Here are a few pictures of our family this year... taken by my sister-in-law, Lydia. She always does an amazing job!

This is the picture I put on our Christmas card this year

I absolutely adore this one of the girls.... so precious!

Our new porch!

Here are the long awaited pictures... for those of you who have been waiting soo patiently!

I think I found out that blogging isn't really my thing. It's not that I don't like it... I just need more time to do a good job with it. I will still try to put up pictures now and then, it just won't be every other day. (like it was in March!)

A Vacation...

Last week we had the opportunity to visit my family in Indiana. We were only able to stay for five days as Josh had to get back to the farm. It was a blessing to be able to get away and visit family and friends.

On Friday we went to the Indianapolis Zoo...

Saturday we all headed toward Chicago, IL to meet friends of my parents ~ the Paine family. We stayed for one night at their beautiful home. They were very hospitable!

Sunday morning Josh and I felt especially encouraged and challenged by listening to Dr. Paine and from the testimonies and blessings that were shared.

I am so thankful that my parents desired for us to meet this dear family.

We were very sad to leave my mom, dad and siblings on Tuesday afternoon to head back home. We feel so blessed and are very thankful for the many friendships that we have.

I was dreading out trip home and was expecting it to be long and boring. Well, it was long. (What should have taken 7 hrs. turned into 9 1/2 hrs.) I can't say that it was all that boring though. We had some exciting adventures along the way.

We left Indy in the middle of a severe storm ~ which didn't make for a nice start.

Somewhere near Columbus, OH we heard a loud bang. Josh realized right away that we had a flat tire. He pulled along the side of the road and had the spare on in 15 minutes.

He wasn't sure if the spare would get us all the way home, so we started searching for a place to get our tire replaced.

To make a long story short... we stopped at a few different repair shops and finally found one that would put a used tire on our van. And of all places! It was this little dumpy shack with two guys that looked like they just got out of jail. 45 minutes later we were on our way home again!

The Lord has been so good to us though. We are so thankful that we were able to take a family vacation.

We are thankful for Josh's family too, especially his sister, Liz for doing most of Josh's farm work while we were away. We couldn't have went without them. =)

Day at the Beach...

July 4th Weekend

Picnics, fireworks, time spent with family and friends, reflecting on times past, the freedom of our nation and also the future - what God might have in store for us down the road. It's a wonderful time of celebration... it's Independence day.

A picnic at Josh's parents Thursday evening started our July 4th celebration. We enjoyed visiting with friends that we haven't seen in a while. My sister-in-law, Lydia made a fabulous meal for us including coffee cheesecake!

We had our annual little firework display for the children. They each take turns picking their own fireworks to light... it's a very special time for the children and fun for us parents to watch. =)

It had rained for a better part of the week... adding up to about three inches or so. God so graciously gave us perfect weather on Saturday, and so we enjoyed attending an outdoor wedding and reception.

What a nice time we had witnessing the marriage vows between Ashley and Jacob - two young people who love the Lord and are committed to serving Him. That is more and more a rarity these days. It was refreshing to say the least!

Ashley was a beautiful bride! (I have yet to see an ugly one) It didn't seem easy for Ashley's father to give her away - just like any father who just wants to hold on. I don't believe that the leaving and cleaving process was ever easy. Nonetheless, he did... and I'm sure he is trusting... knowing that God is the one who has joined them together and that this is his will. I believe it was him who said during the ceremony that he is not loosing a daughter, but gaining a son. =)

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

Anna and Becca enjoyed the cookies they served while the newly married couple were having pictures taken. They were good cookies too!

Lena, Kate, Liz and Hannah

Becca had fun taking a few pictures throughout the day.

My niece, Lena Joy

Cousins!


Ben trying out the sliding board

Saturday night Josh and I along with Anna, Becca, and our dear friend Hannah went to see fireworks. It was a really nice display... with lots of new things that I haven't ever seen. They set them off over the river... which made it even prettier seeing the reflection in the water. We had to park quite a ways away and ended up walking pretty far. It was very enjoyable though and the loss of sleep... worth every minute! =)