PTL Moments

So we have had a few remarkable "Praise the Lord" moments in the past couple of days. First, after much searching, I found my cell phone....in a jacket pocket that had just gone through the wash. AJ was very optimistic about it and sure enough, after letting it dry out overnight it still works! Praise the Lord that we didn't have to get a new one.
Secondly, Ellie took a tumble out of her crib yesterday at nap time. She was standing at the side of her crib crying and flipped right over the side. Praise the Lord she walked away with just a small bruise on her head. We moved the crib mattress down to the bottom, so it shouldn't happen again.
And finally, Micah also fell out of his bed last night. We took his safety railing off last week and he has done great, but last night at about 10:30 we heard a crash. He had rolled off, yet hardly woke up and didn't even remember it this morning. He has a captain's bed, so it is a little higher than the standard kid's bed. Praise the Lord for a soft landing and a sound sleeper! God is good!

3rd Annual Cousins Week

The 3rd annual cousins week has officially come and gone. The kids and I spent last week in Bismarck, ND with grandma, grandpa, aunts and cousins. On Father's Day, my sister from WI and her two kids swung through Mpls and we all rode together to Bismarck. We had a great week with fabulous weather and only one trip to the ER. Not bad for having 8 kids ages 16mths to 9yrs together (including 3 4-yr-old boys!). We went to a few different parks, played in the pool and sprinklers, made pine cone bird feeders, painted t-shirts, ate lots of snacks (thanks grandma!), made lots of messes, stayed up late watching movies and eating popcorn, made new friends, spent time on the farm, bottle-fed the calf, rode the 4-wheeler, sat in the tractor, and had lots and lots of fun. The kids really had a great week and enjoyed the change of routine. We were all pretty beat by the time we got home and it's been good to settle back into our home, beds, and routines. And of course it's been great to be back with dad again. The kids spent the first few hours we were at home wrestling with him and chasing him around the house. It was fun to watch. Here are some pics of the week.