summer guests!!!

So our summer is off to a big bang with fun activities and company!  We LOVE having company and have enjoyed having guests.  Our record of kids here with us is 9 spending the night with one more visiting for the day.  What fun and what a blessing!

We are making the most of activities near and far and friends as well.

You may have heard already that our Amy has decided to go to North Park University in Chicago this fall.  That gives us only 3 weeks to make decisions including who will go to the US with her, for how long, not to mention trying to figure out what she will need while far from home.  Please pray for us as we make this HUGE adjustment of sending Amy to college.

Now, for the pictures!  There are a bunch so I will make them smaller.  To see enlarge them you should be able to click on them.  Enjoy!

playing with friends from Spain

launching a beanie baby mini with a handkerchief parachute from the top porch down to the ground.

popping balloons on the trampoline by jumping on them

Rachel at the skate park

fun at the skate park

Nate and Jair at skate park

big guy on a small bike

Tom helping Nate on his bike

more fun

big boys against little boys - the big battle

 

looking at pictures 

July 4 fireworks not all American's, but fun anyway!

trying to block the wind to light fireworks

smoke bombs

more trying to light fireworks

Rachel with a sparkler

Nate holding a sparkler

going ahead with the bigger fireworks - away from the houses

making the plan

Matt and Tom

the grand finale...VERY cool!

Matt and T lighting the finale

playing wii

Rachel's Duplo "Lady Liberty"

swimming next door

duck diver?!?

Job day - N washing the railing - little sun so moss grows there - washing it off!

Rachel washing the car

J washing too!  Couldn't escape work - our "adopted-for-the-week son"

Pruhonicky Park  Rachel, J, Nate, Tom and Hannah

duck tree

Tom and "his" boys

boys who really act like brothers! 

Rachel 12

Our Rachel just turned 12!  Well, actually it has been a bit of time now, but my computer didn't want to work for a while and so posting a blog didn't happen!

We love our creative, math smart, animal loving, beautiful daughter and had such a great time celebrating HER!

Rachel with 12 candles on her cheesecake

cheesecake with mixed berry sauce

swimming in our neighbors' pool

on a treasure hunt for her gift...from Matt (took her about 2 hours to complete it!)

digging for treasure before the "pirates" came!

Matt and Rachel with her gifts (money, cool dice, cactus fruit and hours of fun!)

Father's Day

Yes, we celebrated Father's Day....
No, our Czech friends had never heard of it.

We love you, Tom!  What a fun, godly, ever-growing-in-your-relationship-with-your-heavenly-Father, guy.  (Yes, I know that isn't proper punctuation...
No, I don't care.)

Hope you loved your breakfast in bed, special cards and hugs and special supper!

Your game from the three youngest that you received today (Tuesday) night was a show-stopper for sure!  So special just for you!

 Tom opening the game from Hannah, Rachel and Nathanael.

 Tom LOVES Frank Lloyd Wright!

 notice the ages...

 Playing the first of the two games...FLWville Jr.

The finished built houses!
Such creative kids!  Fun to have such a special gift!

Welcome Summer!!!

 

Watermelon Cookies

We like summer and hope to spend some time doing fun things as well as the mundane.  

First off, we finished school for the year (Rachel and I) and Hannah and Matt will be done soon as well!  Congratulations to Rachel, Hannah and Matt!  Hard to believe that Matt is a senior this next year, Hannah a freshman and Rachel a 6th grader!

The mundane includes our normal weekly jobs as well as a few added for summer like washing the windows, wiping out the cupboards, sorting the garage...to name a few.  

Rachel and Nate have a 2x a week chore of taking out the recycling.  Sometimes they even do it cheerfully together!

I got an idea from a friend of a friend to make a list of summer activities we want to do.  Here is ours.  Do you have a list like that?  I'd love to hear what you do!

I have a lot of pictures to share, but that will have to wait until another time. 

gotta run!

Dora

Happy Birthday to my dad

Colossians 1:15-18  

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. 

                                                    Dad - about 1 year old

Dad would be celebrating his birthday today.  I wonder - do they celebrate birthdays in heaven?  I would make dad my favorite Martha Stewart chocolate cake with chocolate frosting - he would love that!  
Does he join others born on this date throughout history in a party, singing, remembering?  What about Grandma and Grandpa Plett, do they hug him and wish him a fantastic day and remember?  Is it painful to remember or happy?  Does a person in heaven even want to remember or are they too busy praising God and whatever else they are doing?  Do Grandma and Grandpa Stover remember with him?  Do they see us now or remember us then and wonder about us now or do they just know things are well managed where and so they rest content in the memory(ies) of us? 
I like to imagine that they at least remember it is his birthday and talk about life on earth at least for a bit and marvel at all God prepared for, did during and is still doing because they were on earth.  Do you suppose dad is celebrating/remembering with his relatives he never knew?  Marveling at all the intricate, detailed ways they lived alike and yet so individually?  How cool to sit with the Pletts, Goertzens, Pankratz's and so many others whose manes I don't know or remember and talk about their lives and how they saw God's hand in all that, or see it now, when they couldn't on earth.  Piecing together what is history to me and knowing and seeing God's thread through it all, pulling it all together as He, the master weaver, makes all things new and holds all things together from time past in eternity to now to time future.  Whoa, I want to see that!  
All those relatives whose names I have researched with Anita on ancestry.com, really real and alive in heaven talking of God's goodness and presence in time past that effects time present and future.  Hmmmm...   
Now that is precious and a beautiful way to celebrate a birthday that has, even today, effects and dark and light and shades of colors, all pulling through my life and the lives of my siblings, mom and all who knew him and others who didn't like my kids (all but the oldest 2 never met him) all those threads pulling together with God's thread that holds all things together.  Colossians 1:17 - making a mosaic or woven picture that glorifies Him!  
Happy Birthday, Dad!

                                                     Dad  - 1985