Let the Picture-Posting Commence

I have a lot of updating to do since we've travelled the month of July away! I'll try to spread out the picture-posting so as not to wear any of you out. And here we go... `

On 4th of July weekend, Chris's parents came into town to welcome Charlie's aunt and cousin (along with her two boys) to the U.S. from France. It was the first time I've met his cousins, and we had a fun time eating BBQ and playing at the park along with Chris's aunt, uncle, and cousin from Arizona. Here's a family pic of us at the park and one of Chris's cousins from France. In the picture below, Stephanie's youngest son has a giant cut on his forhead after smacking it on a coffee table while visiting in South Dakota. Three stitches later, he's got a nice souvenir to take home from the United States, huh?

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Also, I would like you all to meet the newest addition to the family. Chris's cousin, Nathan and his wife, Kari welcomed baby girl #6 on Friday, July 18th. Her name is Della Nadean, and she has five (yes, five) big sisters (yes, all sisters) at home who are lovin' her to pieces! Stay tuned for another new family member coming home to her mommy, daddy, brothers, and sister very soon!

WA (Worrier's Anonymous)

My name is Amy, and I'm a worry-aholic. I have no excuse other than I'm pretty sure it was passed down to me from generations past. So when my husband said he wanted to buy another house to flip, my stomach immediately tied itself in double knots. For those of you without the worry gene, let me give you a little taste of what swirls through my head in moments like these: "Why take another risk? What if it doesn't sell as quickly as the last one? Why don't you want to save our money in case you don't have any work building new houses for a while? If we don't have xxxx amount of money in our savings account, our entire business will implode, and we'll be forced into financial ruin." OK, the last one's a little far-fetched, but you see what I'm getting at.

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After a day of fretting and stomach aches, I got into bed to read my Bible. Wouldn't you know I ended up in Matthew 6:25-34.

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"... do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, `What will we eat?' or `What will we drink?' or `What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

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Let's just say I'm working on it.

On the Road Again...

This little family has been quite busy lately, and the craziness has just begun. We traveled to Kansas last weekend for a family reunion with my grandma's family. There were over 90 people there, which is a great turnout! It was fun to see family that I haven't been with in a while. Kaylee had fun making friends with her (extended) cousins.

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After returning home on Sunday, we were fortunate enough to have Chris's aunt, uncle, and cousin from Arizona stay with us on Monday night. They flew home early Tuesday morning out of Omaha. It was great having them with us!

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And it continues... this weekend we're having a good, old-fashioned garage-raising in Iowa. Chris's parents are building a new garage, and we're going up to help. (I say "we," but I really mean Chris.) It will be great to see everyone - including cousin Ally, who just got her tonsils taken out.

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We will return on Sunday and be home just long enough to repack for the girls and I to go back to Kansas to see my sister. She's going to be in town for a few days, and we haven't seen her since February. The girls are looking foward to seeing their Aunt Marla!

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You think it must be time to relax at this point, but oh no. The weekend after that, we're headed up to South Dakota to hang out with Chris's cousin, Matt, who just graduated from boot camp. We're looking forward to seeing the fam and Mitch & Linda's new house!

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Is anybody else exhausted, or is it just me? Oh, and if anyone wants to contribute to our gas fund, let me know.

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Kaylee and Lauryn with Chris's cousin, Nicole, while they were here.

Could I Have Your Attention Please

Here's a little taste of daily life at our house:

My favorite part of Kaylee's concert is when her "clarinet" starts actually singing the words of the song, not just humming the notes!

Lauryn is my little cook!

Maybe I Should Do This More Often

In cleaning out the family van today, I happened upon some interesting items...

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~ our phone book

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~ $0.35 in change, which went directly into my kids' college fund

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~ half of a crumbled up granola bar in Kaylee's car seat

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~ half a can of baby puffs scattered about on the floor

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~ an entire lawn of grass clippings

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~ more trash than my dad hauls to the landfill in a day

Our Biker Gang

Our family has a new favorite past time, biking. We've got the bike trailer, the helmets, the water bottles - you name it. The girls really like going for rides. Kaylee gets to take her water and a snack, and Lauryn gets to bring her toothbrush to chew on. Everyone's happy. They're getting so used to it now that they occasionally fall asleep while riding! Chris estimates that from our house to the bike trail, around, and home again is close to 10 miles, and we've been riding about 3 times a week. Pretty good for an out-of-shape mama! Oh, and thanks to my neighbor, Kathy, for her great picture-taking!

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