Here are some pictures of our weekend.   The first group is from our Thanksgiving dinner with family.  The football pictures are from the highschool state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.  The kids really enjoyed going for the second year in a row. 

Just a quick note here.   It has been an emotional weekend for us.  Grandma fell on the way to the car after our wonderful family celebration on Thursday.  She broke her ankle and had to have surgery on Friday.  This is not easy when you are in your 80's.  Today she was taken back to her nursing home to begin rehab.  Grandpa had his oncology appointment and indeed does have chronic leukemia.  He's probably had it for some years.  No treatment plan is in place yet.  Not sure he will cooperate, anyway.  My biggest concern is for my mom who is their primary guardian and is not 100% herself on a good day.  Oh my.  All this we give up to Him and wait for His provision. 

Other than that, life is good. 

~Jenn

PS Hope to upload my photos from Thanksgiving soon and get some posted. 

Hello Friends,

As many of you, too,  are scurrying around to prepare a lovely holiday of thanks on Thursday, I thought I'd take a moment to post some pictures from our weekend and wish you a lovely Thanksgiving.  As  I do not plan to post again until next week, I'll try to make this one count.  *wink*

First up, some pictures, especially for those precious family members who read my blog.  (  you)

Here we are, all five of us, in front of a giant fireplace at Bass Pro on Saturday up at Lake Michigan. 

Although the kids "know", they did not want to pass up a chance to talk to the big guy. 

We had a truly delicious lunch at the restaurant located inside Bass Pro, a big treat. 

Next, we attended a lecture on Indiana ship wrecks at Indiana Dunes State Park.  You may be surprised to know we even have a ship wreck in our history.  I know I was!  They pulled this 2 ton propeller up from the wreck. 

The weather was unusually perfect for beach combing.  We gathered from the many smooth, flat rocks and attempted to skip them, some more successful than others.  We wrote messages in the sand with sticks and marveled how a month of non-stop rain changed the beach in the last month since we last visited.  Jeff and Grace climbed a huge sand dune.  We finished our day with some steamy, dreamy, creamy hot chocolate. 

Yesterday after church, we put up the tree as promised. 

 Grace is sporting her new, ladies size 8 shoes!  (She is only 10!  )

I am looking forward to the week ahead.  We plan to take Wednesday off to prepare.  My goal is to have 2 really packed school days before then.   

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jenn

I apologize for my previous post.  I wrote it half-serious and half tongue-in-cheek.   I am over my self-pity party now.  

Physically I am feeling a little better, and the sun is out today, so things are looking up.  I wonder if I should go get one of those lamps for people with Seasonal Affective Disorder?  My attitude really takes a dive when the sun is gone for 5 full days in a row. 

Ryan is feeling better as well.  No one else is complaining of an ailment at this moment, so perhaps we will be able to have a nice weekend. 

We are planning to go up to see Jeff's mom tomorrow.  If the weather cooperates, we may get to take a walk along the beach.  

Sunday after church we hope to put up our Christmas tree.  We've never put it up this early, but I knew it would make my husband really happy if we put it up early this year.  He's so into everything about Christmas. 

I hope you have a lovely weekend, whatever you are doing. 

Blessings,

Jenn

Good day to you.  It was another whirlwind weekend.  Thankfully, everyone was healthy enough to enjoy it.  Trevor did not have a fever, but was pretty tired.  I am hoping he can pace himself a little more this week.  So far, no one else is sick, either, a major praise. 

Here are some photos of our weekend, starting with a look at the cake I made for Trevor's actual birthday on Thursday, when he still had a fever. 

And Ryan got this on Thursday as well...

Friday we stayed home from our church's harvest party to avoid one more exposure opportunity. 

We had a Meixican pitch-in dinner with friends on Saturday and then walked their neighborhood collecting candy.  Here are all of our darlings. 

Sunday, we celebrated Trevor's birthday with family. (Oreo Icecream Cake) 

He was very excited! 

Have a great week.

~Jenn

He's the life of the party.  He's the apple of our eyes!  He's the peacemaker.  He's our funny boy who always makes us smile.  He's louder than a locomotive.  He's  the most tender, thoughtful brother.  He's smarter than most.  He's all about things being in order.  He's the one who is always first to pray for our meal.  He's our $100,000 miracle baby.  And now he is 8!   

He will always look like this to me though.

No matter that he looks like this now. 

We love you, dear Trevor Jacob!   

 xoxoxo

Happy Birthday. 

~Love,

Mommy, Daddy, Ryan, and Grace

We had a whirlwind trip 3 hours north to see Jeff's family yesterday.  The weather sure did not make me pine for our camping days, which was looking on the brightside, because it was rainy and cold. 

First, we spent a little time with Jeff's 91 year old grandmother.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures.    I did get some photos from our next stops. 

We went to a really neat orchard to buy some pumpkins, apples and homemade donuts.  They also had a corn maze, but it was raining and 40 degrees.  Maybe next year. 

Then we had to say hello to our favorite state park, IN Dunes State Park.  We spent some time in the nature center looking at displays, books and playing with puppets.  We also quickly drove by the lake. 

It was not a very inviting day at the beach, so we headed to the main attraction....

CAKE!!!

and PRESENTS!!!

and homemade spaghetti sauce by a real Italian! 

I could say it was another wonderful weekend, and it was, until just a little while ago when I discovered that Trevor has a fever.  We will see what the week brings.  I hope he gets well because his birthday is Thursday and we have a lot of plans. 

Hello friends and family dropping by to see what is going on in our household.  Yesterday I was treated to a wonderful birthday party, far more than I deserved!

Just look at that chocolate deliciousness!  Oh, it was divine with icecream on top, of course and a nice hot cup of French roast on the side.  We also had pizza and vegetables, but the cake stole the show!

Here's wishful thinking me and the cake..

But who would really want to go back to being 24?  I'd still have a whole year left until I met my dear husband.  No, thank you! 

The afternoon went by too quickly with games to play.  The boys played Risk while we girls played Chutes and Ladders.  I think there is a Risk rematch in the works.  Trevor and Ryan beat up their elders with their unstopable alliance. 

Here is wishing you a lovely week.  I host Bunco tomorrow, so I will be busy getting things ready for that occasion.  It's back to work for me!

~Jenn

Good Morning!  It was a blessed weekend.  The kids had fun with their great-grandparents.  Jeff and I managed to stay warm in Michigan despite the windy, cloudy and cooler than usual temperatures.  Here are some photos of our adventure. 

First up is a picture of our lovely camping cabin.  When they say primitive, they meant it!  That is all I will say about that.  It did keep us warm and dry.  And it was affordable.  And now we can say that we've slept in a mini barn. 

Saturday, our first stop was Holland, Michigan.  We found the most wonderful place to have breakfast.  I totally enjoyed the bottomless coffee.  Then we headed for their farmers market, totally amazing place.  We had no idea how many farms there were nearby.  The whole south west Michigan is a fruit growing bonanza!  These Michigan farmers are hard working, hardy souls! 

We got to briefly visit some lovely beaches.  The wind from the lake made it impossible to be on the beach before running back to the warm Jeep sounded prudent.  But, we did get to spend some time with our old friend, Lake Michigan. 

This is "The Big Red"  in Holland, Michigan, the most photographed lighthouse on Lake Michigan, I have been told. 

We also stopped at an orchard and got some divine Honey Crisp apples.  Have you tried one yet?  Oh, they are my new favorite!  It's like a bouquet of flavor when you bite into its crisp juicy sweetness! 

Sunday morning, we decided to take the slower way home, stopping at another of our favorite towns on Lake Michigan, New Buffalo, MI.  This is a trendy high rent district, but a very nice spot for a picnic lunch and a little walk on the beach.  It was still in the 40's at this point and a little windy. 

 View from top of the stairs...

 New Buffalo's lighthouse.

The best part of our weekend was realizing that home is where we wanted to be.  We enjoyed our time together and we enjoy our time as a family.  I came home content and ready to tackle the next few challenges.  I hope you had a nice weekend, too.   

~Jenn

15 years ago today. 

God has been so very good to us. 

Our marriage is a testimony to His faithfulness because it is by His grace that we are able to thrive. 

To God be the glory! 

Good morning to you.  Did you have a nice weekend?  We did not let any grass grow under our feet, that is for sure.  Not in any particular order:  we had friends over, attended "Living a Legacy" at church, went to a party for our friends who are back in town from California, went to church, ran errands, and went to the zoo.  And I spent a little time working on our lessons and plans for this week. 

Speaking of this week, it will be another busy one.  My husband and I celebrate 15 years of marriage this Thursday.  My grandparents from Arkansas are coming Friday to watch the kids while Jeff and I take off for a tiny, primitive cabin in SW Michigan.  (Hey it beats a tent!)  Anyway, as you might imagine, I will be busy this week working towards the goal of leaving 3 happy kids in capable hands for the weekend. 

Here are a few pictures from the weekend for interested grandparents who read this blog.  (Thank you, by the way!)

I have seen this same expression on my cat when she is annoyed.  This llama did not want to be groomed and it was fun to watch the zoo employee try to convince her otherwise.  Reminded me of dealing with my kids. 

These poor girs were trying to get my attention about some snake trouble. 

These two also reminded me of having kids. 

This is Tundra, the zoo's 24 year old polar bear.  The 35 year old bear passed away recently.  I never knew we had 2 bears.  Evidently, they had a morning bear and afternoon bear because the 2 could not tolerate one another, as is a polar bear's lot in life. 

This little penguin took a liking to Ryan, who is smitten with penguins and hopes to be a vet one day. 

Well, that's it from me for now.  I am out of pictures and words.  Until next time...

Be blessed,

~Jenn

Happy Birthday, Dear Daddy! 

Daddy and me, Christmas 1980 

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun.  Enjoy the trip."  ~Author Unknown

I love you,

Jenn

It's kind of a bittersweet day for me.  We are just home from our 8th camping trip.  What a belssing to have had so many fun trips this summer.  As I think about these trips now, it occurs to me that perhaps we were trying to make up for 11 summers of Jeff delivering wedding cakes and not having 2 days off in a row.  We went camping crazy!  Oh, but it was a rich summer.  Now, it is time to get back to work.  The Bible reminds me that there is a time to play and a time to work.  When I start to be sad about no monre camping trips this year, I only have to remember that!  Plus, there are many more times coming next year, Lord willing. 

Dearest Mom,

On your birthday, I'm thinking about you - how much you mean to me and all the ways you've made such a wonderful difference in my life… Thank you for letting me know I could always count on you, that you believe in me, and you'd stand by me,

I love you,

Jenn

I am back.  I survived rain, bugs, and very little sleep!  I confess that I am tired, dirty and have more laundry than I can do in a month, but I still had to blog first thing, in case anyone was wondering about my weekend.   And in case you were wondering, we got more than wet.  We had 2 nights and mornings of rain.  We spent part of last night sleeping in the van when powerful thunderstorms went through the campground.  (I take no chances when it comes to lightening.) I can now say that we are seasoned campers.  Nothing will get in the way of our love of camping.  Rain or shine, we are serious campers.  There is still a lot you can do in a state park when it is raining.  The nature center was a great place to spend one morning.  Thankfully, the rain cleared away each day and we had plenty of time to do the things we wanted to do, like take a boat ride into a cave filled with bats, or go swimming, or visit the Pioneer Village. 

Here are some pictures.  I have to go start another load and get the kids in the tub.  

Just 5 miles north of Layfayette, IN and a country mile or two more, you'll find the charming Prophetstown State Park, established in 2004.  Prophetstown State Park is the home of a 1920's living history farm, prairie restoration projects, and other recreational activities, including camping. 

Of course, the 1920's farm was the big hit of the day for our kids.  We arrived just in time for milking the cows which has become almost second nature to them now,pretty good for city kids!  They also enjoyed chasing the barn kittens and playing fetch with the barnyard dog, Jake, who was supposed to be helping round up the chickens for the evening.  For me it was exciting to see a the smaller farm house, which reminded me so much of my great grandmother's house. 

The farm houses were fantastic.  The smaller "tenant" home was an authentic Sears house moved from a nearby town.  The bigger one was an exact replica of one you might find in the long ago Sears catalog for sale.  Can you imagine the load of a house being shipped on a train?  That's exactly what they did!  I've seen many of these homes and can testify to their endurance and strength.  I do not think the houses built today could rival one. 

From the farm, we headed to the prairie.  Somehow in all my schooling, I missed the fact that America's great prairie starts in Inidiana!  I've always thought of states like Kansas being prairie states, not Indiana.  I suspose this lack of knowledge is a result of the prairie's disappearance in Indiana.  Thankfully, the park is trying to restore some of it and trying to remove non-native species.  Unfortunately, we missed the last horse drawn trolly through the prairie to the native settlement, but plan to return soon. 

Finally, we took some time to enjoy one of the awesome playgrounds and have a picnic dinner before heading to the campground to do some scouting.  I think I sense a fall camping trip in my future.   Part of the campground used to be a Christmas tree farm and is like an evergreen paradise.  Another section of the campground is all prairie grass.  Quite a contrast! 

I hope you enjoyed this little bit of Indiana. 

Jenn

This past Saturday, the boys were invited to a birthday party, my husband was at AWANA leader training, so what were we girls to do all by ourselves?  Grace decided it was time for a tea party with all the trimmings.  Here are some pictures of the event. 

First, you have to have a tea set.  This one is special because it is a mixed up set from different people that we love.  The dainty tea pot was a gift from my generous mom.  The elegant cups used to belong to my grandmother who is greatly missed. 

Next came the delicious food. 

Here are the beautiful young ladies, all ready for their tea. 

Such a delightful way to spend a lovely afternoon! 

We had another great week of lessons.  Everyone is working hard and attitudes have been for the most part pretty good.  This week we took a special field trip for 4th Grade IN History.  And then, we went to the IN State Fair as a family last evening.  Here are some photos.  

Note:  We did not go up in the balloon at this time.  We are saving our money for a ride one day.  But it was a lot of fun to watch.