Jr. High Retreat

Joshua left today for a retreat with all of the 7th and 8th graders - he was totally pumped!  They are headed to Lutheran Valley Retreat west of Woodland Park - the same place that Joshua and Hannah went to camp this summer.  Can't wait to hear all about it!!! 

It was a great three days! The kids focused on getting to know each other better but especially on the theme for this year and how it applies to each of their lives: 

Matthew 28:19-20 ~ "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Wish Maker

Set in Lahore, Pakistan, The Wish Maker is Sethi’s debut novel. The story follows Zaki Shirazi as he comes of age, growing up in a house full of women — his cousin Samar Api three years older than he, his mother Zakia the magazine editor, his grandmother Daadi, and the house help, Naseem. Along the way, the reader also learns Pakistan’s entire history, from the conception of the country. It was an interesting read - with lots of cultural references about the food, clothing, and language - but it seemed to skip around a lot. It definitely took me way too long to read this one!!!

Anniversary Date Night!

What an awesome time ~ our early (and FREE) 18th wedding anniversary celebration! Greg's company treated their employees and guests to appetizers and drinks at Lodo's Bar and Grill and tickets to the Colorado Rockies vs LA Dodgers game! It was really fun to meet everyone that he works with :-)

   

Yes, we really were THIS close ~ wow!!!

 

 

The Rockies lost 2-8 but we still loved being there. It poured rain but us diehard Rockies fans stayed until the very end!!!

First Day of School 2011-2012

Wow!  Today is the first day school ~ 7th grade for Joshua and 4th grade for Hannah!  We're so excited for this next chapter in their lives...

Joshua with his chapel buddy - blurry but so cute!

...and Hannah with hers... 

 Dad and Mom joined us for chapel -

and look at them holding hands after 55 years of marriage :-)

Love it!

This year's theme verse:

The Great Commission:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
End of the day update = I love that Joshua and Hannah describe their first day of school as awesome, fun, and totally great ~ what an amazing place to be!!!

Back To School Night!

This is how it felt walking out of Back To School Night last night :-) The crazy thing was that both kids came home, cracked open their math books, and started working!!! What a blessing that they both love school and learning! They're both really excited with their teachers and schedules and we're looking forward to a great year!

School Supplies!

Yep ~ it's official ~ school is right around the corner! We did our school supply shopping last weekend (to beat the crowds and avoid disovering that some things were already sold out). Somehow I managed to break Joshua's protractor while trying to get it out of its packaging, so I guess we're not totally finished!!!

Summer Biking

We're having an amazing summer with an unbelievable amount of bike rides - living just north of the Bear Creek Greenbelt gives us the opportunity to go east into the big city or west into the foothills, and and we've managed to do both pretty successfully :-)  The kiddos have become little cycling pros!