Wow, so much has happened since I last posted! This has been a crazy and wonderful time- Jalen's art show, graduation, and party, a weekend with friends at their cottage, a second kid is now driving, three kids in "Once Upon a Mattress," finished our co-op's yearbook and signed up for TWO co-ops for the fall....
Oh, wow! The above paragraph was written in June. And then life exploded! Five exchange students came to visit over the last 6 weeks or so, including the very best moment of the year... carefully planned and caught on film! You can check it out on you tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6PlLFP2qsg . Morgan's reaction was priceless and everything I had hoped for! Thankfully, you can't see in the video just how much I was shaking from the excitement of pulling it off with Immo and John!
Going back a little earlier in the summer, here's what's been up with us:
A double birthday celebration at a friends' cottage near Saginaw Bay... We had a wonderful weekend away with the Schultz family, celebrating the dads' birthdays. Caseville is a new favorite get-away destination- such a cute town and the kids all loved the boating, shopping, exploring, etc. We are hoping for one return trip before the boat comes out of the water for the season.
Jalen- graduated, working local comic/art shows, selling his art and having comics published in two local newspapers! He is starting college next week and can't wait. This year has really held some interesting challenges for him and I am so proud of the strong Christian man that he is becoming.
A favorite senior pic...
Jalen at his table at the Kids Read Comics show in Chelsea...
Luke is our newest driver and harasses us to drive all the time. He has learned to unicycle, taught himself the ukulele, and has been taking a ballroom dance class this summer in Plymouth with his friend, Sarah. He is also gearing up for his first day of school next week at Washtenaw Technical Middle College. I am excited about this opportunity for him, but might have to leave him behind for vacations now... I'm used to going to Disney when the crowds are at their lowest! How will I ever get used to following someone else's school schedule?!
Luke and David in Caseville...
Morgan is just a ball of energy! Volleyball, 2 drama productions, just returned from Pine Hills camp, and is now an assistant at our church's VBS. Her 12th birthday was Sunday and she asked for a guitar. She has no experience with one but today she was online, figured it out on her own and was singing and playing a simple version of the song, "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry. Simply beautiful!
Parker is my Bethany Hamilton expert! She is obsessed with all things water... surfing, sharks, dolphins, etc. She just watched "Soul Surfer" a week ago, is reading her book, and she can't get enough of Bethany's website and videos about her. What an incredible role model she is! Parker is looking forward to starting school and the two co-ops we are in. She will have the chance to get a couple of great science classes (her favorite subject), as well as ice skating, dance, history, and others (nine classes total).
This photo of Parker was taken by her sis, who is really getting into photography...
John started a "new" job yesterday! We are very excited about the new owners of Thorton's (not sure if it's changing names yet). Big changes are coming and God has been so good and so faithful throughout this process. While I am always prone to worry, I know that He is taking care of everything and J couldn't be in better hands right now.
In June, we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and I am so thankful for my best friend/love of my life!!
At the Motor City Comic Con, John had the chance to work security and assist "Chewbacca" (Peter Mayhew). What a dream come true!!!
Me? Well, coordinating one in college, one in high school, two at home, plus the co-ops and the jobs associated with them, as well as volleyball... hmmm, this is going to be interesting! One day at a time, I guess. I can't say I'll love *every* single minute of it, but I am certainly very excited about the opportunities that John and all of the kids have this year and I am grateful that I get to be there to help them all in every way possible.
So many things have happened over the last week or two that have me saying, "Things are really looking up"... but things were already pretty awesome! I'll end by pasting my status from facebook, posted last Friday:
"Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise... Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious name".... that's been stuck in my head all week. Thanking HIM this week for some wonderful blessings!! :)
Yes, these count as pretty. Vanilla latte and banana split cupcakes. Cupcake Station, Plymouth, MI.
Look closely. The boys have airsoft guns. Not that they could do any damage with them, but they are watching for chipmunks (which annoy me greatly) in our backyard. After a couple of minutes they turned the guns on each other and I was laughing so hard at them fighting that I couldn't take any more pictures. :P
I haven't identified this little guy yet, but he's a newcomer to our bird feeders and he is adorable.
