Lucky 13

Today is my sweet daughter Noelle's birthday.    She is a beautiful young lady with so many talents and so much potential.   We love you, sweet Noelle!

1997 - 3 weeks old

1998

1999

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010 (last month!)

               

                                                     

Cute cabin, Where are the Huckleberries? and My Grown-up Baby Boy . . .

Last week while Rachel and Noelle were at Girl's Camp, we took the boys up near the Canadian border for a couple of nights camping. 

This is the cabin we stayed in the first night - so comfy and cozy!  Thank you Sam and Marla, for letting us stay there!

The next morning, we went out in search of the famous north Idaho Huckleberry.  It is our tradition to go into the mountains every summer in search of this tiny tart blue-berry. 

Not much luck this year.  We looked high and low, and even drove down little used paths - I don't think they've been roads in a long while . . .I cringed for miles as branches scraped both sides of the truck, and prayed that there would be a spot wide enough to turn around. 

Somewhere.

Eventually we found one.

And we found some berries, too. 

But they were very tiny,

and we only managed to pick less than one gallon.  

The next night we went to our favorite north Idaho campground, one that has a paved loop to ride bikes on.  Isaac brought his brand-new bike (one that he bought with his own money - very proud of him!) and Tanner had his, too, complete with training wheels.  And I was bound and determined that those 'lil wheels would be gone before we returned home to our long gravel driveway. 
So Mark took them off.
After about 3 frustrating laps running alongside him, holding on to the back of his jacket, and tipping over time and again anyway, and constantly encouraging him to get back on and not give up, he finally figured  out the balance thing! 
(I wonder if telling him it would be embarrassing to have training wheels on during the Cub Scout bike rodeo did the trick?  I think so...even if that's more than a year away!)

Too cool for . . .

baby training wheels!  Ha!

The Best Kind of Cake . . .

Sometimes we wonder, 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did God have to do this to me?' Here is a wonderful explanation . . .  

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.


Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says,


'Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.'


'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers.


'Yuck' says her daughter.


'How about a couple raw eggs?' 'Gross, Mom!'


'Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?'


'Mom, those are all yucky!'

To which the mother replies: 'Yes , all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! '


God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

          

Boy, He Loves that Chicken . . . (But I Love that Boy More!)

This is Tom-Tom, our little grandson.

I love these photos because they totally define this little dude:  he is intense, especially when it comes to his food! 

And, don't disturb him while he's eating.

Adorable? 

Totally.