So last night after dinner, (it was still 87 degrees out) we went down for some water play. 
The kids had a GREAT time.....
And Mom and Dad got to sit on the bench in the shade.
Jonah tried his own version of sitting! 
As Many of you already know, our youngest son, Jonah has Autism. What a beautiful addition he is to our family. We have walked though lots of phases in our journey of raising him. The questions why? The searching for therapies that would help. Praying for healing. And ultimately doing all of the above while loving him desperately and accepting him for who he is. We would not trade a single day of having him with us. 
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They Joined us at church this morning and then came over for lunch and fellowship. The picture above is of them after visiting a nearby orphanage... It is run by a brother/sister ministry team (aka Josiah and Siri) out of our basement. They have set it up and require all our guest to come for a tour.. It always a compelling visit and no one ever leaves with out adopting at least one needy child.
Josiah then spent a good deal of time explaining to Bud all the components of his Tackle box... Another activity that our guest can hardly escape.
We had such a lovely time. BJ brought pictures of their recent family reunion Cruise and it was fun to see the whole family together. 
We are so glad they came and look forward to having them stay longer next time. Thanks, Bud and BJ for the love and joy you brought to our home.
We went for a boat ride on the lake and pulled ashore at Russell's, a lovely little restaurant on Big Lake. I had the Turkey Mushroom Melt which was just ok and David really enjoyed the Walleye Sandwich. It was a generous size with a nice big fillet. Mostly we enjoyed the company and the beautiful view.
Here is a picture of the Restaurant from the boat as we were leaving.
David and I enjoyed our time away with precious friends. We came home relaxed and a bit sun burnt after our lovely day. Thanks Chuck and Kathi... We love you guys!!!
The rose gardens were extensive and beautiful.
Here is Jennifer and I near the landscaped flower gardens.
The sun shimmering through the thick canopy of treas.
The Japanese gardens.
Here is me again.
The Weeping trees display was really neat. These weeping evergreens were sculptured to look like elephants.
Her we are on one of the walking paths.
I loved this sculpture of the Mother and Baby.
We watched the beautiful sunset over the horizon and then headed out for coffee and desert. I had such a fun and relaxing visit. Thanks Jennifer and Paula for your company.
We got off the plane 1 year ago not knowing what to expect but having lots of expectations none the less. It has been an amazing year of ups and downs. There have been lots of struggles and disappointments with lots of fun and adventure sandwiched in between. All in all, we are PRAISING GOD for all that he has done. His work in our Family this past year has been wonderful. We have become closer to one another and more determined than ever to Love and Obey our Father in Heaven in whatever he may call us to. We are excited and humbled at what the is doing in us. So, we Press on!
Here is Mommy and Jonah warming up in the sun before going back to the cold water.
Daddy and the kids playing in the sand
Siri with the fish she caught.
Josiah, trying to warm his bones in the sand after swimming
Here is Jonah, asking (well, pulling really but that is how he asks) Daddy to go in the water.
Jonah got his hearts desire. Here he is playing and kicking with Daddy.
Josiah and Siri decided that they wanted to get in on the action with Dad.
So she got herself ready and off we went.
She had lots of fun with all the girls.
But her favorite part was something she never had in Hawaii, Fresh picked raspberries right off the bush. She snacked on them all afternoon and is now planning to plant some in our yard next year. What a fun day.
At first, Jonah just wanted to hide in the house. He wanted to stay away from the water. We kept working at it and eventually he decided it might be fun after all....
He was having so much fun then that it was hard to get him out of the water.
Josiah, Siri and their Fishing Caddy (AKA Daddy) had a great time catching Sunnies and Siri even caught a Large Mouth Bass.
They are actually getting better at baiting their own hooks now and hopefully will need less and less help from Daddy as time goes on.
They fished at the end of the Dock for hours.
We got to go on a little Family boat ride. It was a paddle-boat so David and I got lots of exercise and Jonah liked trying to steer the boat.
At the end of the day... Mommy went Tubing with the some of the other gals. It was a fun bonding experience... screaming and getting whipped around it the white water. It was a lot of fun.
Thanks, Chuck and Kathi for always being such wonderful host and sharing your lovely family with us.
It was fun to hang out with friends from Hawaii!
