What we've been up to~

 My hard working papa has been building a super nice wood shed off of the side of our house, to get ready for winter. It'll be so nice to only have to get wood once a day. (or, at least for Marcus.:)

It's not finished yet, but it's getting there.

*smile* Our little 'hole' in our living room, that our bookshelf covers. :) Papa just finished it today. (pictures will come)

What a handsome man!

Marcus is getting paid by Papa to re-stain the porches, and railings. It took him a good several days to complete, but finally finished! He spent his earnings today on a flying helicopter. -boys.

That's just a little snippet of what we've been up to. Now we are getting Papa and Marcus ready for Father/son retreat, packing for the beachagain, (which we will be leaving for after Church on Sunday, and staying for several nights with our cousins, Grandma and Aunt Cindy.) getting ready for winter, (wood wise) doing loads of laundry from our vacation last week, for our vacation next week, etc. Oh! And not to mention that Gileskirk lectures have started as well. Life is busy, but I'm happy for it.

WPC beach camp 2011 (edited)

 Evie Sturtevant. :o)

 

 Micha

 I like the reflection on the glasses of the cup.

 I like, in this photo, how the person is in focus and everything else seems to swirl around him.

 The morning sun rise.

 Becka, Caitlin and I walked the beach every morning. It is so calm. So peaceful.

 Becka took this photo of me "jumping for joy." She did a great job with it, thanks Becka.

 I took this one of Becka. It's not as good as hers. I should have bent down and taken it so that she would have looked like she was jumping into the sun.

 Papa found these aviators in the Mexican surf. Pretty neat if you ask me!

 *chuckle* This is the Mack's food tent. :o) I just thought that the sun looked cool shining through it. :)

 Our last walk on the beach. :(

And, of course, I have my favorite photo at the end. One that I did not even take! Becka took this one of me aswell. :)

WPC beach camping trip 2011

WPC beach camp 2011

We had a splendid time at the beach this last week. Full of activities, food, and sunshine. Yay! Since I was a part of that for the whole day, I don't have very many photos. I only took my camera out in the morning and evening, sadly. So, if y'all would like to see the few I took, go to the link above, and *enjoy.*

Sisters in Christ

Goodness, I have so much to catch up on! I've been so busy lately, that blogging has kind of been on my back burner this month. But...Never-the-less I'm still determined to catch up. :o)

 Uncle Travis and Aunt Vanessa had Ella's baby shower a week or two ago. That was a night to remember! (btw, I'll get to editing the rest of the photos soon) I love little baby Ella. She's so cute, and beautiful!

 -Two Jessicas- <3

That night Heather and Hannah VanGelder spent the night, and on the following afternoon, (after all chores were done) us gals decided to have a jolly 'ol time being girly, dressing up and putting on make-up. Caitlin, not wanting to have pictures taken of her, agreed to be our photographer for the afternoon. Thanks Caitlin!

Heather and I in cute/casual spring dresses.

 Felicity and Hannah in ball gowns.

 Heather and I in casual clothes.

I loved my red dress on Heather! The colors look fabulous on her~

 Hannah was adorably dressed up in some of my clothes too. I love this outfit on her. She looks so stylish.

 Hannah and Felicity, all dolled up.  :o)

 And, lastly, Heather and I in my ball gowns. I absolutely love these photos! The lighting turned out pretty good for being an overcast afternoon.

 I think that this one, and the last one are my favorites. I like the way my blue eyes stand out in the above photo, and Heathers hair in the last one.

Thank the Lord for amazing sisters in Christ! I am so thankful to be able to laugh and have fun with sisters and friends! It is such a wonderful gift. It's also nice to have some time set aside to simply be girly. Have fun. Laugh....and laugh some more. Thank you Lord for the special memory.

Thankfulness

I am SO thankful for the family that GOD has so graciously placed me in. Each and every one of my family members are so dear and close to me.
Papa- Thank you for being the strong head of the family that GOD has called you to be. Thank you for giving us children an adventure filled childhood, experiences that most children have never had, love of a father, teaching us GOD's word, and your constant encouraging smile every day. I love you Papa.
Mama- Thank you for teaching me how to best be a home-maker. Home-making is not only just cleaning, taking care of kiddos, and cooking meals. It's more than that. To make a home...a home, you need to be kind, gentle, and loving in everything. You have been a good example to me, and I pray I'll be just like you.
Caitlin- Thank you for being the encouraging older sister to me. Even though you're shorter, (smile) I do have a whole lot to look up to you for. You have a great responsibility, being the older sister, and you set a good example for those behind you. You're a good sport when I pull jokes on you, and get you into trouble. One of the best things I love about our relationship, is that, when we get in a rare fight...we always end up laughing at eachother in the end, and we don't sleep on our problems. I'm proud to have you as a sister.
Felicity- Thank you for always putting a smile on my face. You are very dear to me, Felicity. When I want to play a game, you're always up to it. When I am sick, you're always there to help me. When I'm upset, you're always there to talk it out with me. You are very understanding, and you don't mind going out of your way for someone else. I love you, Felicity.
Marcus- Thank you for your boyish energy. You are such a boy, Marcus. You will grow into a very handsome young man. Thank you for our little "wrestling" matches. You are very strong, and good at taking someone down. But I must tell you one thing...legs don't count! When you want to take someone down, you can't just drop to the ground, grab their ankles, and tug. It just isn't the way it's done. (I'm sure you'll grow out of it) You are very creative with making things. You are very much like Grandpa Koch in that area.
Alainna- Thank you for all of your help, your interest in anything I'm doing, and your energy. You have a lot of energy.  You are very kind and loving when someone is hurt, or sad. You will make an amazing mother someday!
Levi- Thank you for your huge smile, your receding hair line, and huge left ear. Without these, you wouldn't be the same 'Levi.' You have an amazing skill with catching wild animals, throwing mud right where you want it to go, (Alainna's face) and climbing trees. Always remember not to sit down when you climb trees though. You might get stuck. :) You, Alainna, and Jacob make an amazing team.
Jacob- Thank you for your potbelly, little red lips, and long blond hair. You are such a little mouse. Anything that comes out of your mouth always brings me to laughter. Your pouting lip couldn't get any bigger, but I'm sure you'll grow out of that too. :o) You are such a little ray of sunshine!
Nickolas Maximus- Thank you for your adorable facial expressions. That's where you take after me. VERY expressive. Though I can't really tell a whole lot about your personality right now, you sure are cute, and bring color into our household. Love you, little guy!

I am thankful for my family. I love everything about them.
Thank you LORD!!!

My little brother and I

I was looking back through old photos from this year, and came across this one. I will never forget the thrilled look on Jacob's face when we went through the "Buzz lightyear" ride, shooting space creeps with our guns. :o) He is so dear to me!