Happy Birthday Daddy

My wonderful, sweet and precious husband (although I am certain I don't tell him enough!) is 29 today! Happy Birthday William! We love you so much and are so blessed by your love and your life this day and everyday!

We love you!!

Larissa (for herself and the three crazies)

Note: picture is of kace enjoying Daddy's cake from work! Don't you just love his gusto?

Day At the Museums

For our second adventure story we would like to highlight our visit to the National Museums of Natural History and Aviation. We started our day with a ride on the metro. Which was a first for almost all of us aboard! But Pop Pop, Will's Dad, came prepared with a metro map and directions on how to get us all to the Smithsonian stop. Will was especially impressed by his Dad's abilities! Isn't it a miracle that we all fit on the train?



The two bigguns with Grandma Chickie(Will's Mom) and Pop Pop (Our oldests' given name for Will's dad, his version of Paw Paw)

Our little man was a happy boy since he got his belly full! And daddy is always glad to have a travel buddy!

Here is the BIG attraction, although trumped quite neatly by the entire triceratops skeleton that we saw right next to him. At dinner later on that day I asked my husband, son, mother-in-law and father-in-law what they liked seeing the most and the vote was unanimous, they liked the dinos the most (Although secretly I thought my father-in-law enjoyed the aviation museum just a little bit more). Big surprise!

This was a really neat display that they had and so we took a picture and then did a little doctoring, I hope you enjoy their artistic appeal.

Where's the Stegosaurus?

Man, is it a long shot to think that this little dog (or whatever it was I cannot remember) is nosy?

Here is what the little guy thought was neat and where he chose a car set of Air Force One to take home with us. These are the WWII fighter planes that were such a hit with my little mechanical man, who is even at this moment playing with his cars.

We all really enjoyed this visit to the Natural History Museum, it is the first time I had ever been, although I have visited DC plenty of times, I always when to the National History and Aviation Museums. But the one thing we all thought amusing was one display in particular, I will explain.....

While wandering through the Prehistoric section of the Natural History Museum we came across a display, which, I might add, we would have missed had we not had a stroller with us. This display showed a model with evidence of prehistoric fish and a model with evidence of prehistoric lizards, then in the middle was the "missing link", which happened to be a drawing of a fish coming out of the water with legs. We found it to be quite amusing that all the "missing links" seem to be speculation without evidence; isn't that the first rule of hypothesis, don't make an suggestion that you cannot test? Ah, well it was fun laughing about the zillions of years this earth has existed and the things that happened to the environment. Next time we visit a museum of Natural History we want to head to the Creation Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Fun of Aviation

Our adventures began on a plane. Now all the boys have been flying before, but it is always different since this time we have never flown with all three at once! You can imagine us two directing the exhibition! It was hard work, which I doubt we will repeat anytime soon as we ended up being called to our connecting flight and holding everyone up because of an accident in the diaper area! It wasn't so fun to have my husband rushing up to me saying "we're late, didn't you hear them paging us?" I was not aware of our lateness and was greatly embarrassed when we boarded and everyone but us were seated, then a lady commented that she wondered how many children we had and I said, "Oh, only three." She responded "Only THREE!"

We came about all right and found that, when our returning flight was delayed we were bumped from our connecting flight and held over until 6:00am the next morning, that flight can be a test of our godly character the same as trials and persecution are. My patience, self-control, love, and steadfastness were all sorely tested and I regret to admit more than one was thrown to the wind to be repented of in quiet later.

But all in all we got some pretty funny pictures, I hope you all think they are as amusing as we do! Here goes.....



Hi Daddy! You still there?

He slept through the landing, pulling up to the gate and everyone else's exit!

This was hysterical, he was totally sprawled

Crazy! Crazy for flying in airplanes! (Just kidding, but I especially was ready to be home in Missouri!)

I hope this first installment is to all of your satisfaction and enjoyment, especially the embarrassing picture of yours truly! You can never say I shrink from transparency!

Many Blessings!

What Did Silas See At Powell Gardens?

Our Family went to visit Powell Gardens this week so that we could spend some time as a family enjoying being outside together, but mostly because there was a dinosaur exhibit and Silas, our oldest, is simply gaga over anything reptile. So we loaded up the crew and set forth....no just kidding, but we tramped through this very neat botanical garden and saw some dinos along the way! Enjoy our pictures and I hope soon to see what you have been up to this summer! Blessings!


T-Rex Boy!

Big and small, hats on 'em all! (okay gimme a break I couldn't think of anything better.)


Silas looks as uncomfortable as this dino.

Hi Dragons (what they like to call the dinos)

Silas can hardly believe his good fortune, there is a dino in the lake!

Not quite sure what these are, but they fly.




This is the crowning glory.....the Tyrannosaurus Rex!



"Hmmmm, I wonder if they will notice me eating dirt?"


We even took a picture for you to see we are still in complete control of our sanity.


I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! Your kids probably stayed up and watched the fireworks just like ours did(although it was passed bed time and they were not supposed to), but I doubt you wished your neighbors would move away and stop shooting their fire crackers at your home.....Well I only wished for a little while!

Learning About Loss--Reposting

As many of you know my grandfather died friday May 18th, 2007. Although not a surprise, as he was seriously ill, it is never easy to loose a person whose life has impacted and touched your own. I am tempted therefore to run down a list of things that marked or remind me of his life. I say tempted because the purpose of our lives is not to run over and over the list of our accomplishments, the lives we have touched, or even the things we valued. The purpose of our lives is to reflect the nature of our great and glorious Savior and to boast only in His accomplished work. My grandfather was a good man, but I want to see Christ in this end to his life. I desire in my heart, that is acutely regretful, to see my Lord in the action of my grandpa's life and in the action of his death. I admit that it is hard for me to see His glory in the lost life of my grandfather because I do not know if he trusted in Christ for his righteousness (even knowing how sweet he was to me). But if he did not trust Christ, where in this loss do I encounter the One who changed me and my life? And where can I point to His glory and His grace? Even if I take myself out of the equation, where does anyone encounter the Savior in this act?
Unfortunately, I have no pat answer for my own question. All I know is that God is sovereign and my own confusion in this experience is under His omniscient control. I know a few things though. I know how much I love and value my mother and father. I know how much my sister's souls are of importance to me. I desire for my family to encounter their own mortality and--at that reality-- rely on the sweet and providential mercy of Christ. I know now how much I don't really know and how much faith is involved in losing someone you love dearly and whose life touched your heart. I cling now to the Lord who knows all things, sees all things, and directs all things since only He knows how this action works to reflect His glory and how this life that was lost will and continues to honor Him alone. I never understood before that loss, no matter how anticipated it may be, is never easy. This is hard, this not knowing.

"7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;the testimony of the Lord is sure,making wise the simple;8 the precepts of the Lord are right,rejoicing the heart;the commandment of the Lord is pure,enlightening the eyes;9 the fear of the Lord is clean,enduring forever;the rules of the Lord are true,and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold,even much fine gold;sweeter also than honeyand drippings of the honeycomb.11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-11.