Family Camp 2021

by Steph // Thursday, September 30, 2021 // Comments off

On Tuesday, September 7th, we pulled out of Twin Oaks and headed to Family Camp in Lansing, Iowa.

We have been attending Family Camp since 2011, even though there were three years (2012, 2015, and 2018) that we did not attend the entire week but only visited for one evening.

We were SO excited about this year because EVERYONE was going with us, including Kayla’s crew!!

Blake rented us a camper, and it was the same one we have used the last two years.

Our little home on wheels for the week!

This will be the last year for this camper for us, as it had obvious wear and tear from lots of use.

Thankfully Blake was able to fix the stove, the oven and the heater before we left home!

The air conditioner, however, leaked the entire time we used it.

It was a nice shower right in the middle of our living space, ha, ha.

Next let’s talk about the weather.

We were watching the extended forecast very close the weeks before camp, as we do every year.

We do that for packing purposes – because at this time of year in our area you could need summer clothes or winter clothes depending on the weather.

We were also watching the forecast after our experience last year where it rained the ENTIRE time!

We were hopeful for better than that!

The extended forecast was looking better than that, but not the best, so the my trio and I began to pray about it.

God cares about details!!

I LOVE that I felt prompted to do this with my trio – because God answered YES and gave us the most beautiful week of beautiful weather!!

We were able to constantly praise Him for those answered prayers!!

Camp is a beautiful place!

Please notice the campers in this first photo – we are the one farthest to the left and Kayla’s crew is right next to us in that big beautiful RV.

Our week at camp was SO full, SO fabulous, SO encouraging, SO challenging – we always leave with our cups overflowing and already dreaming about next year!

The chapel sessions were powerful!

The worship and special music was incredible! (my favorite part!)

The families that run this camp for us speak truth into our ears and hearts the entire week and it is just SO GOOD.

I guess I don’t need to say how I felt about being next door to my grand loves all week??

I WANNA GO BACK!!

Addie shared all her photos with me too – so I have so many wonderful memories captured with our grand babies!

Snack time in “Nai Nai’s house” (I LOVE that they called our camper that!!) –

Don’t you love how Aspen is checking out Grant in this photo??!!

The afternoons at camp are always full – when the weather is nice like it was anyway!

We signed Tate and Eliza up for horse riding lessons – and they were THRILLED.

They went to class every day right after lunch.

These three took a trail ride one afternoon together!

There was also archery, trap shooting, clay targets, swimming at the lake, playing on the playground, and of course the famous game of Mighty Might Scoop Noodle challenge on the last afternoon!

In the evenings, right after dinner and before chapel, they offered things like hay rack rides and a ride on a firetruck – with the horns and sirens blaring!

After chapel each evening was one of my favorite times.

I would take Tate and Eliza back to the camper and we would have a special one-on-two time before they headed to bed.

They were up later than they are here at home, but not much, as we wanted to be sure they were getting enough rest to enjoy the week to the fullest!

I would make hot cocoa and we would play a game and have some read aloud time.

It was so sweet!

Not too long after Tate and Eliza were asleep, I would head to bed too.

I knew my limits!

Blake stayed out with the bigger kiddos, as most of the dads did, and enjoyed it very much too!

They take a photo of each family the first day at camp and post them on a board so we can try to get to know everyone.

I love a family photo, you know!!

Blake and I are beyond grateful that we had our entire family together for camp this year!!

Before we knew it, camp was over.

Did we ever have a hard time pulling ourselves away from there this year!

Thankfully we were able to stick around long enough to hug the necks of our sweetest friends who were coming to camp for week #2!!

We stood under a pavilion in the rain, everyone talking at once, and everyone talking really fast, ha, ha!!

SO grateful we got to see them all!!

OUR HEARTS WERE SO FULL as we drove away that Sunday afternoon!

I have pages upon pages of notes from the sessions.

We have already implemented several things that the Lord has laid on our hearts from listening to the speakers there.

I guess to sum up such a wonderful week…let me just say this.

Find your people.

The ones who spur you on.

The ones who point you in the right direction – right to Christ.

Be with those people.

Whenever you can.

And make sure to pray that you can be a light and huge blessing right back to them.

Pray for your people.

Daily.

And then tell them that you are.

Make sure your people STARTS with your family.

Be with them the most.

Pray for them the most.

And tell them too that you are.

To our sweet friends that make camp possible each year – THANK YOU.

Thank you and may the Lord bless you for your efforts!

We appreciate you more than words will ever say!

WE CAN’T WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!!!

August Stuff

by Steph // Sunday, September 5, 2021 // Comments off

Who else is in denial that it is already September?

Summer seemed fast, and slow, and fast!

Time is such a strange thing, isn’t it?

August was a wonderful month full of many wonderful things.

Topping the list of wonderful has been the healing and progress with my hand.

SO thankful for all the function the Lord has allowed back into my right hand!

Just last week I visited my hand therapist and was told “You don’t need me anymore!”

How great is that!!

All the work every day on my hand therapy exercises have paid off.

My hand is not 100%, but it is working, and I can write, and I can cut up food.

Praise the Lord!

Glad to say good riddance to the hospital!

I am glad we were able to swim quite a bit in August.

As I type this, our swimming days are probably over!

Our pool has been a constant blessing this summer.

Not only do we use our pool for swimming, but we were SO blessed to have some folks baptized in our pool again this year!

We had two Sundays with baptisms here at Twin Oaks!

Since we are talking about swimming, let me tell you what a rock star Tate has been with his swim therapy that started in August.

He had a therapy evaluation and swim therapy was recommended for him.

We go to the hospital once a week for it to hopefully strengthen him in all the right places and help him with some pain he is having.

He works SO hard for his therapist!!

And then he comes home and eats the rest of the day, ha, ha!

Good job, Tater Tot!

We are very thankful for all of the amazing people that make up Team Tate.

Tate also works hard on his at home therapy too.

Do I mention in every single post that I write that we eat?

Well, we eat, you eat, we all eat!

I just happen to take photos of what we eat – sometimes, anyway!

I still love to feed people – why does that bring me so much joy??!

And I still have the BEST trio of helpers.

The name of the game for this meal was to put zucchini in any and everything I could.

We had so much of it coming out of our garden!

Let’s talk about these donuts.

They are supposed to be donuts.

I made them.

Stop laughing.

I wanted to bless my hungry boys with a treat!

I need to leave the baking up to Addie Mae, obviously.

I soon found out it doesn’t matter what your donuts are like as long as they are FOOD.

Cracked me up so much!

My helpers not only help in the kitchen to earn those treats.

They are constantly helping with so many things!

Like floors.

Floors are my thing.

Do you have a thing like this?

A thing in your home that when it is clean it brings you the most peace?

It’s floors for me, windows for Blake.

Floors are a big job here at Twin Oaks because – so. many. feet.

I have used this swiffer for years and years now, but we just got this new mop and it has changed my life!

I put Young Living Thieves Household cleaner in it and it cleans the floor SO nicely with very little effort.

We were blessed to attend another wedding in August!

Our eighth wedding this spring and summer.

It has been fun!!!

We are still enjoying our monthly hymn sing with lots of other families.

It is a highlight of each month!

Eliza (and I!) love the pups at our friend’s place!

They are super cute.

We love our pups too!

I can’t decide which way I love Ruby Jane more…terribly in need of a haircut, or with a fresh haircut.

She is SO cute!!

And we love our favorites!!

I don’t have many photos of them for this post…but we LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!

I also love the cute things our littles say.

Eliza loves this new top she has, but it is too big.

She tried it on one morning and said, “Look, Mom, it’s getting smaller everyday!”

I said, “It’s not getting smaller, you are just getting bigger everyday!”

To which she said, “But I don’t like me getting bigger!”

I don’t like you getting bigger either, sweet baby!!

Isn’t she beautiful though?!!

Speaking of getting bigger, I saw Chad combing his hair as we were getting ready for church one morning because he hollered “Who hung these mirrors in this house anyway?!”

Ha, ha, ha.

Chad is almost 6 foot 4 inches!

August started with lots of rain and flooding….but then brought some gorgeous weather for things like playing outside, going for walks, haying all the fields around us, and many sunsets to remind us of our Creator.

The great weather also allowed these three kiddos and their Dad to sleep on the deck one night.

Even though they put on warm clothes and had lots of blankets, they only made it until 3 a.m. before it got too cold and they had to come back inside.

Memory made though!!

We had Eliza’s last appointment with UW Madison over telemed!

That means we did a video chat with her doctor.

Crazy, isn’t it? This technology, I mean?

Here we are sitting in “the waiting room.”

August brought some date nights for Blake and I.

And also a date on a Sunday morning for Blake and I with another sweet couple.

And also a date night with our trio, that ended in a fun game that Addie joined us for.

It was a lot of fun dates!

Speaking of that game night – Tate got the game Rummikub for his birthday at the beginning of August, and we LOVE it.

I think we need a Rummikub intervention here!

We play it almost every night!

It is super fun in that addictive kind of way, ha, ha.

We also have some days that we call “down days.”

Down days are much needed amidst all of this craziness!

Down days are days where we don’t go anywhere, and after our work is done we just hang out, read, watch a show, nap…see why I love down days?

It wasn’t quite a down day when we drove almost one hour one way to pick up some jeans we needed for Lane.

I could not find his size anywhere!

So when I finally found them we did a curb side pick up because he needed them.

It was a beautiful day for a drive though, Addie went with us, and there was coffee!!

This has been our determination to stay healthy this past month – and the months ahead too I am sure.

Do you all use essential oils and a diffuser?

You should!

I can help you with that if you would like to!!

Here’s to August!!

A great look back on a wonderful month!!

Did you all have a nice August too?

Summer might not be slipping away for all of you depending on where you are, but it is getting chilly here, the beans are turning golden in the fields, and the nights are coming quicker!

We always, always welcome a new season!

The change of the seasons is one of my favorite things about living up north here.

It just points to God and ALL that He allows for us!!

He did not have to make seasons!

But He did it for us to enjoy!!

I hope you see God as you watch fall roll in too.

He is showing Himself to you!!

Happy September, everyone!

Another Birthday Bash!!

by Steph // Thursday, September 2, 2021 // Comments off

This past Sunday we had another birthday bash!!

For some very special birthdays!

There was a huge burger bar for lunch after church.

It was YUMMY!

And I do not have one photo!

Then my wonderful son-in-law made lattes for everyone.

They were yummy too!

There were gifts!

It is so much fun to give gifts.

And then there was THIS.

Yes, Addie Mae made her own birthday cake!

She really would not have it any other way!

We got to sing to a sweet friend too!

There were cheesecake smiles.

Aren’t they cute??!!

We spent the afternoon enjoying everyone’s company!

Which is the best thing about birthday partys!

It was another delicious successful birthday bash!

It brings us joy to celebrate our favorites!!

They are worth celebrating!!

Happy, Happy Birthday Grant Evan and Addie Mae!!

Happy birthday to Mercy too!!!

WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

The “First Day” of School 2021

by Steph // Tuesday, August 31, 2021 // Comments off

If you have been following along here, you know that we do “school” like activities all summer long.

Throughout my 21 years of home schooling our children, I have found that doing a bit of math, handwriting, and reading during the summer is a great way to ensure a smoother start to more full time school in the fall!

Of course we always do our Bible time all year long – where we sing, memorize scripture, do a devotional and pray together.

I still like to have an official first day of school.

It just brings enthusiasm, excitement and more purpose to our days!

Our official start date this year was on a Tuesday, August 17th.

Here is my line up for this year:

Eliza Claire, nine years old, 4th grade

Tate Owen, ten years old, 4th grade

Lane Stevan, 13 years old, 8th grade

Chad will be joining our crew the second week of September!!

We started a new devotional that morning, and it has been fantastic!

So many good conversations with my trio because of this book!

Our schedule has been running smoothly.

After the first week of school we did make a few tweaks to it – but we already have our school rhythm down pat!

The first day of school we started a new memory verse.

I have been asked before how we chose what to memorize.

We just pick verses that speak to us!

This one is a good one to put in our hearts.

I am still having Tate and Eliza practice cursive.

I just write a few words down for them to copy.

It is quick and easy, but that small practice everyday amounts to fluid handwriting!

I always leave a line or two for them to put their own word, and I just love what Eliza wrote on the bottom two lines of her page.

Lane’s work this year is on his own, and he is one happy guy because of that!

I have had children who prefer that, and children who would never like being on their own.

I think Tate will always want to be at my side for school – and I am ok with that!

Lane has been enjoying everything I planned for him very much.

Lane has time on his schedule that we are calling “creative hour.”

It is working out SO good!

Blake is the teacher of this class – and with Lane’s vision, he is helping him have all the supplies he needs to build the things he wants to build!

First up is a remote control airplane.

Lane is learning SO much from this part of his school!

Lane does join us for art class on Thursdays.

We have been doing art class most of the summer and we are continuing!

It is super fun, even for me!!

On the first day of school I wanted to finish a read aloud we had started during the summer before I started a new read aloud with Tate and Eliza.

We are reading our way through history this year with chapter books.

It is a GREAT way to learn history!

Our first book is set in Colonial America and is a great story so far.

Tate and Eliza started to learn how to type when school started and it is one of their favorite new things.

I have a book I am teaching them with, and then we also have a tutorial on-line that they practice with.

They will be typing like pros soon!

Tate and Eliza also started piano lessons at the beginning of June.

It has been slightly hit or miss over the summer months (to be expected), but I am SO glad we started then as we have worked all the kinks out of it now!

I am their parent teacher and they also have a teacher who keeps me accountable as well as practices with them four days a week.

We have their practice lessons with their teacher over zoom for 15 minutes each of those days.

They will also take assessment tests with their teacher to move up to the next level.

It has been a lot of work for me, but I am finding my groove with it all after spending a huge chunk of time last Friday going through all of the videos for the parents again as well as all of the curriculum again.

Tate and Eliza LOVE piano!

And they are progressing perfectly!