Shar & Ashelee

This week, we had some more friends arrive from Hawaii. Shar and Ashlee are in Minneapolis for the Jr. Olympics Volley Ball Tournament. Ashelee's team made it to the finals. They only got to spend one night with us due to their game and practice schedule but we had a wonderful time none the less. We went down to the new water front park in downtown Elk River and took pictures overlooking the Mississippi. It was a beautiful evening.
Shar and I had a great time reminiscing about the old days. She and I went on Summer Missions together to Japan 16 years ago and have been friends ever since.
Of course we took them to Cabela's and had fun at the shooting gallery. We had a little scare when Jonah fell out of the shopping cart and hit his head pretty hard. He then got really sleepy and threw up on the way home so it was off to the urgent care clinic. We had to keep a close eye on him overnight but he seems to be fully recovered and back to his normal self. We were thankful that Shar was there to stay with the kids and also call home for advice from her Honolulu Fire Fighter husband... Thanks Tommy! We hope they will bring the whole family next time and stay for a good long visit.

Chickens & Friends

Last week, I met another homeschool mom and we exchanged numbers. She promptly called and invited us over to play and have lunch. So this morning we set off for their home. About 10 miles from ours, it was nestled in the heart of farm country. We enjoyed the drive as the kids pointed out all the barns and horses, cows and long white fences. We also enjoyed our new friends. They have 4 kids with a boy and a girl the same age as Josiah and Siri.... OH THE JOY!!! They also have CHICKENS! Their daddy breeds and shows rare and exotic chickens. Except for lunch... Which was delicious, they spent the whole time in the coops wrangling chickens. The boys would go in and get them and bring them out to the girls who pretended to be the Vet. They would check them over and doctor the wounds and administer medicine. This went on for hours. Even Jonah got in on it. I didn't thing he would want to go in but when I offered to put him in coop, he jumped at the chance. The smile on his face was a joy to see. He was so excited. He chased them around and grabbed at their feathers and I sure a few of them may need to a Veterinarian Counseling session to get over the trauma. It was such a fun day with our new friends... Here are all the pictures. Enjoy!

A Gift

Last weekend our neighbors gave us a generous gift. Lynn and Gary came by to ask us if we wanted their big trampoline!!! Their kids are all grown and they thought it would get better usage at our house.... Do ya think? Well, we excitedly accepted and the kids have been jumping like crazy everyday since. They love it!!
Jonah really gets in on the action too. He does this frog hop all around that none of us can seem to do. It takes an amazing amount of muscles.
We are so thankful for this thoughtful gift and praise God that he provides all things.... even the fun stuff.

Fishing

The other day Josiah declared to the Family, "I've decided to spend the whole summer fishing with Daddy!" We explained that Daddy may have a few other responsibilities but it would not be hard to talk him into setting them aside a couple times a week for fishing with his boy. So on Saturday morning a 5:30 am, while the girls... and Jonah slept, they set off on their summer mission. With a home made breakfast to go and a quick stop at the bait shop they headed off to their favorite spot... which shall remain nameless.
Josiah caught 7 Catfish and Dad caught 1 sunny and one big small-mouth bass. They had a great time bonding over the fish and plan on repeating the event many more times while the days are warm and long.

Jake & Jacque

What a small world!!! Our Friend from Hawaii (Jacque) Married a guy from Zimmerman MN, (Jake) and they just moved to the Elk River Area. We had them over for dinner last night which turned into a sleep over. They Have a little boy, Elijah who is almost 2. He is so cute and the kids had fun taking care of him and playing with him. We went for a long walk in the woods after dinner and played out in the yard before coming in for homemade Grapefruit Sorbet.
We stayed up talking until late into the night. Elijah was already asleep down in the guest room so we talked them into just staying for the night. It wasn't a hard sell.
We are so excited to have them here and look forward to growing and encouraging one another in the Lord!

Africa

We are excited to tell you that our Daddy is home from his 13 day trip to Africa. It was quite an amazing experience for him. He went with 3 Other men from Elk River to participate in the Global Day Of Prayer. This first Picture is of him in front of the Peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. He was not able to make it to the top due to a case of Pulmonary Edema, A complication from the high altitude.... Must have been all those years spent at Sea Level. But what a blessing to hike and pray with others and seek God together.

It was pretty cold near the top.... an experience that the Minnesota Winter definitely helped prepare him for.
What a beautiful part of the World God created.

Here he is... Finally back down to level ground...


Then it was off to see some of Africa's wildlife at Lion's Park in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here he is feeding a Giraffe while offering the kiss of Aloha.

Look at the size of this Lion cubs paws... truly the King of the Beast.
We were so excited to have him home and to hear all the stories and see the pictures of his adventure. Thank you to all of you who supported him in prayer during this trip.