DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR??

YEP, THIS WOULD BE MY ELDEST SON TODAY...
THIS WOULD BE MY ELDEST SON, LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO...

SAME ARM...

DIFFERENT GROWTH PLATE...

INJURED PLAYING THE SAME SPORT, SOCCER...

THAT WOULD MAKE THE SAME SWEET CHILD HAVING THE ONLY 2 BROKEN BONES IN OUR FAMILY... AT LEAST FOR NOW...

MAN, HE HAS CHANGED AND GROWN UP SO MUCH IN ABOUT 19MOS...

MY LOVE FOR HIM DOESN'T CHANGE, JUST GROWS DEEPER... WHAT A GIFT HE IS, EVEN IF HE IS A LITTLE ACCIDENT PRONE:)

THIS MAMA IS HOPING THAT HE CAN STILL BE A BIG HELP TO THE WONDERFUL FAMILY TAKING ALL 5 OF OUR KIDS NEXT WEEK...

I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ON OUR TRIP:) BUT UNTIL THEM THERE IS MUCH TO BE DONE:) I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT THERE... I CAN NOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH JOY IT BRINGS ME:)

BLESSED WEEKEND

I THINK WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF WORLD CUP FEVER HAPPENING HERE AT THE HINTZ HOUSE... THE BOYS VS. DADS ALL WEEKEND...

THE HINTZ AND STOCKTON KIDS HANGING OUT GETTING READY FOR THE FIREWORKS... JUST CHECK OUT THE 2 BLONDIES ON THE LEFT... GOTTA LOVE THE EXPRESSIONS...

ROCKETS OVER RHEMA FIREWORKS

OUR PRECIOUS FRIENDS, CHRIS AND MARY

What a great weekend we had... such an amazing treat to have our sweet friends come to visit us. I have posted about the Stocktons before... we were so excited and and happy that they chose to spend their fourth of July with us.

We had a fun birthday party for Louis and our mutual friend Chris Tiews and the rest of his family on Friday, got to take in Toy Story 3 on Saturday, and enjoyed some great fireworks together as well. The kids had a ball together. Mary and I got to take lots of walks together, visit, and share our hearts with each other. To me it sort of feels like we grew up together as couples... even though we only lived by them for the first 5 years of our marriage, we experienced a lot in those years... they walked through some infertility issues with us and then rejoiced with us over the birth of Louis... It truly is a joy to be with them and their kids...

This past Sunday in church, I was so overcome with Thankfulness... when we went up for communion, I was the first one in line. After we knelt at the railing, I looked down the line. First came the Dinklemans, the friends the Lord moved from Sweden to our city about a year ago. I can not express to you the work of God on that one... he knew what I needed, what we needed as a couple and family, and he has provided so much through them. Then down the line were all of our kids, their kids, the Stockton kids, and then on the end Mary and Chris holding sweet baby girl. I was just overcome with how the Lord has provided. When we moved from Texas... I remember crying many many tears over leaving our precious friends there. But as I looked down the row, I could see right before me, with my very own eyes, the faithfulness of the Lord in sustaining beautiful, loving, supportive, friendships for over 16 years and in Him providing new friends here where we live now... It truly warmed my heart and filled me with joy.

The house is quiet... things will return to normal, if there is any normal:), for this week. And then Greg and I are off to California for a few days... I am a little nervous to be away from the kids, but we are really looking forward to going away together... It has been about 12 years since we got away the 2 of us for a vacation. I am looking forward to the time for many reasons:)

SOMEONE OUGHT TO REMEMBER:)

Yesterday was baby Joel's first birthday in heaven... Actually he probably had been gone for a couple of weeks, but yesterday a year ago was the day he was born... We will see his birth mother and family tomorrow... we are excited about that.

Remembering the precious creation that God made in Joel... remembering his short life...ULTIMATELY REMEMBERING THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL AND MAKES NO MISTAKES! REMEMBERING THAT HE LOVES US DEEPLY NO MATTER HOW WE MAY BE FEELING, HOW BLEAK THINGS MIGHT LOOK AT TIMES, HOW FAR AWAY IT MAY FEEL LIKE HE IS, OR HOW CRAZY OUR CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT SEEM.

GOD IS GOOD AND FAITHFUL THROUGH IT ALL!

THE SPLASH PAD

OUR FRIENDS WHO INVITED US TO THE SPLASH PAD...
MY SWEET JOJO

ANNA HAD AN ABSOLUTE BALL

MAN, THIS LITTLE PUMPKIN MELTS MY HEART:)

SISTERS... ENJOYING THE WATER AND EACH OTHER:)



WE HAVE HAD A SUPER BUSY WEEK WITH THE OLDER BOYS HAVING BASKETBALL CAMP UP AT CHURCH, SOME ACUPUNCTURE APPTS, NUMEROUS DR.S APPTS, AND THE FUN OF NORMAL LIFE.

WE ARE SUPER EXCITED FOR OUR DEAR FRIENDS THE STOCKTONS TO COME UP TO VISIT FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND... THE KIDS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR WEEKS... AND GREG AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR SOME GOOD LAUGHS WITH OUR PRECIOUS FRIENDS.

AND TOMORROW WE HAVE OUR FIRST TEENAGER IN THE HOUSE... MY BIG LOU TURNS THIRTEEN... THE KING FOR THE DAY HAS CHOSEN DUSTY ROAD SUNDAES FOR BREAKFAST... IT SHOULD BE A GREAT DAY!

THE HARVEST IS STARTING...

I LOVE PEA POD FLOWERS... THEY ARE SO PRETTY UP CLOSE...

YAY... GREEN BEANS... THE KIDS LOVE TO EAT THEM RAW FRESH OUT OF THE GARDEN.

MY PEPPERS NEVER SEEM TO DO WELL... I AM HOPING THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT:)

THIS IS SO PAR FOR THE COURSE FOR OUR GARDENS... I HAD THROWN LAST YEARS PUMPKINS OUT BACK AND THIS IS WHAT WE ENDED UP WITH... A WHOLE SLEW OF PUMPKINS READY FOR CARVING IN JUNE... IT JUST MAKES ME LAUGH:)

YUMMY... BLACK BERRIES AND RED RASPBERRIES ARE MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE TREAT... I THINK IT STEMS FROM THE RED RASPBERRY CUSTARD SUNDAES I USED TO GET AS A KID FROM GILLES CUSTARD STAND IN MILWAUKEE... OUR RED RASPBERRIES ARE ALREADY DONE... WE HAVE A BUMPER CROP OF BLACK BERRIES AND THE BLUEBERRIES... WELL, I THINK WE WILL EACH GET ABOUT 3:)

I WILL POST MORE GARDEN PICTURES AS WE GET TO PICKIN' MORE:)

I LOVE HOW GARDENING GIVES US ALL A CHANCE TO SEE THE MIRACLE OF HOW GOD MAKES THINGS GROW INTO SOMETHING AMAZING ALL FROM THIS TINY LITTLE SEED... GOD'S HANDIWORK THAT IS FOR SURE... IT IS JUST AWESOME... NOT TO MENTION IT CUTS DOWN ON THE GROCERY BILL:)

THIS IS WHAT I SPENT PART OF MY MORNING DOING....

CAN YOU SEE THE LITTLE ONE STICKING OUT OF MY EAR??

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT ACUPUNCTURE COULD BE SO RELAXING...

IT WAS THE BEST NAP THIS GIRL HAS TAKEN IN A LONG TIME:)

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

Jojo and Grandpa Hintz... I am so blessed to have such a great father in law... I always can't help but think that He has to be a great father to raise his son into the man I fell in love with 18 years ago.


Jojo with Grandpa Neumann... I was blessed with such a wonderful dad.... still am. He is funny, loving, adventurous, kind, full of the Hootspa:) and just all around great!



And here is the man of the hour... or year for that matter. I can not thank God enough for bringing Greg into my life some 21 years ago... He is an amazing husband to me. He has been more than I ever could have imagined, especially these last 18 mos.

He is a wonderful daddy to our 6 kids... I couldn't have asked for a better papa for my children. I am so thankful to get to journey through this life together with him.
Here is to wishing my hubby a Happy Father's Day... a couple days late and from many miles away.