PICTURE PARADE

Lots and LOTS of pictures.  Ready.  Set.  GO!

K's 14th Birthday Party

My parents came over to celebrate with us, as well as a few kids from other cottages who are K's age.  We went out to eat at a restaurant K picked, then came back home for cake and ice cream.  

Later that night I took all of the girls to see "Brave" in the movie theater.  Our K is such a beautiful girl with an old spirit.  She wants things to be fair and right, and she is constantly convicted to help others.  We are so proud of her, and so thankful to have her!

Painting the countertops:

 This was a multi-step project that spanned the course of three days.  I ordered two kits online because I did the kitchen and the laundry room counters, and our kitchen counter space is ginormous.  Not sure why I didn't take a "finished product" picture, so I'll have to post one some time in the future.  I LOVE the way it all turned out.  So much better than the pinkish laminate before.  The sealant is holding up great, and they look beautiful.  It was a LOT of work, but I think it would be much more manageable in a regular-sized kitchen and laundry room.

The Garden:

Michael and J (one of our high schoolers) created a garden this summer, and we have gotten tomatoes, green bell peppers, and jalapenos from it so far.  We are still waiting for watermelon and a few other things I can't remember now.  It has been a labor of love for both of them, tilling up the ground, preparing the soil, planting, pulling weeds, watering, etc.  This is another project I need to get a full picture of, because their work is impressive!

M, A, K

 Since this picture was taken, we have added our sixth girl, P.  In a couple of weeks we will have three high schoolers (M is going into the 9th grade), and three middle schoolers (all in 8th grade).  We are working a lot on group dynamics, how to problem solve, conflict resolution, etc.  It has been a crazy, busy summer with everyone at home!

Jasper's Bible Dedication:

 Michael started this amazing tradition with all of our kids.  He reads their personal bible in three months (yes, that's a LOT of reading!) and makes notes in the bible as he goes.  When he finishes, at our soonest Family Meeting, he presents the bible to that child, and we all pray over him or her.  He started with the youngest first (Jasper), and is moving through the ranks.  This is a picture of Jasper with his bible, and several of the girls with him after we prayed blessings over him.  I have been amazed by all of the spiritual leading Michael has done in our home here.  His example and his ideas keep us all learning and growing in wonderful ways spiritually.  We are all so blessed to be led by a man with such vision, a man who follows the promptings of the Spirit.

Movie Night

Silly Boys :)

Summertime Snack:  Fish Cupcakes :)

Just Dance!

M's Hair Day

There are two wonderful women who come out every eight weeks to do M and a girl's hair who lives at another cottage.  Miss Kim and Miss Pat come on Friday night for 2-3 hours to take down the girls' braids and treat their hair.  Then they come back bright and early at 9:00am on Saturday and braid their hair for 5-6 hours.  It's an awesome, all day process, and they do it just to serve and share their gifts, completely for free.  We are blessed by so many people out here!  

Bennett's Bible Dedication

Chick-Fil-A Day

 Back in July, Chick-Fil-A had a day to dress up like a cow and get a free combo meal.  We sure did bring the whole family, we sure did get a lot of stares, and we sure did get an insane amount of free food!  The night before, we all picked out our clothes, I got out fabric, scissors and safety pins, and we transformed ourselves.  On our way to Chick-Fil-A the next day, we stopped by the office where a lot of the staff is located, and toured around.  Several of the girls claimed it was the most embarrassing thing they have ever been through, but they didn't hesitate to gobble up all of that food, and then post the pictures all over their facebook pages, so I'm pretty sure they managed to survive the humiliation :).