4th of July post... a little late.

I know its a couple of months late, but I thought this pic was pretty cute, not perfect, but still cute. We celebrated part of the 4th at the local Nursing Home. They do a great job of making all the holidays special for their residents and give family an opportunity to come and celebrate with them. We obviously do not have any relatives there, but many friends that we have come to love .

We had a great time and enjoyed all the fireworks and food!

First Day of School!

On Monday, August 22, we started another year of homeschool!

Mary Ellen is going to be doing a little bit of pre-school. And she loves it!

Lexie is in the 1st Grade and Leah is in Kindergarten.

They were so excited to finally start using their NEW school books!

They have done great this week and it seems as if the summer never even happened!

Elephant Rocks....2 months ago!

A couple of months ago, our family took a trip to one of Missouri's State Parks: Elephant Rocks. We had just spent the week at Family Camp in Fredericktown, MO and since we were close by, we visited the park. We had alot of fun, but it was exhausting! I think once you see the pics and see how much climbing and walking we did, you'll know why!

The rocks were absolutely HUGE!! I did not have my camera with me on the 2nd half of our hike or you would see pics of even larger granite rocks!!

Dentist Visit

Today was Mary Ellen's first dental check-up and she did GREAT! She watched her sisters get their teeth cleaned first and then she did. She was sooo brave!

And I might add that they had no cavities!!!! Thank you, Lord!

She looks terrified in this picture, but she really wasn't. She was awesome!

Leah after she got her teeth cleaned!

Lexie getting her teeth cleaned.

Did I mention that they all did great? And no cavities!!!! We are reaping the rewards of a low sugar diet and brushing their teeth every night....... well, almost every night! LOL.

Family Camp 2011 - Post 2

Here's POST 2 of Family Camp!

This was Lexie's first year to participate in the Saturday Night Children's Choir. And she loved it! They sang "I Can Do All Things Through Christ" and "As Long As I Have Breathe." I might add that she did an AWESOME job!!!

This year was the first time that the Preschool Class got to sing on stage. So Leah and Mary Ellen were thrilled when they got to go up on the stage too! Above is Mary Ellen in the purple dress doing the motions. And below is Leah in the denim dress. They sang "My Father's House" and "Nothing is Impossible With God."

The girls didn't take a nap everyday, but when they did... they crashed!

On Saturday afternoon, the Teen Choir provided a Carnival for the kids!

Can you push a marshmallow across the floor with your nose? Lexie can!

And so can Leah! Our girls are so talented!

And Leah discovered that she can balance cookies on her forehead!

The girls got their finger nails painted and you would have thought they inherited a fortune to get their nails done!

That's all for this post!! More coming soon!

Family Camp 2011 - Post 1

We just finished up a great week at our Church District's Family Camp at Pinecrest Campground in Fredericktown, Missouri.

The camp schedule includes an adult Bible study at 9:15, service at 10:30, lunch at noon, free/swim/nap-time during the afternoon, dinner at 5:00, service at 7:30 and bed time after service. During the morning Bible Study and Service there is a Kids Time for babies through 6th grade. As you can imagine, our girls really enjoyed participating in those Kid Services.

Here is Molly "trying" to ride Mary Ellen's tri-cycle.

We are blessed with many good friends across Missouri. Above, we are at the RV Park visiting the Burkhalter family for a hotdog/marshmallow roast.

The girls and I enjoyed a little putt-putt golf one day while we were waiting for the pool to open.

Molly enjoyed the french-fries!!

Lexie and Mary Ellen with their lunch in the dining hall. Yum, Yum!

Lexie was tall enough to serve herself this week at camp. I remember just a few short years ago, pushing her in the baby stroller while we fixed her plate. Time flies!

And this year we forgot the stroller, so we carried Molly alot!

Here, Greg is helping Mary Ellen with her plate.

Leah and Mary Ellen were in the Preschool Class and their theme was GROUP's "Hometown Nazareth, where Jesus was a kid." Their teachers were awesome and the room was covered in "Nazareth" decor, complete with tents, baskets, pottery, greenery, etc. Above, the girls are standing in front of "Mary's House."

This year was Lexie's first year with the "big kids" upstairs. Pastor Randy Calhoun led the older kids. In the picture, Lexie is right up front, with the green head-band. She sat up front and center every day. She wasn't going to miss anything!

This scene is probably my most favorite at Family Camp.

I love the idea of all the kiddos riding their bicycles to morning chapel.

So precious!

Molly enjoying some watermelon at the watermelon feast on Thursday afternoon. Did you notice the mo-hawk?

Lexie is eating her watermelon and ready to jump in the lake!

Daddy and Molly ready to go swimming! Wahoo!

Here is Molly's class watching a Cedarmont Kids Video. I was also the Director of this class... also known as the "nursery." I had a lot of fun providing this for all the parents at camp! My mind is already thinking about next year!

Here is Molly in her class with her friend Levi Young. They were so cute to watch during the week. They would fight over a toy and start slapping each other. Then I would tell them to give hugs and kisses instead... and THEY DID!

Fun in the pool!!

Mary Ellen stayed on the steps nearly the whole week. She would go out in the pool with me, but she would NOT let go of me. It was only on the very last day that we were there that she realized that she could touch the bottom in the 3 foot. Then she begged and begged to go out. She had to keep her mouth closed though, because one little wave and she would get a mouth-full.

We had breakfast every morning in our cabin.

And this is the place that we called "home" for 9 nine days.

In addition to all the pictures above and all the fun that we had, we were challenged by the ministry of Adam's Voice, Rev. David Busic, and Rev. Jim Chapman. God's presence was so real in all of the services and Bible Studies with our DS Mike Palmer. Greg and I have been revived, stirred, challenged, encouraged, and equipped to make a difference for God's Kingdom!! It is such a joy to serve Jesus and see people come to know Him!!!