Tri-State Adventures (Part 2)

KANSAS

We headed to good ol' Dodge City for the 4th! We love any chance we get to visit Gramps and Mama Frita. (my parents. the names alone are probably a good topic for a whole separate post. I'll get to that.) Lots of fun was had!

We played some baseball...

and blew some bubbles. My parents' backyard is beautiful!

We did a little relaxing...

and some fireworks of course!

We headed to Pop & Gram's (my grandparents) for some more firework fun.

Yes, those are fire trucks. No, it wasn't our fault. :-)

Dodge had a great firework display the evening of the 4th. Dad had to go home, but the kids and I were thankful to stay a few more days. We carried on Stelle tradition, by watching the big show on the roof. Zane was very excited!

We had a delicious picnic. The weather was superb. We made smores in the chiminea.

Gemma was thrilled to try her first marshmallow!

We had a wonderful holiday celebration. Thanks for such a fun time Gramps & Frita! We are already looking forward to next time!

Growing up with an older brother

7 Years & No Itch!

I've been married to my husband for 7 years today. It's hard to believe that it has actually been that long! I do have a lot of memories though...

YEAR 1 - We lived in a men's dormitory. Wow. We did get to play a lot of ping pong though. I learned that we wouldn't always agree. :-) And we got our first pet. A rabbit, Norman.

YEAR 2 - We made a big move to Dallas. We started the adventure of seminary and the ministry Apartment Life. We really saw God move this year, as we watched Him put our lives into place in Texas. We also got some exciting/scary news that we were pregnant!

YEAR 3 - We had a beautiful baby boy. Zane. What fun!

YEAR 4 - We continued to live life "backwards" as we called it (but just right for us); Bryce going to school and staying home with Zane, while I did corporate income tax and "brought home the bacon". :-) We got our next pet. This time a hedgehog, Ned.

YEAR 5 - I watched as Bryce received his diploma. Master of Theology. One of the proudest days of my life.

YEAR 6 - We moved back to Kansas. We joined Central. We bought a house! We received some good news again; we were pregnant!

YEAR 7 - We had another beautiful baby. This time a girl. Gemma. What a blessing!

Looking forward to many more exciting years!

I love you Bryce!

Tri-State Adventures (Part 1)

I realize the blog has been sorely neglected this month. We have been busy and here's why.

COLORADO

Bryce's family graciously took the entire family to Colorado for a whole week in June. We had an amazing time. Here are some of the highlights...

Here is the cabin, outside of Fairplay, that we stayed in the first few days. It was so nice!

We stayed busy at the cabin. We did some cooking. Aren't these cute aprons the ladies found?

There was a little grilling.

And some arm wrestling, of course! :-)

We did some hiking. It was beautiful!

This is how the babies hiked. They enjoyed themselves and even did some napping.

We tried to jump as high as a mountain. I never thought my 8th grade cheerleading would come in so handy.

There was some great shopping!

Zane was very proud of his new Nike hat purchase.

Can you tell which one of these is not an Old Navy manican?!

We biked down Vail Pass. This was a first for me. I was a little nervous when we started, but it was so much fun!!

We ate some huge pizza. We actually did a lot of eating, but I'll spare you the details. I wish I could have spared me some of the extra pounds. It sure was delicious at the time though!

Here we are taking a goofy picture before getting on the Georgetown Loop. The train went up and around a mountain. It was amazing!

The last day we headed up to Keystone for some snow tubing. Yes, SNOW tubing in JUNE! We had a blast!

Anxiously awaiting our turn...

Here we are on the last day at our condo (that housed us the last half of our trip). What a blessed week together. We will never forget it. Thank you so much for your generosity Gpa and Gma! We love you!

Fearing the Lord

Psalm 147:10 & 11
"He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkidness."

In the Bible/Parenting study, Entrusted with a Child's Heart, there is a section on teaching your children to fear the Lord and what it means to be a God-fearing family. I loved going through this lesson. Here are just a few of the verses that stuck out to me....

Psalm 25:12
"Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose."
What a blessing to look back over my life and see God's hand of guidance. His leading me to Friends University. His leading Bryce and I to Dallas Theological Seminary. His leading us to Central Christian Church.

Psalm 34:7
"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them."
I love the word "encamps" in this verse. What a great peace that gives me, knowing my family is being encamped around by the angel of the Lord.

Psalm 103:11-13
"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him."
Thank you Father for your forgiveness and compassion!

Psalm 111:5
"He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever."
God provides for my needs. I've watched Him do so as we've moved and transitioned into a single income family. Even though our bank account has left me questioning at times, God has always provided.

Psalm 112:1 & 2
"Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed."
I am so grateful from my heritage. My family has been blessed because of my grandparents faithfulness. What a joy that gives me as a Mom, for my children.

Proverbs 9:10
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
The beginning of wisdom. I love that. I want to be wise.

Proverbs 14:26
"In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have refuge."
Fearing the Lord actually releases me from earthly fear. My confidence is in Him.

Only a few of the many verses about the provision for those who fear the Lord, but some of my favorites.

Psalm 68:19
"Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!"

Zane and I love this song!

Three simple rules and why we have them