Our family is alive and well!!

We are back friends!! We are just coming out of one of the craziest summers imaginable. I try not to look back on it too often as the thought of it all just might put me right into labor!! (Yes, I am still prego - VERY prego at this point!!) I will attempt to catch you all up with our lives. We last left you with our nice, relaxing, and worry-free camping trip...ahhh

The week after our family trip we were busy with a tent crusade that was put on by Hope Ministries. It was held in downtown DC. It started with setting up a huge tent right on the lawn of the Washington Monument. The crusade ran all week long. Ben and I brought our teens down in the morning for blitzing, an afternoon concert, and we stayed through on a few days for the evening service. It was exciting to see how the Lord worked in such a busy city. It was a great opportunity for Ben and I and our teens.

We had one week and then we were headed off to Northland Camp. It was a great week! We drove half way to Michigan (Ben's parents house), spent the night, and then finished off the trip the next day. We left our little boys with Grandma and Grandpa for the week (who have never been left for more than a few hours - but will be left again if the opportunity ever arises again -hee hee). The trip ended up taking around 23 hours one way in which my super-husband drove every minute. We decided we are not doing that again with out someone else to share all those wonderful hours behind the wheel. So, if any of you have your CDL licence, let us know!!

In July things started to get a little more hairy. We had a few youth activities -car wash, trip to Hershey Park in PA, and the "big dog", VBS. All of this taking place while our personal family life was challenged to the max. You all may remember the home we have been waiting for since we arrived here in DC 2 years ago. Well, the church got the permit to build, and the project moved forward. A modular home was dropped in January with hopes that we would move in around April. Perfect timing for us to get moved in and settled for the crazy summer. Well, we knew there would be delays, but the delays pushed us right up to the end of our lease of the apartment we were renting. The Lord was so good to allow us to extend it by a month without any penalties. The stress came when we were scrambling to get the final inspections completed. There was sooooo much to do on the house and we were so busy with all of our summer activities that we were having a really hard time getting it all done. Well, it ended up that the house passed the inspections all the first time and we were able to move in, just as our lease ran out. I really learned so much this summer to just trust the Lord and trust my husband. I kept panicking about the inspections, packing up our apartment, neglecting the boys, making sure the youth were getting our best as well, and a myriad of other things. There was so many things that we really had no control over and just had to let the Lord show us that we would be taken care of. In the end we moved in the Saturday after VBS, still with MANY little projects to be completed, but we have been working on them little by little and slow, but sure, we are making it our home. I have to say that I married the most wonderful husband, who is so able, willing , and has been so faithful to work diligently on this house. He has spent almost every Saturday since Thanksgiving working on it, and days painting- just making it our home. All knowing that in the very end, it is the church's parsonage and we will really leave with nothing- except all the good memories! I am also thankful for those in our church who helped us get every thing accomplished and who ran and directed the project. I am just sooooo happy that it is all over and I can focus on getting ready for our new baby and spend more time with the boys! I will post pictures of the house when we get it all put together.

Luke washing cars at our car wash

Ethan LOVED all the characters at Hershey Park

Vacation Bible School

The boys watching Nemo while mommy and daddy work at the house.

"Packing" with daddy!

Well, that is a "quick" summary of our summer. I am so glad to be back online and can't wait to catch up with all of you. We actually have real internet (not someone else's wireless), and it works so it will be a little more pleasant to keep up!