Carter turns 7!

Carter and his pirate friends

The Cake

Mommy and Jack

Carter blowing out his candle

Santa Clarita Half Marathon

Hi, it’s Steve. On Sunday Elizabeth and I ran the Santa Clarita Half Marathon. I only lasted 3 miles due to an ankle injury. Elizabeth on the other hand had great day. She improved her time by over three minutes. One good thing about not being able to complete the race is that I was able to take some pictures of her finishing. I especially like the 2nd one, which shows her mom Mary cheering her on. Good job Elizabeth, we love you.

Please pray for Malachi Smith and his family

You can read updates on Malachi Smith who is 3 and suffering from Leukemia for the 3rd time. His days are numbered by our Lord and His family is trusting in our Savior.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/malachismith

His Truth is sinking in little by little

Not many posts now that school is in session but I was encouraged by these comments from the kids so I thought I would post. Today when I was introducing Carter's spelling list we came to the word "keep". I said like we need to keep God's Word in our hearts. He then recited his verse from Sparks "For whoever shall keep the the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." I guess I have it memorized too since we have been reviewing these for the past year. Just when our hearts as Moms need a little reminder that we are doing what God has called us to and that the fruit may not be seen for years to come He chooses to refresh us with these moments with our kids.

We have been sick for a while now and Katy and Carter often ask if they are still sick (motive is to see if they can play with friends or what activities they are eligible for). Well today Katy said she is coughless. I thought that was a funny word to use so I asked here where she learned that. She said it was like the word sinless, because Jesus is sinless. It's fun to see how their mind put concepts together and really they are much more observant than we realize. Keeps us in check to see what we are having them exposed to in our lives and the world around them.

Well our lunch break is over now...

I love my Mom

I put a picture of me and my Mom on the blog in honor of what a special woman she is. While it may not be the best one of us, we ladies are usually the ones taking the pictures so it's rare that we are together in a photo. She is a great friend, and grandma too and we praise the Lord for the joy she brings to our lives.

My boys

Carter and Jack's new favorite activity together is going around on the toy car in the house. Jack actually pushes Carter at times on the hard floors. I just love how my boys love each other to pieces. They are so delighted to be together most of the time.

Katy turns 5!

Hard to believe our little girl turned 5 on August 31st. Time goes way to fast. We celebrated with a tea party and several close friends. My Mom helped me plan and make is extra special. Carter came as well as we had a change in plans but it turned fun. On Katy's actual birthday there's was not as much celebration but we did a special birthday breakfast with a candle.

Butterfly sandwiches

Pretty place settings

The ladies plus Carter