Can’t believe these girls are 6 and 9 years old now!!  Feels like yesterday they were babies.  We’re so grateful God added them to our family.   They are huge blessings and a constant source of joy.

Missy was just a week and a half old here.

So cute!!!!!! 

 

 

They love having their pictures taken.  We’ve got some of the sweetest pictures of them. 

 

And here they are……the 6 year old and the 9 year old.  Jen took their birthday photos together last week.  They had a blast doing it.  Enjoy looking through them!

Marianna Faith is in 4th grade and is excelling very well.  She loves to read and write and is often found practicing her piano or violin.  She has a servant’s heart and loves to cook.

Missy Joy is in 1st grade and has blown me away with how well and fast she can read!  She LOVES playing the piano and just started the cello last week.  She also started choir this year (along with Marianna) and is enjoying it.  She sings all the time….and she’s quite good!

Sweet girls

 

I wouldn’t have known how to pose at their ages. Haha!!

 

Love this one

Missy lost one of her front teeth today…so she’s a bit toothless.  Looks so cute! 

Love these girls so much

Our prayer for these girls is that they will grow up to be godly women who desire to serve the Lord in whatever capacity God asks of them.  They are still young, but it is also never too early to live for Jesus.

 

Missy and Marianna.  The best 6 and 9 year olds in the world. 

 

Christopher’s birthday is on the 24th…but we’ve already had a head-start on the celebrating.   Before some friends went away for school, we put together a small surprise party.  Worked beautifully!

Christopher’s birthday table.  Can’t believe he’s going to be 18.  Did I say 18???  I did, didn’t I….

On the way home from his class, Christopher was sent to the store to give us more time.

I wish I had a picture or video of the surprise.  We all hid on the step landing….when Christopher walked by, some of the guys threw a blanket over his head and tackled him.  So funny!

Jen found a really fun game to play.  She set up an “obstacle course” in our backyard, complete with hoola hoops, chairs, noodles, tubes, brooms, etc. Each person had a partner. One would be blindfolded and would have to walk from one part of the backyard to the other while the partner yelled (from behind the line) where the blindfolded person should go. The goal was to get the blindfolded person to the end and then back without touching any of the obstacles (if someone touched something, they had to start over).

It was actually quite challenging!  But lots of fun.

 

It got pretty noisy, since a group of us were yelling to our partners.  We kept trying to yell over each other so our partners could hear us. I also had only one contact in (was having trouble with my left eye), so my perception was a *bit* off.  I accidentally led poor Christopher right into the hammock.  He had a bruise to prove it.  Oops on my part!

 

Yummy cook-out food for dinner!

We played the straw game, where each team had to build a straw tower (with just straw and tape) that stood 7 feet tall.

Each team had a different “strategy.”

Birthday boy!!

Christopher with his siblings and friends.

Christopher is a trooper to live with 5 sisters (not that he had a choice!).  He’s going to make a great husband and father.   Not only is Christopher a good leader, he’s also a good teacher.  I love hearing him teach Bible lessons and share the Gospel.  He is very diligent in his violin practice and his studies.  He’s also very genuine.  We’re excited to see how God uses him in next this year.

Super delicious ice cream cake!!

 

And here begins a long string of celebrations.  From Sept-Dec, there are 6 birthdays and an anniversary.  Our kitchen and dining room will constantly be decorated.    Let the celebrating begin!

 

 

 

 

 

Since the last post, the temperature has considerably gone down (it’s actually starting to feel fall-ish around here!), the ones in school are in full swing with their studies, and those of us who work are workin’!  Soon birthday season will be upon us.  It actually already is, since Christopher’s is next week and we’ve already had a <surprise> party for him! 

Here are some pictures from the non-camp and non-5 Day Club part of our summer. 

 

Friends for the big and little girls

Marianna got to be in a small orchestra this summer.  She did a great job and enjoyed playing pieces such as Pirates of the Caribbean. 

 

Mom and a couple of her friends

 

After the concert (this was while we three girls were at Camp Good News) 

Who doesn’t love a fun rain day and an adverturous night camping out in the playroom? These girls had it made!

 

 Our two violinists of the family. 

Christopher went to the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra’s 5-day camp back in August.

As concertmaster (first chair violinist), Christopher has the privilege of shaking the conductor’s hand numerous times during a concert, not to mention leading his whole section!  He’s worked hard, and we’re glad he has this great chance to be concertmaster.   

The girls with some special gifts.  ———  On the way to camp in July, Bethany and I stopped off at the Tomblin’s.  So fun! 

A view from the top of the Tomblin’s property. 

During one of the weekends at camp, we girls went with Mrs. Carter and Joseph to hike Mount Mitchell.  We stopped a couple times on the Blue Ridge Parkway to view some of the look-out areas.  It’s a good thing we did, because it ended up being foggy when we started our hike and didn’t see any more views (though it made for a nice and cool hike).

The trail was SO pretty.  We were in the woods most of the time, but there were some areas that were more open. 

One of my favorite parts of the hike was eating wild raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. 

If it wasn’t foggy, we would have been able to see for about 80 miles.  Maybe another time.

 

Lots more to come!  Slowly but surely, the updates will appear.