Live Nativity Scene

This year we decided to do a live nativity scene at a Christmas event that we sing at every year.   We had a week to make the costumes and get everything ready, but we managed it just on time. :)

Dad built most of the stable at our house, but we brought it to the actual site to put it together. 

Grace overseeing from the manger. :)

Jacob did a really great job building the manger!

We borrowed two sheep from a friend, and they really added a lot to the nativity scene.

They were happy as long as they had hay to munch on!

John, Amanda, Mom, and Grace stood off to the side of the stable and sang Christmas caorls.

                 We took some breaks when people left to hear the other music that was going on.

Our goal was that this nativity scene would remind people of the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of Jesus Christ!

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

Summer Recap / Part 2

The August birthdays snuck up on us in the midst of a busy summer!  John's birthday was August 1 and he turned 21, Grace turned 12 on the 22nd, Will turned 26 on the 24th, and Jacob turned 19 on the 26th. 

We didn't have a number two candle, so we had to get a little creative. =)

We are glad when Will and Brittany get to come for birthday celebrations.

We had a full house on Grace's birthday - Pap, Nana, & Aunt Lynn, and Will and Brittany came over. 

Opening presents.

Grace chose ice cream for her dessert, and we enjoyed visiting in the living room while we ate it. 

Aunt Lynn and Nana.

Jacob's birthday!

Jacob's birthday was on a Sunday, so he opened his presents the night before; but he decided to have his cake on Sunday at lunch.

Eating lunch with a friend from church.

Around all those birthday times we had a singing appointment scheduled, so we had to find time to practice for that.  One night we went to over to our church to practice with the sound system.

Sleeping buddies!

Amanda and Grace on the last day of market. 

In September we had fun celebrating Dad and Uncle Mike's (his twin brother) birthday together.

Dad opening his presents from us.

Grace and Boone playing in a little lean-to that her and Jacob built.

                     Wowsers loves to get on the top of your head and massage it with his claws!                         

Amanda had her first lesson from Mom on cutting the boys hair.  Let's just say John was a little nervous what his hair would look like after she got through, but she did a good job under Mom's supervision. =)

Boone and Lucas love to go along with whoever is taking the daily walk down to the mailbox.

"Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, 

the God of our salvation!"

~Psalm 68:19

Summer Recap / Part 1

   Hey friends!  Here are some pictures from random life and highlights of our summer.  I had fun gathering these pictures from our different iPhones and putting all of this together.  God blessed us with a busy, hot summer and we enjoyed making memories together as a family. :)

At the start of May, we celebrated Mom's 50th birthday at Pap & Nana's house. 

We kids got her a set of fiesta dishes; something Mom has really been wanting for a couple of years.

Farmer's Market kept us busy this summer as usual.  This was the Farmer's Market crew this year (minus Amanda).

We brought lots of baked goods to the market this year.  We didn't get as big of a garden planted with our move going on, so the baked stuff helped make up for the lack of produce.

Getting this little fellow was a highlight for the cat lovers in the family. :)  Someone at Farmer's Market told us that he was giving away kittens and he wanted to know if we wanted the last one. And of course, we did!  We named him Wowsers, and he is even cuter than the pictures show!

Wowsers loves the dogs, and the dogs love him. 

Two weeks after we got Wowsers, someone else was giving away kittens at Farmer's Market, and we got him a compainion.  His name is George.

What dogs have to go through when we babysit them. :)

Amanda doing some editing work on one of her books.

Father's Day.

Jared's painting business, has kept him very busy this summer.  He does a fantastic job striping parking lots and doing other painting jobs!

Here's a before and after picture of one of his jobs.

On the Fourth of July, we had our annual outing at White Oak Lake State Park with Will and Brittany.  This year we did a lot of kayaking!

Relaxing. 

We drove around to the other side of the lake and followed a path through the woods to see what is called the Little Grand Canyon.  It was beautiful!

Be looking for Part 2 soon!

-Sarah