Adventures at Great Wolf Lodge

We recently returned home from a 2-day getaway to Great Wolf Lodge in Centralia, Washington. It was fun for all. We were blessed to run into some friends of ours the first day there which turned out to be great for all of us. I found myself "borrowing" their daughter to go on the bigger water slides since my own kids are not very into "dare-devil" rides. The indoor wave pool was a hit with Emma and Eliza. Emma could usually be found in the middle of the action there while Eliza enjoyed playing in the waves on the "cement beach" (as Toby called it). Faith liked the pool with the basketball hoops and was talked into going on the "Howling Tornado" a few times by both Mom and Dad. Ethan had fun on everything except the slides. I did get him on the "Howling Tornado" once which resulted in a "good lecture" directed at me for talking him into it--I had to laugh since he is such a compliant child until I put him in "danger"--as he put it.

Ethan & Emma in the wave pool

Faith at the bottom a small slide in the shallow play area

Eliza in the waves with Daddy--she never misses a chance to do her "cheese face" in pictures--silly girl!


The trip was full of sweet memories. The night of our first day there I took Eliza to our room to bathe and get her jammies on. Afterward we went to the store to find a souvenir. She looked all over the store and examined many stuffed toys. I would ask her, "Do you want this one?". Every time she would say, "No". After about 10 minutes of this I handed her a stuffed wolf. This one was a keeper! I then said to her, "Okay, lets go pay for your new friend." She then replied, "Tank To, Mama." I melted. Such a sweet girl we have been blessed with!

This all got me thinking about the Lord. How many times does he lovingly give us something and we are faced with the option of saying thank you. Does my Heavenly Father "melt" at a heart felt thank you the way I did with Eliza? I think he does. I bet He draws us close and says, "You're welcome, dear one," in much the same way we do with our children--only better.

Eliza and her new friend "Wolfie"

Happy 4th of July!

This Fourth of July was full of seconds--Eliza's second 4th of July parade, our second year of taking her out to my parent's house for our annual family BBQ, and our second time seeing our newest nephew, Hunter. What a fun day!!!! Eliza is now old enough to get up and "dive" for candy at the parade. Once she figured out that they were throwing goodies she started waving and signing "please" whenever a new group would go by. The older kids soon figured out that you get more goodies when you have a very cute baby sister near by--a win win situation I think.



Waiting for the Parade to begin.



Eliza modeling some of her goodies--a flag and a new necklace.

After the parade we drove down to my parent's house for the annual family BBQ. It was a fun day for all! Eliza and her cousin, Seth, played a new game together where she would go down the slide and he would sit at the bottom and pretend she knocked him down. The girls had a great time with all their cousins and the great toys Grandma & Grandpa had for them to play with. Ethan is coming up on a new stage. He know is more interested in sitting with the adults than playing with the little ones. He did have a great time teasing his uncles with his "quick wit". Even Sisko was having a great time eating up all the "dropped" food and even a hot dog from Grandma.



Faith and Hunter.



Matt and his youngest, Olivia, taking advantage of a comfortable swing.



Getting ready for Grandma & Grandpa's fireworks display.

Han Lin Visits & Faith has a Dance Recital

We have been very blessed to have Han Lin visiting for a few days. He has been studying English at the university in Cincinnati. This Fall he will be starting his studies in nursing at the university.

Yesterday was a big day for Faith. She had her dance recital and was able to show everyone the dance she had been working on during the school year. The video is a little hard to see. At the beginning of the dance she is in the front row, second from the left.

Eliza Turns 2

Today our baby girl turned two! Such an exciting age to be. She had a two day extravaganza since we were able to visit family yesterday and celebrate with them as well. She really got into her presents this year. Some of her favorite gifts were her table and chair set, her tea set, and her Wow, Wow Wubbzy toys. While I was in the kitchen frosting her cake she set up her Wubbzy friends in chairs around the table and started serving them tea. So cute!!! We are so very thankful to the Lord for choosing us to be her parents.

Wrapping up the School Year

So many times I sign in to update the blog and find it hard to know what to write. There are a lot of things that I want to say but when I sit down to do it I draw a blank. We are finishing up our curriculum for the current school year which is a huge accomplishment for all of us. I am amazed most of all at how the Lord has used this time home schooling the kids to shape my character. Here I thought it would be a way to shape their character but I am finding I am benefiting from it in ways I could not have imagined. There have been moments of frustration, tears, exhaustion, laughter, joy, humility, & redemption--you name it we have probably experienced it. I am forever grateful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; my Father God, my Holy spirit. All three parts in one. Although my pride says I would much rather go on pretending I am not in need of pruning; happily ignoring my sinful nature, He loves me SO much that He does what is best for me.

There were times during this school year that I wanted to walk away and take the "easy" road--to step back into my comfort zone and send the kids off to school but I knew in my heart that God had called us to this--had called me. So I kept on and in the process have learned more about selflessness, grace, and patience than I could have ever imagine. I am not speaking of my patience with the kids--I am speaking of God's unending patience with me. Don't get the wrong impression, I am not suffering in this calling. On the contrary, I have found an unending fountain of blessing. I have found my calling for this season of my life.

I am not saying home schooling is for everyone. I will say this--many people have made the comment that they couldn't do it. I want you to know that you can. If God calls you to home school He will equip you. It will, without a doubt, remind you of how much we need Him.

In the interest of sharing more "cuteness" than anyone can stand--here are some pictures from this last month. Eliza happily had her first pedicure--given by an amazing man--her daddy. She also treated us to a fashion show and a little rock concert. You would think we have only one child with as many pictures as I've been taking of her lately. Just to reassure you they are all still here and we are still blessed beyond measure by them all. There are no words to describe it! Thank you, Lord!!!

New Name for the Blog

You may have noticed that our blog has undergone a name change. Since we are no longer "waiting for Eliza" we thought it would be appropriate to change the name. We will keep the web address the same to make it easy on family. Enjoy the updates :)

Springtime Fun!

These last few weeks have been busy. No big surprise there. We were able to visit a nearby tulip farm and enjoy some family activities. The flowers were beautiful! Hopefully it will become an annual outing for us.

Just a few more weeks and we will finish up our curriculum for this last school year. It has flown by. It has been a year full of transitions and blessings. We are gearing up for some summer fun and looking forward to another year of home school. It is quite an adventure!

On one of the sunnier days last month Eliza put on her sister's shoes and showed us how to walk--too cute!