Vacation photos part 3

Daraby with our good friends' little girls in Des Moines, IA.



Family shot at the cottage. Daraby didn't really enjoy the beach so we would play in the back yard grass.

Huh?

We took a tour at a local dairy in Michigan. I absolutely loved it. It is so fascinating to see the process. Plus I love milk, ice cream, and cheese.

We petted and rubbed on the baby calves. So sweet! I love animals!

We took a vacation to Michigan to see family and friends, celebrate the fourth of July and attend Andrew's cousin's wedding. It was a busy vacation. We wanted to see so many folks. We *attended Grace Adventures Chapel

*ate pizza with Scott and Alicia and Taylor and Jackson

*visited Grace Adventures Camp with Ryan and Kendra

*hung out one night at the Huls home

*watched fireworks, floated the channel, caught fish, walked the beach, ate great food,

*went out for ice cream, visited the local dairy

*watched Daraby celebrate her first b-day at the cottage

*ate out with Nick and Delores, ate sweet cherries and tried to spit the pits,

*spent a night with Lisa and Cecil in Northern MI- Lisa loves Daraby

*attended the rodeo and saw many northern MI friends,

*visited Timber Wolf Camp, walked the grounds and chatted with former staff

*Ice cream at Tasty Treat! One of our favorite places

*Eric and Angela's Wedding

*Breakfast with Jake and Jessica

*Stayed over at Ben and Brenda's in IA, ate pizza, went to church and out to Panera

*drove, drove, drove- I hate the drive! It is hard to do with a baby and takes forever.

Vacation will never be the same again now that we have a baby. We had a lot of help but we just realize that we can't do as much as we want anymore. Daraby has needs and it is tough to take care of her and connect with everyone. I think we will look into flying in the future.

We were very grateful to see everyone and all the hospitality we received. Many thanks to Andrew's parents for taking Daraby so we could visit folks. Thanks to all our friends for housing and feeding us. We really appreciate your input in our lives! We are now recovering from a two hour time difference and Daraby is cutting teeth. ARG!

****check out additional photos in the two posts below.

Vacation Grandparent photos

Great Grandpa Van Duinen with Daraby

Great Grandma Van Duinen with Daraby

Great Grandma Boersma with Daraby

Daraby with Nick and Delores (my dad's cousins- who I refer to as my Aunt n Uncle)

One day we went golfing. Andrew, Susan and I were in one group and shared a ton of laughs. No we are not golfers.

Vacation photos part one

Daraby's first s'more!


Beautiful sunset on Lake Michigan!


Ahhh sweet Abby!

Abby and Belle- cousins

Girl photo- at the cottage

Driving Miss Daraby!

She loves holding the wheel!


It's funny how it comes so naturally!


We had just gotten home from talking a walk in the blazing heat.

Andrew climbed the #1 windmill which is also the tallest windmill on the ranch for me to take a photo. During windy days they won't even attempt to work on this windmill as they would quickly blow off.

Everything here is super green. We've had a record amount of rain this year.

This is one of the red calves. Did you know that baby buffalo are born red and darken into their adult color which maybe brown or black or a combo of both. Side note: If God the creator of heaven and earth can mix brown, black and blue then I do too. I don't mind if you laugh at my brown flip flops with jeans.

This is one lonely bull hanging out by his lonesome. Does he not understand that it's breeding season?

Here he is again. He just wants to wallow in the side of the hill to get away from the bugs.

We've had some answered prayer. We will not have to move until the end of July. The hunters decided to forgo the middle of July hunt. Thank goodness! We are still in a pickle but not in a jam. Ha Ha! This Friday we will be traveling back to MI for the fourth of July and to attend Andrew's cousin's wedding. We are excited for this bi-annual visit. Most all our friends and some family members haven't seen Daraby since Christmas. Boy has she grown and feels so much better so they will get to see a whole new kid. Please continue to pray for our current situation and for our travels. Daraby doesn't like to travel very much anymore since she started to crawl. We plan to travel in the wee hours of the morning and perhaps through the night. Pray that she will feel well the entire time. We never know what sets off her sickness. A smell at a rest area? A strong odor in a store? etc... We hope you celebrate our freedom this 4th, the men/women who have fought for that freedom and the ultimate freedom Giver! Thanks for your support! AnDD

In a pickle!

I'll try to make this short. We are going through some tough times. We found out 4 days ago that some hunters will probably be renting the home we are in currently- starting the middle of July. That means we must move to the trailer home on the ranch. A couple nights ago we started to haul totes over there when I noticed it has the same moldy smell as our former home. After further investigation I found the wall board to be sagging and after I tapped it with my shoe it fell in to reveal a wall cavity full of mold. There is another moldy area by the back door as well. I have no idea if it is toxic but at this point I don't care because I immediately started to feel sick.

From where we have been with Daraby, being ill, I have no desire to even tempt her getting sick again. Andrew and I know that we cannnot move there. That means we will most likely be homeless in a few weeks. This is devastating for us. I thought we already hit the low point. As a mother I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. We have a strong faith that the Lord will lead us in the direction we must go. This has been a huge learning process. It has changed our life in so many way and for the better. It wasn't a mistake that we moved here and experienced this moldy situation. I know that sounds crazy but it is true because the Lord directs our path.

We've learned to put our trust in the Lord and not in ourselves or other poeple. It isn't our goal in life to please people anymore but to follow where the Lord leads and to obey Him. It is amazing at what we have been through. I couldn't have trekked down this road without His strength. We've have to be strong and resilent. We have a child that depends on us to stand up to any challenges and do the right thing. Please pray for doors to open and for us to recognize the right doors to go through.

I love these verses-
Romans 5:3-5
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured our his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who he has given us.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11
We do not want you to uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will contine to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.