Garden of the Gods

The kids are on Spring Break this week, and we are having beautiful weather. Today was in the mid-60's, so we set out for a picnic and hike at Garden of the Gods. We had a great day, topped off with ice cream with M&M's! Too bad Dad isn't on Spring Break, too.






































After our outing, we stopped by to pick up Mi's new glasses! He came home from school last month with a note saying he didn't pass the eye exam they do every year. Sure enough, he needed glasses for distance! He is excited to get them because he wants to look like Dad! When he put on his glasses for the first time, he said, "Hey, I can see in high definition!"

Happy Easter - He is Risen!

God's Girls

This is from the blog of Mandy Houle, our Associate Children's Pastor at Vanguard Church. She leads Maddie's class on Wednesday nights...

Wednesday nights are oh so special. I get to spend a couple hours with these beautiful young women...... I lead a small group of 2nd and 3rd grade girls through a journal called "God's Girls". Each week we learn about a different woman from the Bible and make a craft to go along with it. We have a blast. These girls are amazing, they are really trying to become more like God, they are striving to be nice to their friends, to be helpful in all situations and to put others before themselves....it is beautiful to watch, it is a miracle to witness God's work in their little lives each and every week.

Last night was their "store" night, they earn points for memorizing verses, doing their homework, bringing their Bible, ect., and then they get to spend their points in a "store". It's so fun to watch them get so excited and get rewarded for the work they've put into this class. I am so proud of them, and honored that I get to be a part of their journey in their relationship with God.

6 String

C has been begging for guitar lessons for a long time now. Today was his big day...the first lesson! The middle school pastor at our church is coming to our house once a week. Can't get much more convenient than that! Our family band is slowly coming together. Nate's up next, hoping for the saxaphone...

It's a Small World Afterall!

We have been enjoying a cultural education recently! Last week we hosted an open house for friends that we support as missionaries in Paraguay. The Reich family is in the states on furlough this year, so we opened our home to their supporters in the Springs area. We enjoyed learning about their life in Paraguay and tasting food from Paraguay. The kids loved the mango juice the most! We had a great time. Thanks, Dan and Christie, for sharing your life and experiences with us!
This weekend we traveled from Paraguay to the Philippines! We are part of a family small group that meets every other week. We are going through a video series studying the Kings and Prophets of the Old Testament with 4 other families. One of our great friends is from the Philippines and has her parents visiting for a month. On Friday we had the privilidge of having Ed and Paz Dayday share an incredible Filipino meal with us, as well as share about their life in the Philippines. We had a wonderful evening together, and learned so much. I felt like I had eaten Thanksgiving dinner by the time we were done! Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Dayday, for all your work on an incredible meal, and for sharing your country with our families! We have had so much fun learning about other countries, that we want to make this a tradition and learn about other countries on a regular basis!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

A conversation overheard between M and M in the backseat of the car....
Mi was telling us how much he loves to give to other people, he just can't help it. He always loses when he plays Monopoly, because he wants to give his money and property away and make everyone else happy.
Ma to Mi: You have such a huge heart...There's a tiny little room in your heart for you, and a great big room for everyone else.
Mi: Yeah, but that tiny little room for me is actually pretty selfish.

Such wisdom...

Poor Caleb has been sick all weekend. He's had a high fever, and, pardon my frankness, but he says he's been "peeing out of his butt". Need I say more?

Yee Haw

Here's a fun little video of Maddie singing her "6's" song. Math has really become her thing at school, and she is whizzing right along on her multiplication tables (unlike her mother, who struggled through mulitplication with great weeping and gnashing of teeth...)