Summer gardens growing

Third year of the High Tunnel producing,  and I finally feel like I might know what I'm doing.  We planted seeds this year rather than growing starts and transplanting.  The difference was amazing.
The plants got larger and produced more, at an earlier date.  We had over 100 ears of sweet corn, bushels of green beans and plenty of other yummy things.

These pictures were taken mid-July, by the end of the summer we could not walk down the paths.

Jayce won division champion at the Kenai Peninsula Fair for his pumpkin.

Alectra won her division in Created crafts.

Alexis won with the bell she and Grandma Irene made, in the group needle craft division.

Tomatoes!

 

A sink full of puffball mushrooms that grow all over our fields.  They are so yummy. 

Baptism!

Jayce and Emerald choose to be baptised this spring. What a joy it was for Warren to baptise his children in the name of the Lord, into the family of believers.  God is so good! 

"We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:4

 

^"It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:3-4

Spring

Spring was filled with concerts, performances, recitals and activities.  Jayce traveled to Kenai and enjoyed singing in Mass choir with students from the other district schools.
Crowd favorite!

Jayce preaching his first sermon for the Youth Service at church, all the speakers did an excellent job.

Jayce filled in for the accompanist in town for several concerts when she hurt her back and was unable to play.  He rose to the challenge and did well on such short notice. 

Emerald took and passed her Safe Sitter course at the hospital.  Now she is ready to babysit!

 
Alecta's gymnastics group participated in the city wide talent show, Jubilee,  with a fun routine.  Her coach, Jeanne is wonderful at encouraging and challenging her students.

 

 Emerald also was involved in Jubilee as well as a year-end recital with her pointe class.

Alexis as a Spanish dancer at her recital.

 

The girls joined Aunt Kathy's students piano recital and enjoyed sharing their practiced songs with everyone.  Alexis was very embarrassed by her mother having to take a picture. 


Looking forward to summer!

 

Awesome Arizona

In February we went to Arizona to visit our friends, the Slabaugh's.  We had a wonderful time relaxing and playing.  Thank you, Phil and Rachel!

The beautiful front gate through which we traveled to our many adventures.  We took some snow along so the locals could enjoy some real winter weather.  In the midst of snow storm we traveled to Kartchner Caverns, one of the few living caves open to the public. 

Spanish dancers before the Tucson Rodeo Parade.

 

Going hiking with Uncle Phil, looking for artifacts from the ancient tribes who once lived in the area was a trip highlight. It was very fun and we found several pieces.  The kids and Warren soon learned a healthy respect for cholla cactus.  We saw a couple bunnies and quail along the way.

Feeding the ducks at the lake.

We spent a day at the Desert Museum enjoying the animals and displays. 

 

 

Alexis and Alectra stayed with Aunt Rachel while the rest of us checked out the Pima Air Museum.  The history was fascinating and brought to life the World Wars Jayce and Emerald were studying at the time.

 

 

As the economy waffles, we are learning more about precious metals so we went to a copper mine.  AZ is the largest producer of copper in the U.S. It is an incredible process to get copper out of the ground and purified.

One of the tires from the trucks they use to haul ore to the crusher.  Massive!

Jayce and Warren hiked to the old gold mines with Phil and one of his friends.  Jayce brought home several neat specimens but discovered that he had left the one with the gold in it behind.  He was hoping to go back but we ran out of time.

A beautiful view!

Hours a day were spent in the heated pool. 

Playing tennis, bocce ball and riding bikes more than filled the hours of the day. 

I made the girls Mexican Barbie dresses after the girls saw the dancers at the parade. 

We Love you!  Thanks for the vacation and blessing you are to us.

Happy 2013 Birthday, Jayce!

German Chocolate Layer Cake a day late.  His birthday wish was "thanks to the Lord that he still had a sister", since we hit the moose on his birthday.

Got his permit on the first try!

Suburban VS Moose

Yes, we are fine!  The moose was dead on impact.  The suburban didn't do so good but Emerald and I walked away with a few scratches and nicks.
 

We were on our way home from Anchorage and in Happy Valley we passed a couple cars and when I could see again there was a cow moose sprinting across my lane. I had time to swerve a little and touch the brake before I hit its left shoulder.  Its head hit the center of the windshield and then wrapped around the passenger side of the car.  The center post between the doors is shoved in at least 6 inches and the back seat window frame is shoved back about the same amount.  The bar that is behind the grill/headlights is shoved into the battery at least 8 inches. 

Emerald and I were covered with super fine pieces of glass, I had it in my mouth and eyes, we even had chunks in our undies.  My knuckles got cut from the windshield coming in and the right side of Em's face had little nicks from the passenger window blowing in.  She also had a little goose egg on her forehead from something and that was it.

We have a lot to be thankful for.  There wasn't any traffic. We were right by the Happy Valley Store so I coasted off the road and into their parking lot.  We went inside and could clean up and rinse off the glass and blood.  Some guy called the troopers and did all that stuff so I could focus on Emerald and make sure she was doing o.k.

Emerald had been sleeping with her head against the passenger window and had just awakened and sat up.  I praise God for his Mercy and Perfect Timing. I don't want to imagine what would have happened if she would still have been sleeping.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.  For great is your love toward me; you delivered me from the depths of the grave.  Ps. 86:12

God IS Good!