Happy Birthday Jacob!

Happy birthday to Jacob... he turns 21 today!  Jacob is very diligent in everything he does and he loves to hunt, fish, make and shoot bows, tan animal hides, and is just a regular outdoors-man.  Boats, bows, and whistles are just a few of the things he makes!

Jacob's very first deer. 

He has shot quite a few deer over the past couple of years...

...as well as various other animals. :)

Trying out a boat that he made.  

He got a four-wheeler last year and that has been really helpful with his hunting.

Happy birthday Jacob!

Sarah's (almost) Root Canal and What We Learned

                                                                                                                                        by Dana Silvey

Today Sarah was scheduled to have a root canal, but thankfully because some dear friends encouraged us to research root canals first, we decided to chose a different route - which turned out to be a better one for us. I want to share with you in a nutshell what we learned about root canals and I strongly encourage you to do your own research before ever considering a root canal.

A root canal treated tooth can lead to a number of chronic health problems and degenerative diseases.  If you get a root canal you may think you are saving your tooth, but actually you are killing it.  In a sense you kill the tooth to kill the pain.  A dead tooth in the body can become a source of chronic infection and toxicity.  Dentists are not able to remove all of the bacteria in an infected tooth and they just hope your immune system will take care of what they cannot get out.  Research shows that most root canals harbor harmful bacteria that can then cause a variety of health issues in the years to follow. You can read more about root canals here at Wellness Mama's Website.

In our research we learned about a group of dentists that treat your dental problems as part of your overall health and well-being, called Biological Dentists. Most dentists will care about their patient's health, but a Biological Dentist will avoid procedures that use toxic materials, like mercury fillings and fluoride, to treat your teeth.  We found a dentist about 1 hour and 20 minutes away, Dr. Clark of Amity Gentle Dental.  It was well worth the drive! You can go to Dr. Clark's Website and learn more about what he does. 

Sarah at Dr. Clark's office, before her tooth was pulled 😊.

Sarah had been in considerable pain as we awaited her scheduled root canal appointment.  We found out about Dr. Clark over the weekend and after much prayer we called first thing yesterday morning to see about getting her an appointment.   After spending time praying before Mark made the call, I just smiled when he told me she had an appointment at 2:30 because of a cancellation. I thought of one of my favorite sayings: God is Good all the time, all the time God is Good! Long story short, Sarah had her first tooth pulled and woke up this morning pain free! (Dr. Clark uses a technique for extractions that causes very minimal pain.) We will go back in about 3-4 months to get something to fill in the empty space she now has.

I encourage you to take a proactive approach in all of your health decisions and do the research to be totally informed!

Happy Birthday Grace!

Grace turns 14 today! She loves her niece, playing the piano, writing penpals, taking care of her chickens, and organizing Dutch Blitz games in the evenings (and winning them, too!).  Grace is quite a busy bee and she has taken over a lot of the cooking and laundry at our house.  Life would be boring without her!

I couldn't resist using some pictures of when she was younger. :) She had lots of energy (and still does!). 

Dad and Grace.

Grace donated her hair one time after it had gotten really long. 

She loves animals, and Boone and her have a special friendship. 

Grace is the best aunt!

Happy birthday Grace!

July 4th Recap

On July 4th we enjoyed our annual holiday at the lake with Will and Brittany and some friends.  It was supposed to be thunderstorms that day so we thought our plans were going to change, but instead God blessed us with beautiful weather and we had a really fun day! 

Lizzy made this year so much fun!

We had lots of great food.

We really enjoyed having our friends, the Harbours, join us this year! 

 Our red, white, and blue themed desserts...

After lunch a group of us headed out in the kayaks for a long adventure. :)

Hannah and Amanda.

Jared, Grace, and I. 

Half way through we stopped at a dock and took a little break and some of us switched kayaks. 

 Elizabeth went on her first boat ride...you can't get much cuter than that! 

Just relaxing and visiting. 

Grace and I had fun baby-sitting Elizabeth while Will and Brittany went out on the lake. :)  

She was so close to crawling right there!

Most of us headed out on a couple mile walk through the woods. 

This little girl was conked out by the end of our walk. :)

We went and saw the Little Grand Canyon on the other side of the lake again. The guys went down and explored some. 

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork." 

Random Life from April to June

This was our life these past few months... enjoying time with family, loving on the grand-baby, taking lots of walks, and harvesting produce from the garden. 

Elizabeth enjoying book time with Grandma. 

 She's learned how to wave and it is so cute!!

This Spring we girls were apart of a 100 mile walking challenge and we got lots of miles in together down our driveway.  

Mom and I on a walk.

We enjoyed an afternoon with Lizzy and Brittany one Sunday. :) 

Visiting with our Aunt Jackie one afternoon. 

Grace loves being an aunt! She treasures every minute she gets to hold Elizabeth. 

Jacob, Grace, and I got some fishing in one Saturday and we managed to catch quite a few!

Getting some miles in with Aunt Lynn. 

 Dad and Mom's 30th anniversary was at the end of May, and we had a celebration at our house with Will and Brittany, and Pap, Nana, and Aunt Lynn.  
Aunt Lynn and Elizabeth. 

We are so thankful for Dad and Mom's example of faithfulness throughout the years! They decided to reminisce about their wedding day, since Dad realized that none of us kids were there, haha! There were some funny details. :)

The two doggies... Princess and Max. :)

Brittany made them a beautiful scrapbook. 

 Amanda and Will wrote and recorded a song called "Thirty Years" and Amanda put pictures to it and made a slideshow for Dad and Mom.  It was really special!

Later on that day we enjoyed visiting and taking a family walk. 

Garden produce has been in abundance this year!

More walks! 

The guys helped Will put a new roof on their house and we girls went and hung out with Brittany and Elizabeth for a little bit.

This little girl has a laugh that is quite contagious! 

Walking with some friends one afternoon.

We enjoyed just hanging out and talking on the front porch a few times this spring. 

Grace's little chickens entertained us one day!

One Sunday afternoon some of the family took a walk and went exploring down the dirt roads around our house.

The green beans started producing and that became the story of our life...picking, snapping, canning, repeat. :)

Father's Day.
We are very thankful for the leadership and love Dad gives us!


"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones." 
-Proverbs 3:5-8