Rum Village 2016

My dad got free tickets to a Notre Dame baseball game and the girls didn't want to go along, so we girls headed to Rum Village in South Bend while the guys went to the game.  It's a lovely park with great plant life and a nature center.  The trail has about a 1 mile loop with other connecting trails and a mountain bike trail across from where the actual park entrance is.  We enjoyed our day there and got in some good exercise.

 Saphira is always our map holder.

She knows the way!

 Sleepy baby.

 Jack-in-the-pulpit, one of our favorite plants in the woods.

 I don't know how Alegra sees some of the things she does.  A little chipmunk in this log caught her eye.

 A red bellied woodpecker.

 The trails in this park are marked very well.  We always appreciate when we know right where we're at according to the map.

 This is a grafitti tree.  Now I don't encourage carving in the trees, but this one has been being carved in for a long time.  As the tree grew, the names that were carved into it, grew too.  Way up above our heads were names that didn't look recognizable anymore, but were there.  I wonder how long ago the first carving was.

 When the game ended the boys met up with us at the park.  What fun to run into them along the trail.

This park is really enjoyable.  It's in town, yet tucked away where it can still be quiet and peaceful.  The trails are most level, but there are some hills that are just enough of an incline to make it bearable yet not exhausting.  Let us know if you swing by there and what you think!  Since we didn't get to as many parks last summer as we wanted to because of me being pregnant and having some complications, we decided we'll try again this year.  So far we're enjoying the weather and creation, and looking forward to more of it!

Kite Fun, First Fruits, and Friends!

This year we decided to celebrate the Feast of First Fruits with friends and kites.  The children had so much fun enjoying the beautiful weather, running around with friends, and sharing great memories.  We might have to do this every year. :)  Sorry for the overload of kite flying pics, but that's all Alegra took and they are fun and cute and filled with great kids!  :)

And we can't forget all the little cuties that we spent the day with.  We are truly blessed with wonderful friends for us and our children.  Watching them grow is fun, but the years are passing too quickly.

Passover 2016

This time of year is always a special one for our family as the spring feasts of the Lord are upon us.  We love celebrating with our brothers and sisters all that God has done for us in the sacrifice of His only Son.  Passover is a time to reflect on that sacrifice and then look inside our hearts as we enter into the feast of unleavened bread at the sin that we need to clean out.  These feasts give us great conversations with our children and are such a wonderful picture to help them see the greater love that our Messiah has for us.  I only have pictures here of our first fellowship time with our City on a Hill family having seder together.  The next day we celebrated with some worship and teaching closer to home with families that are within our community fellowship.  Then on Sunday, we celebrated His rising for the feast of First Fruits with friends coming over to fly kites and have a campfire.  What a wonderful day to just hang out with friends and enjoy what He's done for us!

 Alegra and I were both designated to capture the evening in photo.

I love my photographer.  :)

 This year Josiah was asked to participate in asking one of the children's questions.  We were so proud of him for being brave enough to accept the part.  He did a great job!

 The plague bags are always fun for the children, filled with reminders of the plagues that Egypt had to deal with.

And then lots of dance to end the evening.  I even got in there and danced half a song.  Haven't done that for quite some time.  :)

 My girl gathered up some flowers for me. :)

As we continue this week of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded of all that we need cleansed of.  So much hides, is pushed back into the corners of our hearts or is so small that we don't think we need to deal with it, but that's not what God requires of us.  He wants our whole hearts to serve Him, with not a bit of sin that we hold onto.  I pray this week draws all of our hearts closer to Him and closer to serving Him completely without blemish.