Mission Trip....

I finally got the pictures of Madison's mission trip to the Christian Children's Home in New Mexico from several weeks ago!  She was gone July 10th through the 16th, and boy did we miss her.  She worked sooo hard, hardly got any sleep, and had an absolute blast!

They did a lot of physical work, digging up the entire yard!

The girls had lots of fun with the baby birds they found!

Madison shared a bed with two other girls, and needless to say, she didn't sleep very well each night!  Plus, they were going to bed around 11:30, and waking up at 5:30.  I'm not sure how she survived AND kept smiling all week, but she did!

They scraped off paint, re-painted the fence, picked weeds, and a lot more!

They played with the kids that lived there, and this was Madison's favorite little boy!  His name was James and he loved Madison!  She was so sad to leave him.

She said that in the beginning, she wasn't bouncing off the walls with excitement because she didn't know what to expect.  But once she got there and the week was up, she said she wished it was another week!  She wasn't ready to come home at all.  Can't believe my baby is big enough to go away for an entire week without missing mommy and daddy.  I'm proud of her for doing so much work and shining for God!  She had a great time, bonded with her friends, met some new friends, and did so many good things for this children's home!

Turtles and night swimming!

Brynn is spending the night tonight, and we went night swimming after dinner.  They had a ton of fun trying to balance on this big turtle!

Wisdom...

Someone had written on a dollar bill that we received as change recently, and Nathan saw it for the first time tonight.  He read aloud, "I am a piece of paper and I control your entire life."  He looked really puzzled and said, "Um, no it doesn't.  God is the one who is in control of our lives!"  He might be a bit too young to know the dangers of money, but I think it's pretty sweet that he realizes God is in control and that it's a good thing!

Cousin fun!

We went swimming with Chance today, and the kids had a good time together!

Madison had a birthday sleepover with her friend, Maddie, so Nathan had a sleepover with Chance at Nana and Papa's house!  They had a blast together, and even had matching shirts for pajamas!

VBS...last night!

It was a fun, last night of VBS!

Nathan's family tribe...

My big girl helping out instead of participating, and Nathan finally got to go to Madison's workshop!

They played Hungry Hungry Hippos with dolly's, baskets and balls.  It was the hit of the night with everyone!

Then they played duck, duck goose...this kid is FAST!

Madison and the other volunteers got to participate in the brick making, and they were so excited about it!

Nathan learned all about Egypt, Joseph's journey from prison to palace, and how we can trust God through the good times and the bad.  Tonight, after we were home awhile, Nathan said, "I already miss VBS!"  It was a fun week, and both kids had a good time!

VBS...day 3!

Nathan had another fun night at VBS!

He learned how to write his name in hieroglyphics and also basket weaving!

VBS...day 2!

It's still so adorable to see the kids sing the wrapped up, tied up, tangled up in Jesus song!

Madison only has one group a night, so the rest of the time she gets to hang out with her friends and watch all the fun!

Nathan's favorite part of the night....brick making!  Anything sugar makes this kid smile!

He had another fun night!  On the way to VBS, he said, "I didn't know Mr. Alvis (our pastor) would be my group leader.  He's the most famous person at this church!"  In the eyes of a 9 year old....he has a famous leader.  We got a lot of laughs from that one!

Birthday...and day 1 of VBS!

Nathan woke up to balloons this morning....and some wild and crazy hair too!

He chose donuts for his sleepover with Matias instead of his birthday, so he just had a regular breakfast today.  But he had a special piece of raisin toast with a candle!

He chose Panda Express for lunch, and then he wanted to watch The Middle this afternoon.  It was a relaxing afternoon!

VBS started tonight, and he was pretty excited.  Two of his good friends were in his group, and he was happy!  Ever since preschool, Nathan has loved the girls!

Madison is too old for VBS now (sniff sniff), so she's a volunteer this year!  She was excited to be helping out in a workshop with one of her best friends.

I'm taking pictures of the entire VBS group, so I'm not getting a ton of pictures of just Nathan.  But he had a great night and had a lot of fun!