Going...Going...Going....GONE!!

As many of you know, Kaitlyn and I are about to embark on a truly thrilling trip. A trip that will take us all the way across the ocean to Russia and the Ukraine!

It is now 9:45 pm, and we will be leaving our house at 4:30 am tomorrow morning, so I am getting ready to hit the sack for a few hours of rest before take off!

We will be driving up to O'Hare International Airport and catching a plane to JFK International Airport, where we will then make our last flight before landing in Kiev, Ukraine the next morning.

We will be gone for about two weeks, so this blog will be very lifeless and boring for awhile. But when we get back....well, let's put it this way...we will have PLENTY of interesting stories and pictures from our missions trip!

Please be in prayer for us as we travel, that we would be safe for the whole trip, that we would see lives changed through the ministries we help with, and that we would be a great blessing to all the missionary families and people we meet over there.

Thanks for keeping up with our family blog. We love to read your comments!

See ya in two weeks!

Flowers

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Some of Lizzie's flowers are in full bloom right now and look just breathtaking. Flowers are gorgeous enough when you buy a bouquet from a shop, but when you can pick them right from the garden... ahhhh.

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Visit from cousins...

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Last Saturday, three of our cousins and their friend, Faith, came by our house for the day and went to church with us on Sunday. We had a great time with them, as always, playing table games and volleyball.

Steve and Molly

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Playing the classic game of "Soundoff".... Faith and Lizzie, cracking up
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They taught us a new game called "Telephone Pictionary" which was totally hilarious!

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Jessica and Nathan

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Snapshots

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Lizzie, with some "help" from Aiden, put together a little bouquet of flowers from her garden.... aren't the colors beautiful?!

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Home sweet home

Pictures From Lizzie's Birthday

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Sweet Sixteen

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Happy 16th Birthday, Lizzie! We are so thankful for you and all that you do for this family. We love you tremendously!

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(We may post some pictures later... her party is tonight.)

Beans

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The garden is coming in nicely this year, so far. Thank you, Lord! We've already harvested a few things. Yesterday we processed beans. It can be quite a chore, but as they say, "Many hands make light work!" ... and so they did.

Good job, kiddoes!

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Psalm 148:13

"Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven."

Kait & Nate

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Recently, someone asked me...

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...if we siblings had gone from being "just siblings" to actually being best friends. It was an unexpected question, but not a hard one to answer. Yes, we are best friends! Praise the Lord. We have had so much fun together... and it seems like the older we get, the closer we get.
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Lizzie and Eli, just jammin' around.

Stowaway

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After rummaging through the luggage in the attic, deciding what take on the upcoming missions trip, I had left a couple of small suitcases on the couch. Connor crawled in one of them and was getting a grand kick out of the whole thing, popping in and out with a mischievous grin on his face.

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Link to see Rick's Quartet:

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Go to http://www.mountpisgahbaptist.com/video.html and click on the June 24th service. The tour group sings a few songs, right after hand shaking time.

Sparkler fun!

Guess who Mom and Dad are thinkng about? :o)

My version of modern art! :oP

The crop sprayers are out and working!

Notice the electric wires to the left on the picture...the plane flew UNDER those to spray the corn! Talk about daring!

One week

Pool Time

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This week we were given a brand new 3 ft. x 12 ft. pool. The kids have been out at every available opportunity! Isn't it neat to see how the Lord provides not only our needs but also little "wants" like this?

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Anna, Luke and Aiden, enjoying the water.

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Only Mindy...

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... could come up with an outfit like this!

Can a Smile be Contagious?

Last day of the reading program...
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The kids enjoyed their summer reading program this year, as they always do. They earned some fun prizes and ended up reading LOTS of good books over the course of a few weeks. Great job, guys!

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Today was their party that the library always has at the end of the program. Think they look excited?

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Yep, I was elected chauffeur.

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One of the rewards that they earned was a free personal pan pizza... good stuff, huh Eli?

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Molly and Aiden

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