Water Day

We hosted a Water Day and Movie night on the lawn for Exchange families! It was a blast!

Ziplines

Sara and I surprised the guys and took them ziplining for their birthdays! We had a blast!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the best father, friend, and husband anyone could ask for! This man amazes me daily. He has so much on his plate right now, but still somehow finds time to make each one us feel so loved!

First day of 1st Grade!

We have a first grader! I am so honored to be able to teach this amazing boy again this year!

Farm days

Tooth Fairy Time!

Brody lost his first tooth today! It had been really loose. A couple of nights ago, I tried pulling it out but it wasn't quite ready:) at one point his eyes got really big, and I thought for sure he was going to get upset at me for not leaving it alone!  Instead, he jumped up and down, gave me a huge hug and said "thank you for making it more loose mommy!!" Shew! 

This morning after breakfast Brian noticed Brody's tooth was gone! Brody had no idea! He said he knows it was still there when he got up this morning. So it's probably in his tummy with his breakfast! 

Beach day!

Mom and I took the kids to the beach for the day! It was a perfect day! The boys loved boogie-boarding and Aven enjoyed finding shells!

To God be the Glory!!!

Brody has been asking a lot of questions over the last few months about the gospel and what it means to accept Christ. Let me just say that Brody is a thinker. He is extremely analytical....He analyzes everything. He has asked some really hard questions....ones that are hard for us to answer! We have been so careful as to not push Brody. We wanted to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when he made this decision, it was all him. That we had done nothing to coerce or convince him. In fact, we have probably pulled more in the opposite direction. The last conversation that Brian had with Brody a couple of months ago, he ended it with "I don't think you quite understand yet". 

Well apparently Brody has really been wrestling with it since then. Last night after I put the boys to bed, Brody laid there for a few minutes and then called me.

Brody: "mom, i feel like I've been keeping a secret." (His way of saying that he's been thinking a lot about something and hasn't told us about it). "You know when dad and I were talking about asking Jesus into my heart and he told me I didn't understand yet? Well I shouldn't have let him tell me that! I should have kept talking to him about it. I DO understand."

I told Brody to get right out of bed and go downstairs and tell his daddy he wanted to talk more about it. 

When I came downstairs 10 minutes later, Brian was wiping tears from his own eyes. Brian said Brody told him all the reasons why he needed a savior and that he never understood that his sin could cause so much pain (big stuff!). Brian let him pray on his own and said that he could not have prayed a more perfect prayer of salvation! 

We are so proud of him and his decision. Brody shared with everyone at church today and got us all choked up. I think we are so relieved that this was all on his own. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was all the Lord's prompting and we did not sway Brody in any way. I was always scared I would be able to look back on the conversation and think that I talked him into it. I am so thankful for my husband's leading and how he approached every conversation with Brody. To God be the Glory!!!