Hello All! I had to post a photo of my special Lupine that WAS growing so well in our front garden. I would peek at it each morning and could see the growth. It became a joy for me to look forward to. I have always wanted Lupine. Imagine my surprise when I awoke one morning and found it nearly destroyed. I ran outside pajamas and all, to examine "my baby". It appeared that the side was eaten away on one of the largest blooms. I think the culprit is a rabbit, possibly a dear. We commonly have both in our front yard during the early morning hours. This made me appreciate the pictures I had taken the day before that much more.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

~ Matthew 6:30

My lupine wasn't thrown into the fire, but some animals stomach. Do you think this verse still counts? I believe so : ) Blessings- Crystal

Hello All! I wanted to update the bathroom progress. Our friends Clayton and Kristie are updating our three bathrooms for us. They have done an AMAZING job!! Can you believe the first three photos on this post used to be the pink tile nightmare here.

Kristie did all the decorating and our master bath is now a beach cottage retreat. I even have candles, sand and shells. Oh, such luxury :) I LOVE IT!! The last couple pictures are of the half bath on the main level of our home. They updated that as well. It is so warm and fresh. That bath had carpet in it. Let's just say carpet in a bathroom is just plain wrong. Now it has nice, easy clean tile. Thanks Clayton and Kristie!!! More to come- Crystal

Hello All! We are recovering from a major case of Roto virus that ripped through our home. YUCK!
I didn't want to let Father's day pass without acknowledging three of the best Father's God ever made.

First, to Kelly, you are the Best Dad!!! You are always patient, kind, full of fun and adventure. You love God and teach your children this daily, you are my hero!!! I am so blessed to have you as the father of our children. You inspire me daily to be a better parent!!! I love you, Kel!!

Nextly, to my Dad, you are so special to me. I am so thankful to you for who you shaped me to become. Thanks for ALWAYS working hard for me and our family to provide for us. Thanks for all your love and humor throughout the years. You are loyal and reliable, I can always count on you for help or encouragement. You have become one of my best friends!!! We probably never thought that would be the case during my high school years : )

Lastly but not least, Dad Briden. I love this guy!!! As I do all the Daddy's I named. But, I became "his" later in life, so we have a special bond. He has always been a generous, loving and patient Father-in-law. He has even grocery shopped for me before, what a Dad! He can always make me laugh and I love that. You are the best, Ken, I love you!

Happy Father's Day to you all!!! I love you and thank God for each one of you. ~ Crystal

Hello All! I hope you are all doing great and enjoying summer as much as we are. Luke and Faith were having fun last week while eating an Icee popsicle. We are huge fans of the "BEE Movie". We have all enjoyed the humor in it. It is funny for kids and adults. In the video clip Luke and Faith share their favorite line in the movie. The character's voice is Chris Rock and he plays a Mosquito. He meets up with Barry the Bee (Jerry Seinfeld) on a truck windshield as the humans are spraying on wiper fluid and the wipers are flinging off the bugs and says " Stick yer head out the winda, How much do you people have to see anyway?" If you haven't seen this one you should!!! If you have you may appreciate the humor. If nothing else I thought I would share some video of our two sweet middle kids.

Grandma and Granddad Briden send us cute gifts periodically. They are two of the BEST grandparents God ever made. This week we received a gift of marshmallow candy ants in an ant farm looking package. The coolest part of the gift is we just started our own real ant farm and Grandma and Granddad did not know how appropriate this gift would be. So the kids were able to munch on the marshmallow ants while watching our new pets tunneling away. Summer is definitely here. We LOVE bugs!!! Have a great night and don't let the bed bugs bite : )

Hello All! Here is our sweet Hope enjoying life. She loves her "Bumper jumper". She bounces in that while Mommy prepares any meal. You can say to her to "jump, Hopey" and she will comply. It is so amazing to me how babies understand language before they can speak. The next video was taken this evening. She had grabbed my cheek quite hard while I was holding her on my lap and I said"Ouch". She thought that was just THE funniest word. I love how babies, at times, can seem frightened of their own laughter : ) Enjoy and God Bless- Crystal

Hello All! I am excited to share that our close friends, Clayton and Kristie have taken on the enormous task of updating our bathrooms. I am thrilled!!! They are awesome and so good at it. Clayton is tiling our master bath as I type this and Kristie is off shopping for more things that are needed to pull it altogether. Our master bath has the laundry room right next to it, so it is a master/laundry combination. Clayton and Kristie fix and flip homes, so they have much expertise in this arena. Kristie is also a wonderful interior designer!! I have attached photos of the "Before". They are currently working on our master bath and laundry room which are combined. The PINK tiles are gone : ) I will continue to update the progress as time goes on. Thanks Clayton and Kristie, you are the best!!!!! Have a great weekend!!! Crystal

Hello All! Sorry it has been awhile sine I last posted. Frankly life is just busier now that we are outside more often. We are also having our three bathrooms renovated real soon and I have been cleaning out bathroom junk so old tile can be ripped away soon : ) I will post photos of the transformation soon. This week Grace had a field trip to a local family farm. She was excited to share her Daddy with her kindergarten class as he attended the fun outing as well. It is hard to believe she is our first little baby girl. She and Daddy have ALWAYS been close. She takes after him in many ways. She is patient, loving and kind, so is Kelly!!!! The field trip went great, they brought home a marigold and some homemade doughnuts, YUMMY!! But most importantly they had some fun time bonding father/daughter like. They threw rocks into a pond, jumped off large hay bails, and dug for huge earthworms. I love these two so much and I am so glad God gave Kelly and I, Miss Grace. I am also so glad she loves and adores her Daddy. He was smitten with her the first time he held her, after delivering and suctioning her that is : ) I was thankful after he caught her to get a chance to hold her. I thought he would never give her to me. She will always be Daddy's little girl and her Mommy's world. Have a great weekend!~~~ Crystal

Hello All! This past weekend was a weekend of fun celebrations for our family. My dad, Grandpa B, retired in April. In celebration of this momentous occasion, we all met in Traverse City (Yes, my favorite Place). My dad, his wife, Brenda, and all my siblings were together again. It was a great time!!! My siblings and I had not all been together for over a year. That made it a special treat!! My dad's wife, Brenda, came up with the idea and we are sure glad she thought of this as a way to celebrate. We took my dad to his favorite restaurant in the T.C. area, Boone's Long Lake Inn.
The Prime Rib at Boone's melts in your mouth!!!! Happy Retirement to you, Grandpa B!! We love you and I thank God that he gave me you as my Dad! Thanks for always providing and working hard for our family. So here are some pictures we took while in T.C. of the family. The Briden Bunch, Grandpa B with his Grand kids, My dad and his four kids, And the whole family. From left to right starting at the back- Rick, Jeff, Luke, Kelly, Crystal, Heather, Brenda, Dad. Next row, Kristin, Matthew, Joshua, Hope. And the front row Grace and Faith. We love you all and we really enjoyed our time celebrating with you!!!!! All our Love and hugs- Crystal for the Bunch

Hello All! Today Luke and I went to the beach while Faith was in Pre-school. Faith has only a day of pre-school left. I am sure all of us will be at the beach more and more frequently after summer vacation has officially begun. I took this pictures of Luke sliding down one of his favorite slides. He is such a cutie!!! This is our bonding time, Luke and I, we check out the "big" beach near us almost daily. Today the work crews are putting the finishing touches on one of our main beaches. It is amazing the amount of work to prepare the beach for the crowds. They move large loads of sand here and there. Luke loves to watch all the heavy equipment. Dump trucks and boys just go together, huh? Kel always says he would love to be a heavy equipment operator, like father-like son. Today I am praying for the unofficial start of summer, this weekend, Memorial day. Last year we were on the beach and even swimming it was so nice. God willing we will enjoy that this year as well. God Bless you all!! Love, Crystal

Hello All! Here is the photo of Faith moments after birth, 9-26-03. I have seen this exclamation often since birth. You gotta LOVE FAITH : ) She is a firecracker and also natural encourager. She has taught me to have FAITH. God Bless your day!! Crystal

Hello All! I hope you are all enjoying spring as much as we are. We have spent so much time outside lately that I have almost forgotten the long, cold days of winter. As I reflect on Mother's Day this weekend I am humbled by the fact that I have all I have ever wanted and prayed for, a loving and gracious husband, four great kids and miles of sandy beach behind my house. I am honored to be a " Mommy" and I thank God for each child he has placed in my care. But, I have those days. Days when I think I am failing them, days when I question how we are raising our kids and what we need to change, and days when out of discouragement I feel like I am the only mother who lashes out in anger and impatience. Today I had my DEAR friend Cathy to share with and I thank God for her encouragement and the lovely bouquet of tulips she cut from her garden for me. As Christians we are made for community with fellow Christians. Community with other Christians gives us encouragement, accountability, love and connection on a deeper level. I thank God for Cathy and her family. Our lives are similar in many ways. She is just such a blessing to me! Today she was a true friend to me and for that connection I thank God!! Cathy, thank you for your love and the beautiful tulips. You have touched my heart and lifted my spirit. We stay at home mother's need this connection as at times you can feel so isolated. I thank God I have this connection and closeness with Cathy. Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there in blogger land, and especially Cathy : ) You are a God send and a GREAT MOMMY : ) Please enjoy all the pictures of my four cuties, they in all their splendor are my pride and joy. The picture of Faith is destined to be a classic. I have a photo of her taken minutes after birth with the same expression. Can't you just feel her pain : ) So please take a minute and peek at the fruits of my labor, my kids. Love, Crystal

Hello All! My baby brother Jeff turned 26 on Sunday the 4th. I can't believe it, it seems like only yesterday I was able to hold him and change his diapers. I was almost seven years old when he was born. I thought he was the cutest baby I had ever seen. These pictures were taken last week while Jeff visited us after driving home from Washington state. Jeff served in the U.S. Navy and was discharged a few weeks back. We are so proud of him and so glad to have him home. He is now ready to start his life back in Michigan. We missed you Uncle Jig (Jig is his family nickname), you are so special to us and we thank God for making you!!!! All these photos were taken on my new camera the Nikon D40. I will post more on my coffee break here, soon.

Happy Birthday Uncle Jeff and welcome back to summer in Michigan : ) Love your Big Sis-XXXXXOOOOO

Hello All! I am back, sorry it has been awhile. I was away for the weekend with my sister, Heather and Hope (she is still pretty much attached to her Mommy). We went up to my favorite place, Traverse City, for a Mommy's away weekend. We participated in a wine tasting event put on by the Leelanau Peninsula Vintner's Association. Heather and I just really enjoy driving around Leelanau County looking at the inland lakes and beautiful rolling hills filled with Cherry trees. Our hotel room was on the East arm of the Grand Traverse Bay. Both mornings we watched the sunrise. God's creation is so good!!! "Aunt" Heather, Hope and I had some relaxation and much girl talk time. I am so thankful to Kelly for this time away, you are the best Kel!!!!!! While I was gone the "Big Guy" took the oldest kids to The Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan.

I am also excited to share with you that I have bought my new camera, a Nikon D40. I LOVE it!!!! I am excited to share some of my recent photos with you all. I will post them soon. Enjoy your spring!! Don't forget to smell the Cherry trees and take time to look about you at God's creation. Love, Crystal

Hello All! This weekend we had a special visitor. Kelly's cousin Mike. He is a Major in the Air Force stationed in Germany. He had to come to U.S. for work and was going to be flying through Chicago. He made a special trip to spend time with us and we of course were thrilled!! We wish he could have brought his wife, Holly and son, Tyler. Maybe some day we will meet up with them in Europe, that would sure be fun. Imagine the Briden Bunch's European Vacation, what fun!!!! Cousin Mike or Cousin Uncle Mike as the kids called him at times was welcomed into the Briden home like any friend or family member by WRESTLING. Our kids love to wrestle their Dad, Grandpa B, Granddad Briden, Aunt Heather, Uncle Rick, Aunt Kristin, Uncle Kirk, Uncle Jeff and now Cousin Uncle Mike has been added to the Briden club of fun Wrestlers. Thanks for coming to visit us Mike we pray you, Holly and Tyler are protected by God while serving our country abroad. Thank you for your service to our country!!! Thank you also for driving all the way to and from Chicago to our neck of the woods. Maybe next time we can visit yours?!

Enjoy the pictures everyone was in on the action. Even Hope sat in her bouncer seat watching all the action and kicking her legs wildly. Soon, Hope, soon you will be down on the floor taking your daddy down : )

Hello All! I am excited to say I submitted a photo to Michigan in Pictures~Photo Blog. I love this blog and all the beautiful pictures of our home state. I told Kelly when I submitted it last night " If they put it on the blog, I am so going to buy the Nikon D40 I have been wanting!" My husband is very frugal and financially wise. He grunted " O.K. " I think he underestimates my ability or at least my subtle manipulation, HA! HA! Click here to see the photo. Have a good day!!!

Hello All! This will be short and sweet as I have little time to type this morning. Our weather has been GREAT!! We have spent so much time at the beach lately. We have had a picnic dinner, hunted for beach treasures and thrown endless rocks and sticks into Lake Michigan. We can't get enough of our time at the beach. The kids were fascinated by the dead duck and fish so I captured them for posterity. I have beach video coming soon : ) God Bless you today!!!