Friday, June 18, 2010

6 months in 10 paragraphs...or so (and some photos)

So I will admit it, I don't like to blog...I like to have the blog, but I really wish munchkins would come in the middle of the night and do it for me! I also think that uploading photos to blogger (as compared to facebook) is a big pain in the butt!! I think I will just put photos on at the end, instead of trying to be all fancy!! I am just too lazy!! So I will attempt to wrap the last six months...January to June of 2010.

I am continuing to work as an admin assistant to our junior high pastor...which now involves grades 4th -8th...and I love it. I have been helping out since the fall and finally feel like I have found my niche in serving. I love youth and admin...so it is a perfect fit...it doesn't even feel like work! Ahhhhh....

It is great to get back working with youth, I did it for 12 years, and I have missed it. I thought I might be too old....but not yet I guess :) I went on the junior high mission trip and I will be going on 5th-6th grade camp in July...I just don't want to sleep in a top bunk anymore!!! haha!!

I also read the book “The Hole in Our Gospel” by the CEO of World Vision....wow!! The best book I have read in a long time. Great down to earth convicting book without being guilt-driven. Changed the way I think about the world and what I need to do about it. I pray I will not be complacent and forgetful, because that is what I tend to do. On that note, I was excited to find out more about the little girl, Fatuma, that we sponsor through World Vision. You can call WV and have extra money given to the family for a specific need. A World Vision staff member will personally meet with the family and help them decide best how to spend it and then send you an update letter and pictures. So I went ahead and sent money...then this last month we got a letter from the grandfather (Fatuma lives with her grandparents) explaining that her family was able to buy a heifer and an outfit and shoes for Fatuma with the money... and how they are so thankful to God because their lives are changed. Now they can have milk and maybe someday baby cows...I also got two pictures of her and her grandmother standing with the cow and her in her new outfit and shoes....it was extremely emotional.

We went skiing and sledding in February up in Flagstaff....they had great snow this year and the conditions were fabulous! My girls miss the skiing in Spokane, so we try to make it up once a year. We spent a couple nights up there and had such a great time together as a family enjoying the snow.

Hannah turned 13 in February; wow, I now am the proud parent of a teenager! It is actually awesome watching her grow up and putting into practice so many things we have taught her over the years. She is making her relationship with God her own, and we go out and talk about very real and deep stuff...it is fulfilling for me as a parent. I am so proud of the young woman she is becoming! For her birthday she invited her whole small group from church to go play laser tag and then out to pizza....everyone had a blast :) She even invited her small group leader, Amanda, who made it to the pizza. I was really touched that she wanted to invite her, as I remember working with junior highers and I think mentors are so important!!! All she wanted was Aeropostale gift cards...such a teen, she will only wear one type of shirt....well, it makes it easy!!! Our special gift to her was a Nintendo DS, which she was not at all expecting and made the surprise so fun!!

Hannah also took a test for gifted students and made it into the program. It is a similar test to what she took when she was younger, but I wondered...would she still be gifted? Why yes, she is, phew....the program will be awesome for her, because the way she learns is different from other students. So this next year she will be going to a large junior high, Payne, in the Chandler school district. So excited for her! She also went to the county spelling bee in January again, and came in somewhere around 15th...she got out on “perennial”....yea, I can't spell it either :) Abigail also participated in the spelling bee and won for her 4th grade class..her goal was to get further than last year and she did! :)

Hannah also tried volleyball for the first time this spring and loved it!! AND she went on her first Mission Trip to the Navajo reservation and I got to go with her. See video below! Too many details to write but suffice to say it was an awesome, life changing experience....I am sure there will be many more to come!!

One last Hannah item, she has been swimming “pre-competitive”since the fall, and loves the sport. She had her first swim meet in April. It was a learning experience, and she enjoyed it!! She so loves the sport and has great strength and form. I am excited that she has found something she is passionate about!

Abigail played soccer for another season with Dad coaching her. She had gone through physical therapy for her injured ankle over the winter break and so was able to play again. She is now trying out volleyball for the first time...she enjoyed watching Hannah...and is loving it too!

The girls wrapped up 4th and 7th grade....they are just growing up so fast.....

Family visiting was a big theme this spring!! My Dad and Rita came down in April for my 39th birthday (I know, how is it that I am this close to 40???) It was wonderful as I had not seen them in 2 years.

Then Seth came to visit while he was at halo school out in Yuma...we talked Angel into coming and staying with us for 3 weeks while Seth was in Arizona, so at least they could see each other sometimes ;) It was really great getting to know her better and having Levi in our home, my girls had a blast having a toddler around. I forgot how fun they are to just watch at that age!!! My girls taught him lots of lovely tricks like blowing on bellies...so now he will come up to you and just lift up your shirt to blow on your belly...I am sure Angel is thankful for this one!!! hahaha!! We also found out that Angel was pregnant and so I had the privilege of taking her to her first ob appointment and seeing the ultrasound :) Yeah!!

While Angel and Seth were here, Josh and Jordan and kiddos came to visit too!! We had a fun and noisy full house of 13 people! I looked around at all the children and realized that was how many kids were in my family growing up..wow!!!! We got to meet Seri and Taye for the first time....they were so much fun, it was great to see how they are already so integrated. It had been a long time since we had seen Austin and Micah too...oh my goodness, how much they had grown up!!!! Time goes by way too fast!! We all had a blast hanging out by the pool swimming and enjoying the great spring weather!

We love having family come down.....we have a guest bedroom and still have not gotten a visit from some of you, so just remember, you are always invited. Chances are (unless it is July and August) that our weather is better than any of yours!! hahaha!!

Thanks for reading about the last six months of our lives :)




















































3 comments:

  1. Wow! Lol look at all that fun. I am jealous!! I want to get married already and on with my life haha.

    So proud of the girls!! Hannah is done with 7th grade already! Wow! =)

    Love you guys and miss you, Next time everyone is down there, lemme know, and I am coming!

    I plan to visit when I make the switch to CA.

    =) Christin

    Love you Jenny!!

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  2. Oh by the way, I tried adding you to my blogroll, but I couldn't!! I'll try again

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  3. YAY!! So glad to see you're posting again... after a LONG break! Looking forward to reading more!! :) We miss all of you so much. The weather here is icky... missin' that AZ sunshine too!

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