Fall Birthdays Begin

We seem to have the season of birthdays here at our house.  Fall is the season.  During Sept and Oct, 6 of our immediate family(parents/kids/grandkids) have birthdays and we are expecting a new grandson the end of October so we will be adding another.  It all starts with Grandson Nolan turning 3 this past weekend.  It was a superman theme and we had a super blast of a day!

 First we have to wrap up the Nolan gifts!  Josh and Cate are always in on the wrapping action.

Then we drove to Indianapolis. Nolan had loved Cate's light up Pillow Pet while we were in Myrtle Beach so it was only right that she give him his very own for his birthday.

  This sweet family of 3 about to become a family of 4 in another 6 weeks.  

We can't wait to meet our next grandson!

  Special "we got to put this together" project going on in the garage.  Big wheels were all the rage when our older boys were young so we thought Nolan needed a big wheel.  Turtles were Nolan's daddy's favorite item back in the 80's.  Everyone loves to give a nostalgic gift!

  Nick decorated Nolan's cake.  Nice job Daddy Nick!

  Grandma Carol and lots of Hunt cousins also joined in the fun day!

  One of the great things about birthday celebrations is you get to see other members of the family.  Grandson Konrad came to visit and Grandpa enjoyed some one on one time.  

Saying goodbye is never fun!  We miss these guys when we are away but 

looking forward to the next fun birthday celebration!

  Happy 3rd Birthday Nolan Denham Clark.  We love you!

Josh has started in a Fall Ball baseball league and I love to watch baseball on a sunny day.  Especially if my kiddo is playing.  Nice job Josh.  This kid is great at running or stealing the bases!

We had a work day outside and Josh & Cate are always willing to pitch in.  

They both especially love it if power tools are running.  

We found a salamander under the bird bath.  Adorable thing.  

 After a hard day at work, what do you need?  Ice cream is the favorite at our house!

Josh and Cate are both on the Cross Country team at their middle school.  I can't say they are either one super super happy with running as a sport but they do it because we want them to be involved.  We tell them it is a cheap sport that will be one they can always do to help keep their body healthy.  God intended for us to treat our bodies as a temple and staying in shape is one way to reach that goal.

Our devotional this morning was "A happy heart is like good medicine!" Prov 17:22
Josh and Cate said they sometimes feel like the Israelites in a strange country. They might tend to be grumpy with life on occasion. (Exodus) They might whine and complain and not always agree with the rules of the house but they are working hard to be happy.  Sometimes we just have to get out and run.  It helps clear the mind and keep the body in good shape.

Thanks for reading the blog and please keep praying for us to have cheerful hearts!  Middle school is rough no matter what your journey looks like.  "It is hard but we can do hard!"  That's our motto and we're sticking to it!

Choosing joy,
Chris & crew

End of Summer Fun

School has been in session for about 2 weeks and the kids are getting into the swing of the 6am wake up calls.  They still don't like them but they seem to pop out of bed easier these days.  Both kids are running cross country so that keeps them tired at the end of the day.  Homework has been tolerable so far and we are thankful for that.  We treated the kids to a weiner roast over the weekend.  It seems crazy to build a fire when it is 90 degrees out side but the thought of hotdogs and s'mores was too much to resist.

 

Our good friends, John and Kim Porter, came up to the lake for a day with us.  We always love it when the Porters join us.  They are such good support for our family and our faith.  Thanks John and Kim for making the drive!

 

 

Just 2 of my favorite pictures this past week.  Family, Family, Family!  Just can't get enough of it.

 

Those who look to God are radiant!  Psalms 34:4

Blessings to all of you!  Thanks for reading the blog and praying for us.

Choosing joy,
Chris & crew