Camp friends

Amanda is at camp - STILL. We are missing her around here...more and more each day. By the time she gets home on Sunday, she will have been gone for 10 days. Thankfully, though, some GENIUS person put together a website that posts pictures each night, so that all of us worried Moms can see how our little campers are doing. This one is a special one because it includes Amanda's best friend Elisa (with the pink bandana) and a dear friend from Beatrice, Lili, on Amanda's right. The other 2 are girls in their cabin - new friends, I'm sure.

I just see Alex

Alex has been wanting a mohawk for the longest time and he finally won me over (with some extra convincing from Daddy!) and here he is. We all had some good talks before hand about what we think when we see people with mohawks - or big tattoos or piercings. It has been a really good lesson, especially for me, in not judging people by how they look. Now when I see him like this, I just see Alex - my sweet, sweet boy who loves to help people who are hurting, who is witty and clever, and is my big teddy bear! I hope my kids learn half as much from me as I learn from them!

Coolest guy!

Andrew thought he was the coolest guy in the world riding on Grandpa Bond's new motorcycle. He had the best time and is already asking when they can go again! Fun memories. :-)

Andrew's Goals

Andrew and I are on our own for 4 days while the other kid are at camp, so we're having a LOT of quality time together. Today at lunch, I decided to get a "good discussion going" and asked him if he had any goals in his life. Without missing a beat, he announced that his first one was to "master the fine art of jump roping". While that wasn't exactly what I was looking for, I sure got a kick out of it, so I decided to press on. I asked if he had any others and he jumped right on it again...."to eat enough ice cream to get the biggest brain freeze ever!". And, without thinking too much more, he added "and to buy my first car by the time I am 22!" I don't know where ANY of that stuff came from, but it sure made for a memorable lunch!!

Off to camp!

Dropped Amanda and Alex off at camp today - they were SO excited! Amanda is a co-counselor for this first session and is psyched to have some authority! Alex was reluctant to go at first, but he got more and more excited as the time grew closer. By the time I left this morning, he was grinning from ear to ear and had already made a few new friends.

More free time fun!

Once again, we are SO enjoying our free time here!! Spent the morning at Roper Park playing frisbee golf. We were pretty bad at first, but we kind of got the hang of it and did better along the way. We only made it 12 holes (or whatever they're called!) before we all got too hot and tired, but it was fun! I don't know how many there are altogether, but we saw one that was #27......maybe SOMEDAY we'll make it that far! :-)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the great Dads in our lives! Pa Bond - thank you for raising Bruce to be the great man that he is; Pa Stallbaumer - thank you for being a wonderful Grandpa.

Thanks, Bruce, for being just an amazing Dad. Our kids SO won the "Daddy Lottery!"

New swingset

We got a new swingset today....well, new to us anyway. Bought it off of craigslist (which you HAVE to check out if you haven't already!) and the guy delivered it this morning. Bruce and the kids had it set up in no time and we've been out there all day! Come over and play with us!!

Highlands Pool

We have a neighborhood pool right across the street from our house, but we like this one MUCH better and it's fairly close to our house. It has

zero depth entry and lots more fun things to do. Now if the water would just warm up some more!!

Summer Fun!

Spent one of our lazy summer days this week at Champions - went bowling and played all afternoon. The kids LOVE the adventure maze, and sadly, it won't be long before they're all too big for it.

Growing!

OK, I know you can't see this picture very clearly, but it's at the top of the stairs where we measure how tall the kids are getting. And lately, it seems that those little marks are getting higher and higher - very quickly! Seriously, they have ALL grown a few inches in the past few months. Amanda is quickly catching up to me (only a couple of inches to go) and the boys are just eating and growing and eating and growing. I may have to get a part-time job just to feed them!!

Supper's on Alex!!

OK - here's the coolest thing to happen to Alex lately! He and Bruce were at a Saltdogs game the other night and one of the workers asked Alex if he'd like to play a game between innings. (it's a very family friendly atmosphere and they do goofy games between innings to keep people entertained)

First he gave his standard "I don't know" answer that we all get these days, but with the promise of winning free food, and a little prodding from Daddy, he agreed. So, between the top and bottom of the 1st inning, they gave him a pizza box at the top of the stadium (it's really not all that big) and gave him 30 seconds to run down the steps, around the concourse, down another set of steps and over to just the right place to deliver his pizza....all the while people are watching him up on the big screen. Well, he made it with 7 seconds to spare and won us this "Family Feast" from Pizza Hut!! So, tonight, supper was on Alex! SO cool!!

Perspective

Our family had the privilege of meeting these two ladies in Omaha the other day at a Homeschool event. The lady in yellow is Rachel, and the other is Wilma. Wilma grew up in Nazi Germany and shared with us many stories from her life including going to bed each night with her clothes folded up right next to her. Their family slept that way for many years, so that when the planes started flying over in the middle of the night and the bombs started dropping, they could grab their clothes and run for safety. Rachel is Jewish and spent 6 years of her life in various camps including Auschwitz. She still has her number etched into her arm - 15,452. She also shared horrific stories of her life growing up including the day that she watched her little brother being taken away to the gas chamber.

These ladies brought History books to life for us, but maybe more importantly, they gave us a fresh perspective on life. They are SO thankful to just be alive - and to be free.

The difference....

Here's another one that I stole today (and this time it wasn't even from a friend...just a blog that I ran across). Very convicting.



The difference -
Holy people behave in certain ways because they love God.Hypocrites behave in certain ways because they want others to think they love God.
~~~
Holy people are concerned about being pleasing to God - inside and out.Hypocrites are concerned about how they are perceived by others.
~~~
Holy people have a heart to love and serve others, regardless of their socioeconomic status.Hypocrites like to associate with “movers and shakers” and the “up-and-coming,” to enhance their own standing.
~~~
Holy people bow to the authority of Scripture and live radically obedient lives.Hypocrites will excuse disobedience to the Word of God through use of pious-sounding logic, while slavishly adhering to their own man-made rules and standards.
~~~
Holy people give themselves unreservedly to God and are patient with others who are still in the process.Hypocrites expect more from others than they are willing to give of themselves.
~~~
Holy people have a humble estimation of themselves because God is their standard.Hypocrites compare themselves to others and develop a spiritual superiority complex.
~~~
Holy people base their convictions on the standard of God’s Word.Hypocrites exalt personal preferences and human traditions to a position of equal (or greater) authority with the Word of God.
~~~
Holy people are real.Hypocrites pretend…
to do things they don’t.
to abstain from things they do.to love things they hate.
to hate things they love.
to want things they dread.
to dread things they want.
Well that ought to give us all something to think on for a while.
List taken from Seeking Him: Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival study, pages 121, 122

The Limits of Parents

I borrowed ( OK, stole! ) this from a friend's blog. It was so good that I had to share! Thanks, Brenda!

The Limits of Parents© John Mark Ministries
I gave you life, but I cannot live it for you.
I can teach you things, but I cannot make you learn.
I can give you directions, but I cannot be there to lead you.
I can allow you freedom, but I cannot account for it.
I can take you to church, but I cannot make you believe.
I can teach you right from wrong, but I cannot decide for you.
I can buy you a beautiful garment, but I cannot make you beautiful inside.
I can offer you advice, but cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love, but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to share, but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you to respect, but I cannot force you to show honor.
I can advise you about friends, but I cannot choose them for you.
I can advise you about sex, but I cannot keep you pure.
I can tell you the facts of life, but I cannot build your reputation.
I can tell you about drinking, but I cannot say no for you.
I can warn you about drugs, but I cannot prevent you from using them.
I can tell you about lofty goals, but I cannot achieve them for you.
I can teach you about kindness, but I cannot force you to be gracious.
I can warn you about sin, but I cannot make you moral.
I can love you as a child, but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can teach you about Jesus, but I cannot make Jesus your Lord.
I can tell you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal life.

More free time

Have I mentioned how much we're enjoying all of this free time?!?! The other night we had "Make your own pizza night" - the kids' favorite. They get a ball of dough and can make it into whatever shape they choose (usually there is at least one gun shape!). Then they get to choose their own sauce and toppings. Very fun!! We're loving summer! :-)

Garage sale bargain!

OK, here's my garage sale bargain - of the century!! Got this 4 person Coleman inflatable raft the other day at a garage sale for $7...including the pump and the oars!! The kids had a great time with Daddy at Oak Lake over lunch and can't wait to go again. If you want to borrow it, just let us know!