A Great Day in the Park

After church, Scott planned a picnic with some friends in the park for Mother's Day. With KFC, wiffle bat, frisbees, and blankets in tow we settled in to enjoy a beautiful day outside...

Thankful for these moms!

Micah 6:8

"He has shown you, o man, what is good. What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."

I was thankful that I saw this verse lived out by our kids this week...

Kamryn is not only playing her heart out in softball this year, but is making a difference in the lives of her coaches and teammates. It's amazing to see her shine. Here she is at catcher-her new favorite position!

Troy has lots of buddies around the baseball fields.

Katie at her Kerygma concert this week. What a great group of students!

Holland Fest 2012

We've now experienced our 2nd Holland Festival at RCS. It is actually the 59th year of this tradition. This production is the most involved school festival/fundraiser we've ever seen in a place. Everyone in the school community seems to have their duties and jobs to make it successful each year. The kids always love this day. There's lots of food, games, corny prizes, people to chat with, auctions to watch and fun to be had! We had a beautiful day again this year and are thankful that so many people came out to support our Christian school! I think Troy had a really good time. Tonight when I was tucking him in bed he said, "Only 364 more days til the next Holland Festival." :)

PROM!

Katie attended her final high school prom. It was held at the aquarium in Long Beach. A big group of her friends rented a "party bus" to transport them all to the dinner/dance. We met at the home of some friends from our church for the fun picture-taking time before the bus whisked them away. The kids all looked great and had a fun time.

Senior Breakfast

So we have now officially begun the end of Sr. year festivities. I have mixed emotions, but we are excited for Katie and she is ready for the next step. We are again discovering the traditions of a new school and how it all works here in Redlands. There is a tradition of a Sr. breakfast for the students and their parents. It was a nice time of gathering. It's a little different for us, only having known these families for less than two years. We feel blessed, though, as Katie has made such good friends here. Looking at these pictures brings back the tiredness I felt that morning as we had just returned from the choir trip the night before. The Seniors from choir had to sing one more time for the group. There was lots of picture taking, good food and chatting.

San Fran

Scott and I chaperoned Katie's choir trip to the city by the bay last week. After finding kid sitters and a dog sitter, and making sure all other details were covered, we were ready to go. (Thanks again to the In't Houts and the Mulders for covering kids and Cobi!) We made our way up the state from Redlands to Petaluma and gave 10 concerts along the way! The kids did great, the scenery was spectacular, and thankfully we all made it safely there and back. I was impressed with our students as they interacted with other students, residents of nursing homes, and each other. There was little drama until the last day when everyone had just had enough of each other... :) Two nights we stayed in an incredible home overlooking the SF Bay. Awesome! We were thankful for this opportunity, especially as Katie's high school career is winding down. Here are some highlights.

Katie was in charge of checking everyone in. :)

Packing up Tuesday morning.

First concert.

The kids got really good at unloading and reloading the vans.

Katie at the park in Ripon on our first evening.

A concert in Pacifica, I think.

Katie trying to play a Japanese video game with two of the international students who are a part of the group. Too funny!

We toured Alcatraz.

This was a fun stop at a Christian High School where the students performed for other High School kids.

Marin Headlands-a great spot.

One of the clearest days we've seen on the bay. A group shot by the Golden Gate Bridge.

We dared to drive the school vans down Lombard St.!

A partial view of the home where we stayed.

The dining room where we shared some great meals.

Group shot on the last morning.

A view from the back patio of the house. I could handle that every day!

The whole group after their last concert at a nursing home in SF. The kids sounded great!