Howdy! Quick update to let everyone know we are still around! :) There is a LOT to post about but that will have to wait until next week because Becca and I are headed to the Father/Son retreat as of this morning. We have pictures and maybe some video (if we can get it uploaded) of family camp and I'm sure we will have lots of pictures from this weekend to share as well. Looking forward to getting you caught up when we return. Until then... may God bless you and may you grow in His grace.

In the Beginning...

And here we are again, having shamefully neglected our blog for a rather lengthy amount of time. Yet just this once we will spare the sob story of the fullness of our lives, the shortness of our days, etc., etc., and so forth. We will simply return the roots of this blog, our very first and introductory post. And I quote:

"First of all, we shall try to not let it get lonely too often."
Haha. But we made no promises. We said try.

"So, contained herein will be a glimpse of the household goings-on and all of the pictures that a certain member of our trio thinks will be most neccessary."

We all now know who the certain member of our trio is. But the ever-full schedule has not provided much that was picture worthy, and if it was, well, we forgot the camera. Shame, shame.

"...topics under discussion (which include our books)..."

And this fragmentation of a sentence spawns a genius idea. Why not write book reviews of all that we literariats have been working away at? So perhaps this will come next. But again, I make you no promises.

Incidentally, Anna wrote aforementioned inaugural post. Is that not remarkable--this poor little ol' blog hasn't heard from her lately. Hmmm... maybe when she reads this, she'll write the book reviews! But I don't know what she's been reading lately. We'll have to work on that. Until then, maybe we can get the pictures rolling. That would be novel. :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

We were able to go to a Rockies game when they played the Braves. And belive it or not, Dad was rooting for the Rockies! :P Of course, he would not have been sad if the Braves had won but that night the Rockies got more runs. :)

The Star Spangled Banner

Oh, say! can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming;

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly

streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:

Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the

brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the

brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion

A home and a country should leave us no more?

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution!

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the

brave.

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a

nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust":

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the

brave.

That night we went down to watch the firworks after the Rockies game finished.
They were spectacular!

On the 4th of July we spent the day as a family hiking in the mountains. The day was perfect, everything was so breathtaking. It was a blessing to just have a good family day out doing something we all enjoy so much! Needless to say... it was simply lovely! :)

He has made everything beautiful in its time...

Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one
can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

Josiah is 6!

The first (of three) July birthdays has past and as of the 2nd, Josiah is now 6! It's hard to believe he is that old but has given us every reason you can imagine to love all 6 years of it! Full of life and joy he has been so much fun to have as a little brother and we thank the Lord for giving us such a treasure. :) After teaching himself how to read (with a little foundation work with Mom) he was given a "real" Bible. If you ask him what he got for his birthday, with a twinkle in his eye and a big smile on his face, he will proudly tell you he has his own Bible now! You can often find David sitting listening to Josiah's "preaching" as he reads his new Bible... it is truly priceless!

Oh the JOY!