Climbing a Mountain

I climbed a mountain once. Spider Peak in Wyoming kicked my butt. It was a class 5, if I remember correctly, which is technically just a scramble (a pretty low-scale rock climb that doesn't require a lot of equipment).



This week some of you will climb to the top of a mountain. Others will climb parts of a mountain. All of you will expirience the wilderness in unique ways. Some will hate it, some will love it, some will be indifferent to it. No matter what your experience, God will work through it. Allow Him to show you what He is doing. Experience His creation in only the way the wilderness will allow you to.



Abide in Him!

You're Here! Oh wait, you're gone again . . .

Welcome back Houses Staff! You came and now you're gone again! Gabriel, Phineas, and I will be praying for you each day.

May God use this time in the wilderness to mold and conform you to everything He wants you to be this year. May you begin to understand the tasks before you and how to lean on one another in times of hardship and in times of joy.

Godspeed to you!

Potty Training

Well, folks, we took the leap. Call us crazy, but we started potty training Gabriel the other day. I thought just having two kids was rough - THIS has kicked my butt!!

Wish us luck as we continue to conquer the toilet and all its amenities:)

Stop by and let us know what's going on in your life!

And the Winner Is . . .

Yes, Jana, gummi worms you shall have!

Thanks for playing. The other schlubs will not have any candy to enjoy when they get back:)

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Don't forget to check in with us every once in a while.

A Guessing Game

Three people in my house are tired.

One person that lives in my house is at work.

One person is sleeping.

One person is so NOT sleeping.

One person is typing on this blog.

Your favorite candy bar is the prize for whomever puts the right persons to the statements above. No tricks here (choices are Ben, Ashlee, Gabriel and Phineas) :) Post your guess and your favorite bar and I'll let you know who the winner/winners are by Sunday evening.

Good luck!

Things on our own

Well, we have had two days of having Gabriel and Phineas on our own since my mother-in-law left. Parenting with two boys is tricky to say the least. It figures that the day Sharon, my mother-in-law, leaves it is roughly 16,000,000,000 degrees outside and Phineas is like me, anthing ove 50 is a little too warm. Anyway, I think life as a four-person family looks doable, Ashlee may not be as sure of this as I am.
Please let the rest of us know how you are doing and any updates for the summer. Are there things you have been thinking about? Are there questions you have for the upcoming school year? What are some programming/decorating ideas you may have? What are the thoughts on the Walkabout prep journal (because I know everyone has read it cover to cover by now)?

One Week Old

*This was supposed to post on Phineas' one week birthday, but I must have done something wrong. Better late than never:)!! Enjoy.

Well, Phineas is one week old today. How the time has flown by!! I am still in awe of the fact that he is here - he isn't due for another two days:) So here are some things that I have learned this past week:

• Friends are amazing!


• The two year old will lure you into thinking all is well and then spend two nights refusing to sleep due to the transition of bringing baby home.


• Nipples crack.


• Cracked nipples hurt.


• Nurses show you how to care for dilemma listed above and you think she must be a god.


• Having a baby for the second time is much easier than the first time (this is not taking into account the transition problems the older sibling may cause).


• A baby just a few seconds old made me cry like never before.


• A baby just a week old makes me cry like never before.


• There is a milestone reached every single day (some of them are reached by baby, some by parents)


• Gabriel has turned out to be an AMAZING big brother.


• Being a mom of two is hard.


• Being a mom of two is so worth it.


• Ben is my hero (seriously).

We are excited to share this stage of life with you all. Please feel free to stop by if you are in Newberg. We do ask that you avoid the hours between 1 and 3 pm each day so that our family may take advantage of naptime:)