Kidnapped!

This weekend I was kidnapped and held very willingly in this cute little cottage!

Allan surprised me by arranging for Oma to watch the kids for two days while we celebrated our anniversary! It was a very peaceful and relaxing two days.

Thursday we went for pizza in Goshen and shared a coconut almond ice cream Sunday from the “Chief”. We were told about a nice bakery in Michigan so we went there for lunch yesterday. It was a nice ride and great lunch.

Our “weekend” was great! Now to celebrate with the kids. The girls are making our special dessert tonight-Rice Crispy Treats.

Mini Vacation

We took a quick trip to visit some friends in Michigan this weekend. It was so nice seeing the Sellers and just being able to relax and talk to them again.

We got to enjoy a few hours at the beach and then a cookout. The kids really enjoyed being able to play in Lake Michigan.  There were some nice waves! Adrian did not like the water at first, but soon enjoyed it as much as everyone else.

It stormed on Saturday night! The boys slept in a cabin while the girls, Adrian and I slept in a tent.  Most everyone slept very well.

After church Sunday, it was time to head home, and the car was quiet as everyone fell asleep soon after saying goodbye!

Keeping Cool

After working hard today in the garden and helping clean house for Daddy, the kids needed a break! They really wanted to go swimming, so they asked to set up our pool.

They decided that I needed to get wet too, so they attacked me with the hose! It was COLD!

Elephants and Beaver’s Tails

Today my daddy spoiled us at the fair. Before leaving, we got to see the elephant show. We enjoyed it very much.

When we got home, my kids wanted to eat some more! Not sure why, they ate a lot with Grandpa. So we made Beaver’s Tails. Adrian decided he wanted an elephant instead of a beaver’s tail.

If you want to know what Beaver’s tails are, check out Andrea’s recipe for them!

More Evidence for a Creator

This morning we watched four Monarchs emerge from their chrysalises.  It is so amazing seeing how God created them.  We have enjoyed watching their transformation from egg to butterfly many times, but we still ignore everything to watch them form chrysalises and emerge as butterflies.  My God is so very good!

Talking to Daddy

Daddy is out of town right now.  Everyday he calls and we talk.  Tonight, when it was Adrian’s turn, he was all ready for his important conversation.  Not only did he  have on these wonderful glasses, he changed his voice!

Hoping that Allan can find a really good English resturant that has excellent fish and chips–served in paper!–for dinner tonight.

Growth

It was so neat seeing Adrian ask to have the butterfly on his nose today. He was watching Audrey play with their newest butterfly and he decided to try it himself.  The cool thing is, last year he would hold the butterflies, but he was very timid about it and would get upset if we did not remove them quickly enough.

Yes, there is a secret to getting a live butterfly to land on your nose and stay there…but I am not telling!

Evidence of God

We have raised butterflies for the last four years.  We started out with a store bought kit and then moved to Monarchs.  We find the eggs or caterpillars in the wild, feed them and observe them.

This year, Oma is giving us most of our managerie. There is construction down our road and it seems to have destroyed the Monarchs habitat.  Out of the thirty something caterpillers we have, only two have been from our road. The remaining are from Oma’s three plants!

Yesterday, Pastor was talking about taking time to see God.  He does so much and his evidence is all around us. I love watching the caterpillers grow and change. Observing them change from a caterpillar to a chrysalis is cool.  But watching them emerge from their chrysalis is better.

Only God can change a tiny egg into a beautiful butterfly!

Forty Two Pounds

We made our first trip to Blueberry Park today. With Allan’s help, we picked 42 pounds.  We love their policy of keeping half and we can take the other half home for free. We hope to go again soon, because 21 pounds of great tasting berries will not last long at this house!