We had a great time this weekend at a six year old birthday party. Our great friends Ken, Tina and Matthew are also our neighbors, fellow Ju Jitsu parents and Ken teaches our children's T-ball team. We were excited to get invited to Matthew's Birthday party at the Ice Skating Rink in Kuwait City. We haven't been skating since we were in Michigan, so we knew the first 30 minutes of skating time would be a big learning curve. Honestly, I was dreading it and had prepared myself for large amounts of whining and frustration. I am so happy to report we had a great time and all the children didn't whine at all! Kelly and I would whine to each other on occasion about how much this was going to hurt tomorrow. After our trip to the ice rink all of our children now want skating lessons. I don't think there is an ice rink in Mali, so sadly no lessons for the next few years. Maybe we could all take up rolling blading as a family? : )

Hello to all! I am sorry I am posting so infrequently. It has been a busy summer in Kuwait. I have all five kids home and we are trapped inside most days because it is so HOT! I will begin posting more frequently after school begins again. If the choice is to blog or play with my kids, the kids will always win. I have learned it is better to engage them and be a playful parent. If I spent time blogging more often, fighting would most certainly ensue. Thank you for being patient with me! I have not stopped blogging : )


Now, back to Israel. This day in Israel was my BEST day. We were blessed to drive to see the the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River and the City of Nazareth. We had a picnic in a park near Galilee and had some time to stop for a photo with the sea in the background. It was absolutely beautiful! I could have spent a long time near Galilee. It reminded me of many of the beautiful inland lakes I grew up near in Michigan. The sea was full of boaters, jet skis, people swimming and many resorts alone the shoreline. Our picnic in the park was a much needed break from the car after a long drive.

When we were down at the Sea of Galilee we went on to Yardenit a baptismal site on the Jordan River. Our three oldest, Grace, Faith and Luke asked Jesus to be Lord of there lives between four and five years old. Since that time the oldest, Grace has asked consistently to be baptized. Over time and as the her younger siblings came to belief in Christ, they would ask us to be baptized as well. We had decided if we were posted in Kuwait that we would try to get to Israel and the Jordan River to baptize our oldest three.

On this morning, it was very hot and humid. This baptismal site is very popular with many Christan pilgrims. The parking lot was full of tour buses and many people were getting ready to be baptized. We paid a fee and the "Big Three" and daddy got dressed in white baptismal robes. Kelly had wanted to baptize them all, which absolutely thrilled my heart!!! Once all were appropriately dressed we headed for photos and the river.

I loved taking photos of this time in the river. The birds were singing and many people were watching our family. You cannot tell from these photos, but we had drawn a large crowd. Grandma and Granddad Briden, Timmy and Hope were watching from the background as well. I would be lying if I said I could see all the photos I was taking. I was very misty eyed as all this occurred, so I was glad the photos turned out as well as they did.

One, two, three in they all went with Daddy's help. They were making a public profession of their faith in Christ. This makes my heart swell with joy! I think the photos of them after show a little bit of each their personalities. Grace is peaceful and calm (Most of the time), Faith is full of life and excitement, Luke is a happy guy, full of a great sense of timing and humor. I am so proud of the fact that Kelly baptized them and that they have such a knowledge and love for Christ. God is so good and I thank him for this time on the Jordan. It gave me chills, while the water lapped my toes, to picture Jesus being baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. The river was very clear and full of fish. It was an amazing setting and I could feel God's presence as my oldest children walked in obedience to Christ and followed him in baptism.

After our time at the Jordan river, we drove up to Nazareth. Nazareth was the town Jesus grew up in. It was neat after all these years of studying the bible to see these places. Nazareth was up in the hills. It was actually more beautiful up there that I expected. We ate at a mall food court. The kids were all tired of being in the car for most of the day. We were able to eat, burn some energy and talk about the day. After dinner we prepared for the drive back to Jerusalem. The drive was so green and full of farm fields. I have missed green while living in Kuwait. After a long day we made it back to our apartment in Jerusalem. Thanks be to God for this great day!!! I will always remember this time in our lives. I remember clearly what my brother, Rick, said when I shared with him our first post would be Kuwait. Rick said "Wow, you will get to see the Holy Land! That will be amazing!" I have focused on that often as we have lived in Kuwait. It is hot here and there aren't many yards for my children to run in, but I have lived a dream. I have seen the Holy land!!!!!!! Thanks be to God for making this dream come true and for blessing us with safety. I will post some pictures of our second week of vacation soon. We spent that time relaxing (mostly) in Cyprus. God Bless you and I will be back soon~

I cannot believe that eight years ago today my life changed forever. Grace was born at 9:00am in the morning after a long labor. She has been a joy since that first moment. I did not know true responsibility until I became a parent. That first night after her birth we both just lay awake staring at one another. I remember feeling so much excitement that I couldn't go to sleep, I couldn't take my eyes off her.

She has always been fun, sweet tempered and full of smiles for all. She loves to giggle, dream of having a pet kitten and to crack jokes. I cannot believe how mature she is getting and how funny. She has her father and me laughing out loud often. She understands many large anatomical concepts that most adults have no clue about. This may be because her parents both have medical training and have talked shop in front of her for years. She has also become an invaluable helper to me. She helps to play with the "twins" and she can entertain Hope when I have other things I need to accomplish. She is quite the "little Mommy".

Grace,

I love you so much and so does you Daddy. Never question this for a moment! You are special because you are created in God's image. You are a beautiful girl on the inside and the outside. I am so glad God blessed our family with you! You are the best snuggler and giggler. You love God so much. I am amazed at your questions about God. He has blessed you with faith. You have such a sweet heart and you think of others before yourself often.

I feel like I am still staring at you like our first night together, only now time is moving so much quicker. I wish I could go back to that first night sometimes, but alas time is a cruel master. I cannot go back, I can only treasure today. That is all we will ever have while living in time, the present. I feel like your time with me is moving faster and faster. I am suspended and you are running, to your first date, high school graduation, first real job, your wedding, the birth of your first child. I am able to watch, while you run through your young life. It is like I get to stop, Grace, to watch you live. I am still aging, but I am not concerned about me. I am only focused on you and your run. Always remember, sweet girl, as you run away from my arms, my home, and your family. I am behind you standing and watching. I am always cheering, praying, and hoping for the best. For now I am also in time, but I am so glad to know that someday we will spend eternity together as well. The running will stop. We will be free of time, praise God! Don't ever forget as you move forward in time to look back , I am always on the sidelines watching your run through time. Happy Birthday, sweetie pie, I love you so much!!!!!! Love and Hugs, Mommy

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9 :24

Hello All! We just got back from a great visit to Kalamazoo. Uncle Rick and Aunt Kristin live there and we always have a blast visiting them!!!! Thanks again Rick and Kristin for your hospitality to all seven of us, you are both amazingly generous : )

This is what the "Big three" have been up to of late. We have many BIG trees in our backyard, most of which are large White Pine trees. Those are impossibly to climb, because the branches that are large enough are very high from the ground. The other day I cam outside to find a scene similar to this. This the backyard of our home. They all decided to climb our ancient television antenna. Faith is not afarid of heights at all. She likes to touch the roof , which makes me nervous. Grace likes to climb up and chat with me as I prepare dinner or do the dishes. She peeks through the kitchen windows to see me. Luke loves to pretend he is "Cliff hanger"from the PBS show Between The Lions.
Luke shows his strength by hanging by one hand : )
I am encouraged ti see that when I feel something is lacking, like a good climbing tree, they find another way to climb. I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! This week we are off to the other side of the state to see family, more fun photos to come of Independence Day celebrations. Blessings to you~

Hello All! We are so glad that the weather has changed here in Michigan. Recently we had to end of the year programs at the Lutheran school where Grace, Faith and Luke attend. Luke had a wonderful pre school program with singing and receiving a special photo memory book from his awesome teacher, Mrs. J. We love you so much Robin, Thanks for loving our Luke!!!!! Luke is pictured below with Mrs. J on the night of the program.

Faith had her kindergarten graduation as well, she did great!! She and her class sang, read scripture and acted out skits. I am amazed that our second daughter is getting so old, here comes first grade!!! Faith's teacher Mrs. S is also a gift from God, we love you Jean and we thank God for you and your strong Christian witness to our children!! Faith is pictured reciting her scripture and holding her flower after the performance.

Lastly, are things I have spotted up in our trees of late. "The Big Three" loved climbing this tree tonight out in our woods behind our home. They were having a great time in it. They pretended it was a fort, "tree-school" and a ship of some sort. They kept saying "don't you just love nature, Mom?!!" Tomorrow is all planned out already, they will come home from school and head back out to "tree-school" to play. What a blessing warm weather is!!!!

We also have a Cardinal's nest in a large shrub/tree on the side of our house. I was thrilled that Kelly found it!!!! Most of you already know I a huge bird lover and any chance to peek into their world just delights me. This is a picture from the nest this evening. Praise God for his creation, new life springs forth in his time.

Lastly, I have a SECRET : ) It will be revealed in about a month or so until than stick with me, it will be worth the wait!! Just to stop this rumor immediately, no I am NOT pregnant and we are not currently adopting again. Blessings to you all~

We are Spartan fans in our family, so as I type this we are cheering for Michigan State as they play U CONN in the NCAA Final Four. A few years ago, when the Spartans were in March Madness, we were huddled around the television cheering for State when our oldest, Grace, made a funny comment. Grace was probably about 3 years old. Kelly had on a baseball cap with "Sparty" on it. Sparty is pictured here to the right. During this time we were watching bible videos about the death, crucifiction, and Resurrection of Jesus. Grace knew who are the players were, Mary, Peter, Pontius Pilate, etc.

Grace was studying Daddy's hat and said "Who is that?"

Daddy replied "That's Sparty, the Michigan State mascot."

Grace then stated in shock and horror "He killed Jesus!"

If he was in red he sure would look like the classic image in most bible depictions of a Centurion. Grace was truly shocked we would cheer for a team that had any connection to the people who killed Jesus. We explained it to her, but I don't know that she ever believed us.


Go SPARTANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, beat U CONN~ Blessings to you all~ Crystal

I am really enjoying the I Heart Faces blog and photo contests. This weeks submission needed to be a "creative crop". I have both an adult entry and a child this week. I had so much fun doing this. It was so much fun!!!!!!!

For the Adult entry is a picture of my sister, Heather. We went to a Tea room together and we got to wear big pretty hats. This is the photo before I did anything to it.

This is her photo after. This is using Photoshop Elements 5.0. I thought the antique frame and sepia coloring made the photo that much more special.

This is a random photo of my children playing at a park in our hometown. I snap MANY photos as you never know when you will capture the sweetest expression. Children are constantly moving and changing. Sometimes it is a surprise to me when I load the photos onto my laptop to see the faces I captured. Here is the photo before.

I love my daughter's face in the lower left hand corner of the original shot. She is excitedly playing with her baby brother who is sitting up on some playground equipment. She has a look of mischief in her eyes : ) If you want to see the Week 9 creatively cropped faces go to I Heart Faces. Enjoy! Crystal

Hello All! I am so glad it is March, I am prepared for the Lion but really praying for the lamb to arrive quickly. We have felt pretty cooped up recently with illness sweeping through the house. Add in sub-freezing temperatures to our condition and we all need some time outside of the house (preferably in warm weather). We have been organizing our basement like crazy. It needed it so bad!! It is amazing the things you hoard after years of collecting. We are making a clean sweep and getting rid of many things we don't need anymore.

Luke turned four on us on the 23rd! I have told him he can have NO more birthdays as he is getting to old, but he does not agree with me. He is growing into a sweet little man. He is truly a big helper to me daily. I would have it much harder with the two "twins" without my helper boy. He is always there for me to grab baby wipes, set the table for a meal or play with the "babies". He had a Batman party for his birthday and he got a Spider man scooter. He has loved riding it in circles in the basement. The girls are constantly asking him to use it, so it looks like we will be searching garage sales this spring for scooters for the big girls as well.

Grace and Faith are both in Girl Scouts this year. They are "Daisies" and have really enjoyed it!! They just had a pinning ceremony a few weeks ago. They are best friends and are enjoying learning about composting and helping others. Currently they are both selling cookies, YUM! If you need any Do-Si-Dos, Thin Mints or Samoas give us a call : ) The rest of the pictures are from a morning recently. The days go quick, don't they? We truly thank God for the five kids he is allowing us to raise!! We have had a blessed winter. God has protected us from illness for most of the winter. Hope's photo at the end of this post expressed my frustration last week when we tested positive for strep throat. WAH!!! I try to focus on the positive and not be a "cry baby", but please God don't let spring be far away!!!!

Timmy's photo for his citizenship application sent into USCIS. He is now official as far as Michigan is concerned!! He is officially Timothy Briden, YAHOO!!! Now we wait for Detroit to get their job done. They have six months to get the job done. Please pray for it to move quickly, Thanks!

WAH!!!!!!