Play Date

Today we invited some friends over for a play-date. There were 3 of us mommies and 12 little Blessings ranging in age from 3 to 13. The kids had a blast. They used up all 4 levels of the house playing Castle. We were overwhelmed with Princesses and Knights in Shinning Armor. They only took a break to eat and there were a few tears shed when it was time to say goodbye. We were so blessed to be surrounded by friends and look forward to many more days like this through the long winter.

Thanks Sara and Lisa for sharing your Families with us today.... You are such a blessing!!!

Dinner Guest from Hawaii

This evening we had the pleasure of more wonderful Hawaiian Guests. Sam and Gisele, our dear friends from Honolulu stopped over in Minnesota on their way to Africa. They came for dinner along with Jacque and Elijah.
We had a wonderful time of catching up and talking story.....
We have not seen them for a year and a half and yet it was like it has only been a month. We settled right in to sweet fellowship..... just like old times.

We played a fun game of Who Nu.... lots of laughs, and Jacque won both rounds.
Sam and Gisele are off to Africa to minister for a few weeks and then they will be stopping here again. It was nice that we didn't really have to say goodbye yet... Just, "We love you, we will be praying for you and we will see you in a few weeks".

Thanksgiving 2007

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite Holidays and this year was no exception. We love all the preparations. I love how I have to call my mom 12 times in 3 days to discuss how to make the sweet potatoes and how David is always in charge of the Turkey. He did a great job this year.... Well, I helped a little.
As always, rain or shine.... or snow, he cooked it in the grill. It came out perfect.

This year we had the wonderful privilege of spending the day with our friends, Andrew and Sara and their children. It was a feast of good food, football, and fellowship.

The children had a wonderful time and we all felt blessed to be together. We hope all of you had a great day celebrating all the goodness God has brought into your life.

Our Family Fishing Blog

We have a new blog.... It is especially for our friends interested in our fishing adventures. A sort of Scrap-Book, if you will, for David and the kids to share their Fish Tales. Check it out! http://fishingwithjosiah.blogspot.com/
You will also find the link at the right side of this page. The updates may be slow, as we don't do much ice fishing but come next spring we will be ready to go. Enjoy!

Dean

This week, we had a visit from a dear Friend. Dean flew in from Honolulu for business but was able to spare a little time with us. David and I got to take him out for dinner the day he flew in. We went to the Twin Cities Grill at The Mall Of America. It was fun to catch up.After his conference, he got to spend his last night with us. We spent some time outside enjoying the beautiful, crisp day.

Of course no visit to Minnesota would be complete with out a visit to Cabela's. So after a dinner of Lamb Stew and Sour Dough we loaded up the van and set off.The kids enjoyed showing Uncle Dean all of the animals and the shooting gallery.We ending the evening with dessert at Perkins restaurant. We were so blessed with Dean's fellowship and the Joy of the Lord that always shines through him.

Cold

The Weather is starting to get cold. This past week we had our first snow flurries. It is always so exciting when it begins.... Ask me how I feel about it in March. But for now we will enjoy the wonder of a new season. The Kids watched it falling and couldn't wait to get out there.
They were hoping to be sledding by the end of the day but nothing stuck this time. Maybe we will be sledding by Thanksgiving. We'll see.

Wedding Dress

Well, I have a little story to tell you about my day. It all started a couple weeks ago with a bright idea.

"Wouldn't it be fun to be able to fit into my wedding dress for my 10 year anniversary?" So a few crash diets and a several hours on the elliptical later.... here I am in my dress.

Then I decided it would be fun to take pictures in it and make a card for my husband about how I would marry him all over again.

So, I put it on today, fixed my hair and put on some makeup. The dress is a little tighter than the first time and I kept having to re-zip it, but it worked. So I got my personal photographer.... aka my 7 year old daughter Siri, and we started shooting. We took a few in the house but the lighting wasn't great so we decided to go outside.

Never mind that it was 35 degrees out there. We were determined. Things we going fine until I got another bright idea. I thought it would be fun to take a picture of me running down the hill, looking like a carefree bride.... ok so maybe I have watched a few too many romantic movies... but this was my chance to shine. We had to do it a few times to get a decent shot.Then, on my 3rd run down the hill, the unthinkable happened..... I tripped on my dress and went tumbling! Literally, head over heals, rolling, bumping and thumping down the hill. The straps on my dress broke, my flowers were crushed and there were grass and mud stains on my beautiful wedding gown that I had saved for 10 years.

I couldn't decide weather to laugh or cry.... I wanted to do a little of both. I escaped with only a scraped up arm and a little damaged pride. But I don't think my dress will ever be wearable again... It may have been worth it though. My daughter will forever have the memory of her mother tumbling down the hill in her wedding dress. And I guess I can tell my husband about how I still fall head over heals for him.

10 YEARS!!!

This week, David and I will be celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary!

We are excited to report that we are more in Love now than we were then!We thought we would share a few pictures of our Special Day.

It was such a blessing to have so many of our friends and family stand with us as we started our journey together.

Here we are with our Wedding Party:

Men: (Left to Right) Neal, Tom, David, Tommy & Sam

Women: (Left to Right) Kristi, Malia, Rohnda, Becky & Ashley

It is hard to believe that Ashley was only 13 then. She has grown more beautiful every year and I am so happy that she is included in our family... and that she was there for the start of it.

Here is me with the Flower Children.... I had 10 of them! That was one of my favorite parts of the ceremony. They walked down the aisle dropping Plumeria Flowers as my brother, Mathew, sang Jesus Loves Me. So precious.

It was so wonderful to have our Families all there. Here is a picture with David's mom and Ashley.

My Family Journeyed from California to Hawaii to be with us.L-R: Eva & Matthew with Micah, Nathan, Fernando, Me, David, Mom & Dad and my sister Moriah in front with Sage. It was quite a trip for them and I am especially grateful to my Mom who helped get them all there.

Our Dear Friend Pastor Mark performed the Ceremony and it turned out to be all that we had hoped for. We celebrate all that God has done in us the last 10 years and look forward to many more years of growing and learning together.

Minnesota Zoo

Today's Adventure took us to the Minnesota Zoo. It is located in Apple Valley, about an hour's drive from our home.

It was a beautiful day. The exhibits are quite spread out but the walking trails in between were gloriously painted with the vibrant colors of Fall.
Here are the kids and I near the Tiger's domain. Jonah especially enjoyed climbing on the sculpture.
Next, it was off to the Camels. What amazing creatures. I think it was my favorite.... God must have been in a silly mood when he thought those up.

The Prairie Dogs where especially entertaining and I think they enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed them.The Meerkats had already moved to their winter home but the habitat is still there and was a great place to stop and play. There is a series of tunnels and caves to climb though that lets the kids see some of the underground habitats and pretend to be Meerkats themselves.We then went to Discovery Bay. It is an aquarium with several beautiful displays. The kids favorite tank was the interactive one. They actually got to reach in and pet Leopard Sharks and Sting Rays.The Monorail took us on a tour of the whole Zoo with a narrator to educate us on the different exhibits. It was a beautiful, relaxing and informative ride.Thank you God for a lovely day to enjoy your Creations.

Football & A Fire

Tonight we were off to my friend, Sara's house for the last night of Flag Football. It was a beautiful, crisp fall evening. The kids had a great last game and I had lots of fun taking pictures.

We got this great team picture of all the kids and the coaches.
Siri even decided to play tonight and that is Josiah going for the ball.
As the sun set, they finished up their game and then went over to the Bon Fire.

We roasted hot dogs......
And marshmallows..........
And watched to moon rise. Once it was dark, the kids played a fun game of tag in the blackness until it was time to go home. They were completely exhausted... but the good kind. The kind where you had so much fun that you can barely stand up and your head hits the pillow with a smile on your face and you are asleep in 2 minutes. A wonderful day!

David's Birthday

Today, October 23rd we celebrate the birth and therefore the life of my Dearest Love David!

We are going on a little trip down memory lane... come along. I think you will enjoy the ride.




Here he is... still a wee boy at his mother's side and already charming, with a handsome face...


Here is David at about 6 years old... now we know who Josiah looks like.
Getting bigger... and check out those teeth!

Well.... for all of you who have wanted to see what he looks like with hair....
Oh the stories we could tell......
And here he is with a few of his life's greatest achievements... Namely: Ashely, Sara, Josiah and Jonah. We are so thankful that God gave him life and then gave him to us.