May

If you can't tell by the quietness of this blog, the month of May has been pretty busy for us without anything too unusual happening. Some of the out of town siblings are coming back next weekend for a visit which we are super excited about! I know I will be posting a lot of pictures from that. But until then we've been working a lot!

 

Last week the we tried to get a bunch of jobs done so that we can take Memorial weekend a little bit slower and the guys ended up logging 75-80 hours of work in 6 days!

And of course, on the weekends we enjoy a day of rest with the family!

"Remember to magnify His work,

Of which men have sung."

Job 36:24

Mother's Day

There aren't enough words to accurately describe the immense love, the tireless service, the amount of sacrifice. the abundant support and the constant prayers that we have been blessed with in our dear Mom!! We are so beyond grateful for the impact that she has had, and continues to have in each of our lives.

This last week we were spread out in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska, but we made it home on Sunday for church and a big family lunch together to celebrate Mother's Day.

Out of the 6 married children, three of them live close to us in Nebraska and the other three live in Kansas, West Virginia and Florida. All the locals joined us for the day which is always so special!

The fun thing about taking pictures is being able to grab those candid moments that you would otherwise miss. And with a large family there are plenty of those moments!

"Honor your father and your mother, 

that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."

Exodus 20:12

A&K Visit

It's always a good weekend when we hear that tickets were on sale and Andrew and Kori are flying up for a few days!!! It ended up being a busy weekend with work and travels, but time with them is always so special!! 

Wyatt has become such a mobile little guy and it was so fun take everything in!! 

The guys played their instruments, the kiddos went to the children's museum with their moms, the adults played games and enjoyed time together. So grateful for family and these beautiful spring days!

"Blessed be the name of the Lord

From this time forth and forevermore."

Psalms 113:2

Odds & Ends

It seems like everyone has those things that take up large amounts of our time. Work, school, church, concerts, gardening, etc. And then there are those behind the scenes projects that kind of fill in all of the cracks. Here are some pictures of random ones that have been part of our recent weeks.

Cleaning out the garage... and the house... and the vehicles...

Does spring make any of you feel like dejunking and cleaning things up?! It's so refreshing!

Music practice...

It can be challenging to be consistent with this one when we go back and forth between home and being on the road. But throughout the day at our house you will hear a variety of instruments being played. Not only practicing individually, but we try to pull everyone together and practice music for our concerts as well as working up new songs. Hopefully we can start the recording process for a new cd as soon as work slows down a bit!!

And the usual house and yard work!

We got the mower out for the first time a week or so ago and have a bunch of little plants growing in our sunroom ready to be transplanted in our garden soon!

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Colossians 3:17

1+1=6!

Congratulations Josiah & Abi, Joanna, Asher and Jenifer!!

We are so excited for y'all and can't wait to meet the next little addition to your family!

Love you!

"He shall receive blessing from the Lord,

And righteousness from the God of his salvation."

Psalms 24:5

Underground Irrigation

The last couple of weeks the weather has finally been right so that we can get in the fields and install the underground irrigations systems. Because the work has to be done when the fields are dray/thawed enough and without crops in it that gives us a window of time in the spring and the fall when we can install. The guys have been putting in long hours the last two weeks trying to get as much done as possible during this spring season.

We used to just do the installing for these systems but last year the business purchased the equipment to do all of the dirt work as well!

"For He repays man according to his work,

And makes man to find a reward according to his way."

Job 34:11

Easter

I don't think you can adequately put in words the celebration of Easter. Death is conquered, He is RISEN!!! And because of what Jesus did on the cross we too can have LIFE! 

Ever since we were little we would wake up early on Easter morning to the most beautiful worship music playing and run out to the dinning room to see what our Mom put together the night before. She stays up late covering our big table with flowers, bible verses, and all sorts of pretty things depending on her theme for that year. It is always the perfect start to a beautiful day!! Unfortunately, this year I forgot to grab a picture of it all for the blog! I'll will try to take extra pictures next year!

After church we had a feast in our sunroom and enjoyed the sunshine. 

Hope y'all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday as well!!

"He is not here, but is RISEN!"

Luke 24:6

Summer Plans

Even though our family has cut back from traveling as much as we used to there are a few events that happen annually that we are so blessed to be a part of again this year! A couple of these events we've been a part of for so long that some of us don't remember not going to them. If you are making summer plans and looking for family friendly places to go we thoroughly recommend all of these. Feel free to contact us with any questions!



One of the very first places we sang many, many years ago was for our hometown's massive
Fourth Of July celebration!
(click link for more information)
And we've been singing there every year since! The town of about 6,000 people grows to about 40,000 for this incredible celebration! Fun events and activities are happening every single hour. Everything from an aerobatic show to an apple pie eating contest, they have something for everyone!

Next is the Lake Itasca Family Music Festival! 
August 2-3-4, 2019.

(click link for more information)

We've been a part of this festival for over a decade and each year are blessed to be a part of it! They have wonderful activities for all ages and is located in beautiful northern Minnesota. Families come from all over to enjoy a weekend of music, encouragement and fun. I think I've posted pictures from it almost every year, so if you want to see what we do you can look back at the posts in August. 

During Labor Day weekend we always go to the Old Threshers Reunion.
Aug. 29 - Sept. 2, 2019

(click link for more information)

I think we counted that this will be our 19th consecutive year singing there. Some of our favorite memories have been made during this reunion. It might help that it has been a part of our family before some of us were even born! Our grandparents brought mom when she was a little girl and some of us remember going before we ever did music together as a family. In fact, it is such a special event for our family that usually a bunch of the married siblings try to come up and join us for a few days. Which of course means that we end up pulling them on stage to join us for a couple of songs! And if you check out our old posts in September you will probably find multiple posts about our time at Old Threshers.

Next up is a Homeschool Family Camp held in northeast Iowa at the
Village Creek Bible Camp.
September 3-8, 2019 & September 9-14, 2019
(E-mail Iowafamilycamp@gmail.com for more information)

This camp has grown so much since it was started ten years ago that there are now two weeks of camp! Every year we leave with new friends feeling refreshed and encouraged! Biblical teachings, practical ideas, great conversations, numerous games and activities, delicious food, and special family time are just a few of the things you will experience at camp.

Last but not least, there is a Family Music Festival in Missouri.
(September 26-28, 2019)
We were at this festival the first year they had it (just a couple of years ago) and are thrilled to be going back again this year!! The Bruce Punches family, some friends of ours, started it on a beautiful Missouri mountain top, and they have created a wonderful family experience!!! 

Our family has been so extremely blessed to be a part of these amazing events, and we would really love to see you at one, some or all of them!!

"Blessed be the Lord
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation."
Psalms 68:19

Happy National Siblings Day!

Growing up as one of 13 has been one of the greatest blessings on this earth! 

It wasn't the easiest thing in the world for Dad and Mom to welcome all of us into their hearts and homes and care for us. We've all faced challenges, but God has been so faithful and the blessings have been immeasurable. So many crazy adventures, so many special moments, so many fun memories! Can't wait to all get together again and make some more!!

The brothers...

The sisters...

And the original 13 in age order.

Happy National Siblings Day!!

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brethren to dwell together in unity!"

Psalms 133:1

Everyday Life

If you follow our Facebook or Instagram page you'll have seen these pictures before, but I wanted to give ya'll a quick update of what we've been up to.

It is finally starting to feel like spring in Nebraska and all of our activities are bent in that direction. Starting the little plants for our garden, pruning trees and house cleaning. And I'm sure there will be a lot more of it in the following weeks! There is just something about spring the makes you want to get everything cleaned up and in order.

Three of the married siblings live pretty close to us in Nebraska and we try to get together at least once  a week. Sometimes it's a lot more then that and other times it doesn't quite happen. But we really do enjoy having them close and watching the littles grow. This last week some of us girls went up to visit our Grandma for a few days as well. It was so special to make some new memories with her in her new apartment. So grateful for the gift of family!!

Normally we would be really busy installing underground irrigation systems right now, but due to all the rain we've had to wait a bit for the fields to dry out enough to work in. So in the meantime the guys have been working on a sandblasting and painting job in Kansas.

"Keep your heart with all diligence,

For out of it spring the issues of life."

Proverbs 4:23