Our get-away

It was so fun to get away last week and visit a few new places. Yes, we got to be in 3 places all in one day, actually! Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. We were on our way to Worship God 'o8 in Maryland, but took an extra day at the beginning to stop and see Washington D.C. It was so neat to see. It almost seemed surreal to be there. We've learned about it our whole lives, but have never actually gotten to see it with our eyes. Here are a few pics for ya.

This is Aaron and I in Maryland for the WG conference. It was incredible! I am so glad we got to go this year together.

This is the auditorium of Covenant Life Church (or the "Mother Ship") where we met 2 times a day for the main sessions. The things that took place in there were awesome!!
This is some of our group that went with us. We even hooked up with a couple guys that came from Nebraska. God was definitely at work in them!
Hilarious Mark Altrogge came up during the sessions to give the "announcements". He did a great job of making us laugh!
We are so grateful to God for what He showed us and taught us while we were there. We felt loved and cared for by Him in so many ways. Thank you, God, for meeting us!
This is what we did that Tuesday before the conference. We took the Metro over to Washington and then walked. All DAY! We were so tired and dripping with sweat by the time we came back. But it was worth it! Here is what we saw:

The Washington Memorial.

This thing is huge. I was amazed!

Aaron and I
This was the WWII memorial. I got a bit emotional at this one.

This wall was dedicated to the women of the war.
Isn't it beautiful?!
All this made me cry. I am so thankful!

The Lincoln Memorial

This was a cool one for me.
This statue is huge!
The reflection pond on the way to the Memorial
We assumed that most critters are used to people being there. We saw a guy that threw this squirrel a cracker and it stayed there, sat down and started eating. Right next to us!

The Korean War Memorial.

There were life-sized statues looking like they were on their way to a battle.

We saw a wall with actual faces engraved in them.


Neat!

This is the White House!! George wasn't home when we were there, so we decided not to knock. :) I thought it might be fun to try to climb the fence just to see what would happen, but Aaron wouldn't let me...

This is the Veitnam memorial. I couldn't believe all the names on these walls of the people who died to keep our freedom alive. I am so grateful to them!

All these walls here have tiny names written all over them. Amazing.
Aaron really was glad he got to see this one. It was special to him.

We visited an art gallery while we were there. There were some really neat pictures.

This one was a two sided picture (the only one in the U.S.).

It was pretty neat.
Da Vinci was the artist.

Depicting Jesus washing the disciples' feet.
Jesus' crucifixion.

It was cool to see so many pictures about the life of Christ, although some of them were somewhat different than the ideas we have about Him.

God was good to us this whole trip. He was faithful to show us His love for us everyday! We definitely have fallen more in love with Christ through this experience. God, help us to use the things we recieved from you this past week to grow us in our sanctification and to glorify your Name above all names! We love you!

Look! It's not the flowers!!!

Ok, I know, I know... It's been forever since I've posted. Can life get any busier? I suppose it can. :) We have had so much going on lately and then didn't have my computer for about a week. Aaron and I are leaving for Maryland tomorrow till Saturday for Worship God '08 while the kids are staying in Buffalo. We can't wait! We are looking forward to some "together time" by ourselves, but will miss the munchkins incredibly. Today is for packing. Should take most of the day to get all six of us ready to go. So, I will start blogging again when I get back. Looking forward to getting back into it!

Jen's birthday

Look at the beautiful roses Aaron got me for my birthday!! Thank you, honey, for thinking of me and making me feel special!

A special Father's Day.

"So, Aaron, did you have a good Father's Day?"

"It was the best one I've ever had. Thank you!"

Mommy got up early and started making breakfast. We let Daddy "sleep in" for a few minutes. Then we had Alex bring Daddy his Bible, his book, and his glasses in bed. He had time alone to read and talk with God while we were downstairs getting his breakfast tray ready. Alex carried the cards, Taylor carried the gift and I carried the tray (he got a big cinnamon roll and a fruit smoothie). All five of us went in and wished him a "happy Father's Day" with breakfast in bed. Then he opened his gifts and loved them! Then it was off to church for worship practice. He got to play the drums. Little did he know, we had another surprise for him! At announcement time, mommy got to go up and honor Daddy. This is what she said.

Aaron (Daddy), we wanted to honor you this Father’s day because you mean the world to us! We know words could never match the feelings we have for you in our hearts, but we want to try to tell you nonetheless. I asked the kids why they love you.
Alex said, “I love my Daddy because he goes to work and gets money for our family and I love that. He takes me on dates. He reminds me about Jesus.”
Taylor said, “I love Daddy because he takes me fun places and because he takes care of me. And because he loves me and tells me about Jesus.”
Brianna said, “I love Daddy because I love Daddy so much.”
And I know Keaton already does because I can see it in his eyes that he already his Daddy. He is always so excited to see him! I am excited to see these relationships continue to grow!
I am thankful to God for His amazing work in your life as a father, Aaron. He has shown you much grace in teaching you how to be a good, loving father and leader to our kids. I see this in the everyday things you do for them. From your smile and big hugs and kisses when you come in the door at the end of the day, even if it’s been a tough one, to your hugs and kisses to them every night before bed. From your tickles and giggles to you just getting down and playing their games. From your taking us out for a treat “just because” to you bringing your girls out alone on special dates. Your love for them is obvious and beautiful.
I am encouraged by the way you consistently confess your sin to them and ask them for forgiveness. You are not afraid to show yourself as a sinner to the kids and to acknowledge it openly. It is so good that they see your mistakes and realize you aren’t perfect so that they aren’t scared to talk to you about their sins. What an awesome example of humility this shows them and in turn has helped them to follow in the same way.
I enjoy seeing the comfort in their faces when you go in to bless them with Scripture each night. What a beautiful picture of God’s love for us you are showing them!
I love the time you spend with our kids – even if it’s the only minute you have left – just to show them that you care. Seeing you have fun with them (even the girly things) is priceless.
It is fun to see you enjoy their many works of art they give you and how you display them at work because you think they are precious.
It is awesome to see you lay hands on and pray over our children when they are sick or hurting. You never turn them down because you are too busy. You see this as a priority and I am so thankful! This also shows your trust in God, our Healer and is teaching them to go right to Him with their needs.
You always make us all feel protected by your prayers for us, calling or writing us during the day to make sure we are doing well or letting us call you when we need you at anytime, or cuddling with the kids when they are scared while telling them of God and His ultimate protection for them.
I adore the way you remind our kids of the cross so often. When they are in desperate need to hear it, you are faithful to give it. This is true because of the beautiful heart you have through Christ! Your thankfulness for Jesus and the cross is very evident in the way you lead our family. We praise God for the grace He has allowed on your life to make you such a loving father and leader to our children.
Aaron, we hope and pray that you feel honored every day, not just today. Thank you for being such a good Daddy. We love you!

By the end, we were both crying. It was so nice to be able to honor Aaron. Then we came home for a picnic on the deck. What a perfect day God had provided for us! It was gorgeous! We had burgers on the grill and mac n cheese for the kiddos. Can't forget the strawberries! Yummy!

We had quite a needed relaxing afternoon and evening then and are very thankful for it.

We are truly glad you had such a good day, Aaron, and hope you felt special. We thank God for you and praise Him for His work in your life!

CuTe kId qUOte

Stacy Thorpe and Brianna were sitting on the couch. Stacy's stomach started growling. Brianna said, "I think there is someone talking in your stomach." Sweet, huh?

Swim, Bike, Run!

Aaron did part of a Triathlon last Sunday! He and sister-in-law, Carrie (biking) and nephew, Ryan (running) were on a team. His brother, Darin (running) was on a team with 2 of his friends. They all did such a good job! Aaron did the swimming portion of the team and ended up making great time!

Aaron, Darin, and Ryan waiting for Carrie to come back on her bike.
Aaron after his long mile swim! He didn't even seem tired!
The kids made the long waiting. At least it was nice out to play in the grass!
Even an 81 year old man did the Triathlon! We were amazed and everyone cheered as he crossed the finish line!
What a great team! Good job, Carrie, Ryan and Aaron! Good job, Darin!

Keat's new stuff

So, Keats started snorting when he laughs or gets excited. It's the cutest thing! He is growing up so fast. I told him this morning to slow down... :) Oh, and he also brings himself to standing now without grabbing onto something! He walks all the way across the room, too! He has learned now, after climbing the stairs for so long, to go back down on his tummy. Mommy is very glad for that! Not as many worries... God is making you such a strong, smart little toddler. We love you, big boy!!!