Philadelphia!

Dear friends & family...

Occasionally I want to update links, etc. on our page.

This weekend Chris and I are in Phili enjoying some time together when he is at a conference. I wanted to add WALLBUILDERS to our page, so thought I would say hi from here as well!

We had 3 families, & 3 separate drivers take care of the kids while we were gone! But it has been WONDERFUL. I miss everyone, but Chris and I feel like we're on honeymoon a little...

Katya - 16, is looking forward to adventures & clubs in school, driving soon, and a trip to Costa Rica with her choir at school. She has been a book worm this summer, and resting up for another school year.

Jaclyn - 14, is finishing up some subjects from last year, looking forward to possibly her last year at homeschool before PSEO on Northwestern campus. She still does lots of music and hockey.

Sophia - 13, will be in school in 7th grade for at least half days, unless she is ready for more. She played softball, and will be in soccer this fall. She loves to crochet, and play games.

Natasha - 12, is excited about school, played softball & soccer this fall. She will be in 6th grade full time. She likes to play volleyball outside with Katya, go to her friends & see their puppies, and play games.

Jonathan - 11, is hooked on baseball stats,  plays baseball, hockey, and soccer this fall. He is not excited to start school, but will get into the swing of things. He likes to play games with his siblings too.

Andre - 9, played baseball, is in football, and will be in hockey this fall. He is doing well, he is a good helper. He is slowly starting to read. He is always a happy little guy. He loves to play games.

James - 9, played baseball, is in football, and is trying goalie this year for hockey. So far so good. He is really starting to read.  He a quiet imaginative boy, with lots of smiles. He loves to play games too.

Chris & I are fine...we have lots of clean up to do on our new home, outdoors, and in our garage. Recently, Chris shampoo'd our carpets, so I'm slowly getting rid of the clutter (that he stacked in our bathroom so our bedroom was cleaner)..and that feels great! I am relaxing after 2 years of a new family life, so feel as though I can "dig in" more around the home a bit, despite spending a lot of time in the car driving too and fro.

God bless your 2012/13 School year! With love, Alesia & Chris

The End....

The Blog is over. I think many are reading it, but wondering if we'll survive.........we will.

Some are reading it for information, like one of our Grandma's...don't worry well keep sending you photo's on your e-mail.

Some of you read it to check up on us and pray, thank-you! I trust that the Lord will lay us on your heart when we need prayer the most.

Most of you have our e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and address, so stop buy, call or e-mail and ask us anything, anytime! God Bless you and your friends! The blog will sit here, unedited for however long, in case others want to read about all our interesting happenings.

Love from Alesia & Chris

You are my friends..........

John 15:14

from the mouth of Jesus, to his disciples upon questions of where he is going, he told them many things, upon which.....

"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."   It was the verse Andre decided to read to me, since he just learning how to read at age 9, he needs to pick 2 verses he understands, read them and tell me what they mean...when he read it; instantly a gift was given, a load lifted, and the tears came...I said he didn't need to explain...and it was all a very special sweet moment....

I have uploaded a couple photos from last Fall, first day of school, and have it as a reminder of how much has changed in one year...it was a long year with Dad dying, and for many other reasons, and it really shows...I hope to put it back together over the summer and coming months with His help...one day at a time...

Here a few photos from the weekend....Sophia had a softball tourny, some great hits, and it was fun even at the bottom end of it, and Natasha had a win at her softball scrimmage, Andre had a win today for his 3on3 and they passed the puck nicely and I think he had 4 in the net, and Jonathan's team won their 3on3 championship, and had a great time as well. Katya is working on getting jobs, and is looking forward to school being done. James is doing well, collecting plants, and Jaclyn had a nice time at her recognition ceremony for high ACT scores.

Taking back the land...

 Below is a poor excuse for a garden, can you strain your eyes to see 3 little lighter green thumb shaped plants (bigger than some), opening in a Y? They are watermelon. We have a little tiny garden growing in our front bed as it's the only area in the sun that has soil for a garden (not good soil yet). And as you can tell, I need to weed. Between, school, watering, mowing, and raking up old sticks & leaves in spots, I forget to weed....the bigger greener weed in the middle is a wild violet (I have many), and that one needs to go! The bush lower left will stay for awhile. It's not food though. We have onions, beets, carrots, beans, cucumbers, and watermelon, but some are not coming up very well, so we'll see.

See the pretty bushes? They were here before we moved in, I just cleaned up all the gunk (lots of it) around them and planted impatiens & coleus in this shady spot. Hope they take well, and look nice in a few weeks.


  Lastly, our hosta's. We have a lot of them, all over, in the weeds, little ones, big ones, and I hope to move them all before we "remodel the land"...which Chris hopes to take a bulldozer through and do an overhaul.

We have a back patio over grown and junky, and I hope to clean it up nice, and put all the hosta's I find around the perimeter of it.

Taking back the land is hard when it's full of thistles, buck thorn, old dog bones (not from our dog), sticks, trash and all of it. Just like our lives when they are full of sin, it's hard to let God regain control of them, and weed them and fertilize our soil. But one day and rocky area at a time He can do it!

2 hockey 3on3 games, Softball tourney, Softball scrimmage, and an Academic luncheon planned for this weekend. Hope to squeeze some quiet reading time in before the week starts in again. Katya is done with school on Tue, and was saying something about working at Taco Bell. I thought she had planned on working at a nursing home. We'll see what happens.

Love from Alesia & Chris