Getaway

 Darcy and I had a chance to take a trip out to the Black Hills last weekend. We visited Spearfish Canyon on our honeymoon 11 years ago and this was our first time back.

 It's hard to believe the hills are part of South Dakota when we spend so much of our time on the prairie.  It may not be Colorado but it sure is beautiful and many less people to deal with!

 After 11 plus years together, she is still my lover and best friend-thanks for hiking around with me!

 We hiked around Sylvan Lake before sunset.  There was a wedding on the lake shore shortly before we arrived.

I have a hard time formatting pictures correctly and this is no exception.  If you turn your head to the right at a 90 degree angle, you will see me standing on a stairway in between 2 rock formations on the backside of Sylvan Lake.

Thanks to dad and mom for making the trip from MI to come watch the kids for the weekend.  They had a great time catching up together.  Enjoy your extra hour of sleep this weekend and we'll catch up later!

We're Back!

 We are back on the blog trail after a two year hiatus which included the addition of twins.  Last fall, we welcomed home the last two (God-willing) children to our family.  The year has been an adventure to say the least...

 The twins love the afternoon football games, which is a perk to working at a school that doesn't have lights on the field for evening games-so school gets out early on game days!

 The older girls are growing up quickly and have become valuable big sisters in a hurry!  We thank God that He has provided family and friends that can help them specifically with the transition process.  They enjoy playing together and have recently gotten into building "girl" lego sets and playing with their Barbies.  Both are in school and loving it!

 The beautiful fall has given the twins an opportunity to spend much time on the deck and in the enclosed back yard playing with their toys.  At 22 months, they can climb and run very fast.  In fact, this morning they were shoveling rocks over the fence with a full size metal shovel!

 They are learning how to ride tricycles and we fear that bikes are not safe for very long around them!

 Amidst the crazy year, we were able to make a trip to Michigan both for Christmas and for the 4th of July and enjoyed time with family and friends there.  Lake MI was a balmy 40 some degrees when we were there this summer, so we didn't venture into the water much.  The whole family enjoyed a couple of trips down the channel, which is always a highlight!

Those who are reading this hopefully care enough about us to know that while this year has been filled with inexpressible joy, it has also been a most challenging year for Darcy and I.  Adoption is a beautiful, yet unnatural phenomenon that has drained us physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Through it all, we know that this is the journey God has called us on and rest in His unchanging love and grace.  Isn't it amazing that  God has chosen to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1, Romans 8)?  Praise God for His faithfulness and may He be glorified in our lives.

Thanks for caring and journeying with us!