Church Camp & More Summer Fun!

This was again a different week for everyone in our household.  Josh went to a church camp about 40  min from our house.  Josh spent the whole week there without us.  I missed him alot but he had a blast.  And I say "I " missed him alot because I don't think Cate missed him one bit.  A week without Josh was probably her favorite week ever.  She really enjoyed being "top-dog' around the house!  We dropped Josh off on Sunday afternoon and the closer we got the more nervous he seemed.  He still wanted to go.  He just felt nervous he said.  His friend, Dominic, was going to be there too and we knew the boys would be fine together.

The camp looked super fun and had a strong focus on knowing and sharing Jesus.  We thought it was the perfect mix for Josh!  The above pictures were taken when we droppged him off.  The below pictures are when we picked him up.  He sure looked good when we got there but he was exhausted and worn out.  He has been dragging all weekend.  The week was lacking consistent sleep I think. We do not have pictures to post from the week.

As I said, Cate loved her week as the only child in the house.  She had friends over and spent time at the lake.  She just had a great time without a big brother around.

 

 

It was the last week of Wildcate season.  Cate was here so she got to play a couple games and go to the awards ceremony.  She got an award for most points in the season.  The girls softball rankings are based on points.  You get a point for each game you attend, each out you make, each time you get a hit, etc.  So Cate had the most accumulated points and this earned her a stuffed penguin.  She was thrilled.

Another big event this week was Cate got glasses!!!  She is near sighted and has been having some motion sickness in the car.  We're hoping the being able to see better will help with this issue.  She sure is styling in her new spectacles!  She wears them proudly.

 

 

 

Aunt Dawn and Uncle Tim were in town so we got to go to lunch with them and Grandma Joan.

At the end of the week I had some of my bible study lady friends to the lake.  Tarah also came along and this was fun for Cate.  It was a bit chilly at times on the water but we had a great time in spite of the cooler weather.

On Saturday we had the fun job of entertaining 2 ladies from the Philippines.  They were escorts for the host with intent to adopt group that is here in Ft. Wayne right now.  The ladies were Amelia and Angelina.  The ladies had never been bowling or played cards so it was fun to show them some of our favorite activities.

To end our week we decided to head to the golf course.  The kids did great and we had a lot of fun.

 

 

That was our busy but fun week.  We are having a great summer and love having fun with our family.  Thanks for reading the blog and praying for us.  We pray you know Jesus and are having a great life.

Choosing joy,
Chris & crew

Two Years in the USA!

Can you believe it that it has been 2 years ago that we walked off that airplane with 2 beautiful children from the Philippines?  July 17th is the date stamped on their passports!  Some days I thought we would never get here but also think what an amazing journey.  Only by God's goodness and mercy did we make it this far.  Such a marvel as I look back to see how far we have come.  Josh & Cate are really so strong and brave to have conquered some of their fears.  We are starting to see a lot more trust and smiles coming from them.  We talk about "forever family" alot but I think they are just now starting to believe it.  Yes, Josh & Cate, first of all you belong to Jesus, but secondly you are ours!  We love you forever.

This week has been very hectic.  The kids were in a daycamp at The Chapel called Springhill.  We hosted 4 of the Springhill counselors in our home and the kids really loved this.  They couldn't wait to have dinner with Ben, Zach, D'Wayne, and Jason each night.  These guys were great role models and we really appreciated the way they loved on our kiddos.  It was hard to say goodbye on Friday.

 

Josh & Cate play Wildcat baseball.  On Friday they had Mr. Mac day.  Cate signed up to go early and help run the games.  Josh was chosen to play in the All Star game.  Both kids were very excited for Friday to come.  Here are some of the fun pictures from their day.

 

Saturday was a fun day.  First off, breakfast at Bob Evans.

 

 

 

Next up is Putt Putt and arcade games. 

 

After that we stopped by Uncle Kirk's and Aunt Jenni's house. We swam in their pool, ate lunch, and celebrated Grandma Carol's birthday one more time. It was a great day. Thanks Uncle Kirk and Aunt Jenni. We loved being with you.

 

 

Well today we took Josh to church camp and he will be gone all week. 

 

 

 He has never been away from our home before and I miss him already.  Be praying for him this week that he will have a blast, feel safe, and learn more about Jesus' love.  Here's a cool thing that happened.  As we walked into the area for the campers, Josh's counselor walked up to Josh and then looked at me and said, " I think you were my math teacher."   Can you believe it?   This young man that I taught in 7th grade (he is now in college) is going to be teaching my son all week.  I love it when God brings people back into your life like that.  You pour into someone and then you receive the blessing back when you never expected it.  Thank you God for giving me peace about Josh's counselor for the week and also for showing me that you are watching out for Josh every second of everyday!

 

Choosing joy,

Chris & crew