Summer

We have spent a lot of hours this past week in the yard.

Soaking up the sun, playing catch, enjoying the slip and slide, visiting with friends... it has been good.

Merit enjoyed Vacation Bible School this week.

What a wonderful week of growing closer to the Lord.

Nellie girl

Hazel Jane!

Crescent Bar is such a beautiful, fun place to hang out!! Last year, we stayed there with all

my bros and sisters and dad for the weekend. It was wonderful! I wish we could have done that

again this summer, but different schedules, work etc got in the way.

Lesha, Rob and family did spend four days there and the kids and I were able to join them for one of the days. It was so nice!

Kai and Merit

Willem

Amara

Brielle

Hazel really enjoyed her bubble gum icecream!

Lesha and me!

Weekend Update

We are in the middle of another baseball tournament. The nine year old All Stars have lost a bit of their fire and energy. I hope we see it again today. :) Merit and Vance left for the ball fields at 6:45 a.m.! Same situation yesterday. Merit is a bit burnt out, he so wanted to sleep in! (can't blame him) But he is part of a team of great kids and dedicated coaches and he is learning a lot about baseball. Hazel, Will and I will head out about eight. Hazel and Willem are sleeping soundly. I thought I would take advantage of this quiet time and read from Jesus Calling ( a book I would highly recommend, thank you Sandy for this fantastic book!), update my blog and drink a cup of coffee. :)

Tomorrow will be a fun day meeting up with my sis Lesha and family! I am so excited! Pictures to come.

A few more from my photo shoot with the kids the other day... If I don't have a photo shoot scheduled for two or three weeks, I get motivated and excited about taking my own kids out for a little photography fun. I hope to get a couple of the pictures from this week on canvas.

Sass, spunk, heart... oh Hazel Jane, you keep us hopping and we love it!

 My favorite picture from our photo shoot!

Bubble chasers

Joyful, loving hearts

We are so thankful everyone is healthy again!

I am so joyful to be spending my days with these three. They are very fun to be around!

Each boy had to take a turn acting goofy.

Something about a boy and his dog. Especially these two blondes.

picking wildflowers

 Nellie is SO smart. Sure she has some annoying puppy behaviors, but this dog is very smart and sweet. She LOVES playing fetch. She also LOVES chasing bubbles. She and I have a bond. I sometimes go to bed at night thinking, why didn't I spend more time with this pup today? And when she ran off with the neighbor girl's Barbie doll and the next day a motorcycle helmet she found next door, I felt a bit shameful. She seems to be a little trouble maker when she hasn't had chunks of time with the Jansens.

I believe that after a person experiences life's greatest sadnesses, one can also experience life's greatest joys.

With Natasha's physical heart, something abnormal was discovered. This is concerning and should be taken seriously. But I know that her heart, whether damaged or not, is beautiful. In so many ways, it is where it should be.
I am praying for Natasha's heart, my heart, my other siblings' hearts, our childrens' hearts. And as I do that, I am so thankful for the love I see in these hearts. Truly a gift from God. Joyful, loving hearts.

Baseball Fun in E'burg

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a49784d6a6b334f444d3d0d0a&blogview=true


Camping at the KOA in Ellensburg was fun. Spending time with Merit's team and their families was really good. Click on the above link for a little slideshow including pictures from our weekend.

We headed out Friday a.m. and Willem was feeling under the weather. He had caught the same bug Merit had earlier in the week. The bummer thing was, Willem felt really yucky on our trip and he had been SO excited to go! Camping, fires, s'mores, hiking and exploring is up Willem's alley... NEXT time, he will enjoy it!

Merit's team lost the first two games and won the second two. This is such a fun group of boys and they are good ball players!

Hazel was a bit of a handful during the games. Typically, Willem and Hazel love playing with friends and enjoy the playgrounds at Merit's games but this time around was a bit more tough. I think I got up and down with Hazel 25 times during each game! Makes for a tired mama. ;) And poor Will just slept on a camping chair during the games.

Vance is sick now... we had a winter of being really healthy, it seems strange to be hit now.

I am SO glad we are on summer break. We all slept in today and it felt good.

My sis Natasha has been constantly on my heart and mind. Please pray for her. She is in the middle of some heart tests. She has something going on, possibly related to what our mom had. It is too early to know what is going on for sure, but I know she and Reese are feeling burdened and sort of overwhelmed. I know that God hears our prayers and prayer can do huge things. Please pray that the results of the MRI she will have in a few weeks will be encouraging and provide relief.

Have a wonderful week! Enjoy SUMMER!

Our graduate

This kid!

It is so hard to describe Willem. He isn't easy to get to know... he is shy, but only at first. He has such a gentle heart. He is SO smart.

He is imaginative, inventive and responsible.

We are so proud of our kindergarten graduate.

Willem! I love your smile!

Our kinder graduate with Mrs. King.

She is a FANTASTIC teacher!!

Both of our boys have been SO blessed to have great teachers.

Teachers with a heart for kids, a true dedication, teachers who go above and beyond.

Hazel LOVES Mrs. King!

Now it is on to SUMMER BREAK!

Art Fair, baseball, FUN!

The Art Fair and BBQ was Friday at the boys' school!! I loved

viewing these art projects and spending time with the artists!

One of my favorite artists.

Merit's Charlotte's Web project

We love watching this boy pitch.

The pressure Merit puts on himself is pretty intense sometimes and he has been

juggling a really busy schedule.

We are proud of his hard work in school, his good attitude and his baseball skill.

We want baseball to be fun for him!

The tournament this past weekend was exciting and fun. :)

Willem!

I love this boys' heart!

 

Papa and Grandma came to visit and support Merit.

Moses Lake played for first and second and got second.

The teamwork, skill and good sportsmanship we saw was great.

I am looking forward to some down days. Days spent in the yard with little or nothing to do.

I am also thankful that I (think) Merit will enjoy baseball more once the school year comes to a close.

We are excited for more baseball and hanging out as a family.

New challenges and new joys come with each stage of parenting. I am so thankful for this job,

even on the hard days. I pray a lot, I find joy in the journey and I am tired when my head hits the pillow!

Willem's kinder graduation is this week!!

Also some fun field trips and field day.

Our girl in her little bikini

Hazel and Aunt Carly picking strawberries

Willem and his bowl full of yummy strawberries!

Oh Hazel!