Three Beautiful Children

Nathan just posted pictures from his and Hannah's wedding, and they are wonderful to view. Here's one that highlights our next three oldest after Nathan. We're proud of all of them.

Christiana Turns Twelve~by Beth

The day after David's catechization was Christiana's 12th birthday. Here she is with her cake. We have new glasses ordered for her so her next photo will show those. She ended up with a lot of gifts, but her favorite was the one Grandma got for her in Israel, a necklace. Thanks Grandma!

David's Catechization~by Beth

On Sunday, May 23rd David had his public catechization. He did great. He had to memorize the ten commandments and their meanings, the three articles of the creed and their meanings, and another part along with Scripture passages all from Luther's small catachism, and the Bible of course. He only needed a few prompts and then was able to get back on track and recite the rest of it. We had cake here afterward. We took a family photo, minus Katie, Nathan and Hannah of course.

Our Little Graduate~by Beth

Here is Johanna graduating from Kindergarten. She was so cute. She was the first one and she walked right up on stage, got her "diploma", shook hands, posed for the photo and then walked back down. She did not even realize that she got to wear a cap and gown until a few days before when I told her about what she would be doing. She got a big surprised look on her face and said "I do??!!!". So, it was pretty fun. The rest of the gang got their certificates, and Caleb and Zach got to carry in the flags at the beginning of the ceremony.

Mother's Day 2010~by Beth

We had a nice time on Mother's Day. Of course we started by going to church. Then our family trekked over to Steak and Shake (my choice since we had a gift card and coupons!!) for lunch. It was not crowded so that was great. Here is a photo of most of the group. Charity was out of her seat somewhere so she did not make the photo. Caleb and Zach are by the window and can't be seen too well. We were just finishing eating when the waitress came over and told us that a gentleman in the restaurant wanted to buy all the children a shake. We were so blessed. All the children thanked the man, who we don't think is a believer. Wow, what a blessing.

Hotel in Eilat~by Beth

After all the wonderful tour activities we got to come home to a wonderful hotel. Our first three nights were in Tiberias, our next four in Jerusalem, and our last two way in the south in Eilat. In the view from our balcony we could see the hotel pool below with several waterfalls (and that is only part of the pool) and on the horizon is the Red Sea. It is not really red. It was originally called the Reed Sea but somewhere over time the second "e" was dropped so it is now the Red Sea, or so we are told.

More Graduation~by Beth

Here is Joel's program and Joel with Abby.

Joel Graduates, again~by Beth

Here he is in cap and gown. Joel graduated from Edison State College last night with high honors. He spent three years in high school taking classes, and then this year was a full time student. He now has his AA degree and will be moving on to the University of Florida in August and we become Gator fans. Great job Joel!!

The Dead Sea~by Beth

Here is Mom by the Dead Sea. She looks so beautiful! The water was very comfortable and we were able to photograph the people from our group that decided to take a swim. It was really fun! The other photo is the one of a group of ladies that did not swim, including mom and me. I just loved that day!

On the shore of Galilee~by Beth

Time seems to fly. I just returned from my trip with my mom to Israel. It was great!!! We had a great time, saw some amazing places and met some really wonderful people. Every day we had some sort of devotion and singing, and everywhere we went we had a meditation lead by a pastor. It makes the places in the Bible come alive. I also learned a lot of new Hebrew phrases. I plan to try to practice them so I won't forget them. The first three days were spent in the Galilee area. Near St Peter's Church we went down to walk along the Lake of Galilee (that was after an amazing boat ride and worship time earlier that day). I showed the children the rocks and shells that I collected there. Doesn't this photo just make you want to splash your feet? I have other photos that I hope to post at some point.