More Independence Day Fun

Thankfully, the kids all slept in after our 1AM arrival home the other night.  We didn't really have plans for the actual 4th, so I had to kick it into gear and come up with something.

Food.

Yeah...that always helps.  The big girls and I headed to the grocery store and pretty soon our cart was full of colorful, yummy 4th of July food.  Corn on the cob, watermelon, chicken, stawberries, pea pods....

It is so rare that any food I have anything to do with looks this good that I had to take a picture of it.

My four big girls.  I heart them!

Then there were some bubbles...

And a box of Pop-Its for everyone!  The driveway looked like it had snowed when they were done--but they sure had fun.  All except Zoey.  She hates the sound of them and gave hers to SaraGrace.

Jillian made this for Ryan and texted it to him.  We love you, Ryan!!

Jeff rotated the tires on my van.  Yippee....how fun for him.

What else could we do?  

Well, we just couldn't get enough fireworks so we decided to go again.  Jeff found out there were going to be some fairly close to our house, so we headed out last evening.

And for family and friends who didn't get to have Fireworks this year....here is a second attempt at photographing them.

Grand Finale

Surprisingly, this small town firework display was much more impressive than the one in Bristol.  We thoroughly enjoyed it--which made the absurd traffic jam afterwards a little more bearable.

The kids didn't get to do their sparklers because no one else was doing any and we didn't want to bother those around us--so maybe tonight we will do those.

We are heading to the beach today because Jeff took today and tomorrow off.  We are doing a Stay-cation instead of vacation because it costs a ridiculous amount of money to take this crew anywhere.  The little kids are quite confused by all the extra activity and Zoey keeps asking, 

"Why are we having all dis fun?"  

Ha.

You would think they never get to have any fun around here.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday to our "Yankee Doodle Dandy," Ryan!!!  His surgery went well, he has been able to go back home as the fires are a bit more under control, and....drum roll....  He is spending the day with his birth-family!  Only God could have written this story of how Ryan and his birth-grandma ended up in the same town.  Ryan with the Army and his grandma needing to be there for health reasons.  And now...his birthmom is visiting and Ryan is spending the week getting re-acquainted.  We have seen them occasionally through the years as we were able--but we lived far away so trips were few.  I am rejoicing as I picture them enjoying this day together!

Yesterday we decided to make a drive to Bristol, RI, to see their fireworks.  Bristol has the longest running 4th of July celebration of any place in the country--226 consecutive years.  This town takes their Independence Day celebration seriously.  They start on Flag Day in June and continue through the 4th.  We arrived into town around 5:00PM and scouted out a place to watch the fireworks (with a little help from the locals who knew where to sit!).  I prayed we would find a great spot and wow...God delivered with a perfect section of beach.  The kids had a blast playing in the rocks, finding beach glass, shells, crab skeletons and digging up mussels.

This town is serious about the 4th.  Even the lines down the middle of the streets are painted red, white and blue.

Exploring on the rocks.  Lifeguards at our favorite beach do not allow this, so it was fun to have the freedom to jump around and dig stuff up between the rocks.

Digging....digging....Digging mussels (blech).  Midwest amateur that I am, I thought they were clams at first.

The mussels were alive in there so I only let the kids break open a few shells.

Crab skeleton

Our beautiful view all evening

As the tide came in, the kids had to go to higher ground

Suddenly, Jordan spotted a hermit crab walking on the bottom of the ocean

Jillian got a stick and started dragging it toward shallow water

SaraGrace makes the grab

And suddenly realizes that its....ALIVE and squirming.  But manages to resist the urge to throw it.

Say hello to our leetle friend

Since Jordan was the 'finder' and SaraGrace was the 'rescuer' they are sharing ownership of said crab.

Checking to be sure it's still moving around after being housed in a slightly leaky ziploc bag

Moving on....SaraGrace and Kate pose on a canon while Zoey apparently missed the memo

Not necessarily entertained by the little kids, father and son scan the horizon for signs of firework activity (and discuss the long lines at the bathroom).

Our heart babies entertain the rest of us while the sun drops lower in the sky

Beautiful sunset picture taken by Molly while Mom herded several little ones to the bathroom

The show finally starts....WOOHOO!

I must say...fireworks over water are VERY COOL!!!

There are special ways to photograph fireworks.  Obviously, I have not mastered a single one of them.  Sigh...

We didn't get home until almost 1:00AM, but it was totally worth it!  SaraGrace thinks the 4th should be every day and said it was her favorite holiday.  

Thankfully, the kids slept until 10:00AM so hopefully, they won't be too grumpy today. 

Jillian made a little house for the crab.  Not sure how we will keep it alive but it came home in a Gatorade bottle with lots of ocean water which they plan to save.  According to Google, they eat grapes and raisins, so he has been fed this morning.

Hopefully we didn't break any laws by bringing it home or crossing state lines with a live crustacean.  Bahahahaha

Jillian assures me it cannot climb up the plastic sides of this enclosure and escape to places unknown in the kitchen.

Yeah.

That's what Taylor said about the frog a few years ago that we later found hopping around in the family room.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!!!

My Dad

Word just in....my dad does NOT have cancer!!!!!! Snoopy dance o'joy!! We are so thankful that God has chosen to give dad more time with us. Thank you so much for praying. We could feel the prayer. The hemmorhaging my dad was having is a side effect of the prostate cancer he has battled for the past 14 years. He will need additional treatment but for now we are grateful that his cancer has not spread to his bladder.

Quick Update on my Dad

My dad's cystoscopy was changed to Friday at 1:30, so we should have some news afterwards.  Thank you for your notes and prayers.  We definitely feel the prayer.

Mom, Dad, and me in Honduras

Prayer Request

Please pray for the fires in Colorado Springs to be contained.  Ryan had surgery yesterday and while he was there, the place where he was living was forced into a mandatory evacuation.  He will be released today and will be staying with a friend of a family member.  The fires are out of control and burning homes.  The Navigators have a retreat center there (Glen Eyrie) and have requested prayer as many of their buildings are in the path of the fire.

Also, my mom had to take my dad to ER in the middle of the night because he was in severe pain. Once there, they discovered his bladder was full of blood.  They were going to try to do a procedure on him this morning, but couldn't.  He has had prostate cancer for 14 years, and we know it can travel to the bladder, so of course we are worried.  We would so appreciate prayers.  We are very thankful that this didn't happen in Honduras.  He is supposed to return to the doctor on Tue., and hopefully we will know more then.

Home...and struggling with re-entry

The entire team made it home safely for which we are very thankful.  Several of us connected on Facebook last night and found that we are all struggling with our return back to 'normal.'  The scenes we witnessed are replaying in our minds, breaking our hearts over and over.  

Normally, teams have a day or so of R&R at the end of the trip so that they can talk and help each other sort through their emotions.  It wasn't possible for this trip, so we are going to 'talk' through Facebook and hopefully, Skype. 

There is just not an easy adjustment between seeing a child in rags, with not enough food, living in wretched conditions and standing in the grocery store, with food in abundance, seeing magazines with stories of so-called celebrities and other things that do not matter.

Maybe my teenager put it more succinctly when he said, "Makes you think when you spend $5 for a cheeseburger but $5 could have bought the medicine that would have cured the strep infection for that guy with the kidney failure."  

We can bring short term help, but God can fill them with everlasting HOPE.

And He can wipe the tears from their eyes...

Healing for their pain.

A room full of priceless treasures

And one cute baby that liked giving me the stink eye

My sweet little shadow

"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, 'Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.'"  Isaiah 35: 3, 4

Know you are loved.  You are not forgotten.

God sees.  And now we have seen.  We cannot pretend we have not seen their misery, nor can we turn away.

Another sweet shadow in a different location.

Jesus loves them...they need to know.

I challenge myself with the question, "What more can I do?"

Do I really not have enough to be able to give more?  I wonder what God thinks as He looks down from heaven and sees us with our great abundance, yet hanging on to our wealth with tight fists.  I think His heart weeps.

"I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.  I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places."  Isaiah 45:2, 3

This trip was not a one time thing.  It was an invitation to another way of life.