Nine!!!!

October 18.  Nine years!!!

 We are thankful for the goodness and grace of God.  Marriage is beautiful.  It is fun.  It is challenging.  It is sanctifying.  It is loving.  To God be the glory.

Super Siblings!

Isaiah (2y 4mos) and Selah (5yo)

Superboy and Supergirl!!!

Just for the record...

Here are Selah's stats at her five year old check-up.
     Height:  40 1/2 inches
     Weight:  35 pounds

As you know, I like to "compare" each child's check-up with their elder sibling(s).

Sofia's stats at five years old:
     Height:  43 inches
     Weight:  35 pounds

So, after being pretty much neck and neck up until now, it looks as if Selah may be the short petite one of our girls.

More than anything, we are so thankful for the health of our children.  Selah has continued to develop right on track and is one healthy little girl.  Thank you, Lord!!!!

Laughter.

I just love when my children laugh.

I also love when my husband laughs.

And I especially love when my children and husband laugh together.

And there is nothing like a tickle/wrestling fest 

to get the laughter going.

Star Student

We are so proud of Sofia.  This week she was chosen to be the first "Star Student" in her class.  She brought home a poster "All About Me!" for her to complete.  It will be hung on the special class bulletin board for all to see. 

The proudest part of this recognition as a parent is Sofia's reaction.  She said, "I don't know why Mrs. Grabert chose me.  I just do my work."  And in response to completing the following statement on her poster, "I AM A STAR STUDENT BECAUSE....", Sofia wrote "God made me smart and pretty."

She has begun the new school year in second grade doing very well.  Reading and spelling continue to be her strong subjects (reading at a level P and so far 100% on all her spelling tests).  Math is a subject she struggles with but is actually working above grade level.  Sofia is excited about science and social studies this year and loved the mapping project she did last week in geography.

We are so grateful Sofia enjoys school and loves to learn.  And we are grateful for teachers who encourage and challenge her to keep doing better.

And who knows, someday Sofia may be a "Star Teacher"....at least that is what she wrote on her poster in response to what she wants to be when she grows up.

Party for our five year old.

Today we celebrated Selah turning five years old.  

And my oh my was she one excited little girl.

The party theme was "Balloons!"

 Balloon decorations, balloon games, and balloon cupcakes.

The best part of the party were the friends.

Friends from church, the neighbourhood, and playdates.

Happy, happy birthday to our sweet Selah.

She's five!

Today our Selah turns five years old.  She brings us such joy.

Selah is a beautiful blond hair, blue eye little girl.  She is our sensitive child.  Her feelings are easily hurt yet she is also one to feel the pain herself when she has wronged another.  

She loves to be with family and friends.

Selah enjoys playing outside and riding her bike.  She has become mommy's best egg-cracker when helping cook.  And she loves playing tickle monster with daddy.

It's not surprising that she is a morning girl considering that five years ago not only did she come two weeks before her due date but my water broke at 4 o'clock in the morning.  

Selah has an intense love for her sister and brother.  

Her understanding of God has deepened this past year.  

Today we celebrate Selah's 5th birthday.

Join us in giving her the best gift ever....the gift of prayer.

Pray that...

Selah will continue in good health and grow developmentally.

Selah's relationship with Sofia and Isaiah will continue to deepen.

Selah's love for singing will always be a sweet sound in our Savior's ear.

Selah will continue to be curious, and that someday her curiousity will be satisfied by knowing Jesus.

Selah, whom God put on this earth for His enjoyment, will bring glory to God by enjoying Him.

Sofia the Second Grader

Today Sofia began second grade. 

But first a picture of her with her teacher, Mrs. Grabert.  We took this picture yesterday when we attended Sneak Preview.  It was a time for meeting your teacher, finding your classroom, and dropping off your school supplies.

This morning Sofia was SOOOOOOO EXCITED to go back to school.    Here she is posing for me with her new backpack.

And here is this year's bus stop gang.  A beautiful group of girls.

We pray this year will continue to be one of great learning not only academically but spiritually as well.  We pray the Lord will see fit to let our light shine as, not just Sofia, but we as a family interact with her teachers, schoolmates, and friends.

His identity.

Many people struggle with their identity.  Not Isaiah.
He is Isaiah.  No ifs, ands, buts about it.

Examples of conversations in our household.

Mommy to Isaiah:  "You are such a good boy."
Isaiah:  "I'm not good.  I'm Isaiah."

Sisters to Isaiah:  "Hey buddy."
Isaiah:  "I'm not buddy.  I'm Isaiah."

Daddy to Isaiah:  "Are you daddy's big boy?"
Isaiah:  "No.  I'm Isaiah."

Family Fun Friday

Ohhhhh, we love our family fun Fridays.  It is so nice to be able to enjoy certain activities without the weekend crowd. Unfortunately, this past Friday was quite crowded due to it being the last one before school begins but we still had fun.

It was a GORGEOUS day.  You gotta love the city scape of Chicago.

Will they ever all look at the camera at the same time?

We went to one of our favourite places, Lincoln Park Zoo.  Not only did we enjoy the animals and exhibits but we were able to enjoy the practice runs of the participants in the upcoming Chicago Air and Water Show.  

We take a picture at this same spot every year.  Isaiah, however,  was not a willing participant.

It was such a great day.  We love our family days.   

Manistee 2012

Every August we join my mom and stepdad, Bill, in Manistee, MI.  It is always such a wonderful time and this year was no exception.

8/6:  The kids and I left around 6:30 a.m. for the 6 hour drive.  I was really proud of the way the kids acted in the van especially considering that only Selah slept in the van.  Isaiah NEVER sleeps in the van.  Seriously, the boy amazes me.  Thankfully he doesn't whine or cry either.

Upon arrival it was time for a nap.  While Isaiah and mommy rested, Aunt Kelli and Gramma took the kids to the outdoor pool.  That evening we enjoyed going to the playground at the beach located right across the street from where we were staying but first we enjoyed ice cream at the House of Flavors.  Being that Manistee is up north and at the western edge of the EST zone, the sun didn't set until 9:30 p.m.  Made for some wonderful evenings.

8/7:  The morning was spent at the beach.  It is a gorgeous beach with "sugar sand".  We had amazing weather...sunshine, 79 degrees...and hardly anyone at the beach.  The girls took a walk with Gramma and Papa Bill out to the lighthouse.  They loved it.  Isaiah's favourite beach activity was not only playing in the sand but chasing the seagulls.

Afternoon naps and dinner were followed by a concert in the park.  5th street beach and park was a perfect setting for the kids and adults.  The kids played at the playground while the adults, we sat in our chairs and listened to a local jazz band.  SO RELAXING!!!!

8/8:  Gramma and Papa Bill went to visit some friends so I took the kids to the outdoor pool.  The girls are becoming little fishies.  Isaiah, however, would much rather just sit on the steps playing with my sunglasses.

That afternoon daddy arrived (he had to work the first few days).  We spent another evening playing at the beach playground and chasing seagulls.  The weather temps cooled down a bit into the 60s but was still enjoyable.  We ended the evening with a couple rounds of Crazy Eights.

8/9:  It was a rainy morning but thankfully the place we were staying had an indoor pool.   Pool time is always so much fun but again Isaiah preferred the steps.

Gramma and Papa Bill took the girls to see a movie that afternoon.  Kevin and I relaxed and packed up while Isaiah took his nap.  We then met up with the others after the movie for dinner.  After dinner we said our goodbyes to Gramma and Papa Bill and headed to Sparta for the rest of the weekend.

There has been much going on in our lives regarding family, work, and future.  Our week in Michigan gave us much rest, and a great time with family.

Dollar Store Reveal

One of our errands the other day was to go to the Dollar Store.  Something I do every so often is give each child their own dollar to purchase whatever they would like in addition to what mommy is needing to purchase.


When we got home it hit me how much each child's pick revealed their age and their current interest.


Sofia, age 7 chose a USA Word Find book.
Selah, age 4, chose a little toy horse.
Isaiah, age 2, chose bubbles.


Yep, that's where we are in life currently.  All three items have brought great joy to our kids this week.  Not bad for $3.21.

End of the season.

This is the sixth year that Kevin has played on our church's men's softball team.  He really enjoys it.  And we as a family enjoy going to watch the games and cheer them on.

Last week the team ended the season with a win.  They only lost two games all season so this put them in first place.  Sadly, last Monday night they lost their first playoff game and ended the season.  All in all it was a great time for Kevin to hang out with some great guys, enjoy the outdoors and get in a little exercise.

Kevin getting ready to hit a double.

One of daddy's cheerleaders.

Isaiah and Selah "helping" Krista keep score.

The kiddos with their favourite outfielder.

VBS 2012

The week of June 18-22 was Vacation Bible School.  This week continues to be a week that just blows my mind.  If you've never served in VBS let me encourage you to do so.  It is a week of serving, teaching, sharing the gospel and having fun!


Here are some pics from our week:

The best thing again about VBS is that the gospel is shared.  This year we had four children accept Christ.  What a joy!!!!


On a personal level, our hearts were filled with joy when our daughter Sofia's heart was broken during one of the mission lessons.  After watching a video about some missionaries in Madagascar, Sofia just began crying.  She shared that she didn't like how some of her friends laughed at the way the children in the video lived and she wanted to go to Madagascar and tell the children about Jesus.  We join our daughter in praying that she will take the good news to the nations.


Ahhhh....Vacation Bible School is a lot of hard work.  But boy is it rewarding.  Be a part of it!!!  

Our NORMAL two-year old.

This past Tuesday, Isaiah had his two-year old check-up.  After being in the 90% for height his first 18 mos. of life, he is now only in the 56%.  Thus my title of "normal".  We knew there could be no way that he would stay in the 90 %, I mean, look at who his parents are. Needless to say, Isaiah is pretty much a normal two year old in many ways.

He loves to play with his trucks, blocks, and he loves to colour.  He loves to play with his trainset and loves to build with his legos.  The thing he loves most is BUBBLES!!!!  This kid could blow bubbles for hours.  And he's pretty good at doing so himself.

As most two year olds, Isaiah is beginning to assert his wants in a manner that is not always desired.   Thankfully the tantrums do not define him.  If anything, I would say he is quite the mannerly two year old.  I LOVE how he says "Thank you, mama" when he receives something from me.  It has a little sing--song to it.  He does pretty well with saying please and has learned to say, "Please don't" to his sisters when they invade his personal space.  However, his "please don't"s are sometimes paired with a push.  Isaiah can also be described as a charmer.  He will flash his smile and bat his big, brown eyes to get your attention and is good at giving out compliments.  Just this past Sunday as we were getting ready for church he said to me, "Pretty dress, mama".  He melts my heart.

We are so thankful for this young man.  We are thankful for his normalness (ha!) yet look forward to the special things God has in store for him.

Here are the kiddos two-year old stats:

Isaiah   34 3/4 in   28.6 lbs.
Selah    33 1/2 in   24.14 lbs.
Sofia     33 1/2 in   24.0 lbs.

Two Hearted Memories

I've only been there once.  Kevin has been there multiple times. This is where his family vacationed every October for two weeks along with a few summer visits here and there.  For Kevin's dad, Grandpa Sheck, he has been going to this place every year for at least 60 years.  Once he retired he started spending most of September and October there spending his "fishing money".  It was Grandpa Sheck's dad who first introduced him to this wonderful place for fishing and camping.  The place is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The closest town, Newberry, is about 30 miles away.  A fourteen mile drive on a dirt road takes you to the campground that lies at the mouth of the Two Hearted River where it spills into Lake Superior.

The above picture is Grandpa Sheck's home away from home.  Of course it began as a place to pitch a tent, then they started bringing their fifth wheel up before finally making it a more permanent structure.  This is the place I visited.  We visited in August 2004.  I was six months pregnant with Sofia.  The sun would not set until almost 10:30 p.m. Once it did the night sky was a glow with a spectacular display of stars.  The air was refreshing and I spent many hours listening to Grandpa Sheck share his memories.  Kevin's mom had just passed away the year before.  The shed in the above picture was named "Shirl's Barn".  She had always wanted a red barn so Kevin's dad made sure she had one.  What I enjoyed most was reading through notebooks that Kevin's mom had kept as a journal of their doings each time they visited.  The notebooks went back to the late 80s.  Most of the entries told of time spent searching for agates on the shore of Lake Superior, the outings to the nearby lighthouse, and about who came with them that time around.

A couple of weeks ago a wildfire that began from a strike of lightening whipped through this area.  It was a devastating fire that destroyed the nearby Rainbow Lodge and many homes and trailers.  Sadly, Grandpa Sheck and Uncle Paul's trailers were some of those that didn't make it.  This past weekend, Grandpa Sheck was finally able to travel up north to see the damage.  

Last night Kevin shared these pictures with the kids.  This is a place that we had hoped to take them for the first time this July.  It is a place he himself loved going to as a kid.  But while Kevin can no longer share this exact place, this is what he did share with the kids.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where theives break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be."

Matthew 6:19-21

We are thankful for places to visit, we are thankful for memories, but we are more thankful for relationships. With the greatest relationship being one that we have with Jesus Christ.