2021/2022 School Photos...

 Ashton is a junior in high school...

Malia is a sophomore...

Jalen and Jordan are 7th graders...

And Quintin is in kindergarten!

Congratulations, Seth and Kate!

This past Saturday, we drove out east for Seth and Kate's wedding. Congratulations, Seth, Kate, Zavier, Lexie, Drew, Kayden, Tianna, and Tayla! We love you all and wish you God's richest blessings always.

After the wedding, we spent the weekend with Seth's kids at his house. It was good to be with them!

More of September...

There is beauty all around us:

Chris used old barn boards from a barn he tore down this spring to line the new walls in the shed:

One day early this fall, I was wished a Happy Easter by text from my mother-in-law. I couldn't figure out why she said that until I found that one of my lovely children had turned around my "welcome" sign on the front porch. I have no idea how long it was that way or how many people drove past and thought I was out of my mind. Which wouldn't be all that inaccurate... Doesn't the sign go well with my pumpkin pillow? 🙄

Anyone who knows me well knows that 11:11 is a thing for me. God often uses 11s to assure me that He is in control and everything is going to be alright. A couple of weeks ago, I wasn't having the greatest day. I looked at my phone to see that it was 11:09, and thought, "I should take a screen shot in a couple of minutes when it's 11:11 on September 11." Then I thought, "No, because that would kinda be forcing the issue...I want it to be a completely random thing, not planned." A couple of minutes later, Malia sent me the second photo below: a screenshot that she had taken on her phone at 11:11 on September 11, along with the phrase, "He desires to bless you." I was humbled to know that God still wanted me to have a blessing in that moment, and suddenly the day seemed much brighter. 💝

We recently took a walk to one of the many windmills in our county. These things are so huge!

Catching Up...

 The boys are enjoying football, although it seems like a lot of their games have been cancelled.

Something about these photos is just so satisfying. It's too bad that baking is not good for my diet...

Q is having so much fun in kindergarten...

Army worms attacked our lawn this fall, turning it brown. An infected area is shown below on the left, while the right is an area they hadn't gotten to yet. Thankfully, one of Chris's cousins sprayed our lawn and saved it from complete loss. It is now growing back.

Chris, Shana, and I attended a presentation by Kibir Consultants, who help to make an impact for God's Kingdom through Ethiopian businesses. 

We received updates from a couple of our sponsored children. Aren't they beautiful?

We've been adding a storage room and closet in our barn:

J and J spent a couple of days at the lake with a friend:

We've been able to meet Adrian for a couple of meals in Fort Wayne lately:

The girls enjoyed guests for Labor Day weekend:

We had to take J and J to Cincinnati for biometrics appointments at USCIS. We enjoyed some sushi on the way:

At the beginning of the summer, we thought that Covid was going away for good. Unfortunately, it is back in full force and many kids, including Jalen, are currently quarantined from school. He has no symptoms, but was a close contact of someone who tested positive. The school is also back to requiring masks. When life seems crazy and unpredictable, I am so thankful for a God who is still in control of everything!