Pioneer School Dessert

Our congregation provided lunch for one of the days of the ASL pioneer school held at our Kingdom Hall.  Mom & I volunteered for dessert.  The girls were a great help - Sophia loved the electric knife!  We chopped fruit, made pudding, cut angel food cake and TADA.........an amazing, light, summery dessert!  It is inspired by my brother Craig, who has made this for years.  

It was a hit with the class!  SUCCESS.......

Some Summer Activities

Our summer has been packed with lots of fun, just the way summer should be.  Below is a sampling of what we've been up to.

Monopoly

Sock Puppets

Even the older girls got involved!

Are the puppets cute?

Make-up Fun

Turbo in 3D

Balloon Lady @ the library

Pool Day @ McKinley's

Sweet Frog......YUM!

Pool Time

Sleepover & Make-up w/Asia

Catching butterflies

Sleepover w/Noa

Blueberry Picking w/Pops & Grandma

Pops and Grandma took the girls blueberry picking a week or so ago.  We saw the sign "Blueberries" appear a couple miles from our house a few weeks back.  The girls were excited to check it out.  One morning I was working, those 4 went together.  It was a success!  Lots of blueberry eating going on over here.

Thanks Pops & Grandma for the field trip with the girls!!

Two Years Today

Today marks two years that we have been living in North Carolina!  In many ways, it feels like we've always been here - in our routine and comfy in our home.  We've made so many friends and are a part of a wonderful congregation.  No doubt, we are happy with our move!!!

On the other hand, it feels like we are away from "home".  We think of all our friends back in Minnesota and wish we could continue to make memories with them.  The biggest miss for us is our family!  Since we are so close-knit, sometimes it is really difficult.  I'm thankful that we continue to remain close and can build each other up, even though we are MANY miles apart.

We've all changed our looks over the past two years (well, not really true about Josh), but check out the pictures below.  Abby was just a toddler when we left and Sophia, a sweet little girl.        

July 2011

June 2013

District Convention 2013 - Part 2

Saturday was an exciting day....the baptism!!  Our friend, Caitlyn, that watches the girls one morning a week over the summer while I work, was getting baptized!  We are very happy for her and are glad to have her as an example to our girls.  The program was filled with more motivating, encouraging talks, demos, interviews, etc.  We then had dinner out and then hung by the pool with many families from our congregation.  Great memories for the kids!!  

Sunday, wow, between the play and talks by visiting speakers from Brooklyn, we were brought to tears and were so glad to be there.  Just what we all needed!  We went home that evening filled to the brim.  It was GREAT!!!!

Saturday ~ Our Family

Sista's

Vang's

Buddies

Mick and the girls

Grandma & Pops

Hanging by the pool Saturday evening

Oh, I just loved this baby!!
She was ADORABLE & squishy

Pool fun

Abby, Brooklyn & Noa

Sophia's friends

Mae Mae

This is just some of the kids (and Dads) from our congregation
We have LOTS!!!

Sunday - Me & Abigail Mae

Enough pictures already Mom!!!!

Melissa & the girls

Daddy and Abby

Grandma & Pops

Sophia & Mick

Hosley's

McKinley's

Mel & Rye

District Convention 2013 - Part 1

Can't believe it has already come and gone!  

Wednesday afternoon we got together with Susan and the girls for painting nails.  Gotta be all dolled up for the convention ya know.  Abby picked rainbow and Sophia had an awesome flower done by Susan.  All were giddy with excitement!  

Thursday we packed up and headed to Winston-Salem.  Most of the families from our congregation were in the same hotel, which made it extra fun.  It has a great outdoor pool (in the courtyard of the hotel) and an awesome breakfast (included in the room rate!!) with fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon and freshly made waffles! After getting settled in the room, I took the girls down to the pool for a little swim before meeting friends for dinner.  Then we met up with Hosley's, Vang's & McKinley's for thai food.  We chuckled because the place with the best reviews in the area was the thai restaurant located in Harris Teeter!  It had a few tables, which we totally took over with our group of 17.  And it was really good!!!  Up next was swimming again for the girls, this time with friends.  

Friday we enjoyed breakfast and headed off to the convention site.  It was a packed arena, over 7,000 the first day and almost 9,000 by Sunday.  It was a wonderful program, filled with demonstrations, skits, interviews and talks - even a play on Friday too.  Jehovah really touched hearts with this convention.    

Abby's rainbow nails

Playing a bit while waiting

The nail pro, Susan

She is talented!!!

Ready for dinner - these are just some of the girls
in our congregation

Little Brock is the only boy in this group
He is soaking up all the attention from these girls

Friday morning
Me and my girls

Daddy and his girls

We found Grandma for a quick pic

Celeste and the girls

Castenada's sat by us on Friday

Rye-Guy giving his part
We were in the upper section

Swimming!

Graycen and her little bro

Look at this crew!  Seriously, not even all the kids
from our congregation.

9 feet deep water is great for jumping!!!!