Spring activities!

We are nearing the end of May and only 5 days of school left.  Summer is upon us but the weather is not cooperating.  Currently it is 39 with a high of 57.  Way to chilly for the end of school.  We need some hot weather!  The grass is growing like crazy though so that keeps us busy mowing twice a week.  Here are some general pictures of what is happening around here.

Cate has continued her volleyball fun.  She seems to have a knack for this sport and has made some fun girl connections through the sport.  We had an out of town game and a teammate (Hailey) rode with us so it was fun to have a friend along.  We stopped at Potbelly's in Merrillville for subs and shakes.  Other good friends on the team are Kynnedee and Amara.  Having fun on a team is all about the relationships.  Cate loved this team!

Isn't she a beauty?  Love this girl!

Raytheon has a suite at Parkview Field and we were blessed with getting to use it at a Tin Caps game.  Thanks Raytheon and Jeff Clark.  Uncle Kirk and Aunt Jenni joined us so that made it extra fun!  Josh and Cate always love to have family around.

Autumn came for a visit with the boys.  It was quick but we loved it.  We love the way she includes us in their lives.  She goes the extra mile to make us feel loved.  What a great daughter-in-love she is.  We are blessed with 2 of the best!  Wyatt and Nolan were full of smiles for us!

Nolan was excited to stop by the field and see his Uncle Josh in uniform!  High 5's all around after the game.

  Aunt Cate is a great babysitter and a great reader.  Two great attributes that work well with Sweet Nolan.

                  "Can I tickle your ear Grandpa? "  Where does this kid get this stuff?  Too funny!

Josh's previous coach, Brenden Smith, was at the game.  This guy introduced Josh to baseball and is a real hero in his eyes and ours.  Thanks Coach for your efforts last year.  You will always be important to our family!  Many of the team were excited to reconnect with Coach Smith.

Jeff and I took a little trip to Puerto Rico. This is our good bye picture.  We will miss you!
Some good folks stepped up to help out with the kids while we were gone.

First up were John and Kim Porter.  These guys are our first go to when Mom and Dad are out of town.  Josh and Cate love the Porters.  They are Godly people and we love they way they love on our kiddos.  Thanks John and Kim for taking over for the weekend.  We appreciate you!

 
Next up were 2 awesome ladies from The Chapel.  They stayed with Josh and Cate here at our house all week.  What servants of Christ they were to move in and love on our kids. Thanks Lori and Sarah!

Grandma and Grandpa stepped in for the last weekend of our trip.  

Josh and Cate always love to be with G& G.  

Nick took us to the airport so we got some more quality time with his family.  Always so nice to be together.  Luke's came later so we saw them just a minute before heading to the airport early in the morning.

The new ice cream parlor was a hit!

It was 5:30am when we saw Konrad.  He looked like he might need some more sleep.

We got back from Puerto Rico in time for Mother's Day.  Nick picked us up at the airport so he was my first kid to say "Happy Mother's Day!"  What amazing children I have been blessed with.  Thank you Jesus!

Luke was with his family in OK watching Sarah (Susi's sister) graduate from college so I didn't see him but I did have a nice phone call from him and a surprise package waiting when I got home.  I am super lucky to have both these boys as sons!  And doubly blessed with the families they have brought into our lives.

                     It was nice to be back and everyone seemed happy to see us. 

 Cate loves her Daddy!  

Happy Mother's Day Dad!

Happy Mother's Day Mom from Joshy! I missed you!

 We had a nice dinner with both our mom's and Aunt Dawn. 

 It was great to relax and enjoy some family time.

This week I got to see King Konrad.  He has been feeling under the weather and needed to be rocked by Grandma all day.  It was fine with me!  What a sweet boy this little guy is.  I can't believe he is almost 1!

 Konrad had ulcers on his throat and this was what happened when he tried to drink or eat.  No fun!  Otherwise he was a trooper and snuggled alot!

Josh is playing alot of baseball.  He plays with the Fort Wayne Cubs -AWP 14 U team.  He is getting lots of experience.  This is his first year in the outfield and he has made a couple great plays plus he was hit twice last weekend by a pitched ball.  That's one way to get on base.  He is fast and great at stealing bases and sliding! I love to watch this kid play!

He played in a Breast Cancer Pink tournament over the weekend so a nice parent provided pink jerseys for the team.  Thank you Dr.& Mrs. Pittman.  

 Learning a new sport like baseball or volleyball is tough.  Getting up everyday at 6:00am is tough.  Taking finals in 6th or 7th grade is tough. Learning to read and adjust to a new culture is tough. Living in a family you just met is tough.  Josh and Cate have been given many new challenges since coming to live with us in the USA.  They often grumble about how hard life is in America.  The life they remember in the Philippines was all play in a children's home.   We try to encourage them to work hard and always do their best.  If they make a mistake it is ok because "Who was the only perfect person to walk on this earth?  Jesus!  Is your name Jesus?"  No our name is not Jesus so we are going to have trials in this life but maybe those trials are a blessing in disguise!  Sounds like a good theme for a song.  Tomorrow is a new day and we can try again to be more like Jesus.  When they leave the house each morning I give them a big kiss and say "Be Jesus to somebody today!"  Scriptures we are focused on right now are....

 Col 1:10  So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Faith doesn't make things easy but it makes them possible!  See Luke 1:37

Thanks for reading the blog and praying for us.  We appreciate you.

Choosing joy,
Chris & crew