outakes

We've had a fun time hanging out with my sister and her kids this week! It has truly been a blessing to have them back in NC.

Family on Mission - Pittsburgh, PA

Fort Fisher

We spent some time hanging out at Fort Fisher this weekend. We actually were there for a wedding. Philip did the ceremony and I snapped some photos! I was just getting warmed up before the real deal started....

The Wind

As things with The Anchor are progressing, we decided to begin a children's missional community on Sunday evenings. We realized that we live in the optimal neighborhood for kiddos and have already begun to met several families who would probably be interested in something like this. Three weeks ago we had our first gathering in our home. It has been an amazing turnout with some super kids. I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to know these kids better and on a spiritual level. Our third time together, we took the kids to a nursing home around the corner from us. We sang, read Scripture and delivered homemade flowers to the residents. It was a great mission opportunity and I think all the kids enjoyed this opportunity to serve their neighbors.

Soccer....

All the boys are actually playing soccer, however, I have seemed to not take quite as many pictures of Ryan and Peter. I am going to have to address that this week! Ryan has been playing an amazing season in the position of Sweeper. Defense is his main objective. His coaches have done a great job teaching him how to play the position and he has risen to the challenge. Peter is playing on a homeschool middle school team. This is their first year playing as a team. Philip took up the mantle as assistant coach. Peter has done a great job rising to the big city leagues. He has played hard and tried hard all season long. It has been such a joy to see all the boys give it their all on the fields. I will proudly wear the soccer Mom bummer sticker should I ever get one!

Soccer, soccer and more soccer

Nathan has finally gotten his chance to wear the uniform and hit the soccer fields. He has done an amazing job playing. His first game he scored 3 goals! Four if you count the one that went in the opponents goal! It really is fun watching all the little guys playing their hearts out.

National Pirate Day

Apparently Krispy Kreme Donuts really like pirates. We found out by a great neighbor who shared their donut booty with us that Krispy Kreme celebrates pirates. After looking into it myself, the kids were determined to get some of their own donut booty. If you dressed like a pirate you got a free dozen donuts! Can't beat that-

Labor Day

In our like fashion, we invited friends to join us for this Holiday. It was definitely a little quieter than our past. We dusted off our croquet set and played a few rounds. Although the odds weren't completely even, this game did allow for everyone to participate.

another rainy day

It seems as though Wilmington is more like a rain forest than I remembered. Saturday afternoon was yet another rainy afternoon. This time it was like a monsoon. Ryan and Nathan decided to put on their swimsuits and play in the rain. Along with boogie boarding through the backyard, they hunted for turtles. I never would have thought that we would have such exposure to wild life living in the city - on a golf course!

They found a painted turtle. After a bit of convincing that our current turtle didn't need a friend, the boys released the turtle across the street.

Martins

Over and over again, we find reasons to be so very thankful for this house. We truly did kick and scream a little about why this seemed to be the house for us. We weren't completely happy with all the details about 4117 Appleton Way. However, God continues to open our eyes to all the blessings He had in store for us here. One of the fun things we have discovered is the Martin house in our backyard. It turns out that our neighbor actually made this house.

We have since learned that Martins love to eat mosquitoes! Therefore we love martins and we will gladly clean our their homes anytime! We are anxiously awaiting their return to the area next spring.

Peter's Birthday

I truly can't believe that my boy has turned 11. It hardly seems possible that he could be that old or that I could have been a mom for that long.

Peter continues to make me so proud to be his mom. He's kind, thoughtful, quick to apologize, loves to play, hard worker, pitches in whenever help is needed.

I love you Peter!

Neigborhood life

It's 5 o'clock here in Wilmington and all my babies have flown the coop.  It's not taken them too long to learn the ropes of neighborhood life.  Now that school is in session for us and most of year-round friends, it's party time come 3:30.  Peter's off playing basketball and soccer at a friends.  Emma, Ryan and Nathan and two friends have just deserted me for Molly's house because it is way cooler.  Molly has a trampoline.  This is all so unfamiliar and so uncertain for me but I'm beginning to embrace the rare moments when I'm alone.  It's my memories of my childhood neighborhood experiences that push me to let go.  Of course, I certainly wasn't 4 when I rode my bike to a friends house but I do feel certain that Nathan will be tended to closely by all the older guys.  We're having dinner tonight, with one such neighborhood friend of mine.  It's been over 25 years since we roamed the streets of our neighborhood but we are still friends.  I'm hopeful that our kids will experience the same types of friendships as they spend their growing up years in Echo Farms. 
Since I'm long over due in updating the blog, I'll take advantage of these quiet moments and let you in on our past month.

 The kids jumped in head first to the Echo Farms swim team.  They did an amazing job learning how to swim competitively.  I'm so proud of each of their accomplishments.  Nathan can't wait to join the fun next year.

Nathan's 4

Somehow in the craziness of the move, I have missed posting pictures from Nathan's birthday.  We decided to celebrate his birthday in a grand form with inviting everyone we knew.  We also used this party as a way to say goodbye to so many wonderful friends.

Evan and Zach

Josey

The sandbox.

 It's tradition that when we had a throw down birthday party there was always a game of kickball!