SNOW DAY!!!

This post goes back to January in South Carolina! SNOW DAY!!! Not much more than an inch, but what fun they had! Hayden just kept picking up handfuls and eating them, glad that was before we let the dog out of the pen and the snow was still all white! Katelynn had to make her some beautiful snow angles and Zach was into throwing snowballs and anyone and everyone, especially the dog!

Hot Chocolate!

After a fun time in the snow, my little frozen ones enjoyed some yummy hot chocolate!

Going Away Party

Before leaving South Carolina, we threw Zach and Katelynn a going away/birthday party for them. We rented out the roller-skating rink and skated away! The kids had a great time and we ate hot dogs, chips, and had a wonderful cookie cake made by Kevin Brett. Even the adults had a great time getting out on skates. A special thank you to everyone who made this a special memory for my kids!

Tri Mountain Community Church

Tri-Mountain Community Church is a new church in the Ridgefield, WA area. Our desire is to be relevant and to be a blessing to our community as we serve God and serve others. The key word at Tri-Mountain is Simple.

def. Simple adj. 1. uncomplicated 2. of humble origin 3. not limited or restricted 4. readily under-stood 5. having only one main clause.

We invite you to come worship with us. We currently meet in the cafeteria of Ridgefield High School. As you enter the area you will be met by people who are glad you’re there! Help yourself to some coffee or hot chocolate and take a seat to prepare for a Simple worship experience.

Locks of Love

In January, Katelynn and I finally got our hair cut. Katelynn had 10 inches cut off and I had 13. We had decided the past summer that we would grow our hair so we could donate it. We explained to Katelynn that they could use our hair to make wigs for people who were sick and their medicine made their hair fall out. Katelynn was pretty excited because she knew that
Zach's art teacher at school had cancer and that she would be getting a wig soon. This
was an experience that we will remember forever!

Best Friends Forever

One of the most challenging things about getting ready to make a cross-country move was the good-byes. Katelynn and Bonnie Kate had been inseparable for the 2 1/2 years we were in South Carolina. They were together in 3 year old preschool with Mrs. Nicholson, then again in K-4 with Mrs. Benthall, then again in K-5 with Mrs. Buck. Here are some pictures of special memories in K-5. First is cheer camp, then cheering for the high school football team. Then there is a picture of a sleepover, then Katelynn's last day of school. When asking Katelynn what she misses most about South Carolina, her reply is always Bonnie Kate. Bonnie Kate doesn't want to talk on the phone with Katelynn, she just wants Katelynn to come play.

Our Foster Children

For those of you who may wonder who all these extra kids are in all our pictures of our family, let me explain. In the summer of 2007 we started doing foster care, Hayden was the first little guy we got, he was the perfect fit for our family. It seemed like he had always been part of our lives. We had him with us for 6 months until we moved to Washington, what a dear, special place he holds in our hearts. Even now as we go through the licensing process here in Washington to become foster parents, the pictures we have of Hayden around our home will always remind us why we are opening our hearts to love these little ones. Zach showed Hayden's picture to the neighbor boy and explained to him that "Hayden is my foster brother, he is my brother in my heart" Now even though Hayden was such an awesome experience for our family, we did have a few challenge children in our home too. The good we do for these children has totally outweighed the challenging experiences. So you will see lots of extra children in our pictures, know they are part of our family in a very special way!

My Michael Jordan wanna-be's

In January, while still in South Carolina Zach and Hayden decided to play basketball inside, then Zach decided they at least should dress the part of a great basketball player!

Girly Girls

Katelynn was so excited to have her cousin Hannah over for a sleep over! The girls played barbies, polly pockets, and you guessed it - dress-up. There is just something about dressing up in skirts, adding jewelry and pom-poms!

Easter Egg Hunt

This year the great grand kids of Nana & Popie enjoyed a sunny day for their egg hunt! This year we had the Egg hunt on Saturday then Easter lunch on Sunday! As Sunday came along with lots of rain, we were so glad the kids got to hunt the eggs on a dry day. There were about 700 eggs for the older kids to hunt and the younger ones had a blast hunting too.

Leesha, Zhanna and Tiphanee have now graduated from hunting eggs to becoming the helpers. Brian & Brandi came with their 6 kids plus an extra friend, Nikki was there with 4 of her 5 kids, Shasta was there with Shyra, and of course Zach and Katelynn, and I am sure I missed a few. The adults had a great time visiting too!

We tried something new this year - the kids got to decorate cookies and
they had a great time eating the mounds of frosting they applied themselves.