Fishing and Canoeing

On this particular day in Utah, 

Kristin had given the boys

cheese to use as bait. 

Unlike the day before, 

they caught three HUGE fish in a row!! 

I love Drew's expressions! 

  

              

and a few more sweet pics that I wanted to share. . . 

                           

The Lord truly blessed us with such a rich time! 

We will miss you Utah. . . and dear friends. 

Already looking forward to next time! 

Rock Climbing and Skeet Shooting

 The kids had such a fun time rock climbing in Utah. It definitely was a challenge, but they all did SO well. Dad made it to the top and rang the bell! Ellie made it about 3/4 the way up, and Drew, Abby, and Toby all gave it their best. They were all so brave.  I was so very proud of them!

Whit and Ford even gave it a shot! 

Drew and Dad went skeet shooting. 

Drew thought it was REALLY loud,

and a bit intimidating, but so very cool.

The kids cleaned up the aftermath of the shooting spree,

and insisted that the shells come home with them. . . 

The Children

The children, O the children.

I had so many cute pictures of them

from our Utah trip,

that I just had to share. 

My older three got in the car for our long drive home,

and started crying. 

These are such special friendships. . .

I know they will last a long time. 

We adults are already planning marriages :)

"May our sons is their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace. . ."
Psalm 144: 12

Meal Times

We had three nights together in Utah. 

The ladies paired up for the evening meals,

and we were all on our own for breakfast and lunch.

 The picture above was our first night.

One of the pastors called all the kids to come get on the "magic carpet."

As you can see, the lodge was beautiful. 

Very spacious and open. 

 The oldest child in the group was 13,

and the youngest was, I believe, about 6 months.

 So hard to believe that all these little ones. . . 

came from all of us!! 

 Our family was the largest, one other had four children,

and the rest had three each. . . with one more on the way!  

The adults all fit around this dining table. . . 

 Food, fun, and fellowship!! 

Like I said before. . . 

a little taste of Heaven!! 

A little taste of Heaven

We just came back from a wonderful week in Utah. 

We met up with five other families who were with us during those "seminary days."

6 pastors, 6 wives, and their 21 children! 

Lots of smiles and laughter, good food, play,worship, and fellowship.

It was truly a glimpse of what we have to look forward to for all eternity! 

These dear women were with me duringsome of the sweetest times of my life.We started our families together, learnedthe ups and downs of being mommies, and how to encourage our husbands whowere all studying to become pastors.  

 
 

Now we are all encouraging each other in the ministry. 

It is such a wonderful thing to have dear friends who will be a listening ear,

who understand you, cheer you on, and pray for you.

We feel blessed beyond measure.

              

 

The lodge we stayed in was just perfect.

We could have had many more children and felt very comfortable! 

There was a recreation center with various activities. . .

hiking, canoeing, fishing, a climbing wall, basketball, ping-pong,

swimming, skeet shooting to name a few. 

The scenery was beautiful, as was the drive there. 

We live in a beautiful country! 

The lodge was about 45 minutes from the main highway,

and the trees were in full fall bloom. 

There were cattle all around, and one of the nights we even

watched a wrangler with his dogs round them up! 

We had sweet, sweet family worship each evening. 

I think that time might have been my favorite. 

The guitar, the djembe, and the voices of children 

singing praises to our great God. 

After our singing time one of the preachers would share.

We talked to our little ones of having a correct view of

God, themselves, and others. 

While the children got lost in the huge lodge playing (or sleeping),

we all got to share how our ministries and marriages were,

and how we could be praying for each other. 

I hope to share other bits and pieces of our time there

throughout this week. 

Thank you for praying for our family's safety. 

The Lord truly blessed us!! 

The "Rest" of the Pumpkin Patch