Muncks Vist

What a sweet moment it was when our dear friends, the Munck family, drove onto our farm. We had been faithfully communicating over the past few months since our visit in July, but nothing compared to seeing their faces and hugging them :)

Laura and I giving a long overdue hug.

Josiah and Ruth Ella meeting for the first time.

It took no time at all for everyone to make up for lost time.

The Munck littles were ready to wear off some energy after many hours in the van,

and our littles were more than happy to accompany them :)

The older kids did not delay in picking right up where they left off from

saying our goodbyes a few months earlier.

Things were unusually busy for this time of year on the farm so

Arthur jumped right in and helped out with whatever needed to be done. He was such a big help to the guys.

Arthur and Mark

Arthur and Josh

This was a common sight.

So cute to see how much fun these 3 had together.

L-R: Brooke, Wesley and Mikaya

Playing games inside didn't last too long thanks to the perfect weather. L-R : Stephen, Jesse and Nathan

On Sunday we had brunch.....look at that load of waffles!

It was a joy to hear the cheerful chatter around the meal tables. After the Munck family left our table felt so empty :)

After brunch we enjoyed some worship time together.

The weather was amazing during the Munck's entire visit.

It was so nice for all the kids to be able to spend a lot of time outside.

They were on the go from wake up to sleep time.

On Sunday we had our first campfire of the season.

The men did a great job of cooking the meal. And Mark even did most of the dishes! (with the help of the fire:)

Nathan and William

The little threesome once again!

Just for fun we made some perogies one day.

They were very yummy :)

Jennifer and Elizabeth rolling, rolling, rolling!

All fried and done to perfection.

For city gals :) Elizabeth, Rebekah and Amanda did a great job at diggin' right in!

In this picture they literally dug in as they were wading up to the top of

their boots in muddy manure! They were a great help. Well.....

except for the 2 (I won't mention any names) that got stuck....

yes, really stuck and had to be pulled out.

It was so funny to see the cows looking at the stuck girls.

You could just see them thinking "City Girls!"

Seriously, they were great sports and I overheard that they would love to come help and move

cattle around again next year..... right girls? :)

Many hours were spent playing football.

I think by the time the Munck's left everyone was quite sore.

But the plan is, next time they get together......

there will be a football game....or two.....or three.....

And to add to the football fun, the Penner family came for a visit and

joined in the game.

Just so you don`t think it's just boys who like to play in the dirt...... look at these girls :) Too bad Rebekah wiped off her teeth before the picture!

And of course the horses were just begging to be saddled,

so an afternoon was spent riding.

Even Arthur rode.....the girls said he rode like a pro!

The parents rathered not ask how many hours of sleep the girls got. It was warm enough (well kind of) to sleep in the camper. We know they had loads of visiting fun......but maybe not quite enough sleep :) Elizabeth and Jennifer

Kerri and Rebekah...oh look, they're clean again! Besides helping with the cows, the girls also did a great job keeping us fed

and helping out around the house. Lots of work gets done fast with this many girls :) L-R : Rebekah, Jennifer & Amanda

Elizabeth and Josiah having a cuddly moment.

I waited a long time to meet this little sweetie! And I enjoyed every moment of getting acquainted with Ruth Ella.

At the end of this hard work day it was time to shoot off some rockets.

Look way, way up!

Just to add to all the excitement, our newest tractor was delivered.

Not sure what the delivery guy thought of his audience :)

And then all too soon it was time for our traditional family picture before departure.

And a silly one :)

L-R : Rebekah, Kerri, Amanda, Megan, Elizabeth & Jennifer

Lots and lots of hugs were given.

I can't even explain what a hard moment this was.

We felt like part of our hearts were going back to Tennessee.

And the only thing that made this parting bearable was knowing that, Lord willing,

we will see them all again in a few months.

And until then, hearing their voices will have to do!

Thank you to the Munck family for a memorable visit.

We love you ALL :)

Preparation

Our home is a buzz.

Mops, brooms, mops, rags, vaccum cleaners....

Why? Because we are expecting some very special guests.

Sometime on the weekend.

We don't know exactly when their arrival will be,

But we want to be READY!

We want to make our home as clean and inviting as possible.

We have been motivated to go through every inch of the house and clean.

Tucked away in the corners we have found things that we don't need or use.

Things that we have become used to seeing there,

And even though we don't use it, or it's useless to us,

It has become part of our home, tucked in a corner, taking up space.

But because we are excited, no, we are beyond excited :)

This isn't a chore, it's not a burden,

It's a privelage, a joy!

And you can be sure that the moment we find out they are close to our home...

That we will be watching for them!

And the moment they pull up into our driveway...

There will be lots of hugs and tears and PURE JOY :)

This has got me to thinking about my life.

I also should be daily, eagerly expecting a special visit from Someone.

I should be daily examining the corners of my life,

The places where dust has collected and I have become used to things the way they are.

Even though they may not be at all useful to me, I have ignored them and kept them there.

But one day my guest will come for me, and my time will be up!

I won't have time to go through the corners and clean up all the dust and junk.

Time will be up!

So I need to be cleaning every day, purging every day....watching every day

Because I don't know exactly when that time will be.

But when He comes for me.... I WANT TO BE READY! I NEED TO BE READY!

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.

And they shall not escape.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

1 Thess. 5:2-8

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matt. 24:44

Never Boring

Life with kids is never boring. You really never know what is going to come out of their mouth. The ways that they think are so simple and refreshing! No wonder Jesus reprimended the disciples for trying to shoo them away. He too saw the simplistice faith in them. And I can imagine that He laughed at the funny things they came up with as well.

Living in a household of children there are plenty of funny moments which make the not so funny moments more bearable :) But too many times I forget or choose to be too 'busy' or 'grumpy' to cherish and value those times. There have even been things that at the moment seem disasterous but can be really funny if I would look at it through different eyes :) and a different attitude. I find this hard though, and many times I fail and get upset instead of just laughing. Now I am not talking about laughing at your child's disobedience...but rather things they do in childishness...things that they do because they don't know better.

This happened that other day with Zachary...I can't remember right now what the situation was (call it pregnant brain, or granny brain:) but I do remember he came with this horrified look on his face and just as I was ready to get upset at him...I looked at one of the older girls and instead of getting upset we burst out laughing :) And then he looked at us with this priceless look on his face... a look of "is she really laughing." Then he gave me this little grin that made my heart melt. His grin said, "I know that was an absurd thing to do and I have learned my lesson." But this was a decision I had to make. Too often, because our child's childish actions usually causes me more work or more clean up or something...I tend to get annoyed. But I am working on my response, my first response. They are learning, learning how to do things and what not to do. But more importantly they are learning character from their mama. Personally I want them to see the fruits of the Spirit in my life....patience, gentleness, kindness, self-control.....

We've had butter on the wall, kids in the bathtub fully clothed, bread over, over and over risen, gum in the hair, boots stuck in a snow bank...or worse yet, in manure, broken eggs in pockets, way too much relish made, self-done hair cuts, upside down kid with pants stuck in a tree, recipe DISASTERS.....and of course many, many more. Do I always choose to laugh at these 'happenings?' No! But I wish I would. Yes it's okay to train in these moments, but I don't think it's okay to be all grumpy about it. If you choose to laugh, you will be joyful, and so will those around you. My husband is great at this. He is able to see the funny things in many situations. Really, I am horrible at this, and many times way to serious. My husband is refreshing to be around, his laughter is contagious. Joyful people are contagious. I have learned a lot from him....I have a lot more to learn.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones..Proverbs 17:22

Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thur. Fri. BRUNCH DAY!

Every Saturday is brunch day at our house. It has been a tradition for many years, one that all of our kids look forward to. Our menu rotates from week to week, Pancakes and Farmer sausage, Waffles, Biscuits, and Quickie Sticky Buns (or icky sticky quickie wicky buns as Brooke calls them :).

It all starts in the kitchen....

With little helpers...

And slowly becomes...

A delicious.....

Scrumptious...

Thing to behold (or eat:).

WIth many hungry mouths to feed...

And sometimes some extra guests....

A fun time is had by all !

What are some family traditions that you have?