Saturday!!

Have a great weekend!!! I think she plans too!!! "I have to wear these so I will have a place to put my bb's!!!"

Busy weekend!!! {as always}

13 days {13 roses}

Thirteen days until marriage for Caleb and Kristen! 13 roses representing the children the Lord has given us from the womb to enrich our lives upon this earth! A dear lady at church handmade this handkerchief about a year ago. A quarter of a century ahead of me, I think she knew nothing has changed. A mom cries at her children's wedding. I was touched she had the single rose above the cross, delicately representing our little Joel!! I can't help but think of as the cliche says "I'm not loosing a son, but gaining a daughter." I'm gaining much more than that! I'm gaining an answered prayer, a friend, another child to fellowship and play with her new siblings, another prayer warrior for our growing family, another helper {when they visit} another woman to share joys and years and hopes and dreams with. So from these 13 roses represented on this little cloth, my prayer is that God will multiply faith, fruitfulness, hopes, dreams, laughs and life until our Lord Jesus returns.


I love you both......

options...

Mercy does not have mine, Bethany's or Hosannas hair! It thin and she doesn't have much of it! Poor thing!! She is 6 and it has never grown past her shoulders yet!! She longs for "big" hair!!! Anna also has hair like Mercy, not much of it. Soooo looking for options of how to make it look like more!!!! She was all excited about the the rollers and the new "do!!" I soooo remember my mom rolling mine in the pink sponge rollers! I hated it!! Mercy kept hers in ALL day surprisingly!! It turned out sweet!!!

friends!!

Friends are here!!! One of my bridesmaids in our wedding!! Hahha!! We are still "crazy!!!"

extremely busy!!

For some reason I had this idea while Terry, Anna and Jeremiah were at church camp and Elijah, Micah, Andrew and josh also Bethany working everyday that I would relax, have a slow paced week and just hang out at the house!! NOT!!! it has been unbelievably busy!! Mercy, Josiah, Hosanna and I have had a fun, busy few days!!!

home.....

Why is it Sundays are "photo" days!? I think my kids can vouch that their mom probably declared that Sundays were "the day" to take pictures. From squirmy impatient toddlers to impatient texting teens.... I LOVE TO GET PHOTOS ON SUNDAY!! :) BUT today it was actually Terry's idea!!! So we tried before church and the light was no good! Sooooo we said after church. As we pulled up to check the Saturday's mail, I thought lets take one on our road/drive to our house. Kinda of like this is where it all began. I was trying to push back the sentiment as I was thinking of the almost 19 years of this road that leads to "home!" lots of coming and going, lots of prayers and thank you's as we came and left for safety, lots of imagining angels sitting on those 12foot+ tall posts wondering if they thought we over worked them with all the "goings" of them having their wings around about us!? Lots of bouncing toddlers in a huge van coming and going, to errands, to sports events, to church, to evening dinners with the whole family. And then when we increased drivers and seems like we needed a stop light at the end of the drive for all the comings and goings. From dashing ER visits to get sewed up, stapled up,  to daily Dr. visits with Joel to unknowing the last drive out that day in Dec., would be his last drive out of the gate from his farm, to the driveway as a sort of beginning for a certain blonde pulling up in it clueless to the fact that she was driving "onto" a road that would be very meaningful to her later. And of course now, all the business of older children....what a busy "road." Looking at this photo, the words to Stephen Curtis Chapman's song came to mind, "The Long Way Home." I hope every child will hold dear this road that leads to their home, but also the "road" we are traveling on to eternity is a long road home.....

"Long Way Home"

I set out on a great adventure

The day my Father started leading me home

He said there's gonna be some mountains to climb

And some valleys we're gonna go through

But I had no way of knowing

Just how hard this journey could be

Cause the valleys are deeper

And the mountains are steeper than I ever would have dreamed

But I know we're gonna make it

And I know we're gonna get there soon

And I know sometimes it feels like we're going the wrong way

But its just the long way home

I got some rocks in my shoes

Fears I wish I could lose

That make the mountains so hard to climb

And my heart gets so heavy with the weight of the world sometimes

There's a bag of regrets,

My should've beens, and not yets

I keep on dragging around

And I can hardly wait for the day I get to lay them all down

I know that day is coming

I know its gonna be here soon

And I won't turn back even if the whole world says I'm going the wrong way

Cause its just the long way home

When we can't take another step

The Father will pick us up and carry us in His arms

And even on the best days, He says to remember we're not home yet

So don't get too comfortable

Cause really all we are is just pilgrims passing through

Well, I know we're gonna make it

And I know we're gonna get there soon

So I keep on singing and believing

What all of my songs say

Cause our God has made a promise

And I know that everything He says is true

And I know wherever we go

He will never leave us

Cause He's gonna lead us home

He is......

VBS 2012

We are VBS-ing this week!!! They love it, especially Mercy!!! What doesn't the girl like!!! Anything social, she is all over it!!! AND today a little boy gave her a "note!!" oh.my!!!!!

My friend Natalee and I are the craft teachers!!! Ha!! beware!!!!!!

Next 2 weeks..... church camps!!! Summer busy-eeeee-ness!!!

one month!

So close now!! One month from today and at this time Maryland time, 5pm, they will be saying "I do" for life!! What a blessing to see what God has done over these last two years. I couldn't desire it any other way!! Blessings upon their hearts, their homes, their work, the womb as they go forward and begin their own journey!

Thank you Lord!!

sunday

made it to church!!! A good thing since terry wasn't here to help get the morning going!! Ha!!

rocky mountain mamma{gal}

Love this capture of Bethany and her huge Nubian Buck! Her and her dad traveled to Colorado to the National Dairy Goat Show!! So proud of her!!!

Love her smile!! She loves her goat endeavors!! {and you can tell}

farmers market!

Come see us at Farmers market! or rather just Josiah and I!! The rest are scattered from Colorado to Maryland and in between!! Josiah and I are the "Lone Ranger and Tonto!" it's going well!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

The 4th!!!

Happy birthday America!!! Hope you all have a great day!!! Cooking, swimming and fun over here!!!

38!!!!

Only 38 days til marriage!!!!! Yay!!!