Before and After

Patio project...CHECK!
We have been working on our patio, which I know I posted pics of when we were in the middle of the process. Well, we are happy to say we are done, with the patio itself. Here are some pics of the process...

Above was taken before we purchased the house. I wish I had a close up. The previous owner had a beautiful koi pond under the tree. Unfortunately we weren't crazy about having a water source around, for the upkeep and with having kids around. Plus we had to put in a new septic system and it was dug right under the pond...so we took it out. It was a lot of work, with huge boulders, rocks of all sizes, plastic upon plastic liner and tons of frogs!

Here is the back of the house after the addition was done. It stayed like this for almost a year...

In June we started to prepare the area. Scott and I didn't necessarily enjoy the work, but we did enjoy working together on it:)

We had the patio poured. A friend helped Scott stamp it with a roller and colored it with 2 tones and sealed it. Scott and I did the rock walls and landscaping and look forward to planting flowers next spring. We enjoy sitting out side with privacy. This last week, Scott and another friend put in a door there where the big (broken) window is in the corner. Steps are being built this week. More pics to come!

First Days

Our first day of school was last Wednesday. Much anticipation was buzzing around here. This was a big year for us. Reis moved up to the high school, Hudson to the Jr. high and Chapman went to school for the first time to the Intermediate 5/6. Owen is starting 3rd grade and our baby, Davis, is in Kindergarten! Everyone did GREAT and we are so grateful to the Lord for being faithful to our family in this area. The choice of public school was a huge decision for us but we trusted that God moved us here for a reason and His hand would guide every step of the way. The 3 oldest are doing great, love it and have many christian friends, teachers, coaches and even principles! We know God will use this time in our lives as a family as well as others he brings along the way. Its incredible to be in a church where families are "doing it"...not just surviving public schools but thriving in them! Last night was our youth groups fall kick off. There were 43 9th-12 graders and 22 5th/6th graders. That's a lot of impact in the town of Plymouth. We are so excited to see what God does here!

Baptism

This past Sunday was our church's annual baptism. We had 20 total make a public confession of faith. Many have come to know the Lord just recently which of course is so exciting. Others were ready to take their walk a step further. Owen has been talking about getting baptized for almost a year now. We wanted to make sure it was something he was doing for the right reasons and really ready. He was so brave as he gave a testimony of what he was doing. He even choked up a bit when he talked of what Christ had done for him. It was sweet to see his obedient heart. What a privilege now for Scott to have been able to baptize 4 of our 5 boys. We pray it is a commitment that last a lifetime.

Final wedding of the summer

Being in ministry, weddings are usually a regular part of life for us...which I love! The last 6 months we've had 3 couples that we have met with for counseling. For the actual wedding, Scott officiated and I coordinated and helped in the area of decor. Last weekend was the last of the 3. We headed up to MN. with a fun group from our church and had a fun but busy weekend. This wedding was outdoors under a big tent with incredible surroundings.

Ali, the bride did some unique things like had a sno cone machine and each table could roast their own marshmallows. It was a fun time and everything went great!

Being the pastor's wife, I don't always get invited to the bachlorette party;) here is my favorite gift she got...hehe!

One of my jobs for the weekend was to come up with a fun way to display 300 cupcakes. I gathered my cake plates and others and had a cupcake table. It turned out great thanks to my many helping hands!

Have I mentioned I LOVE weddings:)??