"52 Weeks of Thankfulness"

Week 3: My family (The Admire Family)
This past weekend we went on a family campout to Loon Lake. The lake was just beautiful and the weather was HOT, 95 degrees. This was a special weekend of being with family and to spend time with my uncle Rick who was diagnosed with Cancer recently. We had a fabulous time playing in the water and just being together. I am so very thankful for my moms side of the family. What an amazing blessing it is to have a family of 6 siblings and all their kids who love to be together. It seems so unusual these days to find a family that enjoys spending a lot of time together, and I can honestly say, We do and we have fun! We were missing 4 people this weekend and were very sad they could not make it, Jeff, Nicole, Kindra and Nick we missed you a whole lot.

New pictures of our sweet girl...Ava

I am so thrilled to have a girl with some curls in her hair. She is getting so big and has so much hair all the sudden. I can't wait to be with her, love on her and make her smile. Enjoy!

"52 Weeks of Thankfulness"

Week 2: My daughter Kaylin
This last week I was faced with the reality that my daughter is growing up way too quickly. I know it's not like it happend overnight, but it has brought me to tears so many times and I find myself thanking God over and over for the gift of her.

I am taught each day by her example of faith, trust, laughter, her zest for life, energy and honesty. She always amazes me with her love for God. We have many conversations about faith and what it means to live that out. She loves our church community. She loves worship! One of my favorite times is when she is showering and worshiping God as loud as she can the whole time (this is like her daddy), I know God must be smiling at the sound of her voice. She also has a very energetic, sassy side that is so playful and fun but can also get her in trouble. She is always making us laugh! She has a glowing smile that radiates her love for people and relationships. She is often performing (dancing and singing) her way through life. She is smart...sometimes a little to smart for her own good. Kaylin has developed a huge heart for those less fortunate then her. She volunteered the last half of the school year in a special needs class at her school and loved the kids so much, I never even knew until the last week of school, this mom was so proud. She has prayed faithfully for Ava and other kids in the orphanages and is brought to tears quite often, by carrying the burden of how they live, in her heart.

This girl is such a delight to have in our family! I am so thankful God chose us to parent her (most days, hehehe). I love you Kaylin and am so proud of who you are becoming. You make us smile!

Good Friends

On Saturday the kids and I were able to visit with my dear friend Amber. Amber and Isaac are some of Eric and I's close college friends. They moved to Indonesia 2.5 years ago to work in the mission field. Isaac is a missionary pilot for Mission Aviation Fellowship and is loving every bit of his work. We are so proud of the work they do but miss them terribly. This is their first visit home since they moved and it was very fun to get together and let the kids play and catch up.

Happy Father's Day!

We had a fabulous day today! We went to church this morning, came home and had sandwiches for lunch, went on a long bike ride together and had ice cream at the DQ. This was the first time we were all able to ride our own bikes and we had a beautiful sunny ride on the Springwater trail. Its so nice to have many miles and miles of flat bike riding for the kids. This is exactly what Eric wanted and I know he had a great day.

School's Out for Summer

Im a little behind in blogging so hang with me as I get caught up. Kaylin's last day of school was on Tuesday. They ended the year getting to meet their new teachers for the fall, having a school talent show and community BBQ with face painting and
pirates. It was a great day full of fun and I had a few moments of tearing up. Kaylin seems to be getting so big...4th grade!?! She is developing many real friendships with kids at school and I love that. We are looking forward to some lazy days of summer, camping and some beach trips.


Kaylin watching the talent show

Best school buddies...Madison, Sarah and Kaylin

Mrs.Moellering and Kaylin

Eli and Blake with a Pirate

Kaylin's Cheetah face

"52 Weeks of Thankfulness"

Eric and I were listening to the radio the other day and John Tesh came on. I enjoy listening to his bits of what seems to me as "commen sense", but great reminders of simple ways to remember the daily blessings in your life. He talked about keeping a weekly journal of the things you are thankful for and how focusing on those positive entries can override many of the negative and stressful moments that each day brings. So, I am going to do this on my blog because keeping up with a journal and a blog would not be simple it would just be more chaos. Simple is better, right? I am working everyday to make this way a part of my life. I will hopefully have a complete weekly journal of the things I am thankful for by next year. I am so excited to have this and be able to reflect on the many ways God continues to bless our lives.

Week 1: My husband Eric

This week is all about my main man Eric. Eric is the love of my life. When we were in high school we had a class called Christian Family together. Our main project for the class was to research/interview all different families and then come together and give presentations on what we found, what we liked and what we wanted for our own life. The day Eric gave his presentation I told myself I want to marry that man. We had a very similar background, we came from broken families but desperately wanted something different. I kept my thoughts to myself and gave my presentation a few days later. Several days went by and Eric handed me a card with a very long letter in it. I was shocked when I read this letter...he had written all about how much he loved my presentation, about our similar goals and wanted to persue a relationship and see where things went. We started dating very slowly and were married three years later. It has now been 11years since our wedding day and I just love and adore this hunka hunka manly love.

Eric is such a hard worker. He is very loyal to his family, friends and employer. He loves to be with his kids. He loves to play! You often find him on the floor playing pirates, being a jungle gym, drawing or coloring pictures, playing games, reading outside kicking a soccer ball, swinging a bat or light sabering. He is a FUN dad and my kids love him so much.

One of my favorite things about Eric is how he loves me. He tells me he loves me several times every day and hugs and kisses me constantly. I love that! Most importantly, he is my best friend. I love when the kids are in bed the TV is off and we sit and talk about everything, for hours. I love that I can call him at anytime and he will stop and listen. I love that my husband sings constantly and has taught my daughter to do the same.

He is a wonderful husband and I am so thankful he chose me to be his wife.
I love you Eric!!!!