Happy Birthday!!!

This guy is 15 years old today!

Happy birthday, Adrian! We love you lots!

First Day of School!

It's a rainy first day of school! This year, we have a college student, a high school student, 2 middle school students, 2 elementary students, and a toddler. 

Shana is attending Defiance College this year in the College Credit Plus Program.

Adrian is a freshman in high school.

Ashton is in 7th grade.

This is Malia's first year of middle school! She's a 6th grader.

Jalen is in the 3rd grade.

Jordan's a 3rd grader, too.

Have a great school year, kiddos! We love you lots!

Late Summer Happenings...

A note Malia received from a Japanese exchange student who spent part of the summer in our neighborhood:

This big guy has been hanging around our place for the past few years. Adrian was finally able to get a decent photo of him:

This past Saturday, we were able to go to the Columbus airport to welcome home my good friend, Val, and her newest family members from Ethiopia! It has been amazing to watch God work His miracles in the Steyer's incredible adoption story. So thankful they are finally able to be together under one roof! 

4 little Gambella boys!

Here's the whole group of us that were there:

It has been fun to watch the progress on grandpa and grandma's house!

 

 We went to the park one evening, and Mr. Q had a ball:

 We've had some fun making watercolor art lately:

Quintin has discovered his love for "Bunnies." (Honey buns)

Jalen and Jordan wanted to give me a pedicure one night. The next night, they asked if they could do it again! 

We went to Open House at school last week. The twins have Mrs. Doster this year. School starts tomorrow!

Cousin fun:

 This is fitting for me lately:

We had fun viewing the eclipse today through our homemade cereal box projectors! 

One of my friends took this photo through a telescope:

Winding Down...

Summer is winding down, and we only have 2 more weeks until school starts! Here are some things we've been up to as the season draws to a close.

Lots of restless nights, which make us feel like this during the days:

Watching the progress on grandpa and grandma's new house, which is being built just down the road:

Malia spent a week with cousin Lexie. Busy girl has been gone for a whole month this summer!

Quintin loves to push "Bubbie" in the stroller. He also started calling Jalen "Jay Apple," his version of "Jalen Opiyew." So Jalen has now become "Jay Apple" to the rest of the family, too. :)

We built a table and 4 benches for our patio:

 Cousin fun...scavenger hunts around town and human battleship with water balloons:

One day, we babysat for Baby Avi. Quintin was thrilled to have a "bubbie" at his house. So was Jalen:

Camp Clay with cousins:

Shana, Malia, and I went on a little overnight getaway. We visited a historic Victorian mansion in Columbus that was part of the Underground Railroad, watched The Living Word outdoor passion play in Cambridge, and then shopped and ate lunch at Historic Roscoe Village in Coshocton. 

 

 

My friend Val has been in Ethiopia for close to 2 months. She has been fighting for the children that her family is in the process of adopting, and it has been a roller coaster journey, to say the least. She has been calling and texting frequently with news, both good and bad. Thankfully, she just found out last week that they will all be coming home soon! I cannot share details, but am praising God for His miraculous intervention! His ways are truly amazing, and He is faithful. ALWAYS. Here are Nick and Val in front of the court building in Addis Ababa last week:

These next few pics go back to June, when the kids attended VBS. First, we have Jalen and Jordan's 2nd grade class:

Adrian's 8th grade class:

 Ashton's 6th grade class:

And Malia's 5th grade class:

 I just got an update on Berhe, one of our sponsored boys in Ethiopia. Berhe will be attending college this fall, and we had the privilege of meeting him last year. Isn't he such a cutie? :)

Speaking of Ethiopia, we will be having our annual Ethiopian benefit dinner and silent auction on Saturday, October 7 this year. Save the date and watch for more information to come soon!