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.

Mall Of America....Again

I know, I know, You are probably tired of hearing about the Mall of America.... But it seems to be the favorite destination for our visitors so we keep taking pictures and they keep ending up on our blog..... On Monday, Samantha and I loaded up the kids and ventured out to the MOA. Being a holiday, we thought it might be really crowded but it wasn't and the kids all had a great time.
Samantha even managed a little shopping and we got a Starbucks ( a big treat for me since there isn't one near our home town.)
The kids all listened so well and behaved so patient and kind. We were proud of them all and it made it fun for everyone. We were so glad we decided to go.

Otsego Park

Today we took the kids down to Otsego Park. It is right on the Mississippi River and has a great playground and walking path and lots of benches. The kids love to skip rocks into the river. We stayed for a long time and Samantha and I had lots of time to just sit and talk.... of course that was in between pushing swings and keeping little ones out of the river but we enjoyed the sun and the laughter and spurring one another on towards love and good deeds.

Friends from Washington

This week, My friend Samantha arrived from Washington. She and her 2 kids... and one more on the way, are here for 11 days. We are having a great reunion as I have not seen her for 5 years and had not met her kids yet. Of course we went to Cabela's... the kids enjoyed the animal display and the shooting gallery.
Samantha used to live down stairs from us when David and I were first married... We have been friends for 10 years but hardly see each other so this has been a real treat for us.

Daddy Does Homeschool

Twice a week, David does Science with the kids. They are working their way through the Jonathon Park Adventure Series. It is an Audio series from Vision Forum which follows the adventures of Young Jonathon Park and his Father who is a Creation Scientist. Together they discover how science matches up with the Bible. There is a study and activity guide that David prepares with every week Imagine my surprise when my husband announces that he needs to go get some Plaster of Paris and some clay to do a project with the kids. Yes!!! Daddies can do craft projects. They got all their supplies and proceeded to make Dinosaur Fossils. Here is a picture of the finished product.

As you can see, they have a great time together. Daddy gets really into it and the kids love the time with him. They get out their Bibles and read together..... The other day I over heard the kids talking to each other. They were talking about when they grow up. They decided that they were going to be "really into God, Just like Daddy."

Happy Mothers Day

As we approach this Mothers Day weekend, we want to take a moment to recognize our Mothers:

Johnda Pintor and Sadie Monroy.

They are our Mothers in the Faith as well as the body. We praise God for them and the Legacy that they are working to leave for us. They are two of the most beautiful women we know and we aspire to follow their examples in many areas of our lives. We love you Moms!!!

Happy Mothers Day

Cabela's

Yesterday we went to Cabala's...

The world famous sporting goods store.

The kids always love to look at the animal displays and Jonah likes to feed the fish. Below is a picture of David by the African Safari display. That mountain in the background is Mt. Kilimanjaro.
We had a great time in the shooting gallery. They have quite a fun set up there. We got lunch in their cafeteria and then headed home. It was a great day.

Nathan & Fawna

On Saturday, My brother Nathan and his Bride Fawna, arrived. They are on a cross country honeymoon tour and we are so excited that they decided to share their time with us. We enjoyed an evening walk in the woods together and the kids are having such a great time with them. Nathan (uncle spiderman, as my kids like to call him) and Fawna are great with them and they are really connecting.
....and isn't she BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

"Let's Build A House"

One day last week, we decided to build a house instead of doing "school".

Of course they were still learning lots... they just didn't know it.

We cut down small trees and measured the sticks to make a frame.

Then we got evergreen branches to make the roof and the walls. The kids had a great time making it. They have been wanting to go outside and play house every day now. They pretend that they are lost and have to live in the woods until they are found. Or they pretend to be animals in their den. It has been a great prop for all kinds of imaginations

Silly Family Pics

"Lets Make a Tree"

With the weather getting warmer and the days getting longer

we are spending a lot more time outdoors. We love to go out in the evening after dinner as it doesn't get dark

until about 8:30pm. Last night the kids wanted to make a tree.

We got sticks and poked them into the ground and collected pine cones and leaves to but on the branches. It was fun and they turned out rather pretty. I think Jonah enjoyed it the most.
Josiah and Siri ran up and down the hill and played chase.

The are still best friends and have so much fun together.

Deer

Yesterday we looked out into our snow covered woods

and saw a few deer.

Then we saw a few more... and a few more...

and a few more!!!

There were 11 all together!!! I know that this isn't a great picture but you should be able to

see 3 of them. They hung out in the yard looking for shrubs to munch

on until they trotted back into the thicket. It was quite a sight for us

to see a whole heard of wildlife in our yard.

Trip to California

This past weekend I went on a little trip to California. My Brother Nathan and His new Bride Fawna~Rose had a reception to celebrate their recent marriage. I flew into San Fransisco on Thursday afternoon and spent the evening with my mom before going up to my Brother Fernando's house on Friday. I had a great time getting to know my Nieces better. (Shiloh, Nophia and Keakoa) I got to spend time with all my brothers and sisters-in-law. We stayed up till 2am playing Taboo. (The girls won!!!) The next day we all worked together cleaning and cooking and setting up for the party. It was a lot of fun.
My Uncle Jose flew in and I had a great time visiting with him and my Dad. There was a live band with dancing and great music. My brother Matthew and his wife Eva played and sang and Fernando was on the Drums along with Uncle Jose on the Congas.
I am so excited for my brother Nathan and his wife. They are setting out on a road trip for their honeymoon and will be stopping here in Minnesota in a few weeks. We can't wait to spend more time with them.

David stayed home with the kids while mom was out on this adventure and did a great job. The kids enjoyed the time with Daddy and I enjoyed the time away with my Family.

Injury

Yesterday, Jonah got his big toe smashed in the Elliptical Trainer. It bled for about and hour and he cried for even longer..... till he finally cried himself to sleep. I bandaged it all up and he took a 3 hour nap. It looked very painful!! A big gash under his nail and his whole nail bed is black and blue.
Then he stayed up till 1 am last night crying! He was up at 8 this morning and seems to be back to himself other than a slight limp and a big ball of gauze on his foot. Mommy is not quite back to normal yet.... oh the trauma of a sleepless night.

Back to School

After 2 weeks off of home school to enjoy our house guest, it was time to get back to work. The Hsi's left yesterday morning. We all moped around most of the day. The house seemed so quiet after being so full of fun and love. But there is still lots of love to go around...just not for Math!!

We hit the books full force this morning and need to plow ahead at top speed for a little while. We don't want to be in First Grade forever.

A Walk in the Woods

Last night after dinner, we decided to leave all the dishes and spend the

last moments of day light walking in the woods.
So we set out on the trail enjoying the peace and beauty of the trees at sunset.Even the dogs got to come....
We neared home just as the first fat raindrops of a thunder storm began to fall.

Big Surprise

Today a surprise package arrived for the Hsi Kids.

It was such a large package that David had to go pick it up and put it in the Garage.

We brought them out to open it... They just couldn't imagine what it was....Then, just as they started to pull the top open....

Out jumped.... Daddy!!!! (Mark)

They were so surprised and so excited. Mark flew in for the weekend to spend time with his family and us. We are so glad to have the whole family here.

Later, this evening when Bethany saw Marks luggage in the guest room, she said to Becky, "Mommy, did daddy have his suitcases in the box too."? I think she really though he came all the way to Minnesota in that Box

Sleeping Beauties

I just took this of our 3 sleeping beauties. Siri, Hannah and Bethany. They have a big bed but still manage to snuggle into the smallest space possible. Friends and Sisters....

What a precious gift!

The First Day of Spring

Today is the first day of Spring....

Call me crazy but I imagined it differently. I guess it is a slow change.

But for the occasion, it did warm up to about 50 degrees and a beautiful mist rolled in.
It was as if we went to sleep in Minnesota

and woke up in the Hundred-Acre Wood.

I am sure that out there in the trees somewhere,

Eeyore has lost his tail and Roo is hunting for Heffalumps

while Pooh and Christopher Robin are looking for Tigger

who lost his way in the mist.