Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Arriving in South Carolina

Our first stop after arriving in the Carolinas was visiting the Snyders in Columbia. It didn't take long for the kids to get acquainted and have fun playing together. They did all this in just a few hours before we headed off to North Carolina....

Enjoying the jungle gym

Micah and Karah had fun "cleaning off" the deck with ice and water

And Micah always loves to jump on the trampoline!

Especially when everyone jumps together!

But Micah's favorite thing is building forts. And Karah and Ruthie love it too! They were quite creative in their building. Notice the rope in the background. We realized that Karah and Micah both LOVE to tie things up. Uh-oh! Keep the string away from those two!


They built up the sides of their fort with "sand glue" adhered to the wooden slats.


Before driving up to NC, we stopped to see my Grandma. This was the first opportunity for my kids to meet their Great-Grandma. What a blessing to introduce them to a godly woman who has prayed so diligently for our family! We love you Grandma! And look forward to seeing you again next week.

Visiting North Carolina

As you drive north or south on the 95 you simply can't miss the signs for South of the Border. So Micah kept himself occupied looking for each new sign. After all that advertising, here it is...
And after all those signs, Micah wanted to know how we could just pass by without stopping. Well because we've stopped before and know that the only reason to stop is to get fireworks. But since we can't mail them or check them on the plane, it wasn't worth the stop. Oh well, at least he enjoyed all those signs!

We were so excited to take Micah and Ashlyn back to our "first home." Micah had always heard us talk about NC and our friends there, so it was fun to finally take him to meet everyone and see where we used to live.


We stayed with the Briglins while we were in NC. Gloria was so thoughtful to make the kids feel right at home.
Micah was excited to hear about Gloria's adventures at Space Camp. He even got to try on her flight suit!
Practicing his astro-jumping!


Ashlyn had fun watching!

The Bellomy Family

It was such a blessing to see Hank again and to meet his family. He was one of "our teenagers" while we were involved in youth ministry. It was a great encouragement to see someone we invested so much time in, now serving the Lord in full-time ministry. We're so proud of you Hank!

We also had a lot of fun visiting with the Pow family. Here's Micah and Christa building a fort in their yard.


Ashlyn and Christa - I remember the first time I met Christa. It was Christmas Eve and she was only a month old! And now she's nearly 14! I can't believe how quickly she has grown up. The kids had so much fun playing with her. And it was a blessing to see what a remarkable young woman she has grown into.

Micah had fun playing with Philip.

Shannon and Barbara - so fun to renew an old friendship!

Back at the Briglins, Micah had fun building a rain fort. (Notice a theme here? Micah LOVES forts!)

It's amazing what you can do with wood, bricks and a tarp!
We also visited the children's museum where the kids had fun playing with real life "toys."


Checking people out at the grocery store was one of Micah's favorite things!

Ashlyn had fun shopping...

... and talking on the phone.

While we were in Fayetteville, we were able to get onto Fort Bragg so we could show Micah where we used to live and work. So much has changed in the last 11 years!!
The old building that Nathan used to work in.

Water fight in the kitchen...
Micah started it, but I think he lost. He sure looks wet!

Micah - the energizer bunny! He kept Cory going the whole time we were there!

Ashlyn and Gloria

Enjoying a nice evening rocking on the porch.

Gloria and Barbara


We had so much fun visiting with the Briglins! Thanks so much for your southern hospitality! We miss living so close to you guys! Come see us in Cali.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Berry Picking

Here's a few pictures from our fruit-picking adventure a few weeks ago with the Thomas' and the Sedy's...

Before we headed out to the fields, the kids had fun playing in this little playground area. Ashlyn loved this little John Deere tractor!

Brianna, Micah and Bethany playing on the bus

And climbing on top...


Ashlyn had lots of fun in the strawberry patch...
She picked quite a few before she realized they would be fun to squish in her hand!
Micah had fun running all over the farm, but he also helped pick a few berries.
On to the raspberry bushes. Ashlyn wanted me to hold her while I was picking raspberries so I tried to include her in the picking. I picked the berry, gave it to Ashlyn, then she put it in the bucket. After several berries I noticed that our bucket wasn't gaining any berries. That's when I realized Ashlyn was taking every berry I gave her, and putting it in her mouth! I guess the girl loves raspberries.
It was a hot day - 100 degrees - so we stopped by the little water trough before we left. The kids had fun playing in it and cooling off.