Another Week

This last week a few of us made it down to visit Andrew and Kori for a week. We made a whole lot of memories and got a whole lot of sun!

It had been awhile since just a few of us have been down to visit, so we throughly enjoyed the late nights, games, conversations, trying out new foods and getting some projects done.

The guys have been busy on various job sites getting a lot of work done.

And the weekends have been full, but relaxing. We don't have any littles around the house (unless the grandkids come over) so our family adventures look a bit different then they did years ago. We tend to spend more time in conversations and less time building forts these days. But investing in family relationships is just as special, if not more so these last couple of years. As people grow and change it is such a wonderful gift to be able to learn from and pray for each other as well as continue to make new memories together. Whether it's popping in to FaceTime one of the married siblings, or jumping in the car to go get some ice cream treats together, we are so grateful for the opportunities to build family relationships.

"As iron sharpens iron,

so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

Proverbs 27:17

Sunshine

There is something about working in God's creation that is just wonderful!! This last week has been absolutely beautiful, and we've been spending a lot of time outside.

The guys have been busy working, and we are getting the garden ready to plant.

Since we are still at home these days we've been doing everything from music practice to trying new recipes, from running miles to flying airplanes, from playing spike ball to dejunking the shed.

Here is a layered peanut butter and chocolate cake that Alaythia made the other day. To say it was delicious is an understatement!

Our cherry tree blossomed this week, and it was so beautiful!

"As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes."

Psalms 103:15

Happy Mothers Day

I'm not quite sure how to put into words what Mom means to us and the impact she has had on our lives. 

She hasn't just told us about following Christ, she has lived it every single day of our lives. In both the big and little areas of life. She's showed us what it means to respect others and to be grateful for everything. She taught us how to sing, how to work hard, how to love others, how nothing is so small that it can't be prayed about, how to run to Jesus, how to humble ourselves when we make mistakes, how to grow and never stop learning. And the list continues. 

We are beyond blessed to have her as our mother!

We love you!!!

Happy Mothers Day!

"Her children rise up and call her blessed;

Her husband also, and he praises her."

Proverbs 31:28

New Project

We are looking forward to sharing with you all a new cd this summer!  While thinking through the process, we had talked about making a music video to share online with one of the songs from the new album in conjunction with its debut. So when someone randomly messaged us through our website and asked if he could come record a music video for our family, we were so excited to say yes, please!!!

With all the changing weather and unknowns in Nebraska in early spring,  we were praying for a beautiful place to record the video, and God gave us the perfect spot with absolute perfect weather and sunlight!!

We ended up getting plenty of footage as well as several humorous outtakes.

Working with Logan Howe has been so great!  He is incredibly skilled, and we cannot wait to share the final product with you!!

If you are curious what song it is, the Bible verse below is a hint. :)

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Matthew 6:26

A Taste Of El Salvador

Ever since we got home from El Salvador we've been talking about trying to make a meal like some of the ones we had down there. And this week we were finally able to make it happen! It was such a fun treat to pull out some of the stuff we'd been saving and try our hand at making their recipes.

We had fried plantain, pupusas, fried beans, coffee made from the beans we brought back with us, fresh fruit slushies and some other dishes. 

Everyone said the food tasted pretty close to what we had down there and we all thoroughly enjoyed getting a taste of El Salvador again.

"The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein."
Psalms 24:1

April

I've done a terrible job at capturing pictures from the last couple of weeks, but we've been spending a lot of time outside and absolutely loving it!! This last week the guys were able to get back to work and get some jobs done which was really nice! And we've been enjoying spending the evenings together as a family doing various activities.

One thing that I am loving about April being a slower month, due to everyone staying at home, is the extra time to spend on things that easily get rushed or forgotten. Spending time in God's word is always a priority for us, but sometimes it is easy to just hurry through it and not really take the time to meditate on it and apply it in our lives the way it should be. We live every day life with our family, but it is easy to take each other for granted and not put effort or energy into building those relationships. We see the beauty of God's creation all around us, but it is easy to move on to the next thing on our list and not take the time to really enjoy it and thank our Creator. Life is full of opportunities and blessings, if we just take the time to notice and invest in them!

We've been treasuring the extra time to slow down a little bit and be more intentional in some of those things. It has been really refreshing and special!! Hopefully I can do a better job at taking pictures this next week and will post some of them soon!

"I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope."

Psalms 16:8-9

These Days

The grass is getting greener, the weather is getting warmer and we are still working on projects and making memories at home. Not a whole lot of things have changed this last week, but it has been really good!

We've enjoyed getting into a consistent schedule which is pretty unusual for our family! Family devotions are at 7am every morning and we all gather together for each meal and spend the evenings together either playing games or just talking. It's been pretty special!

We've been able to get some cleaning projects done which has been so nice!! Mom and Elizabeth went through our whole attic and garage and dejunked a lot of stuff!

Easter weekend ended up being absolutely wonderful as we all gathered around the piano and sang. Then Dad led a Bible study through 1 Corinthians 15. We talked about why the resurrection is so crucial and how it affects the way we live our lives today. We ended up playing a lot of volleyball and Dad & Mom grilled a delicious meal. It was a different Easter than usual, but ended up being really special!!

Our neighbor invited us to go over and ride his horse which was a ton of fun!! We don't get to ride very often at all so this was a special addition to the week!

We've also enjoyed getting outside as much as possible to enjoy the sunshine! Mom started a bunch of little plants for our garden and we've been loving seeing everything turn green and shoot buds out.

"His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed."

Psalms 72:17

Ryan & Ruth's

It had been awhile since we had been out to visit Ryan and Ruth, and since there wasn't anything else going on, we were able to go out for a quick visit last weekend.

Of course everyone is staying home a lot these days and so we just enjoyed spending time out in the fresh air and hanging out at their place. While we were there it snowed one night and so the next day Stephen helped the boys make a snowman and then Nathanael joined them for a little snowball fight!

The boys are growing so fast and we soaked up all of the time with them as we could!!

"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, 

and day and night shall not cease."

Genesis 8:22

St Patricks Day Meal

This year we were able to do our traditional Irish meal again! Typically we do it on St. Patricks Day, but this year we were a little bit late. We always have the family favorite recipes that we keep the same from year to year, and then we try a few new ones just for variety!

We pull out the nice dishes and usually have a few friends over to help us eat all the food!! It usually ends up being quite the feast!!

If you are looking for something fun to do as a family we highly recommend picking a country and trying to make authentic recipes for a meal. We've been able to do quite a few in the past and it is a lot of fun for everyone!! Sometimes we will add games or a pop quiz or historical movie to make it a really fun and educational evening!! 

"All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord,

And all the families of the nations shall worship before You."

Psalms 22:27

Recording

Guess what we've been working on!?!

Right after we arrived home there has been some free time since work hasn't picked up yet, so we jumped right into recording a new CD!! When they built the shop for the business they made it so that we could also have a recording studio in the office area. And it has worked out so well!! Matthias does all of the recording, mixing and mastering and it is right by home which makes it an easy process.

We are really excited to finish it up and make it available to y'all soon!!

"I will sing to the Lord,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me."

Psalms 13:6