Another Soccer Season Winds Down

Finishing up another soccer season just before the summer heat sets in. We had another fun season with a great group of girls on the team. Spring soccer is especially fun because the end of season celebration is at a local water park.

Our New Friend Zhen Zhen

One of the choir families we know adopted a daughter from China this spring. Lily has a new special friend!

Youth Group End of Year Celebration

What a fantastic bunch of students at LCCC! It was a good year of learning, serving and growing. We studied the messy lives of the patriarchs and learned that God was writing His story in and through their imperfect lives just like He is doing in ours. We raised $750 to buy Bibles for christians in an oppressed nation. We made friends with and brought encouragement to the elderly every month by visiting and doing a music program at a nursing home, we watched movies about heroes of the faith and we finished off the year with a guys sleepover and a girls sleepover. I had the privilege of hosting the girls and we had a fun night together, eating, playing and praying with one another. We even took an after dark swim in the neighborhood pool.

Peter Pan

Last weekend, Lily and Robyn participated in Peter Pan. (Our friends in the picture are Noah, Emma and Isaac. We all go to church together.) Robyn was Nana. Lily was a fairy, indian and behind the scenes all around assistant. She started out as Wendy and gave up her part several weeks before the show. The script got changed and she didn't feel comfortable with the changes. It was a hard decision but she acted out of conviction and we support her for that. The play went well--the sets were great, the costumes were fabulous, the kids knew there parts well. It was a good show!

Meeting Author Bryan Davis

My favorite author is Bryan Davis who wrote the Dragons in our Midst series. I recommend it! He just published a new book and my dad took me to his book signing tour. It was lots of fun!

Springtime at the Arboretum

We made a couple of trips to the Arboretum this spring. The first time, the gardens were profuse with daffodills and hyacinths. The second time, the tulips were in full bloom.

Easter

At our church we have an Easter Breakfast every year which is always a lot of fun. Mom coordinates it so we are always busy cooking lots of different breakfast casseroles the day before. On Easter morning we a dress up in our beautiful dresses and go early to church to help with last minute details. The breakfast is always very good. Yummy!--so hard to chose... After church, we go over to the Andersons' house for a feast and egg hunt.

Robyn and Starla--Bedroom Redo

Robyn and Starla are excited about their room updates. It was a team effort. Daddy made new bed frames for the girls with built in bookshelves. Mom painted the room, sewed a new curtain and bought some "almost new" comforters for the beds. Angela painted a mural on the entrance wall of the room. It looks great and they are enjoying it!

Angela's New Haircut

Our Trip to MI

The weather is always a big question mark going up north the end of February. This year it was an incredible week. The sun shined every day and the temperatures were a comfortable mid-30's with a slow melt down from the build up of winter. There was still plenty of snow to play in and all the locals were in good spirits after months of Vit D deprivation. The Lord provided housing for us through the generosity and creativity of friends and we were so loved and supported on the occasion of my Mom's funeral.

Here we are at the funeral--my family and Rachel and her girls.

The girls building a snowfort.

Enjoying the good company of friends like Christine.

At the Grand Haven beach pier.

Ice Skating withe the Monsmas in downtown Grand Rapids.

We had a good time at the Fredrik Meijer Gardens at the butterfly exhibit with our friends the Zaineas. Lily's patience paid off and a butterly alighted on her hand. There was a bald headed man and a butterfly landed on his head and was content to stay there while he walked around greenhouse. Very funny to watch!