The Travelers have Arrived!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the travelers have landed in Haiti!


We got up this morning at 2:30 a.m., loaded the van, and made our way to McDonald's in Derby.  Jonah and I then dropped them off at the Delta gate at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita and said good-bye.


I always do this as I drive away - get choked up, shed a few tears, remind myself that God is sovereign, and then try to focus on the good of the situation and how the fear of the unknown can't stop me from allowing great things to happen. Boy, that is difficult!


I'll try and update you if I hear from them.  Bryan said communication could be spotty.  We'll just have to wait and see.  Thanks for your prayers.   

Haiti Missions Trip

     I just wanted to quickly write a little update on what is happening with our family this week.

This Saturday we (Dad, Ally, Emma, and myself) are getting on a plane at 6:00 a.m. and flying to Haiti. 

    Surprisingly, it was Mom that had the idea for us to go. Our church in Wichita had been announcing during the service that they were sending groups to France, Africa, and Haiti this summer. Now, if you know our mother, you would know that she hates flying. Hates it. And she's not too keen on the idea of any of us flying either. But, God must have put it on her heart to mention to Dad that she thought it would be a great thing for us to get to go.
    Originally, it was going to be us three girls, Dad, and Landon. Unfortunately, we found out that it wouldn't work for Landon to go. Dad is probably going to be spending a lot of time at a clinic while we are all working at work sites, so Landon wouldn't have a legal guardian with him. Also, it's around 95 degrees in Haiti with 65% humidity. Considering he can't sweat at all, that probably wouldn't be comfortable or safe for him. He was disappointed, but understood the reasoning behind the decision.
    We would just like to ask you all to pray for us this coming week for safe travel, and that we will work hard and stay healthy throughout the trip. Oh, and please pray for Mom as well. She will be here without any help from us older girls or Dad for the whole week!

Here is a picture of our missions group. The couple on the left are also bringing their three boys, but they were in their Sunday school classes during the picture. 

Thank you for your prayers! 

Finally, Jonah's on the wall!

For awhile now, I've been thinking about what to do with the pictures of the kids on our bedroom wall.  I liked how this arrangement looked.  But now we have another little boy to add.  Do you scoot the boys over and line them up on top of the others?  Do you keep it the same and just add Jonah's picture next to Jackson's?  No.  If you're me, you redo the WHOLE thing.  

 I went down in our storeroom and collected a stack of unused picture frames.
My idea is to create a gallery of photos like everyone else in the world is doing. :)

I tore off the backs (one even used to be a mirror) and proceeded to add hooks where needed.

 Then I spray painted them.  This took A LOT of paint.  Usually, I estimate the amount of paint quite well, but not this time.  Can you believe it took 3 cans of spray paint and that's not counting the first coat of primer?  Ahhh. I thought this project would never end!

 But it was worth it!  Now my Jonah is up on the wall with all the other kids.
In fact, until Bryan and I take a good picture or we get a family picture taken vertically, Jonah gets to be up there twice!

I'm really happy with the end result.  It is much brighter and cheerful than before.  I also like that the frames are different (like each child!).  Every morning this is what I see when I wake up, and I love each and every one of them!! 

Odd Jobs - Cousin Camp Movie

If you have a few minutes, here is the link to watch the movie from Cousin Camp.  After the movie, there are some still shots of camp set to music.  Enjoy!


Odd Jobs - Cousin Camp - 2012

Update on Cousin Camp

After finally recovering :) from 3 days of going nonstop, I (Julie) had to fill you in on this year's camp.  We had a fabulous time. My cousins, aunts, mom, and older kids helped out so much which was the key to making it all come together.

Here are a few moments from camp to make you feel as if you were there!

Bryan guiding William around on Peaches.

We did the 50 foot water slide last year and it was requested again.
(I bought heavy duty black plastic at Lowe's - two 25 foot rolls.)
Bags of sand are better than dodging big rocks!  I bought old curtains at Goodwill and sewed bags.  This was Bryan's idea.  I guess he didn't want to doctor bleeding kids.  Good plan.

Dodging rocks or not, it still got a bit crazy.  This is Gibson jumping over Kate.  

Anders and Tyson (one of the twins) before bed.  This is what I love about Cousin Camp.  They will have these memories to relive when they attend each other's weddings someday.
sniff. sniff.

Little Hayes.  He's only 2 1/2.  Not really big enough to hang with the big boys, but someday!

Each kid had a number on his/her back according to when he/she joined the family.
My dad is quick to remind me that I produced 8 of the 16.  Yes, Dad, I know.
I claim #1,2,3,5,9,11,13,and 16.

The whole gang!

Mealtimes went amazingly well.  I wish I had this much help all the time!

Taylor (the other twin) and Jonah meet for the first time.

The sand Bryan had brought in was a hit.

He also saw these youth kayaks at Dick's Sporting Goods.  The kids loved them.

Face Pillows - a Pinterest project

My mom and Alicia aim at clay pigeons. Everyone was pretty good.  Alicia was really good!

Of course, these guys (Kyle, Gibson, and Tyson) were good too.

The only girl cousins under the age of 14.  Fashion shows and make-up kept them busy.

Climbing up to the treehouse during our campfire lunch.

The zipline.  Only a couple minor injuries this year.

I just adore this picture.  I guess it's the anticipation. 

Andrea, Aunt Pat, and Alicia.  They live in the Kansas City area.

Patrick during a marshmallow relay race.

Gibson can use this picture for his future political career.

Gibson and Anders with their mom, Alicia.

We also made a movie called Odd Jobs which is about three siblings who come up with odd jobs in order to raise money to buy their mother a birthday present.  It is hilarious.  Look for the two old twins at the end!  Glynne and I collaborated on it; I came up with the storyline and she wrote and directed it.  She wants to put it on the next blog.  Something to look forward to! :)

Cousin Camp: Day 1

    This week has been full of preparations.  All but one of our cousins on my mom's side are arriving for 3 days of Cousin Camp fun!  We have been working for the past couple of days to get the house ready for the event. This means dusting, vacuuming, mopping, de-cluttering, organizing, grocery shopping, and cooking. It may sound like a lot, but with all of us working hard it doesn't take too long. Having a big family is handy for stuff like this.
   
        Emma and Noah Camp set up the tent.  This will be the sleeping quarters for possibly 4-7 boys.

Since there will be people staying in the boys' room, it needed to be cleaned and made presentable. As an extra thing, my mom and Mrs. Gardner made up some baskets to make their stay a little more hotel-ish. 

(Katie Gardner made the soap.  She sells it too!)

As of right now, we're still waiting for them to arrive. Everything is set and ready. We even have a schedule made for today! 

Hopefully everything goes well today here at Cousin Camp 2012, and we hope you all have a fun week! 

Jackson Turns 5!

     Today is Jackson's 5th birthday! Instead of throwing him a party at home, my mom had yet another idea. Do you see a theme here? She always has some idea up her sleeve. This idea was a park hopping party!

We started his birthday journey at the train park in Ark City.

Then headed back to Winfield! Lions Club Park was next. 

After we finished playing freeze tag there, we headed to our last destination - Island Park. 

We ended the park hopping party with cupcakes at Island Park. This may sound bad, but it was such an easy party! We drove them to the parks and the kids took care of the rest. It certainly seemed like they had fun and we did too. 

We love you Jack! Happy birthday!