Father's Day

This year the kids wrote letters and illustrated pictures to Shannon for Father's Day. Following are the letters they wrote to him. We printed them all into a booklet for him to keep.

Dear Daddy,
I'm not old enough to write this yet so Mommy is going to do it for me.
Thank you for being such a great dad. You make me smile every time you come into the room! I get so excited to see you because you are so much fun to be around. You're goofy and crazy, and I know that you would do anything for me.
Thank you for praying for me, and thank you for taking me to church. You're a good example of what a godly man looks like. Thank you for loving my mom. You guys are great together!
Thanks for going to work every day and providing for our family. You're a great guy, and I hope I can be just like you someday!
Love,
Hudson

Dear Daddy,
I love Daddy. You tickle me. You kiss me. You play with me. You give me showers. You put me to bed and tell me stories. You feed me. You give me kitties. You play doggies with me. You play babies with me.
Daddy hugs me and snuggles me.
Love,
Naomi

Dear Daddy,
I want to get you a pop.
I love you cuz Colton says you're so handsome.
I love you cuz you take pictures.
I love you cuz you kiss Naomi and me.
I love you cuz Colton loves you and I love Colton.
I love you cuz you climb on the roof.
I love you cuz you take care of Hudson.
Love,
Katie Belle

Dear Dad,
I love you because you help me do things. I like it when you cook me food. I love you. You play fun games with me. You do lots of stuff with me. You teach me how to do things. I like to play four square with you. I like to play bocce ball and soccer and kickball with you. You are the best.
Love,
Colton

Dear Dad,
Thank you for taking care of me and my brothers and sisters and mom. Thank you for going to work and giving me food.
Thank you for going to all of my football, basketball and soccer games. Thank you for having fun with me.
Thank you for reading the bible to me and doing devotions with me. I love you.
Love,
Bryce

Dear Dad,
Thank you for being my dad. You mean a lot to me because you like to play with me and watch me do sports. You're the coolest dad ever.
Thanks for being a good cooker. I hope that I can be just like you someday.
Love,
Chase

Dear Cap'n Crunch,
Thank you, Dad, for everything you do. You're the best dad there is, and I love you for that.
Thank you for the love, kindness, goodness and GOOD LOOKS you give me. Thanks for encouraging me in sports. Thank you for helping build our go-karts and four-wheelers.
Love,
Jackson

Dear Dad,
Thanks for being the best dad ever! Thanks for helping me with my friends, playing with me, taking us on vacation, and for working your hardest to make our family happy.
Love,
Alex


Unfortunately, Hudson was sleeping during family photo time, so he is not pictured above.

Shannon truly is an exceptional father. I'm proud of him for working hard for our family, for being a godly example for our children, and for sacrificially giving of his time to be the best dad he can be. He makes my life easy in so many ways. He's definitely the glue that holds this family together.

"My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-5

Hudson's First Swim

Wednesday we spent the morning cleaning up the garage a little and picking toys and balls up out of the yard. Shannon worked his magic with electricity and now our water fountain has an outlet right next to it and can be turned on and off with a switch in the garage. I'm thinking that it will also be an awesome place to plug in a homemade ice cream freezer! Anyone interested in coming over for a visit?


Naomi, ever the little tool time helper, was right there next to her daddy helping the whole time. One must keep an eye on her around the ladder, though. This little one is definitely not afraid of heights, whether on the ladder or climbing up to the slide.

We took the kids to the pool in Reinbeck in the afternoon. It was Hudson's first time to get in the pool and play. He generally isn't wild about taking baths, and prefers showers to soaking in the tub, so I was a little nervous about how he would respond. He loved it! We sat in the shallow area and he splashed and played with the water. The girls and Colton kept him entertained. We stayed for about an hour, then had to leave for Jackson's dental appointment.

"The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him." Proverbs 23:24

Water Babies

Monday morning I drove Chase, Bryce, and another boy from Grundy Center up to Iowa Regular Baptist Camp for Jr. Boys Camp. All of the little kiddos came along for the ride. I dropped the littles off at the Kamberger's house on the way to camp so they could play with Sarabeth, Julianna and Nathan. Alex and Jackson were still there, so they helped babysit.

After registering the boys at camp, we unloaded at their dorm, and the next thing you know, they disappeared. No hugs for Mom, no "I'll miss you's", nothing. I guess that is a good thing. I did get a chance to catch up with them and say good-bye before I left the campgrounds.

We had lunch at Mary's, and then the kids decided they wanted to go swimming. Mary worked wonders and came up with enough bathing suits for all of our kids, so we loaded up and went to the lake. All of the kids enjoyed themselves, except maybe Hudson. He didn't get to join in the fun, but did get to sit in the shade under the umbrella.

We didn't get home until around 6:00pm. It was a long day, but we enjoyed spending time with our friends. Pray for Chase & Bryce that they will have a fun week and grow spiritually!


"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

Saturday

Today Shannon, Chase, Bryce and Colton headed down to Des Moines to help some friends move. That left Katie, Naomi, Hudson and I at home. Alex and Jackson are still up in Clear Lake spending the weekend with Kambergers after finishing up at Water and Work Week at camp. I'll pick them up when I drop Chase and Bryce off at Jr. Boys camp on Monday.

The weather is beautiful again today. The girls have gone outside to play every once in awhile. After cleaning up the lunch dishes, I went outside to check on them. I found them going down the big twisty slide with the baby kittens. The kittens really didn't seem to mind too much, but the mama kitty was a little nervous!


Those girls are definitely partners in crime! They are really missing their big brothers, and keep asking when Ali & Jack-Jack are coming home.

"But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." Proverbs 4:18

Springtime

What does springtime bring in Iowa? Lots of sunny day--and lots of rainy days. I snapped this picture through the kitchen window last week. It shows the fresh green corn growing in the distance, and the beautiful green grass in our pasture. I'm anxious for the wildflowers to begin blooming.



Springtime also brings baby kittens. We have three little ones that are about 5 weeks old. Anyone interested in one? The other two are gray and very cute as well.


We adopted another dog through freecycle last week. Riley is a 4yo Australian Shepherd. He's great with the kids, and although he left us for a couple days last week, he found his way back home yesterday. We're hoping he decides to stay for good this time!

"She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her." Proverbs 3:18

Cedar Valley Cup

The culmination of the Spring soccer season is the Cedar Valley Cup, a three day tournament in Cedar Falls. The weather Friday evening was beautiful, and Jackson & Chase's team won their game. We started the day on Saturday by leaving home at 7:00am. Bryce's team lost their first game of the tournament, but went on to win the next two, earning a shot at the Bronze medal. They played in nice, sunny weather, and also had some games in cold rainy weather. They rallied at the end and were able to bring home the Bronze.


Jackson & Chase's team also lost one game of the tournament, earning them each a Bronze medal. They have a very competitive team, with a lot of good athletes. Each of them scored several goals per game. We enjoy watching them play.


Alex's team went into the last game undefeated. They were facing a team that they had lost to 5-1 in the regular season. They played following a huge downpour and thunderstorm, which made for very sloppy and wet playing conditions. They were not able to pull it off, and ended up losing 3-1, earning a Silver medal.


The little kids did a great job holding up throughout the weekend. We spent a lot of hours at the soccer complex, and they behaved very well. They've made a lot of friends throughout the season, and had fun playing play-doh and coloring with them during the games.


We're proud of the boys' accomplishments this season, and we're also thankful to be done for a few months!

"The glory of young men is their strength..." Proverbs 20:29a