July 5th - 7th

July 7th:

Playing Indians


July 6th:
Going to pick up trash at local parks with Church

July 5th:
Added my new Sole Hope sticker to my van!

July 4th in pictures

shirt tutorial found here




Friends for a BBQ...

watching fireworks downtown

July 1st - 3rd in photos

July 3rd:
Working in the garden
(picked green beans, onions, and radishes)

July 2nd:
Family Reunion - ready for the 4th!
(Photography by Graysen)

July 1st:
Family Reunion in Branson
(taking a break from jumping on the hotel beds!)

my amazing luck

Okay, I know I said I was taking a blogging break, but this is so exciting, I just have to share!

In the past week I have won 2 things via internet giveaways!
Can you believe it?! I can't!

The first thing I won was the Jesus Story Book Bible from Metropolitan Mama. She is the mom of the Give Every Day family that I am so inspired by! I can't wait to get this book in the mail and start reading it with my kids!! Thank you Stephanie!The second thing I won was a gift basket from Sole Hope! It was easy to enter this giveaway because I love Sole Hope and everything that they stand for!

(You can read about my Sole Hope Shoe Parties here and here and here. You can read about when I met Asher here.)

Here is the video of me winning!!!



Next time you see me and I'm carrying around that fabulous bag, I'll tell you all about Sole Hope!!

29 by 29...and a Summer Blog Break (of sorts)

Happy 4th of July!

Have you noticed my "29 by 29" tab at the top of my blog? I'm very excited about compiling this list of 29 things I would like to accomplish in the next year! I have 15, but am not sure what the next 14 should be! I would really like help coming up with some. I think you all know me pretty well at this point, and I would love some suggestions on what I should add to my list! So please, give me some ideas!

Also, I think for the next month I'm going to go on a "Blogging Summer Break" of sorts. I'm still planning on posting, but probably just a picture from one of our daily summer activities! I plan to make the most of the rest of this month, as it is the only summer break I'll have with my kids!

Do you have any 29 by 29 suggestions for me? Do you have any fun summer activities that we just MUST do before school starts back?

4 years.

Four years went by between this picture:

(May 2007)

and this one:
(June 2011)

This was taken on the same day 4 years ago:

(May 2007 )

Ryan, Hunter, Ally - all age 2
(read: 1 per family)

and today...!!!
(June 2011)

Silas 7, Mya 2, Graysen 3, Blake 7, Hunter 6, Ryan 6, Ally 6, Henry 2, John 1
(read: Redburn's: 4, Lovin's: 3, Krueger's: 2)

What happened?!

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. "

Psalm 127: 3-5

TOMS: A Personal Story

I know I've surely mentioned how much I love TOMS shoes before, but it's time I shared why.


my summer pair

You want to know the main reason why I love them so much?

These feet are why.

Whose feet are they on? Blake and Silas' big brother's. Abe - he is my other son. A son in my heart. My son in Ethiopia. Their family is my family, my family is their family. This is the miracle of Christ. Broken and Redeemed. Lost and Found. Adopted...in Him.

I've seen TOMS in action. I've seen that they are honest to their word. One For One. They are helping in this big, wide, world. They've helped my family!

So now I've given two kids a pair of shoes (if you're not familiar with how TOMS works, please read about their mission here)...enough? No, but it's a start...and everyone has to start somewhere. Intentions are just that...intentions, action is what is needed! So, next time you need a pair of shoes, consider TOMS. Sure, you might be able to get a cheaper pair of shoes, but just think about them as 1/2 price...half for you, half for a child somewhere in the world who will live a healthier, happier life...because you were willing to give.

(Note: for those who live close to me Glicks sells them!)

Six Flags: 2011

**Warning: Picture overload (okay, who am I kidding...every post is a picture overload!)

The three boys earned free Six Flags tickets for reading at school this year...so, off we went!

Graysen got to spend the day with her Grandma sewing skirts! She was so excited about it and came home with two precious new skirts!


Bless my Sister and Chad for going with us! They are such good sports, and Lincoln and I know that they will always take good care of our children (and luckily for us, that means not only have fun with them, but train them in the way they should go as well!).



There were only two things that the boys were not tall enough to ride this year, and one of them was the Batman. Chad and Lincoln rode that first thing when we got there, and as the boys were watching them, Silas made a comment that went something like this:

"Roller Coasters are no big deal. If I slip out I'll just hang on there and do it like monkey bars at school."

I quickly informed him that he had no idea what he was up against and that he was going to pee. his. pants.

(Confession time: sometimes I get very frustrated with the twins and they're attempt to "make up" for their lack of knowledge about America and all of the crazy things that we have here. They tend to act like they know everything and like they are all "big and bad" when I know they are clueless. Really, I just wish they were secure enough with me to admit their insecurities rather than trying to make up for it in other ways. Boo.)

Anyway...back to Six Flags.

We didn't wait long...we headed right over to the Ninja!

Although they didn't actually pee their pants, I sure thought they were going to! They were terrified, but after the ride ended the adrenaline kicked in and they were hooked! Chad made the comment at one point during the day that Blake was an adrenaline junkie...totally accurate!

Such a good picture of Blake and his Daddy!

I'm soooo glad Chad was there! He was up for any ride (and sometimes the same ride several times!). Lincoln gets a bit nauseous after a few, and I get a splitting headache (as does Kara), so he was definitely our saving grace!

Family picture time!

The boys were not so much diggin' the Looney Toons part of the park (designed for younger kids). They rode a few rides just to keep riding!

My favorite picture from the day!

Lincoln's skunk eye...I think Kara gets this way too often from him!

This is probably my face every time I catch him giving it to her too!

Yeah, we still have fun........

Hunter and I both ended up with a massive headache, so we spent the last half hour of our day in a restaurant eating cheese fries and resting in the air.

hair cut.

Before

During

After

Sadly, it was time to cut Silas' hair. Silas has very wiry, course hair. There aren't really even any curls...just 'fro! It was time for it to go. Thankfully he loves it short, and he looks so handsome!