First day of School

Today was our first day of school!  This is earlier than we normally start, but with our new little brother and sister coming home soon, we thought we should go ahead and get a head start.  When they get home, we might stop for a couple of weeks and then go on when things have calmed down a little. 

Three Months Old Today

Today, our little sister/daughter is three months old!  She was around 1 week old when we saw her sweet face for the first time.  She has always been ours, from the first minute we saw her, and we were overjoyed to have such a beautiful little newborn.  Happy 3 months, little sister! 

My View on the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics

So the Olympics are finally here!  After all of the trials, the real thing is finally happening.  This is the first year that I am really interested in the Olympics, I remember the Winter ones, but before that I was really too young to know or care anything about them, so this year it’s really interesting.  In my family, we watch next to no TV, so it is also a special thing to be able watch so many countries, so many people, and so many sports compete.

Now, the Opening Ceremony....  First of all, I thought it was absolutely amazing.  It was breathtaking, funny, realistic, wonderfully put to together with so many amazing actors, props, music, sets etc.  It was really neat, how it started with the beginnings of each country, with live animals, full costumes and houses.  Then it went on to the industrial industry, then to the children, doctors and nurses in the hospital, the little girl's dream, then the 80’s, and finally the “social media” (I may have missed a few, sorry!)  But as I was watching it all unfold I kept thinking that as each scene went through, it seemed as though the world kept getting less and less godly.  Here’s an example:  In the beginning, a little boy with a beautiful voice sang “Lord God Almighty” (or a song like that).  Then other children sang their countries national anthem, like “God Help the Queen” and other songs.  Fast forward to the “Social Media" stage.  Now kids were disagreeing with parents, texting all the time, not wearing very much, and going out to parties at all hours.  It was a good example of how the world is steadily moving away from God, and it’s sad.  A hundred years ago the first thing a child learned to read was the Bible.  It was a standard, and at that time the very idea of not allowing “God in schools" would have probably seemed ridiculous and completely crazy. 

We need families in America, and all over the world, to step up and set the standard back to what it should be.  We need children to be taught what is right, and trained in the ways of the Lord.  We need prayer warriors to cry out to God, and only then will there be any change in the world. 

Our Time At The Beach

Once a year my family has the opportunity to go to the beach with my dad's family.  It is such an amazing time to spend together with our family who we don't see as much as we'd like.  Get prepared, this post will have alot of pictures!

Emily and Lindsey with "funny faces"

The ipad and wii were a hit.  (sadely:))

Kevin and Carson

Emily

Family game!

We spent alot of time in the ocean or digging in the sand, we made several fish aquariums,

and countless sandcastles.  And apart from a few rashes and a couple cases of

swimmer's ear, had an all-around great time.

It is so much fun to look ahead to next year when we will have two new little people to have so much fun with.  In our family we normally have a new baby (or two!) every year, and it has been along time since our family had the youngest grandchild:)

Last year, we made a short movie nearly all of the (then) 16 cousins.  This year we have 19 cousin, (two of which are my brother and sister who are still in Africa) 

But this year we made a 1/2 hour movie that turned out really well!  From start to finish it took us about 3 days, and was (although a bit stressful for me) a lot of fun.

We also had the amazing privilege of getting to see baby sea turtles hatch!  Well, actually we didn't get to see them hatch, but we were there when they made there journey to the ocean.  It was so absolutely amazing to watch.  So breathtaking to realize that God designed it so that those tiny, two ounce, little animals would follow the light of the moon to the ocean, and then travel 30-40 miles out to sea before eating anything.  So. Amazing.

A Day in the Life of A Swimmer [Part 2]

So, we were able to swim last night!  We had a fun, late night swimming and hanging out, and we didn't get home until 10:00pm!  Everyone did really well, and even though our team lost, we improved a lot of scores and had fun.

Brandon and David in their tiny suits

David showing his layout

A Day In The Life Of A Swimmer (part 1)

This year, Brandon, David and I are on swim team.  It has been hard work, but has had it's share of rewards.  We have practice two nights a week and meets once a week. Most of our swim coaches are very serious about swimming and making the team strong, consequently we have been going home exhausted nearly every night we practice.  We have also swam in nearly all conditions, in rain (without lightening) in 110 degree weather and in 65 degree weather.  There is also a baseball field next to the pool, and we have had several foul ball come zooming our way! 

Last night, we were scheduled to have a meet at a pool 45 minutes away, [way farther then normal] so we were car pulling with two of our  friends who are on the team.  It had been raining for the last couple of hours and every once in a while were heard the distant rumble of thunder.

 But the meet hadn't been canceled yet, so we packed everything into our mini van and headed over to our friends house.  By that time it was pouring down rain, yet the meet was still on.  Twenty minutes later everyone was buckled in the car, wet from the rain, excited to be car pulling with friends, discussing the movie we were about to watch and ready to go.  We turned the car on, got ready to back out, and then got the email.  The meet was canceled. 

We are supposed to be swimming tonight, but it's raining again.  Maybe it we'll swim in the rain, maybe it will be rescheduled for tomorrow, we don't know yet, but  I'll keep you posted:)

Our Awesome Family Over the 4th of July

Over the July 4th weekend most of my family on my dad's side went to my grandparents house at Smith Mountain Lake.  We had an awesome time and did everything from campfires, to knee boarding, to tubing, to simply hanging out and having a great time with family. 

My newest couin Carson (http://minus1project.blogspot.com/)

My brother David, and Carson's sweet big sister Lucy

Tubing

Brad on the Jet Ski

Carson

Look at that smile, he is the cutest!

Carson in the backpack

The moon July 3

geting ready to tube with 6 kids in a 2 man tube.  

we broke our record of how many tubes we use in a single trip with 4 tubes

Cousins Katie and Brad

Me and Carson

More tubeing

David and Ben

David

Carson

"weee!"

Carson again

Katie and Carson's big sister Lindsey

 We also went out to see the fireworks on July 4th.  We almost always go, and have a great time watching them.  We pulled out the couch into a "bed" and about half the cousins piled onto it.  We had a great ride over, but sometime after we left the dock the safely lights on the boat went out and we couldn't get them to come back on.  It is really important to have them because it is dark, because without them, the other boats (there were about 3,000) couldn't see us, and they might run into us.  Soon after we realized the lights were out, a police boat pulled up beside us.  We didnt get a ticket, but we had to go back to the dock (about twenty minutes away) The police had us tape up a smart phone as a light in the back of the boat while my older cousin Brad held up a smart phone in the front so we could be seen.  We rushed back the dock and piled in the speed boat then zoomed across the lake just in time for the last 30 seconds.  It was great.

Seven of the 19 cousins in the front of the boat

Brad held that smart phone up the entire time!