Happy 4th!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

I pray that everyone has a safe, wonderful holiday!

Unexpected trip to South Dakota

This is Andrew, our Son-in-law. I had spent the night at Saph and Andrew's house Thursday, so that I could go with Saph to her OB appointment with her Friday morning. We were almost to town (having been in the car for an hour already), when she got a call from her husband saying that he was in the hospital and had cut his finger badly on a feed truck at work. He said that it was bad enough that they needed to do surgery on it. So, we turned around and headed to Sioux City where he was in the hospital. Then we found out that he had been sent to a Surgery Clinic in South Dakota specializing in this kind of injury. So, we headed there. We got there at about noon, and they didn't start the surgery until almost 3:00. They ended up putting a a pin into the length of his pinkie finger because he had severed his tendons of his finger and broken off a piece of the bone. He was in recovery until about 6:00 or so, and we got back to their house by 8:00. Long day and an unexpected trip to South Dakota, but at least we could be there for him!! His family has disowned him for choosing to stay with his wife, and soon-to-be two kids, and not "choosing" them. However, the Bible does say, 5 different times...

"A man shall leave his father and mother, and cling to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

*Genesis 2:24, Matt. 19:5, Mark 10:7, Eph. 5:31, & 1Cor. 6:16

3 NEW GRANDBABIES?!

Our 2nd oldest daughter, Sapphire, and her husband are due to have a baby girl in August!! Then our oldest daughter, Niki, and her fiance' are having TWINS in January! We are all so surprised and excited!!! They are in two different sacs, so they are fraternal twins, but we are so thrilled!! We have never had twins in our family before. (Above is the twins first ultrasound.)

Preparing Our Children for Life...

I have been taking any available opportunity to read a book by Catherine Levison, titled, "More Charlotte Mason Education." In one of the chapters, she discusses something that Charlotte Mason wrote regarding her thoughts on a Liberal Arts education. I have thought about this comment, and think that it is a wonderful motto for our upcoming school year that begins in September. It is this...

"We want to provide our children with an education that will qualify them for LIFE,

rather than just for earning a living."

The end result of a Charlotte Mason education is the children "find knowledge so delightful that it becomes a pursuit and source of happiness for a lifetime."

In Memory of Samuel

We planted a Red Maple Tree in our front yard this spring,

in memory of Samuel,

our son who died last year.

Something beautiful to live on until one day we see him again.