Pro Football Hall of Fame

In our travels, we just happened to be going right next to Canton, OH. Since Sandy kept bugging me about going to visit this place, I finally gave in. :)

Actually, I thought - why don't we make a quick stop and check out the Football HOF? After all, I have at least 2 future NFL linebacker prospects...

At least, I got to let out some steam after driving all day.

Emery is the spitting image of an NFL lineman. Haha! Just about her whole body fit (with plenty of room to spare) into the mold of the legs of a lineman!

We also got to admire some bling. This was my favorite Superbowl of all time. Go Raiders!

I wouldn't exactly call this the most inspiring place on earth.

But it was fun.

The Ark

We also visited the Ark by Answers in Genesis. It's a life size, biblical accurate yet creatively imagined (where Scripture is silent) Ark replica. It was INCREDIBLE.

The whole family was unanimous - this was one of the highlights of our vacation. First, off the sheer size of the thing blows you away. Clearly, all of the animals could fit on this ark.

Second, they did such an incredible job explaining the mechanics and science behind every aspect of life in the Ark including feeding, air flow, the physics of waves hitting the boat, lighting...you name it. We got a real sense of how Noah and his family lived for a year on the Ark, taking care of all those animals. Super cool.

Plus Emery got to ride on a camel for the first time ever.

Andrew wasn't about to be left out.

The grounds were lovely too. All in all, the Ark Encounter gave us a glimpse of what life might have been like on the Ark. It gave us a whole new appreciation for the wisdom of God to save Noah and his family and the animals through the Ark. Praise God for His grace.

The Creation Museum

Back in June, we took a vacation. One of our stops was the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Of course, I had to wear my Creation Museum shirt!

The grounds were quite lovely.

Mom even corralled one of her boys for a mother son pic.

The inside of the museum was better. It was a lot of reading and quite educational.

We did a lot of reading.

Well, one of us read faster than others and used his imagination a bunch.

We loved the dinosaurs, crazy insect exhibit and the iMax shows too. There was a lot of great stuff.

But it was special to know that we were a small part of making the Creation come to life. 10 years ago, we helped make this awesome, biblical and evangelical museum. Praise God!

Passed!

With much fear and trepidation, Andrew took his driver's test today!

He passed!! Thank God! We now don't have to, I mean he now has freedom to drive himself to places. I don't know who's more excited - him or me! But I am very proud of him for working hard to pass. Phew! I got him a car to use - it's not his! Nothing like starting out with a car that's almost 20 years-old with no AC to make you appreciate things and work hard. He's already job hunting. Great job Andrew!

Freedom!

How about that smile?!

The first thing Matt looked forward to after his braces came off, gum. At last, he can chew gum!

Wasn't Matt such a baby when he got his braces on? When did he start looking like a young man?! It happens to all of them I guess. Sorry for the gruesome close up of his bad teeth. 2 down with the braces, 1 to go.

Emery's Track

Emery has begun her track career!

Look at that form! Ok, we're still working on the straight arms. But we're getting there!

She tried the 100.

 

 But we found out that wasn't her race. She ran the 200. Her PR was 29.0.

She also ran the 400. Her PR was 1:13.65. That race TIRED her out!

But her favorite event was the triple jump. Her PR was 26'6". She got 2nd place in her league!

I think Emery had a great first season of track. She had fun with her friends and worked hard all season long. Great job Emz!

Father's Day

I have had the joy and the privilege of being a father for 16 years now. It has truly been one of the hardest but most fulfilling blessings of God that I am so fortunate to have.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have looked forward to being a dad. I have looked forward to playing with my kids, to talking with them, to teaching them God's Word, to guiding them in the smallest things of life like how to talk to adults or how to play music or how to play team defense in basketball, to the bigger things of life like how to choose a career or how to be a generous person, to the biggest thing in life - how to love and live for Christ. Fatherhood has not disappointed. It truly is one of the most rewarding and satisfying and is the most fun thing to pour my life and heart into the souls of the boys and girl. I am starting to see the end of this phase of fatherhood as the boys and girl have become / are turning into the young men and young woman. It's so bittersweet to see them becoming independent and being proud of who they are growing into while at the same time, not wanting them to grow up and selfishly wanting them to be home with me as the boys and girl forever. Thank you God for allowing me to be a father and for being the perfect Father to me and to my children.