Fall is Fabulous

Fall is my favorite season! I just love the leaves, the crisp clean air, everything about it! I generally just try not to think about the fact that fall brings winter on.... but this year I don't even have to worry about that since we get to miss out on winter too! I can just enjoy the fall and know that after it is over, we get summer again, in Brazil!

This little man is growing up so fast! I have held a few newborns in the last few days and all of a sudden my "baby" seems so BIG to me!

So, I am constantly encouraging the kids to get outside and play in the leaves. Pile them, jump in them, throw them around, rake them. It is one of my favorite things to do in my spare time too. ;-)

Another great thing about fall is that it brings Dominique's birthday! This little lady turned FIVE years old in October! She is really growing up - and learned to ride a bike this week with no training wheels!!

We got to take another day at the zoo too, now that we finally got some decent weather, with the cousins this time.

Here is our princess on her wheels.

They really do love each other. Most of the time. Really.

This picture is SO Israel! I love this little man!

A ray of sunshine...

It is SO not easy to get Johann to LOOK at the camera long enough to push the button, let alone SMILE, so this picture is priceless to me. :)

And here is my big man. He has worked with Daddy two days lately! I am so proud of the young man he is turning into.

We have been busy, busy, busy with preparations for Brazil. Pray for us as you think of us, please!

Brazil Update and a Week with Grandma

The Brazil update is that we got our tickets and we will be leaving on December 9th, 2009!

We just enjoyed a fabulous week with my sweet Grandma Nita who came in on the train. We got some great time with the fam, and a *perfect* day to go to the zoo! Thank you for coming, Grandma! We love you!

A Day with the Cousins

Johann turned ONE year old, a month ago tomorrow! So, this is taking me a long time to get up, but better late than never, right?

We had had a mini celebration with him on my birthday, but on the actual day of his birthday my brother and his family came over for lunch and the kids had a wonderful time playing in the yard. Good thing we took advantage of the weather when we could! Little did we know winter would hit us in October this year!






(You can click on the pictures to enlarge them. Unless you are reading this through facebook. You have to actually come to my blog to get that effect. :)


The Boys













They cant help but be goofy!













Gabriel Creed


















What a great smile!


















Tree Huggers?


















Avianna and Daddy


















Isnt that just the sweetest??


















Moriah pushing Johann. She thinks he is a toy dolly. :)












Way too cute for her own good.... Moriah Sage. =)














































Avianna Marie who just has the best smile in the world


















We found these matching dresses for the girls LAST summer and they fit them both perfectly now. They just love them, and they love matching, and they loved dancing in the yard with them, especially after it started to rain!













































































































































While the girls twirled, the boys engaged in a more manly activity. Not sure what you would call it exactly, but they had a great time creating this conglomeration:















And this is kinda random for this post, but since I am finally posting, I thought I would add that Johann is walking now and thinks he is really hot stuff!

Brazil.... here we come!

Well......... this is not news to all of you, but probably for many of you! We are going to Brazil!

Hmmm.... where to begin and still keep this brief?

We have been praying for well over a year about where the Lord wants us to be. We have felt Him "shaking" things up in our lives and in our hearts, and we believed that it was nearing the time for us to move on.

Over the past more-than-a-year, we have prayed and waited and sought counsel and prayed some more, done much seeking and knocking, and more waiting and praying.... and at last we have become convinced that the Lord is leading us to a season in Brazil.

At this point, we are planning to leave around the last of November or first of December, and for now we are planning to spend about five or six months -- to "spy out" the land (like Caleb and Joshua) and bring back a report. :) We are in faith that the Lord has already gone before us, preparing the way, and that this time will be a fruitful one.

And what will we do after that? Frankly, we are not sure. There are several possibilities, but nothing definite yet. We have been talking with our church leaders and making some contacts in Brazil, which we will be able to do better once we are there. But even though we don't know all of the specifics, we are sure that the Lord is leading and that HE knows!

It has not been an easy decision for us to come to. Besides the fact that we have four small children, we also have an extremely comfortable life in the USA. The only thing we have never had much of is money (lol), but here it is just pretty easy to have plenty of "stuff", and live very well, besides our family, church family and friends, and all of the other connections that make this a wonderful place to live.....

But ultimately, we want more than anything else to be where the Lord wants us to be, and we are excited about what He may do in our future! Please pray with us and for us as we finalize the preparations for our trip.

Updates to come.....

Family Pictures 2009, by Michelle.

My Baby Turns ONE today!

Can you believe it?

Today is Johann's first birthday!

I think with each baby I am gaining more perspective on just how fleeting the baby stage is. Unbelievable.

He really is just such a joy in our lives and we are so thankful for him. He is growing well, very healthy and taking his first steps now. We celebrate each milestone just as we did with our first child - only I think it is even more fun now, because the other children get as excited about it as we do! They so enjoy watching his antics, playing with him and carting him around like a little baby doll. And he doesnt mind a bit. Sometimes I think he will protest when one of the bigger kids try to pick him up, because it doesnt usually look very comfortable, but no! He just hangs on for dear life with both arms and legs like a little koala bear and off they go! So sweet to watch....

And do you see those red highlights in his hair?

It's September Already??

It is hard to believe! Here is a little sampling of what we have been keeping busy with.
I just celebrated my birthday - what a fun year - 9/9/09! My dear husband was going to take me out for dinner, while my mom kept the children. However, when we went to drop them off, my family surprised me with a party! I had no clue, and it was special.






An extra special birthday surprise was my dear friend Kendra coming down from Michigan to celebrate with us! Thanks girl!


Also note the brand new baby carrier I am wearing. My sil Suzy made that for Johann and I for our birthdays! It is wonderful - well made and comfortable. Easy to use and wearable on front or back of mommy. If you are interested in ordering one from her, contact me and I'll put you in touch! (If you are familiar with the ergo baby carrier, these are similar in style and function.)




Johann got some gifts too, since his birthday is next week! Can you believe he is going to be ONE already? I cant! It is hitting me hard, actually - harder than me turning a year older! I think with each baby I am gaining more perspective on just how fleeting the baby stage is! Johann is a sweetheart, and starting to take his first steps this week!




Yesterday we enjoyed a visit from my sister-in-law plus five children. The children played and played all day long and had such a fun time together. These boys worked hard and were finally able to take down this branch that was partially cracked from the tree. They were so proud!






Last week we had a bonfire at Grandpa Howard's house and it was fun to get some time with extended family as well. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Kathy were in town. Here they are with my cousins Eric and Craig, and Craig's new wife Monica. They were recently married and it was the first time we had met her. She seems to really be a sweetheart.






The newlyweds:













Me and my Grandpa Howard:













The following morning we traveled a few hours to visit friends Jason and Tina for the Labor Day weekend. We had such a nice time, and our ten children all had a blast playing with each other!
























Oh, here we are back at Grandpa's bonfire. Sorry these aren't in order!
Fabio and Mom











Me and Scotty













Israel and Moriah













Joshua and Dillon


















Johann at the park looking cute as a button!


















Enjoying this beautiful weather while we can!



















Riding the purple dinosaur:












And last but not least, we have also enjoyed having guests lately. Last week this lovely family, the Nichols graced our home for a few days with their presence. They are missionaries in Brazil and we so enjoyed getting to spend some time with them.
(And the week before we had visitors from a ministry called the Covenant Players stay with us. I failed to get a picture of them...)

And that just about brings you up to date on the highlights of our recent lives. :) I guess I could also add that all four children recently had their yearly check-ups at the doctor and they are all growing well and very healthy. I can't even express how thankful I am for that!!!