On the 4th day of Creation...

God created the sun, moon and stars.
We've been studying creation this month in Sunday school. This isn't my first time teaching it, or studying it, or hearing it. Yet - there's always something new to absorb.
Bennett had a project in school recently... the Moon Phases. I'm sure I've read them before, studied them, heard about them. Yet - there's always something new to absorb. He remembers much more than I can. The other night we looked at the moon as half-full. He explains it's a waxing crescent and it's getting bigger in this part of the cycle.
So, my creation question for all you theologians out there... on day 1 God separated the light from the dark. Was He the light? Where did the light come from? Because day 4 was when He created the sun, moon, and stars to make light to govern the day, light to govern the night, etc.

Today was Open House at Strong Rock Camp. We try to go each year. It's a fun day for the kids to get to play with the camp family, as well as participate in all the activities for free! Not that they understand the cost of camp... it's just a fun day. It was an absolutely beautiful day. Clear blue skies and 70+ temps. We enjoyed horse back rides, rock climbing, archery, riflery, and canoeing... oh, and snacks! I had 6 kids in tow (mine + 2 Himstedts) and I actually got to participate in the shooting of the guns and bows. My first time ever at camp! Woo Hoo!  I hit my targets. Nobody was as impressed as me but it was fun. Bennett scared a snake on one of the paths and they both ran/slithered. We saw several of our family friends. If you're reading this and have never visited Strong Rock Camp... we highly recommend it! It's worth the financial sacrifice for a week or two of summertime fun. Save, scrimp, and give up a coffee or dinner out - it's for the kids! :)

In spite of all the fun happenings around here we are still devastated by the news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We've let the kids watch some of the news videos and they are just as amazed as we are with the total destruction. Unreal. Unbelievable. And what do we do here? Eat our fill of gluttony and enjoy our climate controlled comfortable beds.
I pray we understand even a fraction of what they're going through today. I pray we suffer just a little. I pray our kids will desire to help, serve, and share.
Oh, to understand the God of the sun, moon and stars. And earthquakes. And tsunamis. Creation - and death.

At Any Given Moment...

On any given day, at any given moment... these 4 little people will be entertaining me. Here's a glimpse into this moment today... approximately 5:30pm Sunday, when we weren't getting ready to head back to AWANA. Tonight is the Super Bowl party... we're going to watch the Steelers and Packers play while enjoying some of our favorite families, food, and kids. We're rooting for the Steelers (who by now have lost).

Here's Bennett, riding his "trick" bike. He had just spent about 30 minutes tearing his 4-wheeler through the woods. He got a little close, in a tight squeeze with two trees. He asked if I heard him yelling but he managed to push and pull and gun-it until the tires gripped the cold, wet leaves and pulled him up the hill. He was supposed to be getting ready to leave for our party. He put away his full helmet and donned his bike helmet to take a few trips over his ramp. Are all 10 year old boys fearless? I love that he loves to be outside doing boy things and doesn't want to come in the house, even when it's really cold.

Maggie... spending a few moments writing thank you cards for her Boosterthon sponsors. She likes to be inside. She likes to play. Even though she enjoys running... she still just isn't an outdoorsie girl. I think it's cool that she's left-handed. The pink bracelet is from going skating today. That's another story... 

Ruth... snuggling in "my" chair playing her brother's DS Guitar Hero game. Normally, he answers no when she asks to play. Today I guess he was feeling generous... we both played. She knew I was taking her picture... she was grinning at me sort of in her "I don't want you to know that I know" kind of way.

And tucked away in the bedroom was a very sleepy little Lydia. She's under there... and she's terribly warm and snuggly and smells like a baby when found in this position. I hated to wake her up... but it was time for the party! :) She's been fighting congestion for 11 days so far and probably is turning (or has turned) into an ear infection. I'm glad she'll go take a nap and rest when she's not 100%.

There are the things that fill my heart on a daily basis.

The Girls' Turn

Last weekend Curtis and his pal James went on a "trip" to pick up a new vehicle for our driveway. It was a good deal. The evening trip turned into an all evening event and Corie (his wife) and I asked for our turn. They agreed to let us go out for dinner, since they enjoyed dinner, and a kid-free moment as well. Corie homeschools her 4 kids (well, 2 school aged and 2 pre-schoolers) so a night out is a rare and appreciated thing. We took along 2 other favorite peeps, Rebecca and Alison. We started with a little pottery painting at the local INK. It was entertaining, relaxing, and stressful all at the same time. Sometimes it is a difficult thing just to decide which piece to paint. A starting point. The beginning. Then... the pattern, the colors. What to put on the blank canvas to make it your own... We each started with the same white beginning. Corie, Rebecca and I all opted for a coffee mug (they didn't have the sugar bowl Corie wanted). Then we made it our own. Color choices. Design. Patterns. Swirls. Dots. Sticks. What we started with was the same. What we ended with was all our own. Alison opted for a little bud vase because apparently the boys in her family still bring her a flower every now and then. I don't need a vase! The painting was to conclude at 5pm, when they closed, but we were a little slow and lovely Phil didn't rush us out at all. He was very helpful, in fact and gave us great ideas.

After finishing up the pottery perfection we  drove south to P.F. Changs. A place I never get to eat because Curtis always vetoes it. It's a fancy Chinese cuisine spot at the mall. Location. Location. Location!! The mall is NOT the place to be on a Saturday evening no matter how early you think you might be. The wait was to be 2+ hours. Well, 3 of the 4 of us had early curfews for the boys to go watch a fight... so we didn't have 2 hours to wait... we had to be back on the road in 2 hours. That would never work. So we opted to drive across the road to Olive Garden... another eatery that is non-existent in our neck of the woods. We made it the length of ONE single traffic light... it took us way longer than expected. I think 1-2 cars went through each light cycle. We almost took the curb to swing a U-ey several times since we were in the Jeep 4x4... but I decided it wasn't worth the chance of forking out the cost of a potential ticket. We waited until we could squeeze by into the turn lane, threw it around the corner and floored it in the opposite direction. Ok, ok... I really didn't floor it... but I did appreciate the free lane to actually drive! We drove around in circles and when we got to OG, the wait there was an hour - which we didn't have. So we opted to drive back toward home and ended up at the Thai Dish... delish! Alison had been there before so we knew it was safe. :)

Alison and her bud vase

Corie and her fancy mug

Rebecca - aiding the drying process

You're better off just not knowing

My mug... our stick family

Dinner at Thai Dish

Our appetizer... quickly devoured by starving ladies!

When we got finished eating we had about 10 minutes to spare so we ran in the Starbucks and grabbed a cup-o-joe to go! A yummy way to end the evening.  And to top it all off... we ALL made it home before our curfews.  Yeah Mommies!