK8pEUpLBmYQIg7rRDOzx7S7zmJcgyWSGOt7INDkvAyDhk9Cbr3OF9Dw5gk1IvEfr3whzUVXoD5ZUNOztQCxaPOYMYF2DlBpYrXHgakDavdU/s1600-h/P1090775%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090775" border="0" alt="P1090775" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQavfYsie3Cpcle5Osz4oraE78SvdFmjV8VS2vhVW5usyCUfhQ8QP69XQBbHdX5ETKvFlRgGFm5vqJue46Mlatb98A2O1RbFQU1AQIzC4I8E94rzQVv8aYYhb0dcIL0KRrT3W3Hy6ICEQ/?imgmax=800" width="137" height="187"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0g5Yj-33MTE_lNnARcKX-gxuudEgc68BNWWBLkZ5az9VwjiALYnEsSmJaiB9fOT1Rpr-GN3RSTfThUgmFzrzrVappbUWsaeZd-SpWl9qKhPektYiI43Uas13rlhj0D4Ceh1Y_WtCHQgY/s1600-h/P1090756%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090756" border="0" alt="P1090756" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-A5jvDGHMPaI/ThaO4ZPGRhI/AAAAAAAAAd0/rU9kTFSqmQo/P1090756_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="135" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWijUO7x-l1AJQWi2HDt9i1ZnARi9WLZPaJVqn_GgL9D00iPU6rs3_NlJ7g6FZWViRt_NiMrcHIVg9DvzbjkRGP0-nGaUeZfw66dkR6YgELoC_ve8Umr8DLVZU56hCdeYngmFroleMYR0/s1600-h/P1090561%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090561" border="0" alt="P1090561" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gliHwzqJDkjQISpTFkBSGLOGyKqJ7Bt2ZaUxBsFEy8_wKW6CWLJgquCEFHOMxvXOtmmKPCEICuf8NCpgtdgP4csjrUy3aw5BJDD0tZJsB0E5a0QbSkzeh6Itxj-9zJb46vNAoozI_Xs/?imgmax=800" width="133" height="182"></a></p></blockquote> <blockquote> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FTbpj1u9VRo/ThaPR8TShzI/AAAAAAAAAeA/q_M3o3LZWMg/s1600-h/P1090753%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090753" border="0" alt="P1090753" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPypk_UqHB03f8_RM1SrRAKhLYm5zlIsqcZ1DBkqO8i4VunquzduT1DZ3n3t0FNgDgYcGCLOOsdH1H_uEcngQwdd2DkswHYFTKl27UI0SW3ltH62FbWeZCBVYiyrDpz2wRb98Pbs5fTI/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>So happy (belated) birthday, buddy. We hope that you always know how much we love you!</p></blockquote> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-54339631468675620342011-07-05T23:30:00.001-05:002011-07-05T23:30:52.310-05:00Summer is in full swing…<p><font size="2">Hey, I’m back! It has sure been a while since I’ve posted anything, but here I am. Clearly, I have missed a lot of important things since the last time I posted. I will maybe try to get to some ‘catch up’ posts together, but for now I just wanted to <u>a</u> post. So, I picked to write about summer. (that’s just the only word I could think of that will let me make a “hodge-podge” post)</font></p> <p><font size="2">Brett and Trevor both just wrapped up a month of baseball. They had so much fun. It’s a summer rec program, so it’s not tournament games or anything. They had a blast though.</font></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBWacwB0Hq4LTBea58vhAuXfof9Ighbvwl_-fWu8hwQTSRySy4brN_wInz9xv1u2F9CkGiHHzY1-KanZk9i1zvqFJKwZ-0n6vnfpG-Z8i7E5sGDAJpLGZqyjGavEMzmMNnSiGttlBOcY/s1600-h/P1090895%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090895" border="0" alt="P1090895" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4OdD0e7esspdYOmuENsJGG-fYedHfZnkmeS-Klnfcswqb12lle8cwCyusMe74bKhpCsVEsAJybmuKbZjQsc1DXQGqCnngTGzGk5baQnLXNnPJI6FB62MwbD0BVA8rhY7l3-hrt-FD2E/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ua_C9qw_cZQ/ThPkvwFy1FI/AAAAAAAAAcY/hP7eOrrPRPA/s1600-h/P1090877%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090877" border="0" alt="P1090877" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-I_F9GqFouzY/ThPkxdhewfI/AAAAAAAAAcc/7KbYjue_6Sk/P1090877_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>It was definitely a busy month, Trevor had games on Mon & Wed, and Brett played on Tues & Thurs. </p> <p>We ended one month and started another… We celebrated the beginning of July with a weekend of camping. And, oh my, the weather was FANTASTIC!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wKYhCMHQJdo/ThPkzYX32JI/AAAAAAAAAcg/Q3y9y-9aRQQ/s1600-h/P1090970%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090970" border="0" alt="P1090970" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YbjvGFTdtbE/ThPk0P20R7I/AAAAAAAAAck/JBqSX5-_EDc/P1090970_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-jXBLJdWrcT4h7Kxmbr0uPKttMpHDVkn6FBnemxRcjWXprg427REOW8FSDlGLHyUAPlzs5X7aw7bCkSV2ke-9xWqmhvjT1uMRdhvUwzTjieHa_dnpmN7jMapxgwy0xvahNEyKHo8620/s1600-h/P1090949%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090949" border="0" alt="P1090949" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnGWM8lEATdGBuwAHFh2IDp5D8G7UOFSyhMPLwJCSnIGJpy4Fg-69xcBKyFAqkxsoguWZhcT72qwVwXDkMs-PEZMguSU7Cvyn_dhVoG680JPiZIn39WepVMFBCierd710Q0smPFXjzEY/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9s31kemgmrU1ci0qUwyop6Lf6d_DYNErH5Qrok2RU7XeVo7iixPa5POoJ31bIT0he1iFeX87v97Uuzj00eC_6TytSuyyLWA6CuIrUCY74pe-tMyzBMmREwiOCGjzB7YDdnGPCVmOwyg/s1600-h/P1090944%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090944" border="0" alt="P1090944" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZLqtWezZMJbRgwACpjIvkdVWG4gRrIgNmfI5aW7L2ccoad2skOqRbz4B9jA4zJ6hptY2XJeZvmbSWcEMsxW5skEqkktv233E73I3yHblECy3H7xDj4AYEm4fF4_JKHkYUsM1l8W8DIE/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjj5TqHF6BYhHPrKmuCrLcVx6459dma64MmyrJMVUqwFY1Zq1QfGIbmVGeFdftB9aFy0DM0DntGCnSU7mN9HqRurGN0RJCNHX5YdmCOyyPZi9-ARTVQH27oLZtoFEnlY6UYSde4fypqyI/s1600-h/P1090954%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="P1090954" border="0" alt="P1090954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdm0S4mZsxRLbzYsKlTdAR-XbNOheOH9y4dkVvm5W_YrV0-TcOcwvT5aRcSnNA4VBhozTEvKnCcGqkEvLVynzVvmHbSYu2DVSuE0jOsUN0Jxj8PFOM1JVJZOjNzLnKj20I2IlphJDqU3I/?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>I didn’t take many pictures – I wish I would have taken more. Bummer. It was a weekend filled with relaxing in the sun (or shade), bike rides, campfires (and S’mores!), bubbles, kiddie pools, bean bag toss, water balloons, etc.</p> <p>We took the camper home on Monday, and then Matt & I went with Phil, Wendi and Jed for a motorcycle ride. It was a great ride! My butt was a little sore because that’s the farthest I’ve ridden – and the back seat of Matt’s back is not very “cushy” :) But it was SOOOO nice out, and Phil planned out the route, and we had mostly great roads. The exception was Hwy 10 on the way home. Talk about bumpy!! Oh well, still a really great afternoon. Couldn’t have happened if mom wasn’t willing to take the kids on short notice. She is so awesome – I don’t know what we’d do without her. She is awesome – and I’m so glad that the kids love to go there!</p> <p>We ended up finishing up the weekend watching the town fireworks. The kids were very tired by the end of the weekend … so everyone was ready for bed when we got home. </p> <p>Okay, was that enough randomness for one post?!? :) I suppose I will leave it there for now, and hopefully I will be back soon :) </p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-54762459191641505782010-12-22T18:20:00.001-06:002010-12-22T18:20:03.154-06:00Christmas time is here. . .<p>Christmas is THIS Saturday and I can hardly wait! I’m not necessarily “ready” for it – there are some presents to wrap, some presents to buy, some food to make, etc. but somehow that stuff all gets done in time.</p> <p>What a great season to celebrate the birth of our King! What an amazing sacrifice He made to come down from Heaven for US! I hope this is the thing that my kids will always associate with Christmas. Yes, we love Santa and Christmas lights and opening presents from under the tree – but Christmas really is only about Jesus. </p> <p>This season is also one that makes me miss … him. Dad – I think of you every single day (but you already know that). I’m sure I can’t even imagine what a wonderful time you are having in Heaven. LOVE you!</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgaKEKSXKTMmEp9xIE1KhYMYVEuKn3G6AS_oKg8yaZCPm56I_J_V_2HLpIOp_wMOq0GgvLhTc2_CNhKfDuA04Fv26B79up3OPqoW4tdPMbWVgmnkhoVnYbC4pocehaR32PCv8JdA0oWw/s1600-h/IMG_3288%5B26%5D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3288" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="210" alt="IMG_3288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2oC0s9iqdzsl87pX_sr5ahRTFZoNDlwwezEN41OKyIJXctsQmMfZvBShate1xCc7tz2zDtwyFNcJxKlfJ-ru_bUk9FAYzaLGPrVLWNUxcBGg5fV9DK0b8LuuqBIKcccA7OgLXTfUw_I/?imgmax=800" width="244" border="0"></a> </p></blockquote> <p>(I just have the most adorable parents … best ever! I hope that I can be to my kids a <u>fraction</u> of the example that these two people have been to me.)</p> <p>Let the celebrations begin! MERRY CHRISTMAS!</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-64444855148848038732010-12-01T00:03:00.001-06:002010-12-01T00:03:40.190-06:00Making up for lost time<p>Okay, it seems that I’ve forgotten how to blog. Actually, I have so much to update that I don’t know where to start. And so then I just don’t post anything. (doesn’t make much sense huh?)</p> <p>So … ummm … what have we been up to?</p> <p>We took the kids trick-or-treating for Halloween. Trevor and Juli were ghosts, and Eli was Superman. Brett actually didn’t go trick-or-treating, but instead went to the Hallelujah Party. That is something that’s put on by Bridge of Hope church. He went with a friend and had a great time! Everyone got plenty of candy, that is for sure. - I don’t have pictures handy of Halloween, but maybe soon. *snicker* :)</p> <p>In November, we took Brett & Trevor to Minneapolis for a little weekend away. We got to Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon and checked in to our hotel. We walked to the train station (which was by the Metrodome) and took the train to the Mall of America. Wow – what a sight – SO many people! We were there for a couple of hours and then took the train back. I forgot to take my camera there though, so –again- no pictures. :(</p> <p>The hotel was hosting a tailgate party that night since it was a game weekend, so we went back there and watched some college football and had brats, burgers, hot dogs and nachos. Brett & Trevor put the hotel pool to good use too. We relaxed in the hotel all night on Saturday and watched “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”. </p> <p>On Sunday morning, we had breakfast at the hotel, and then got ready to go to the dome for our first ever NFL game. They had some concerts and other events going on outside before they let the fans in to find their seats. The weather was amazing … especially for MN in November! We were able to walk around without bundling up – this was a huge plus to not have to carry all kinds of coats, hats, gloves, etc. along with us. </p> <p>It was a very exciting game. The Vikings were down by 14 points to start the 4th quarter, and ended up winning by 3 points in overtime. Even though we were watching the Vikings and not the Bears – we still had a really great time. </p> <p>We are so blessed that Grandma Langstraat was willing to watch Eli for the weekend. He had a great time with her (and I’m pretty sure she enjoyed it too). We were very anxious to get back to pick him up though – we definitely missed him! (Although I don’t think he would have really enjoyed the game … or the driving … very much)</p> <p>Below are a few pictures of our weekend.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhuA3J0gB-qbWZNSNyKCsx5EeHaqt7U4BS5Ha7-vho7CXs8ZL7Wu2R8hcdIpb0XZ8QXxinvUKBCfkY0t_YwznXRNPavVIFUEhRdkZnxsXrlLp-gBqmJDSq2UsnwnKek8qCjZNA8nDbmI/s1600-h/MN%20collage%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="MN collage" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="291" alt="MN collage" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikncpObF-RNytG4s8owja-SG888a1BSjwYSyJs4k7K_nAj-SrlbGZBe-JyKguIL89uKluBfvDf-Y5D8jveVOJyfCNI09APMl6xA3qNtCk20wDugZdZ4ZPEOvFSAM8QIsIB01kxyuwQfow/?imgmax=800" width="446" border="0"></a> </p> <p>(Holy cow – it just took me forever to make that collage.) :)</p> <p></p> <p>Anyway, I just thought I’d do a quick update in order to remind myself that once upon a time I started a blog. </p> <p>And maybe I will maybe do more collages so that I get better (and faster) at it. Good idea? Yes?</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-75965601687317847152010-10-17T19:58:00.001-05:002010-10-17T19:58:35.335-05:00A Motorcycle, Football & Pumpkins<p>Okay, does that title give you the hint that this post will be one of those that’s all over the place? (remember the last post when I mentioned going back and forth? this is a continuation of that game) :)</p> <p>After posting the first picture of Matt’s bike, he thought I should put a better picture up - so here is his new toy… it needs a name yet – he should work on that.</p> <p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnaL2N-eF2lX-b41oD4ZIbIL-DIjctw78vTkC_B67Qxr3uf8dXr7nbrNaxtc60Xk2VKwpD_52K-qdM07uPa8QE1puADszVcVMn-ka6vZGruFgo_s2o2EHCpRoG1lpfRianDPh9aa-xHA/s1600-h/P1070983%5B2%5D.jpg"><img title="P1070983" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="184" alt="P1070983" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yfz5w0IZBs7IxvXy1__GlJPNemNH4yOrrBPGbOPFm2luZ_6NADGtxqIrEbyRfBLElpYCb4VNtk5XPeNkfKgF9ESIWmRd0A9cpZJHjDBKVIkIanR4nSyFrbZIEVwYlemxZfIZ_roMjt0/?imgmax=800" width="244" border="0"></a> </p> <p>Matt has wanted a bike for a long time now, and he is getting a lot of use out of this already. I love to see that he’s having fun with it!</p> <p>Here are some more pictures that I’ve been meaning to post for a while. This was Brett’s first year of playing football. It’s a league football (not sponsored by city rec). He had a blast playing, even though his team didn’t win any games. They have plenty of time to learn the plays and get the wins … but for now, it’s all about having fun and learning to LIKE the game! (Brett was #11 and his main positions were tailback, tight end, safety and corner) Eli also wanted to test out the pads and the jersey … he might have a little bit of growing to do. ha!</p> <p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvc1sYRDB0-pEdmR_fjxuoAaohs85T4LQzkbczRHge0GxtCl-bAqjbia1dDhfYVMhCDUnsZ-IDZ5utKLJo7x0LacBlDkhIyOR7QG-tR8cXKjlS7GD1FoW36jKlbodZBGR7x0HXRvRPIw/s1600-h/P1070970%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1070970" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="184" alt="P1070970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAgVGr8z1ADgFM7ExLZmqg0LwQZbihhE_ommdiHBIOJlYIODYtbfApqaKiHsCpKysT8sx5pEALpOl4pZGDUcZj4HvrtymcPuc5eZyLBcsORW4i0fug5PZTaVz3GCYJFtfoK1IxRSm_7E/?imgmax=800" width="142" border="0"></a> </p> <blockquote> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNcDhA_7vfgOmgn_pC2tDzf3VSFmOH2PeNektOiDMvdkVOcC7ueeZSMucRFeorp_a61SuJQV1VKnrbppLHdQXl3Cv8hYf8O47WKSN4qcbqucqhnzUKp9LPpNaZPM6cr7v6c6YN6zFqcs/s1600-h/P1070989%5B4%5D.jpg"><img title="P1070989" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="129" alt="P1070989" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m5mtZ4ew2XkyN-AF74d9i0OKvYfmAexqOPq93-jSs7bOZk0kWw3QeSDaSDqKQkxlsMGyfJ07rM5w5cNO6PoTOEsyRXJoMH6QHgUHmnfYrOnxJAeOEDoK4Svs2_hzxsZjPTtkWy-7Kkg/?imgmax=800" width="164" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinL-64ya0vf29po0Ozlm5n9HRfKpsfuj8INt5NtJYJjP_nEEYh1zVpupParXyxKOUBSOcw6OU_xBTMwGbxMOsW6ABdy4OTkxSTSo2AspK8E2DxRBdaJQZqDnZj5hg2VG0RwjMuNFrjaPI/s1600-h/P1070945%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1070945" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="136" alt="P1070945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmc2kYVC8sxbq3ahJJ-307m4EFL0BzHOfgkOAGddCZiyzuyy81PpDdhtZQK-q_B-_TJbFDXIDMtJrylZn4HyH5Oc1-lZ3hdynDqH2AD0xYigeb_uE6hRpMGmYz0JdPzlV9sde2mEdmI8/?imgmax=800" width="177" border="0"></a> </p> <p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIRIxThKHj4LQ03pCcLEcSYExzEaLhOiO9I__RyFKxzwTWm7KbNpqys08whTY_zQZAOzX8gJpZPKt6xYLAwLKqRjnYVhgj5fJFqWhb_6qjh0fGIJmleKYMRv2h4pFb5VBXvsh8KNp7hU/s1600-h/P1070992%5B2%5D.jpg"><img title="P1070992" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="184" alt="P1070992" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCCu61FiXorzNLoAOqf7pplUzRaifP1tHmqc63OixSt438XoLreTZR3Ou2DiEaVyGt8zeIoq1wmnDMpliLdqHV6RKMA0_xutoXzf6BIl_CePzgKqn411nN3F4be6qQK74lyEckTk76S8/?imgmax=800" width="244" border="0"></a> </p> <p>The same day of Brett’s last game (the playoffs), we also went camping to Newton Hills. Brett was a little bummed to miss a lot of the day on Saturday – but hopefully we can go again next year. They do a “Festi-Fall” – most people who camp decorate their campsites and carve pumpkins to display. We had a great time camping. The Fall weather was bea-u-ti-ful!! So fun! We had campfires, carved the pumpkins, played sand volleyball, went to the festival, did a candle-light walk, and just had a really great time! </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIt3h8Omqm-f-s_A2hEQZD1amkeEOxTGnUdYnqeXvR2Mf9n6tXBMOJ4wvpR-InWjzlT8YjmIy5h34FhmRVGk8VolmES76ZBX6YnjW_x6dS-tFoue0Y3KBESgZo7toKSA36GhMq5zmipw/s1600-h/P1080048%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1080048" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="129" alt="P1080048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqdvDnctOJpKEBKMLprJA6zg_wE27SGJNPO58HQQRnNuJfpY3JSJGerlxWbxvbYu_v3nw2jKLlAsdeeeqqToBN24GYjtbr2K-U-vmaroU9CnVZ9T5RKeUX5tvxvyG7JInJ9-Zy1X9iPk/?imgmax=800" width="167" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOooEVGijv1z0MhnMdYrQpSzxAwhF3x0cYqK_HbkwPEQxGtD12_9ulvIN8uBCUJ2FxADjixJRjCIONOCi1lq6hGoAxs5iVnULfCPBnjyJItJnPYM5d9c-vLgoAYUz-A3mj9ksHsZAYUlE/s1600-h/P1080062%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1080062" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="133" alt="P1080062" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdhBIYM93gL0h68Z3nu7l5Ph1a73hq_sz92V8cYNeMvvCUnAxVi8NKBUVO_dLlhOFBNNVDHdumyh6J2RcGZynMlVjM_yDxRzUyVKHQ0mnA8Hw2IzOmowhSHplC1YOO4XyWUt_y7xZ7Dg/?imgmax=800" width="173" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBxzhFJnmcIDQlhc9JRkroIpdZslq2nkEABdDvbxKAXSqRd09VAp9vaM7dyDUbrJw1TthxhV7RP8HCb4JPEPL6XItMPmZR3OI9LZrZS_NyWTD3DuR_yjFTtw8TEtVQm6XBHh-VXvA8EM/s1600-h/P1080089%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1080089" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="135" alt="P1080089" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TLubRAeCvnI/AAAAAAAAADc/YqLj-wLt54g/P1080089_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="175" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAeeP-6APWy_1TVxAQ1PAIxPbl7A8y9V-YJFaH4ZJSiwJnzhwqsDXAoDFAA9OpsdwGkxqS4aOmplLxDb5KMxwzbqcUPILWuO7AUfRAn590JpQQ7CsFQwy1rapuO3Lqc-w6ECOnR2C4I8/s1600-h/P1080045%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1080045" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="136" alt="P1080045" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TLubXcY5uBI/AAAAAAAAADk/jFpVsm9ecMw/P1080045_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="177" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdUf6DwaQTBglra-9hrOZaJk8foT22ILAZcnbDfuV-tHQMF-_mb_-5NchsHg3DXE4eCwkYZU1A2tGcVi6Oxfv2_ZPKXlAzuEjx69w9M8Jzhq52excuRi3XSHDHmZiVMsnDTJmrz1Ll2Q/s1600-h/P1080076%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1080076" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="136" alt="P1080076" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvKjjNpsICLh6ECaVIEMoA1NGR2Ln7YMEZ0vNMHrGZktHi4LNPsFeY8-hcnjkCwzRjFmmtyKXsohxsBOnzf3fVqxCKiWFU-m5oe8Xn038XoLxqZ2qbeL_hpkGgWTzCn618upPG0MrT2A/?imgmax=800" width="176" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjxxN1iaj9rQKgzhflHL0N5Ax017iScfRW3JpNUWFh3NySU7WPUj9lOcIiQzrcsQzBWAO-WXCA9x06MZ6DlWs-HXc2sBXSDPCYOYAsRkEnwESsWHvjuHEVp56oJPhyphenhyphenthrDcK6nvhZSVo/s1600-h/P1080073%5B4%5D.jpg"><img title="P1080073" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="140" alt="P1080073" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TLubfor4NuI/AAAAAAAAAD0/K-uDayyYPws/P1080073_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="177" border="0"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TLubjT77aBI/AAAAAAAAAD4/yTDgNR-N02Y/s1600-h/P1080112%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1080112" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="187" alt="P1080112" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TLubkWbkFMI/AAAAAAAAAD8/ps7vJKy8ED8/P1080112_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="144" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtaGkLYBIXOn7w7CsZlZlMPpYNC5DOp5pL5g9uNCwpGSBncCjtTgzT3wuL1q_oSlsnHDrWgnwzu8t9C7GdCv-66sVW1O4ZTHeFA3L6ldmyRZcooMg0yfRoKIn1KCGMXvf8ExoMa7rOSG4/s1600-h/P1080060%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1080060" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="186" alt="P1080060" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hx3mDVEY9DY8-sVOP5gMmXqOM02ysiFhNwqAQH1c0MLXCkQ5P5qgmH5z_WV9hGf4Fiws7fWAHzfPF3IBi_pLklxqn_GEPVBxqQOUVMnIYn-d4F4xenbOlu9opLzM3MPJWOyA2-ctK3A/?imgmax=800" width="242" border="0"></a></p></blockquote> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-85085797076193947692010-09-16T08:17:00.001-05:002010-09-16T08:17:37.695-05:00How Forever Feels…<p>Let’s all just go ahead and think of this blog like a tennis match. Back and forth … current stuff then backwards to catch up. Then back to current stuff and backwards again. :)</p> <p>This post is dedicated to my awesome husband!!</p> <p>Last week Matt & I celebrated our 15th anniversary - on Sept. 9. It was a great day! We are normally not the type to do “big” stuff for our anniversary, but this year Matt sent me 15 BEAUTIFUL red roses at work – and I gave him 4 tickets to a MN Vikings game. (we surprised each other … and it worked for both of us!)</p> <p>We ended up going out for supper Friday night because my mom was very sweet and offered to watch Eli & Trevor (Brett was overnight at a friend’s house). </p> <p>We are both just so grateful to God for blessing us with 15 years of wedded bliss so far – and we pray for many, many more years together. We are so happy to be the parents of 3 precious little boys. Even though we live simply (but dream big!), we know that we have so much more than we deserve!</p> <p>So … here’s to us, Matt. I love you so much more than I could put into words. Can’t wait to see what else God has in store for us! </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4pheDfV9JLSsmD1-yNSzjsBuF0mTA5igI9llKK6CqnjeBPn-xBm-56kwUCv0Cr8KhcZ8zykpnVjqahYd3GRt8Tx5i7sCCwZFT40XJYPpKYC1jP6pxvgRfSbvLvNxO6UwdYhJFtU3CPw/s1600-h/IMG_090623.jpg"><img title="IMG_0906" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" height="212" alt="IMG_0906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMD9VYClAeHW8nryxu0f1y_vrPmxpsD7mulJKdhJGWE6Tp25LaHXkMRrXOPOvoyUx3vrbgy8gRxy9WdzUuw8YV0ilCC3Z2B8-UkIvNgcKnsuC_FyiLq2IA-28Mto7Jcif-vqZKFNUKOgc/?imgmax=800" width="284" border="0"></a> </p> <p>And … since Brent & Kelli, Mike & Pat, and Phil & Wendi all celebrated anniversaries within the last month – the happy anniversary wishes go out to them too!</p> <p>Love,</p> <p>Kristi</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-34216098903695303702010-09-08T12:44:00.001-05:002010-09-08T12:44:51.255-05:00Birthdays Galore!<p>Okay, so I’m not a very good blogger so far. :( So even though it’s September already, I’m going to blog about August (and there are probably a couple more August posts that need to happen yet … I just have to get better at this first) :)</p> <p>August is a pretty crazy month for us. We have lots of family birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate. Here are a few tidbits about the occasions.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvYS2PSEgMcMqkDqpOzdyuxuzUhId1N-8pvmGtZ7vOzCixyghLDpI6OCV-gjYXKEAosnIhVLEHMUG7q4SEoiBBhrm_rKCuV1Us7dpNy8zuaacTLX2cUlmm9q9M9NIBItEIU5E2aNt_As/s1600-h/P10709092.jpg"><img title="P1070909" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="184" alt="P1070909" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TIfLi1HrGWI/AAAAAAAAACE/Bm8nx5xaCJs/P1070909_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" border="0"></a> </p> <p>Trevor … you turned 8 this year. What?! All I did is blink, and you went from being a little boy to a 2nd-grader. What are you up to these days? </p> <ul> <li>You are becoming quite the little water bug. You and Brett both took swimming lessons this year and you love to swim now. (Thanks, Kiley!) <li>You constantly want to spend time at Wendi’s house playing with Juli. I’m so glad you guys are such good friends! <li>You never, ever want to clean anything up at home … it is like pulling teeth to get you to work around the house. You are a pro at getting “distracted” and forgetting that you were supposed to be working. On the plus side, Eli gets to spend lots of time with you when you will help by watching him instead of cleaning. ;) <li>You love to watch anything on Disney channel or Nickelodeon. <li>You are a wonderful combination of sweetness, mischief and stubbornness. And your dad and I love you exactly the way you are. </li></ul> <p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAQKne8xZUyH53EXb_Y9Jg7q5E2zqq5plW-bJu_UEXgecM5mV6r-DSCv2oEEsLhTRMtwlYwYtQs7YK817EmKEIFmTOqGwx-PJvXEP1X_9ctHHh6gHjTiYn1-JrPMUgkb2xAr9bm_uVIE/s1600-h/P10708784.jpg"><img title="P1070878" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="308" alt="P1070878" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TIfLjkH5b4I/AAAAAAAAACM/ikKcw88lGm4/P1070878_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="239" border="0"></a> </p> <p>Eli … you are THREE! Again – I have no idea how the last 3 years went by without me noticing. As much as I wish I could go back to the days when you were a tiny baby, I also wish I could bottle you up the way you are now. </p> <ul> <li>Not sure how much you weigh or how tall (or short) you really are, but we’ll have your 3-year checkup soon and then we’ll see those numbers. (guessing you’re somewhere around 27 lbs though) <li>You are NOT interested in potty training yet, but hopefully you’ll be learning that at daycare in the near future. <li>Because you hate the idea of potty training, you are in a size 4 diaper. <li>You love it when Brett & Trevor play with you … you think you’re just as big as they are. <li>You love to give me hugs and kisses when I drop you off at daycare. I usually let you give me as many as you want. :) <li>You sleep like a champ … once you finally go to sleep. We don’t always “make” you go to bed. Lots of times you fall asleep by me or dad in the living room and then we put you in your bed. A lot of people probably think it’s a bad idea because it doesn’t teach you a good routine. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything – we love hanging out with you at night – the time is precious! (we always did the same thing with your brothers too – so it seems to be okay) <li>We can’t wait to see all of the new things you’ll learn over the next year (and I’m sure that year will go too fast as well). Dad and I love you so much … more than we could say. </li></ul> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprkaVewjDaccUdPr3ZoaVrWzJrNN4R0rRMaI1fPxtLvFq_mrjidZE0v8P2-YWVNDhyvKJIagFTDbAFhUCTbBPNjf_9bGXhZa57IFq2PXlPO03d4abrxStgu1_YB75VMSgGJccPl1W5Zk/s1600-h/P10709402.jpg"><img title="P1070940" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="184" alt="P1070940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqaDiVOmoYnpOqltEF6LOI_9InsKDoB29vgZWe8BdnumpfFoj_-ly08-YVvPO2wb9z2D6qivMNdVYQv38hCLLdSme9uWBw6r74r8jrEWatvT0KRyj5dp_ivMfZPvAF4Nt9q5CiqbiDWjc/?imgmax=800" width="244" border="0"></a> </p> <p>Matt … well, let’s just say that you’re … older. And – you bought your own birthday present. :) I know that the picture is pretty terrible, but I just needed to snap a quick one so that I could finally put up this post that has been sitting in drafts for..um..ever. Maybe I’ll put a better one up soon.</p> <ul> <li>You finally went out and bought one of the things that you’ve wanted for a LONG time. I’m hoping that you will get lots of use out of this. (side note: for now, I like riding with you in town a lot more than the open road … guess I need some more practice runs … OR … you need to get a windshield on that thing) <li>Brett, Trevor, Eli and I just all love you so much and hope this is your best year yet! </li></ul> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-78912471284666413182010-08-07T16:05:00.001-05:002010-08-07T16:05:31.965-05:00Memory Lane …<p>These two pictures are from way back (2005). I miss my older two boys being that little. But I’m also having so much fun with them right now.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF33YlJmRemqQ03o3XN5weaMNj2SBe6VmINqt1pHpXXm41YOrRI8XRx7TBJh1TaIwPmn5jtpl641HqiFVGMXhMt1c1iRt_j4qu2-lPilcfEcZ3WvWfP7Om8R5nH6Y4LJIDgJrHfMqNRA/s1600-h/AUT_9001%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="AUT_9001" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="149" alt="AUT_9001" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkz9sy-CyzzH0gC4RBOLLsmOQYui-U8-C3KhjOgsVLqkUoUc7EUatoGaW01M20khagPyzULQN3KgW_qr-Eat8zaht8cCdPXjqGF1VrOs0KK-A3Ca2PiKLdiOpaqpdTS4LN_NsgBMD7iM8/?imgmax=800" width="193" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsPThN8QtUIAu4Q9YB5jP8zn24vJAec3SEMzcP_tmwIIq18lXK3_5iHBS1w9DCbGUlCeX0vhtPVpvOII6My0zaYNJdmiJJuDgDAO80DhkoO0-MgGxFefBuldocB5PV-U7vvf7FlXomXo/s1600-h/AUT_0401%5B4%5D.jpg"><img title="AUT_0401" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="151" alt="AUT_0401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZr5vp0mn8nq6wtGep_xlV7ncY-YFX7aDCXInxMBTuFpK1bkXCovH5TKAFeAbCSi9vwXGy_9czJ1M5_2rNbuxXashYHLego_cEBH3oTdN_JTj3nbXTBMEBfytZlXEGL3dT6lEDLLNJNlQ/?imgmax=800" width="192" border="0"></a> </p> <p>These two pictures of Eli are from 2009. And I just think he’s cute as a button! </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAqdXo62hidfCNpMiAUs-1O5QCayhezyJvuN8YfWtFaDFVHYCJ1f9JV7tiSfak-9UM20ngq2ys6aImdUlX0ATKid21g2qoW4-LTmiYwEOKIifVWMn5PvvDpudYh7UzhoY2bpw-CJ8RM0/s1600-h/P1040981%5B4%5D.jpg"><img title="P1040981" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="155" alt="P1040981" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXxaAlXau-BahzK7zkH3TucNITQYFwxL9v10B1p3EeXjaBuYq5-SbqCF3NM4oM_KJIffR7j2EPv4CM1V0_hhBOu3W5_YN5TQvvWGZ-apMqlTdWuxP-GoDvlgKeD6-8CQpVCCPVuH6rqY/?imgmax=800" width="197" border="0"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpilpWqPZ-a6-wBTNfYAjviVrhgqZlFZHI0rgNoRT_GmShLt0yGevjR0M8AdCMHpTAqLzCFnAubbx5hAGt_aF-0z8wedF_szL34u01m_9qN3n3EEAkVC7bYK86fx2vx4UsqsFWiqUM23I/s1600-h/P1050156%5B3%5D.jpg"><img title="P1050156" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="150" alt="P1050156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDoG1YQEMxr31U0efoYLbwZCtGFo1Lu1gkH3T4NTW5J0Tte812Hjn5YD9fVULZJo2EUaCMoJuBsfuT1Hz_FN82cpZIHUPwHRqfJ0uxBtwcVqc5KOKCwUgKzBC42Ka7rmbFRLD5bNpXYQ/?imgmax=800" width="195" border="0"></a> </p> <p>My heart bursts with joy whenever I think of how blessed I am to be their mom! </p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-83729523839297087562010-08-04T17:19:00.001-05:002010-08-04T17:19:42.503-05:00Splish Splash!<p> </p> <p>Well, we are on day 725 of vacuuming water out of our basement. (okay, that might be rounded up) ;) We had so much rain in July and it just has nowhere to go, so it’s finding its way into a lot of basements – ours included. Today has been bright and sunny, and I am SO thankful. There is more rain in the forecast, but only slight chances of it – so maybe it won’t even come. That would be okay!</p> <p>This picture below was our ditch on Monday, while it was still raining …</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwYD9JIb-rF8SjaF47SYo3Sf0grne-pTFS2LFbNzb-qFw1QDAM_ApblQehcGKmMMMMqGFJEKirq1SLPzYwPJ8NzXUpMzfbh7tAGP1nYylNXk6vpaihkdiAjT8YlUiuaZam7rQyzsW-_Q/s1600-h/P1070778%5B4%5D.jpg"><img title="P1070778" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="251" alt="P1070778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHyZnXDXmubJbPmQmIhyphenhyphenEdjzUZxbIPbiEUOIbdo3F6IMmuBfEHAaXVzuC7zL2_kkgIx7_ZHq_lxwMVqvMMJ2BgHhd2bGaVTLKXUdUIPsgKPcm1PCvS5O2W3PO-6wDsvotqW62H881170/?imgmax=800" width="482" border="0"></a> </p> <p>This is Eli helping in the basement – kind of makes the water seem less bad. Especially since he’s in his pj’s. Cute stuff! Hmm – where are our older boys?? </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TFnnelwjr8I/AAAAAAAAABI/Ayzqgl3sLq4/s1600-h/P1070764%5B2%5D.jpg"><img title="P1070764" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="184" alt="P1070764" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UuxXfbg46eeGcgoUMgJH7doP_-zDzr4dgyElvRRvDra5-bk_57jUabxndxdLIZHqwDQcteIjXSYo5wyGQjja76dURQBKnUesyPqpWQvSEf5MImN_zCjyArAWY2xtXtYYWVnoMscH-dg/?imgmax=800" width="244" border="0"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xEnNwngvY0k/TFnnfAWL71I/AAAAAAAAABQ/OUKzKFcjSlA/s1600-h/P1070767%5B2%5D.jpg"><img title="P1070767" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="244" alt="P1070767" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0foKDabaw-Po9x5ulm6uKBXPwZsrqhRPA_qPVWpBUI9tLoxI_mhmxNAAvCFUdEbirPz7_YNm-mt7UiEDIr2jt9a4HyEPNm4J4S341ELJt7UEyrZp-wO227iQdyH6r_whJZoxH4TAyeIA/?imgmax=800" width="184" border="0"></a> </p> <p>We are ready for a rainbow :)</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-83651440930142239002010-07-30T13:02:00.001-05:002010-07-30T13:02:20.702-05:00Testing 1, 2, 3 …<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPi-plv9DK-7mSjy5oZAnsGWJ2pncFEDm8CHIIvTabwU5wGdozuBv52iKnz0V8fN4QMwVPI-8MCQUiq0dc8B9rT59FyWWgRNW92LmOBEDUSmICHD5YqZ0Tm4FnQ_XeGKDqmj6sCTkE2A/s1600-h/IMG_0835%5B12%5D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0835" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="337" alt="IMG_0835" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AodQPHzizw7hsrwYh2yCwnYPfT-4m5t1gAaRkRved5B1iiyjHuadqat1_cagwCGvx2t3U7ui3IwlSWcN9ykHsf1rnAIxTRZWxkcXCIeyw_5iWQyjaIox5GkhYTh0Z4lJQzuBkKTpMAs/?imgmax=800" width="488" border="0"></a> </p> <p> </p> <p>Okay, so I am testing this whole blog concept (and getting some training from <a href="http://www.bkhooyer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kelli</a>) … so here’s a test post. It doesn’t have any fun or witty sayings – just a picture of some people who are precious to me. :) </p> <p>So here are a couple of things that are going on this weekend. Matt is heading to the races in Newton, and the boys and I are going to take our first camping trip without him. Okay – so I guess he had a hand it in since he had to bring the camper away, and he’ll have to go and pick it up too… guess I’m not as self-sufficient as I first thought. ;)</p> ~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1957978284046190776.post-80224660691062164502010-07-29T01:03:00.000-05:002010-07-29T01:03:38.432-05:00Broadening My HorizonsA blog? From Kristi? The earth must be spinning right off its axis! I have no idea what I'm doing here, so I guess I'll just learn as I go. <br />
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The purpose of this blog is just to document some of the the things that go on at our house. The boys are growing much too fast - and it's so hard to remember all the little things that make our life so full! Here's hoping I can keep up with them AND a blog! Ha! :)~Kristi~http://www.blogger.com/profile/13379170932001441680noreply@blogger.com0