Sunday, December 16, 2007

AS GREG WOULD SAY "ICE COLD CHILLIN" :)

MAKING SNOW ICE CREAM

JO ROLLING IN THE SNOW


"YUM THIS TASTES GOOD!"

Because we went to church last night we spent part of the morning playing out in the snow. It was beautiful out, sunny and pretty warm. JOJO literally spent 20 minutes just rolling down the sledding hill. He was having a ball. Anna and the big boys actually went sledding down the hill. We had lunch, watched the packers game and the big boys are outside hitting the sledding hill again. We have to enjoy this snow while we have it. We are thankful to God for the creativity He has and how He blesses us by being able to be out and enjoy His creation.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

SNOW FALL AT THE SEM


This morning I went with the pro-life group on campus to the Planned Parenthood nearby to pray for the girls there. Someone or a group go from campus every week. I have been wanting to go for over a year and finally did. Ugh, it was absolutely gut wrenching for me. I really wanted to yell out, "I will take your baby," as the girls were heading inside. (Anyone who knows this baby lover knows I would:) It wasn't a good feeling. I felt helpless to do anything but pray. Sometimes I can get so wrapped up in my own life with my kids and family that I almost forget about how much people are hurting. I just wanted to reach out to those girls and hug them and tell them there is another way, another option is there for them. I keep praying amidst the busyness that the Holy Spirit will keep others at the forefront of my mind and lead me to reach out to those who need it.

Anyways on a lighter note. It is beautiful here in St. Louis. Snow started to fall after midnight last night. The kids were so excited to go out and play in it. They have been sledding and building forts all afternoon. Ahhh, a piece of the north. We are enjoying it. Greg has to preach tonight at our field work church St. Johns so he is already gone with Louis. Lou and some others from campus are helping in the service by doing a human video for Greg. He is excited to finally get to preach there. He really misses having the opportunity to preach since we have been here at the sem. But realistically with classes it is difficult to find the time to work on a sermon. So that time will come soon enough when he will have lots of opportunities on vicarage.

We are expected to get up to another 4 inches of snow tonight. Yeah!!! Break out the snow boots everyone. I love it!





Wednesday, December 12, 2007

BEST FRIENDS AGAIN


BEST BUDDIES
We have had a busy few days. The kids Christmas Party was held on campus last weekend. I will try to post a picture from that later. The kids have a blast. They get to do a bunch of projects, play some games and even get to spick out a present for their mom and dad. It is so sweet because they are just thrilled and can hardly keep it to themselves. I know what all of Greg's present are and I am sure he knows what mine are. It takes everything in them to keep it a secret.
Tonight I was checking something on the computer and all of a sudden I heard screaming from the other bedroom. Greg was downstairs in the basement practicing a human video that he has some kids doing at church this weekend. He gets to preach at the Saturday night service. Anyways... I needed to go address the situation. Anna and Jo were in their bedroom and Jo had hurt her somehow. It was so sweet how easily the problems can be solved sometimes. I told him to go give her a hug, say he was sorry and ask for forgiveness. She right away hugged him, picked him up and said, "We're best friends again." He was obviously forgiven and I bet 5 minutes later she wouldn't have even remembered what had happened. Quite a lesson for us adults. Our heavenly father forgives us over and over again, day after day. Kids are so quick to forgive. It certainly doesn't pay to harbor bitterness, dwell on the negative, or hold a grudge. There just isn't time for it. I want to be like little Anna and just love others. We are memorizing all of the love verses in 1 Corinthians 13 right now. We have had lots of teachable moments as we talk about love not delighting in evil, but being patient, kind, not boastful,not envying. We are about 1/2 way through that portion of scripture. Last week we were studying the 50 states and the boys were supposed to memorize all 50 states and their capitals. They do know a bunch of them and sure that would be pretty neat....but I had a decision to make. Did I really want to spend that much time on that right now? I would much rather have my kids have the word of God hidden in their heart. That way when they need to pull it out it is there to share with others or help to guide them as they live for HIM. So we will keep working on the states and their capitals a bit at a time and focus on the BIBLE ... Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

ANOTHER SPECIAL VISIT


Sara's cousin Tom and his wife Debi
This weekend we were so blessed to have my cousin and his wife Debi in town with us. They drove over from Indiana so I could do a childbirth class with them. They were missionaries in Japan for 15 years and are now in the states until they have their twins next March or so. Then they will be off to serve the Lord in a new ministry over seas. They were so kind and put on a little presentation for the homeschoolers on campus. It was so great. Everyone, including all of the moms learned so much. They do a great job sharing about their ministry there. Did you know only 1% of the Japanese are Christians? Wow, the amount of work that can be done for the Kingdom is just amazing. We have been reading a book called "Missionary Stories with the Millers" during our devotion time. It is all true stories of Missionaries that have served all over the world. The boys absolutely love that book. It is truly inspiring. Louis even thinks that he may want to be a missionary someday. We will see how the Lord will continue to work and lead him in his life. We were so thankful to be able to spend the weekend with Tom and Debi and to learn so much from them.

Friday, November 30, 2007

SEMINARY GUILD FASHION SHOW

SOME OF THE FASHION SHOW MODELS

CATCHER CALEB:)

Yesterday the kids and I were in a fashion show on campus for the Seminary Guild. The ladies were having a luncheon and we were the entertainment along with maybe 20 other seminarians or their families. We all modeled clothes and carried items from the Re Sell It shop on campus. They have almost anything you could need. The re sell it shop has been such a blessing to us. We usually volunteer and sort through the jewelry donations they get. We get volunteer bucks for helping so essentially anything we buy there turns out to be free. If you do pay, most things are $1.00 or less. It definitely helps to stretch the budget:) Anyways, the fashion show was a hit. The kids all did great and the older ladies loved it. Caleb got a lot of laughs. His outfit really fit him. He was hilarious coming down the runway. We are able to keep anything we wore... but I think we will re-donate the catchers out fit.

LOOSING THE FIRST TOOTH

PAPA WIGGLING ANNA'S FIRST LOOSE TOOTH

"OH NO I AM SCARED!"


ANNA DOWN ONE TOOTH:)

Our big girl lost her first tooth a couple of days ago. She was excited, then scared, then happy. She couldn't keep her eyes open with the flash on the last picture... so she decided she would hold her eyes open. Funny girl:) Such a joy!

We have had a good week back into the swing of school for everyone. We can't believe it is the 1st of December tomorrow. The year is flying by. Blessings to you all!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...A LITTLE LATE



We are back in St. Louis after a little family time away. Greg was done with the quarter of classes so we headed up to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. All of my siblings were in town so it was very special to be able to spend the holiday all together. There are 17 grand kids so far so it can get a little noisy. Anna was able to do a worship dance with 7 of her girl cousins at their church. She had really been looking forward to it and it was beautiful. One of the highlights was going to an indoor water park (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa) with all of the aunts, cousins and Grandpa and Grandma. Louis and Caleb were so scared to go down the slides, but after I forced them to go once we couldn't get them off of it. Now of course the dare devils of the family, Anna and JOJO, didn't need any convincing to go down the slides. They loved it. It was hilarious and such a fun time. Greg and the boys were able to have some manly time with all of Sara's brothers and grandpa up at the hunting farm. All in all it was just such a fun time to spend time with extended families for which we are so thankful.

The time is passing by so quickly. I know I always say that, but I think because we know that our time here is so short in the big picture it seems to pass all the more quickly as we count down the time till we know where we will be headed to serve. I don't say that in the sense that we are truly counting down... We are really cherishing our time here. It is such a special place with so many special people and special experiences for our family. It has been such a blessing to us the time here at the seminary.

This Thanksgiving we are especially thankful for God's faithful provision for our family. He has provided for all of our needs. When we planned on coming here we knew He would take care of us, but we couldn't exactly imagine how that would play out. It absolutely amazes us. We thank Him for all of the family, friends and churches that have shared so generously with us. We thank Him for the food bank and re sell it shop on campus that really allows us to stretch the budget. We are so thankful for our health and the love of family and friends. Most of all we are so thankful for the gift of His Son... who rescues us, loves us, forgives us and redeems us. We are looking forward to celebrating His birth again in a few short weeks. We pray you are preparing your hearts and minds to celebrate the REAL REASON FOR THE SEASON, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Monday, November 5, 2007

REFORMATION DAY

THE WHOLE CAST OF THE REFORMATION PLAY

MARTIN LUTHER AND KATARINA VON BORA

For Reformation Day one of the home school moms on campus wrote a short reformation play. It turned out to be a beautiful day so we did the play outside the chapel after the morning chapel service for all of the students. We had a good crowd. The kids did great. Louis was Martin Luther, Caleb was a demon (Yikes!), and Anna was a peasant girl. We had a few funny moments like when the 95 theses wouldn't stay nailed to the door of the chapel, but all in all it was great. It was a great opportunity for the kids to learn more about the reformation and get a chance to put together a play. A big thanks so Mrs. Tiews who worked really hard writing the play and putting it all together.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET ANNA

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

HAVING A TEA PARTY WITH MAMA


BIRTHDAY KISSES:)

We are so blessed by our sweet little Anna. Today she turned 5. She was sooooo excited to be 5. She is also pretty excited about her 2 loose teeth. We had a fun day. She got to pick the meals, monkey bread, chicken and dumpling soup, and pizza with soda. We had dinner together and everybody got to say what they love about Anna. She was beaming. We also retold the story of the day she was born. Then we watched a movie together. She even had two families from campus, the Boggs, and the Tiews come over tonight just to wish her a happy birthday. Anyone who knows Anna knows she loves the attention. She got a tea set from Grandma and Grandpa Hintz. She loved it! She can get out there with the best of the little boys but I think she is coming to appreciate girly things more. Yeah! I remember the day she was born feeling so blessed to have a daughter. We were sure she was a boy, (which would have been wonderful too) but I felt like it was an added bonus to have a daughter to raise as well as sons. I can remember thinking yeah, when all the boys are off hunting with Dad she can be home with me:) Who knows, she may love hunting like my nieces and it may be all 6 of us out in the woods. That would be pretty special too. We are so blessed. Happy Birthday Anna!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

BUSTED!!


THE LITTLE RASCAL IS AT IT AGAIN! :)
So here is our little goof ball during his nap. Not a lot of sleeping occuring. We just laughed, he was quite busy sorting out his sister's coins. He was put down in just the diaper, so at least he hadn't undressed himself as well. He'll probably save that for another day. We have started to call him Dennis the menace on occasion. He kind of even looks like him. He is so sweet, but he certainly has this little mischeivous side. He loves to be goofy and make faces. He is easy to correct and thankfully he is very remorseful when he does something wrong. He is such a sweet little bugger. We love this little guy.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

FAMILY VISITS:)

COUSINS FROM INDIANA

COUSINS FROM BOSTON


CALEB WITH BABY ISABELLA

We have been blessed with a special couple of weeks. I posted a picture of our company from Indiana. It was such a treat to have my cousin Carol and her husband Darin here with their family. They were able to experience the fall Oktoberfest here on campus, kids jumping pits, brats and all. We even hit the free Science Center while they were here. It was a quick visit, but so much fun. Then on Monday of this past week my sister Beth and her 3 little ones came out from Boston. The kids had so much fun Monday night, the neighbors said that for a moment they thought we were bringing down the house. Yikes! They were so excited to see their cousins. We were able to go to the zoo, and we hit Grants Farm on a rainy day. They actually have a Historical Park right there with Grant's home right there that you can tour. We decided we will have to go back and do that before we leave St. Louis. That list of fun things that we want to do here just keeps getting longer. I know I keep saying it, but there are so many neat free things to do in this city. It has been a wonderful place to live for a couple of years. It meant so much to me that she came all the way out here with 3 little ones to experience our life here. My sister is a real trooper and she goes with the flow. She got to see most of it, the food bank, the re-sell it shop, even family night (we couldn't go wrong... where else can you feed 9 people for $12:) It was sad as always to say goodbye.

So there are 2 more weeks left in the quarter. Greg is hanging in there. I keep praying for perseverance and endurance for him. There is so much to get done in not so long of a time. The first 2 quarters here he was kind of shocked by the stress that inevitably occurs at this time. Now he expects it all so it has definitely gotten easier. All of the wives compare notes and it is pretty true for everyone across the board at this point in the quarter. We can't believe that there are only 2 quarters left then for him. God has been so gracious during our time here, so faithful to provide for all of our needs. We are blessed. HE IS ABLE!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

LAST DAY OF SOCCER

Caleb praying with his soccer team after the game


Soccer Medals

What a wild weekend we had. We had my cousin Carol's family in from Indiana. I will post a picture of our visit soon. It was so special to have family here. I love it when someone really knows what I am talking about or can visualize it when I tell them about something going on here at the seminary. Friday night I had a doula client call me saying they were on their way to the hospital. I asked if I should meet them there and the husband said he would call me when they checked her in because they weren't really sure if they would keep them. When he called me 15 minutes later he said she was 8 cm. I was out the door in a flash. I had a feeling I wouldn't make it in time because the hospital is a good 15 minutes from our home. When I arrived she had a sweet baby girl in her arms. She had the baby 10 minutes after they called me. Unreal, I was so happy for them. They were a couple from one of my childbirth classes so it was so fun to meet their little one. What a sweet little miracle.

The kids had their last soccer game on Saturday morning. Afterwards they had a little pizza party and got their medals. The boys really enjoy playing... Anna on the other hand just enjoys being out there with people. I am not sure how much soccer playing actually happens with Anna:) Seminary kid's soccer is really low key. All the coaches are dads and usually they referee the game as well. It is perfect and only lasts about a month. They usually play again in the spring. I am thankful for the dads on campus that organize this for the kids.

Yesterday in church we had a scary experience. God was at work. We usually always go to the warehouse services at out church. They also have services in the sanctuary at the same time. I think last year we attended the sanctuary service 3 times the whole year and we always sat in the balcony. For some reason (the Lord's leading:) I suggested we go to the sanctuary service and not the warehouse service. The kids wanted to sit in the balcony and Greg said I should decide where we should sit. We sat on the main floor. They showed a video from a secular band that basically showed how we don't know how long our time will be here on earth. In the video people had numbers above their heads and the numbers were counting down until it was the end of their time on earth. Anyways, about 10 minutes later there was an older lady in the row directly behind us whose husband was in need medically. (We still don't know if it was a heart attack, stroke, or a reaction to medication) She was asking for a doctor. Well Greg isn't a doctor but he jumped right over there and was a big help. A nurse came over right away and was helping the man. Greg was holding the man's head up and reassuring his wife. Greg is a great care giver. I am realizing more and more I am not good in those types of situations. Greg is so calm. He was able to pray for the man, his wife and all of the people helping. God knew Greg needed to be there and I am so thankful. They did call 911 and take the man to the hospital and thankfully he was conscious when he left church. It was quite a real life lesson for us and the kids that we need to make the most of our time here on earth. In the big picture it is such a short amount of time. And eternity is forever. We want to make our time count and use it to grow God's Kingdom.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

MORNING WALK AND MESSY LITTLE MAN:)

PAPA AND ANNA ON THEIR MORNING WALK

JOJO GETTING EVERY LAST DROP


ONE CONTENT CUSTOMER!!

I have been so proud of Greg this year. He really wanted to make sure he spent some time alone with each of the kids. So he is following after our friend Mr. Chris Tiews and going for a morning walk with each of the kids during the week. Last Friday was Anna's day. Excuse the blurry picture, but I literally was running after them, sneaking up on them to get a picture. I thought it was so cute to see the two of them marching along holding hands. I know the kids look so forward to this time with their Papa and Greg says they have some really great conversations as well as some really funny ones. I can only imagine. Last night we were watching Extreme Home Makeover and it was the part where they reveal the new home to the family. Well, the people were REALLY excited. Anna says to all of us,"Wow, they are screaming so loud, it makes me have to go potty." It is so funny and random the things that they say. I am sure Greg hears a lot of those types of things on his morning walks. He has decided he will have to start taking Jo for a day because there has been more than one day where Jo is at the window crying that he wants to go too.

Yesterday we went for a bike ride around Forest Park. I intended to just go to the History Museum and back, but Greg said he wanted to keep going. He was pulling Anna and Jo in the bike trailer. There are some killer hills on the ride. When we got back Greg said, "That was so much harder than I remember it!" I laughed and said, "That is because I pulled the kids the last time:) It is about an 8 mile ride all together. So I told the kids if there wasn't any complaining that we would have sundaes after lunch. God blessed us with an absolutely beautiful day, perfect for bike riding. The second 2 pictures are of Jo enjoying his sundae. He was covered, hair and all.

PIZELLES AND PASSING ON THE FAITH

ANNA AND JO ENJOYING MYRA AND MARLENE'S PIZELLES


WE ARE PASSING ON THE FAITH TO THESE 4 BLESSINGS


I am so blessed and fortunate to be able to attend a seminary wives bible study twice a month at a lovely woman's house. Her name is Myra. One week she leads us in a Mothers study and then 2 weeks later the study is on the topic of being a Godly wife. She is just awesome, so humble, so truthful, so forthright, so grounded in God. I just love it, she has a way of speaking the truth in a loving but not sugar coated way. She will tell you straight up if you are not on the right track. I love it, she is not afraid to be honest, it is refreshing. She also has a way of saying such sensible, logical things. I am always saying, "Now that makes so much sense why didn't I think of that?" Well her sister Marlene and her 90 year old mother are in town and they made us Pizelles for a snack. They made enough to send one home for each person in all of our families. How gracious since some of us have larger families. Well the first picture above is of Anna and Jojo enjoying their pizelles. Yummy! Thanks Myra and Marlene:) I am secretly praying that Myra (well, not that secretly, because I told Myra this already) will publish her materials, it is that good. I think more women need to benefit from it.
The next picture is of all 4 of our kids with their TAG U R IT bandanas on. That was the theme of our Going family reunion 2 years ago. Do you get it? Tag you are it! The theme was passing on the Christian faith to the next generation. I don't even remember what it was, but something made us all talk about that reunion. So the kids wanted to wear their bandanas. It was great, they were wearing them all around campus. I remember when I was pregnant praying for all sorts of things for my kids. Maybe I have mentioned this before, I prayed for their health, their future spouses, a safe delivery, but the thing I prayed for most was that the precious ones I was carrying would know Jesus. So everyday we are trying to do things, talk about things, read things that will point them to their Savior Jesus. I have to say one of our favorite things is our prayer board. Every morning after we read from our family bible we pray for 4 different families that have helped us and then we pray for everyone who is on our prayer board. It has touched my heart so many times. For the last 2 weeks Louis has been the one to pray for my brother Mark who has a liver disease. He has prayed for Uncle Mark and then always says,"Lord please zap that liver disease right out of him." Uncle Mark loved that. So pass your requests our way and we will put them up on the prayer board:) Any ways, I would encourage you to pass on your faith in Jesus to all the little ones in your life!
These commandments I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Sunday, September 30, 2007

TWO LITTLE SWEET PEAS

LITTLE MISS ANNA


LITTLE PACKER FAN
It was a beautiful Sunday in St. Louis. The weather was perfect with a wonderful breeze. Church was great, we are blessed to be at a great church called St. John's in Ellisville. It is a church with over 5,000 members so it gives us a lot of opportunities to see some different kinds of ministry and worship. It is a pretty amazing place. They have 4 different worship venues each week, all very different from one another. Everything from a traditional Saturday night service, to contemporary Sunday morning services to a service held in a banquet room of a restaurant/brewery on Tuesday nights. Greg and I are also getting to participate in a Bible Study on Sunday Mornings that is studying the book Revolutionary Parenting. We are enjoying it and it gives us a lot to talk about on the way home from church. Today's message was on Sexual sin, the theme for this series of messages has been secrets. It was the story of Amnon and Tamar from 1 Samuel. It was a great message and with a theme like that also gave Greg and I a lot to talk about on the way home:) They actually forewarned us so we took turns going to church and Sunday School and watching the kids. We were blessed.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

BLESSINGS ABOUND:)

A HUGE DONATION TO THE SEMINARY FOOD BANK

THIS YEARS KNITTED CAPS HAVE ARRIVED


SOME SWEET HAT MODELS:)

Once again we are so blessed here at the seminary. On most Saturday mornings I usually head up to the food bank to help unload the produce truck. There is a wonderful gentlemen that picks up produce and bread from local grocery stores. They are getting rid of it all because it is usually on it's way out. But it is great if you can eat it in the next few days. We put the produce and bread out and it is free for the taking. Anyways... before Dennis arrived we got a huge donation of food from a church in Clayton Illinois. Really it was HUGE! The top picture shows some of the people who drove the donation here to the sem. The picture just shows a portion of what they donated. It was awesome! Before I came here I didn't realized what an amazing help the food bank is to all of the families here. It is a tremendous blessing and really helps us all to be able to stretch our food budgets:) It is so neat to see all of the ways that God has used His people to help, serve, and bless others. They really have been the hands and feet of Christ to us.

The next picture is of 2 lovely older ladies that work with 1 more to knit bags of beautiful items for the families on campus. All of those bags in that picture are packed full of hats, scarfs, hot pads and baby blankets. I can't believe 3 ladies could do all of that. It took me over a year to knit a baby blanket for Caleb...I think I finished it just before Anna arrived. Anyways, they are obviously a lot faster than me :) and each year they donate their time and talents to bless all of us here at the sem. Last year it was chilly when the hats arrived and it was so funny because almost immediately you saw tons of kids running all around campus with these sweet, brightly colored hand made hats on. Now today on the other hand was around 85 degrees but you still saw plenty of kids out with the hats on:) It was such a treat for our kids to get to go up to the food bank and pick out their hat. The two younger lovely ladies in the picture are Sallie, the food bank manager and Miss Wendy ( as the kids call her ) and her son Joey, they volunteer with this Hintz crew up at the food bank a couple of times a week to help unload food trucks. Joey is one of Anna's new special friends. She has really taken a liking to the babies on campus as of late.

Anna and JOJO had a touch of some bug this week but thank the Lord, I think they are on the mend. I was blessed with the opportunity to be with a couple from the seminary this week when they celebrated the arrival of their sweet son Asher into the world. A babies birth is such an amazing miracle. It was such an honor for me to be there. The bigger boys are enjoying the seminary kid's soccer league. They will play every Saturday for a little over a month. The biggest boy is really busy studying. He is doing great, we are all really proud of all of his hard work.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

LITTLE RASCAL AND THE RABBIT

OUR LITTLE RASCAL:)

THE BALLOON RACE AT FOREST PARK


THE ENERGIZER BUNNY BALLOON

We have had a busy last few weeks. School is in full swing for everyone. Greg is especially enjoying his Marriage and Family counseling class. I am enjoying it too:) He has come home from class and said, "I think Dr. Hartung hit the nail on the head." Then he will go on to explain something that I have been trying to help him understand about me for years. Somehow this professor seems to make it all make sense. Yeah, Dr. Hartung! :) It has been great, pretty funny actually. I think it will greatly benefit Greg's ministry down the road. This class will go great with the Marriage and Family Life Masters degree that Greg was working on before we came to the seminary.

The weather has finally cooled down. We actually broke out the blue jeans this weekend. We are all well and enjoying all the fun things here in the fall. Jojo always has us laughing. He is starting to use the potty and is just plain silly. We have so much fun with him, all of us. I wouldn't call it the terrible twos, more like the terrific twos. He can definitely get upset when things don't go his way, but he is really easy going for the most part. It just warms my heart how all of the other kids just love him so much. Today Louis put him down for a nap and they were both so sweet together.

Last night we went to the balloon glow in Forest Park. We hiked over there with a group of about 20 from the sem. and saw them light up all the hot air balloons. This year they seemed to bring them down earlier last night. I think there was too much wind. But today they had the balloon race. They were expecting over 200,000 people in the park. It was a beautiful day and we had a blast just watching from campus. I wanted to get a better picture but we were a good mile away. Caleb counted at least 25 balloons in the sky. The energizer bunny balloon was by far the kid's favorite. For us Wisconsin folk who are fortunate to even see a hot air balloon in the sky once in a summer, to see so many is a real treat. We are always amazed at all of the fun things there are to do here. We are trying to take in as many as we can while we are here. Last week we went to the Clayton Art Fair. Apparently it is one of the best in the nation. Louis now says he wants to be a glass blower when he gets bigger.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

FIELD DAY FUN

PANDA BEAR FACE PAINTING

ANNA SHOWING OFF HER TATTOO


Today was field day on campus. Basically it is a day for the kids on campus to kick off the new year. It is so much fun, face painting, play dough making, snacks, games, tattoos, and lots more. We played two family games called "MOM call" and "DAD call". All of the moms or dads are blindfolded in the middle of a circle with all the kids surrounding them. If there are multiple kids in a family they all stand together. The blind folded moms and dads had to spin around 10 times. Then at the same time all the children yell "MOM" or "DAD" and the mom or dad has to find their child or children. It was hilarious. Greg actually won when we played it with the dads. Yeah, he knows his children's voices:) It made for some pretty funny video.

The other highlight was the Clayton Firetruck. The firemen bring it in, hook it up and let it loose on all of the kids in the field. It was a blast, they got a major soaking. It was a beautiful morning, perfect for a little cool down. Greg is helping at church tonight and the kids and I are heading over to the picnic the seminary is hosting on campus. The seminary does so many nice things for the students. It all really helps to build a sense of community and family. That is what makes it such a wonderful place. Things are starting to pick up on campus as most of the 4th years are back from vicarage and the new 1st years have arrived. We all start back to classes on Tuesday, sad, scary, fun and exciting all at once. Summer comes to an end once again:)

Sunday, August 26, 2007

GOT JESUS?


The kids were thrilled when there was a package for them on our porch one day this week. Grandma and Grandpa Hintz sent these shirts for them. They immediately put them on and cruised around campus. It is so sweet to see the faith of a child. It is especially easy for all of us here because everyone living here is training to be a pastor. So it is a neat and unusual community to be living in. When will we ever be surrounded by a neighborhood of believers? I am amazed by my kids sometimes. They can remember Bible stories way better than I can. They can also memorize scripture more easily than me. I love the fact that they just can't see why someone wouldn't believe in our Savior. I know I already mentioned part of this in a previous post but when we were at the family reunion a few weeks ago my brother Mark gave testimony to God's faithfulness to him and his family during his liver illness right now. So there were 45 or so people surrounding the camp fire and we had just finished singing some praise songs. We then had a prayer time where everyone came around Mark and his family and prayed for them. It was awesome, but I was also touched by my Louis. He was not at all afraid but prayed right out loud for his uncle. I remember when I was pregnant with him and the others that I would pray for them, for their health, the delivery, for their future friends and spouses, but most of all I prayed that they would know Jesus as their Savior. That is the most important thing to me. I just love to see the faith of a child but wow, I thank God for the faith of my children and the Holy Spirit's work in their life.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

SPECIAL TIMES WITH SPECIAL COUSINS

ANNA WITH HER BEST BUDDY SOPHIE MAE

JOJO AND TOBY


CALEB, GRACIE, ELLA, AND LOU

ANNA AND NEW BABY ISABELLA

These are pictures from the family reunion. The kids with a few of their cousins. They just love time with any of their 17 cousins. When we lived in Wisconsin we lived less than a mile away from 7 of their cousins. Our kids miss all of them. It sure was fun spending time with good buddies.

Not too much new here in St. Louis. We are still running around 95 degrees in the shade. Yikes. The kids are enjoying lots of Sprinkler time. The big boys might hit a water park tomorrow, we were blessed with some free tickets from a friend. Otherwise we are enjoying the last bits of summer before we all head back to school after Labor Day. As I get older the summers seem to fly by faster.

Friday, August 17, 2007

VACATION PHOTOS

ONE TIRED HIKER
MORE TIRED HIKERS


NOW A HAPPY, NOT SO TIRED HIKER :)


Wednesday, August 15, 2007

NORTHERN LIGHTS FAMILY REUNION 07

Family Reunion Fun

Uncle Thomas & Aunt Adrienne renewing their vows

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS FAMILY REUNION 2007

THE LORD IS MY LIGHT AND MY SALVATION, WHOM SHALL I FEAR?

PSALM 27:1

We were so fortunate to be able to head up to Wisconsin to be a part of the Going Family Reunion. This is my mom's side of the family. It is basically her and her 2 brothers and all of their kids and the kid's kids. Does that make sense? Basically, it was all of my aunts and uncles and my cousins. There were about 60 of us all together. We headed up to my parent's home on Fence Lake and rented the cabin next door. We had a wonderful time. The wonderful, special thing about it is the common bond we all share in Christ. The neighbor up there laughed saying, "You are going to spend 5 days together? My family couldn't spend more than 5 hours together." We did all have so much fun laughing, playing, singing by the fire, and catching up. We had a really special prayer time by the fire lifting up my brother Mark and his family and his liver disease. He gave a great, encouraging testimony of all God is doing in his life right now. He has a great attitude about it all and is certainly using it for God's glory. The verse above was our theme verse for the week, perfect for him and all of us.

Sunday we celebrated my aunt and uncles 50th wedding anniversary. He is a retired pastor. It was so special. We had an outdoor Sunday morning church service with their 6 kids and spouses all taking part in it somehow. During the service they renewed their wedding vows. Wow, what an example it was for all of us younger marrieds as well as all of the grandchildren. It is so neat to see people stick it out through all of the tough times and come through it loving each other more. They are such a special couple. We love them dearly.

The top picture is of some crazies :) on the raft my brothers John and Josh built. The funny thing was it was a total experiment. It was successful and actually floated. :) It took a little revising and it was a hit. The raft bit the dust after the contest to see how many people it could hold and still float. I think there had to be about 30 people on it when it broke apart. Thank the Lord no one was hurt at all. This was the year for my family to be the hosts. We had so much fun planning and doing it all. So three years from now it will be off to Montana for the next Going Reunion.