The Faith of a Child

We had a huge thunderstorm last night. At 5:30 this morning, we awoke to an enormous roll of thunder longer and louder than I have ever heard in my life. Needless to say, two of our four children were in bed with us within seconds. :-)

Unfortunately, we lost our power with the storm. The storm finished by 7 and left the day hot and humid and we had no AIR. We were so hot. Of COURSE it was laundry day and the dishes were loaded but not washed last night, etc. We kept being told by the power company it would be on at 1:30....then 3:30...then at 4:30 they said not to expect it for AT LEAST two more hours.

We gave up and ordered a pizza for dinner. As we prayed before we ate, little G chimed in, "And Lord, PLEASE give us back our power." In less than five minutes, the power came on, more than an hour and a half "early."

G's eyes lit up and his faith is now even stronger. It was a precious moment.

How to get a 3 Year Old Chinese Girl to Speak English

Give her something "Nummy!" to drink.

Caught You!

Yesterday morning, J was so excited to bless his brother. He got up early and made him breakfast in bed. Blueberry pancakes, corn muffins, and applesauce. How sweet was that?

Mts Tom, Fields and Avalon

The next day our goal was to add two more "4,000" footers to our list along with a third shorter peak that promised (and delivered) great views of Crawford Notch. The boys would set a hiking record for the second day in a row going up to 7.3 miles on this day.

On top of Mt. Tom.

View from Mt. Tom.

N. on Mt. Fields.

Looking back at Mt. Tom from Mt. Fields.

Great Views from Mt. Avalon down into the Notch with Webster Cliffs looming above.

Mts. Jackson and Webster.

The Presidential Range


A Perfect Perch w/ Mt. Washington in the background.

We're really glad we didn't climb UP this stretch. But it was still wasn't easy. Check out that face! :-)
Pearl Cascade

A Relaxing Afternoon and Evening

The boys diggin' some ice cream after the hard work of the morning.



The many uses of fire. (I'm sure my mom is appalled at the close proximity of food to muddy shoes.)
Chillin' at camp.



Evening Fishing

Mts Webster and Jackson.

Our first adventure was a nice loop hike up Mts Jackson and Webster. Jackson is a "4,000" footer in the Presidential range. 6.7 miles round trip. A record for the boys. Here we go!

Rays of sun breaking through always make me think of Jesus. "Light of the world you stepped out into darkness."
Trying to find a better way to cross. Eventually they crawled over that big log.

The trail was wet, muddy and steep at times, but beautiful.

The boys love a good rock scramble on the trail.

Look at these boys go!



Views from Mt. Jackson

Mt Webster peaks down on Crawford Notch.

You're doing GREAT, G!
Silver Cascade

New Hampshire 2009

So, I realized that I haven't posted for awhile (dad) and that I've got some cool things to share. So....here goes. This will probably become several posts about two trips to New Hampshire. Two weeks ago I took all three boys up to the White Mountains for a three night camping trip. We're trying to make this an annual gig. (This year made two in a row in the White Mountain National Forest.) This week, I returned to the Whites with my oldest son for a backpacking adventure.

So, enjoy the pictures and these great kids and God's beautiful world.

Poor Thing!

So, M has a bug bite. Not a big deal, right? WRONG. A big deal. A HUGE deal. A major dramatic event. Sadness. Weeping. Lying on the ground holding her leg. Fortunately, we always have calamyne lotion on hand. She was fascinated by the color...A PINK MEDICINE? She was thrilled. Giggled gleefully. But when it began to itch again she asked, "Mommy, hospital?" Poor thing. She thinks going to the hospital often is normal.

Bragging On My Boys

I used to read a lot of parenting books until I discovered that I usually felt worse when I finished than I did when I started. So much guilt! "If your child talks back at 3, you're doomed!" That kind of stuff. But once I read helpful advice. The author said to make sure you brag on your kids sometimes.

Today, J woke up earlier than the others (a rare thing) and decided to make breakfast for his brothers since he was up. Later in the morning, he packed snacks for church for both his little brother and sister and got the church bag ready. He also helped M make her bed. All these things were without being asked. My FAVORITE THING. Before church, he even found time to make a big chef salad for lunch for later.

N was just as sweet, giving up his week of caring for M in the nursery (the only air conditioned room at church), despite temps in the 90's!

G...he was wonderfully sweet this morning, too. When I was sharing with R at lunch about our awesome displays of fruits of the spirit, G tried hard to think of something he did. Finally, he smiled a big smile and said, "I slept in!" That, as all parents know, is perhaps the greatest gift of all!