"S Word"

Today at VBS one of the boys came up to me to tell me that another boy said the "S word." He then informed me that the boy said, "the S word head." At that point, I asked him to whisper in my ear what exactly the "S word" is, and he whispered, "Stupid." :) Not great, but it could have been so much worse!

Megan's Baptism

Megan was baptized June 7th. She had been asking to be baptized for almost a year. She talked with Heath, the children's pastor, (shown in the picture) two different times about salvation, baptism, and the meaning behind everything to make sure she was ready. She was very excited that night (in fact, she was talking about it all weekend). Lots of the family came in to support her and watch the special night -- Meme and Papa, Aunt LaLa and Roy, Nana and Chuck, and Great-Grandpa and Grandma Josie. Jason and I both prayed for her (as did Heath) up in the baptismal waiting area before she was baptized and just prayed that the Lord would etch that night into her memory, helping it to be a wondrously special time between her and the Lord as she followed what He'd asked her to do in baptism. Heath prayed over her and asked that she wouldn't settle for anything less than what God's perfect plan was for her life.

I couldn't help but shed a few tears as she came up out of the water--seeing her sweet and innocent spirit so eager to do what the Lord commanded her to do after accepting Him as her savior--and knowing she is a child of the Almighty King, she belongs to Him completely. What more could a mother ask for? It was a blessed, inspiring, spirit-filled and emotional night.

This week we're in VBS. Should be lots of fun.

Seattle Part 3

On Thursday, Jason, me and the girls went whale watching. We saw harbor seals, porpoises, eagles, Minke whales, a grey whale, puffins, and lots of other birds. The ride was fun, and Megan said it was her favorite part of the trip. Anna said her favorites were ice skating and feeding the seal. After the trip we ate at a Mexican place there by the ocean.

On Friday, we went ice skating with Laura and Schuyler. He takes speed lessons, and she takes figure skating lessons. They're really good and it was fun to watch them. It was Megan and Anna's first time on the ice, and now they can't wait to do it again.

Then we headed back to downtown Seattle and went to the Space Needle. We ate at the restaurant on top and then went outside to see the sights.

To top off our last night there, we got to watch Laura and Schuyler's belt ceremony for the Taekwondo lessons they take. Then we ate at the Rainforest Cafe before heading to the airport. Our flight left at 12:40 am. I got pretty sick on the first flight home. It was a 3 hour flight and by the end of it, I was actually praying I'd throw up ***and throw up before we landed so not everybody would be watching me. Well, the first part of my prayer was answered. But not the second part. I started throwing up after we landed--right about the time the other passengers were filing by our row. Megan was still asleep laying on my lap, and I was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. But Jason later told me that everyone was staring. GREAT!!! Nice! We had two more flights home with two 1 1/2 hour layovers along the way. The second flight I still wasn't feeling great, but I was much better. By the third flight, I was fine. We didn't get home until around 12 noon Saturday. Needless to say, we all fell in bed and crashed. What a trip! Fun times! Good memories! Thanks to the Sparks for their hospitality and putting up with us. :)

Seattle Part 2

On Tuesday, I took the kids to a splash park right down the street from Dawn and Jason's house. The kids LOVED it. There was a huge sand box they played in too. Then we went hiking down some wooded trails. There were so many splits in the trails, the kids were worried about getting lost. They took turns leading the way. It was really a fun place. That evening we all went to downtown Seattle to Pike Place where they're famous for all the commotion and throwing fish as people place orders.

Then we headed to the Safeco Field for a Mariners ball game. What a blast. A few minutes before we left a foul ball came flying our way. In the commotion, Schuyler started crying and we realized he'd been hit by the ball. But the good news is he got a ball out of it. Actually, he got two! He was super excited. He figured the pain was worth it if he got a real baseball from the Mariners! :) I was a little worried the girls might get a bored, but they loved the whole experience. It helped that they got spoiled with ballpark food too!

On Wednesday, Jason and I along with the girls and Laura drove 3 hours to Ranier Mtn. What a beautiful and breath-taking place. We were in awe practically the whole time we were there at God's beauty and the vastness of the mountains. "Majestic" was the word we kept thinking.

We hiked along a trail filled with huge trees.

Notice the three girls holding hands in front of the tree.

And we drove up the mountain to the snow and played, played, played. We had snowball fights, built snowmen, slid around, and just had the best time ever. Believe it or not, the day we were there, it was actually not cold at all. So, we ended up shedding our coats and playing in short-sleeves with our gloves on to keep our hands warm. It was amazing, and the girls had a blast!

We also hiked down to a waterfall on snow trails (which were a little slippery and scary at times). I even fell through the snow once about 2 feet into a creek underneath it. Scary, but funny too.

Here they are standing in a heavy mist caused by the waterfall. It would soak you within a matter of minutes. And looking down at the waterfall from where they are, you could see two beautiful rainbows.

Seattle Part 1

***This post is just as much for me as it is for anybody else reading it. I want to remember all the fun things we were able to do together. So if you get bored reading all the details, sorry.

We went to Seattle to visit some friends we've had since our first year of marriage--Jason, Dawn, Laura and Schuyler. We left as soon as Megan's Kindergarten ceremony was over Friday morning and didn't get to their home until around 11 that night (I think). We were tired. In fact, I was kind of dragging all week.

The next day we drove about 4 hours along the Washington peninsula to catch a ferry over to Victoria Canada. Here's a shot of Laura and Anna tuckered out.

The drive through the Olympia National Forest along the coast was breath-taking. There was water on one side and snow-covered mountains on the other. Everything was lush and green. It was just gorgeous.

Here we all are on the ferry. It was quite chilly with a strong breeze blowing across the cold waters.

By the time we had driven so far and rode the ferry (which took about an hour and a half) and made our way off the ferry into Victoria, we were ready for supper. We ate at a local seafood steakhouse right on the water. Then all we wanted was our beds. We didn't even have the energy to go swimming that night.

The next morning, in true Megan fashion, we were up around 6. Our friends slept in, so we got some donuts and took the girls swimming for about 2 hours. (Actually Jason took the girls swimming while I tried to get breakfast for over an hour--then I finally joined them at the pool).

Afterwards, we all walked to a castle and toured it. It was beautiful and had some neat history facts. Here are the kids standing in front of it.

There was an antique piano inside with a note that said if you were musically talented you could play a song. So, we all took turns (including all the kids) playing our beautiful music. Laura's been taking piano, so hers was good. Schuyler's was his own renditioin of "I Dropped My Dolly In the Dirt," which Megan also played. And Anna graced us with "Hot Cross Buns."

Then we went through the touristy downtown area on our way to the Undersea Gardens which had aquariums and a "touch and feel" area. Here are the kids feeling starfish and some other creatures.

After that, Jason and me and the girls went to the beach while our friends went to another museum. The water was freezing! But the weather was gorgeous. Picture perfect. Along the coastline there were snow-covered mountains. The scenery and serenity was wonderful. The girls had a blast playing in the sand. In this picture, you can barely make out the snow-covered mountain in the background.

Jason and Dawn had found a fisherman's wharf that we all went back to for supper. And there was a local shop that sold fish you could feed the wild seals. They would literally jump up out of the water and take the fish right out of your hands. It was amazing. Truly a great experience for the kids.

We went swimming a little that night and the next morning before heading our to catch a ferry home. We took a different route back going through the San Juan islands. It was about a 3 hour trip. We were just blown away with the beauty up there. Everywhere you looked you saw gorgeous scenery. Back in Washington we stopped at Deception Pass before heading back to their home. There is a huge bridge that crosses over an inlet of water. It is so high up it makes you a nervous wreck looking down. The pictures do NOT do the reality justice at all. We even spotted a harbor seal swimming down in the water on our way across the bridge. Again, it was beautiful.

Misc. Pics

We went to see my parents for Memorial Day and got to visit with some of our dear friends, the Janssons.  Here are all five kids taking a ride on Dad's four-wheeler.  Fun times!

Here are the girls playing with the turtle we found.  
Aunt Sharon and Myrah getting good snuggle and giggle time.  When Myrah's around people who laugh, she automatically starts laughing too.  Before you know it, the whole room is laughing right along with her.  It's very contagious.  :)
She was mesmerized with the turtle.

Misc. snap of Anna all dolled up with curls.
The girls with Kaylee (one of our neighbors) getting to enjoy the warm weather together.
My cute Anna helping Daddy wash his truck.