team courage

so this year was the first year that we decided to have the boys play soccer on the epping team. the last 4 years they have played at calvary. i must say that leaving the house at 8:45 and driving 2 miles beats leaving at 7:30 and driving 20 miles!! we didn't register in time to get riley on a team in his own age group. (the U-6) but they decided to put him on the same team as aj (U-8). we weren't sure how he would do, but he did great, and scored his very first goal!!! it was so sweet after ry scored, aj ran over and gave him a huge hug! they are such great brothers to each other, and i love watching them together! aj scored 5!! (i have to admit, we are kind of used to that now!!)also, aj will be trying out for the seacoast united junior soccer team in a couple of weeks. he's just like his daddy!! they won 11-1, and we were very proud parents! not only are we proud of how athletic they are, but also so proud of their attitudes, and their very good examples to everyone. parents have already noticed a difference. it's amazing what God does in a life!! here are a few pics of their first game.

9th annual labor day picnic at dover point

this was the 9th year in a row that we have all gone to dover point and had a picnic on labor day. each year is a little different, as far as who comes, but we always have a great time. last year ronnie and bobbi were there, but the curriers weren't. this year, ronnie and bobbi weren't but the currier's were! and this year, my grandmother on my dad's side was there, and my grandfather and his wife on my mom's side were there too! grammy treated us all with boston market!!! wow - i like this new tradition!! it made it so nice for all of us wives who usually have to pack all the food, prepare the fireplaces and grill! it was another beautiful day, and the boys had a great time playing football together, and the girls looked at old pictures and just talked. another great year. the only thing missing...ronnie and bobbi :( maybe next year!!

apple picking

i love the fall...everything about it! i love the cool, crisp weather, the apple picking, apple pies and apple crisp, football, sweatshirt weather and deerfield fair. fall is the best! mel and chad were up for the weekend, so my parents, and them with the four of us all went apple picking saturday. it was a beautiful, sunny day, and we had a great time! of course, my dad had to do a little juggling demonstration while we were there!

liquid planet

so my good friend michelle worked at liquid planet this summer (the new waterpark in candia) and she got free tickets for me! we took the boys there this afternoon after church for a few hours, and they absolutely LOVED it!! they had such a great time, and it was so fun to watch them play together. aj loved the waterslide, and riley loved being "michael phelps" and swimming back and forth across the pool! i love how God provides these unexpected treats for us! thank you God and thank you michelle!!!

my baby lost his first tooth!

i can not believe my boys are so big! it is totally crazy. a couple of weeks ago, i was brushing riley's teeth before bed, and he said..."be careful, my tooth hurts" i was like, oh great. don't tell me he has a cavity! i looked down, and his front, bottom tooth was WICKED wiggly!! i didn't even know it was loose. well, if anyone knows me at all, they know i HATE loose teeth!! my dad has pulled all 4 of aj's teeth out, and i just didn't think it would be right to break tradition now! :)
wednesday morning, at alton bay, ry asked grampops to feel his tooth (for the millioneth time!) and this time he felt it all right! he yanked it out, and it really took riley by surprise, but he was a trooper and was sooo excited!! mel was right there to get tons of pictures (which you can see on her facebook) here's ry with one tooth missing. imagine his little lisp now!! he is so cute :)

Baby Leah

so wednesday morning, i left the cottage at alton bay, and took a little walk by myself so i could find some phone service! i called erika, to see how things were going, because i knew the time was close for leah to be born! she was at the hospital!! me and mel decided it would be fun to just go...erika tends to have pretty quick deliveries (side note, if anyone wants to hear some fun labor stories, i would be happy to tell you, just won't publish them :)) anyways...we left at around 10:15, and got to the hospital at around 11:25. we didn't really know where she would be at that point, and after having two 90 year old men literally take us to her floor...like, literally walked onto the elevator, and escorted us. weird. anyways...we then talked to the receptionist on the labor and delivery floor, and she said (rudely, i might add) "this would not be a good time for you to see her" we said, well we're her sisters. she said. and i quote. "ok. what are your names?" WHATTTTTTTTTTT???? what are your names??? you have GOT to be joking. anyways...matt walked down the hall at just that moment, and said "she just had the baby" it was so cool!!! so we got to see her - and erika looked amazing! she looked tired, but you would not have known she just delivered a baby with no drugs - GEEZ!! then me and mel went down to the caf and had a salad together - which was so nice, because we don't really get to spend a lot of alone sister time together. and then we went back to the room and saw leah again and held her. little Leah Grace. 6lb 13oz. beautiful. the next saturday we took the boys to the curriers house, and they got to hold her too...it was soo sweet to see how they held her! they love their cousins!

I love Alton Bay

i love alton bay!! ever since i was 6 months old, my family has been spending at least one week at the alton bay christian conference center. we have stayed in about 13 different cottages there! i love it so much, because it is really quiet, peaceful and...safe. i love that adam loves it too, and it's actually kind of part of his "childhood" memories too, because he has been spending time there with me and my family since we were about 16! my sister melanie stayed with us the whole week, and her husband chad came up on thursday. my parents and grandmother were there also. we had a really great time. the weather was GREAT, and on tuesday when it was a little cloudy, me and adam took the boys to funspot. they loved it!! it was an all around amazing week. the boys loved being with "aiyah" as they call my sister, and she is an amazing auntie to them. she is always playing games with them, and doing whatever they want. they love her so much, and i always tell her she is a better mother than i am! :) the last night before we left, we put the kids to bed, and then me and adam just walked around the campground. it was perfect weather (sweatshirt weather) and we had a really great time talking and remembering all the great times we have had at the bay! looking forward to going again next summer!!

aj

a little more on haiti

ok, so i guess it's been kind of a long week. not that it's been bad...just long.
it is hard to explain, but it's so strange to come back from a totally different culture, and try to sort out in your mind everything that you just experienced, while trying to move on with life!! we got back late tuesday night, and had praise team and yags on wednesday! the first night we were in haiti, we stayed at the baptist haiti mission. we got to meet the founders, and it was incredibly inspirational to talk to them. that next morning, aj woke up and said "mommy, there is a really huge bug under my pillow" ya. it was a huge cock roach! ughhhh!!! i killed it and it made a really loud crunchy noise!
we travelled the whole time in a suv, that the four of us (adam, me, aj and ry) sat in the way back! it was tight, and the roads were UNBELIEVABLE. if you can call them "roads". the trip that was supposed to take 7 hours took 12, and let me tell you...that was a very long day!! the boys did great, and each time we stopped we would hand out tracts to everyone! they immediately would start reading them! it was amazing to see. wednesday-monday we stayed in cap haitien at a hotel. the first night i went over to the window and saw something moving on the wall. ya, it was a gecko. go ahead...insert your car insurance joke here - everyone else already has!! haha! i had the teen boys come and catch it and throw it out the window!
we spent time in the market place handing out tracts to THOUSANDS of people. the people were so hungry for it! on the back of the tract was a place they could fill out their names if they had received Christ. we got a huge stack of them back!! it was amazing. we arrived back in the states on tuesday with no problems getting through customs at all. there were a few scares along the way, but it was incredible how much we felt God with us. we KNEW people were praying for us...we could literally feel the prayers. if that makes sense. i could write all night about it, but i will spare you all. thank you for everyone who supported us financially (some of you in an extremely sacrificial and generous way) and prayerfully. i just love serving God. i love taking my boys to see what God is doing all over the world that gives us such a reminder of how HUGE God is.

we're back from haiti!

wow it is good to be back in the U.S!!!!! we had an amazing time on our trip, and we are so grateful for everyone who prayed for us while we were away. we could so obviously feel your prayers. i mean that. there is so much to say, but i am tired tonight...we got back at about midnight last night, and had to deal with 2 sick little boys today, and lots of laundry!! so i will post more later, but just wanted to say thanks for your prayers!!! here are just a few pictures of us handing out tracts and just a little of what haiti looks like. i have a million pictures, but i will share more later!!

riley got baptized!

it's getting late and i am getting up bright and early to go on our mission trip to haiti! today was a very full day in every way, but the highlight was riley getting baptized! he was SOOO excited about it! he kept asking me all morning to pray for him. so i would stop right there and pray every time. we went into the study to get him dressed, and his face lit up and he said "i can't believe thith!" (those of you who really know him can appreciate the "thith" part. it is just so cute!) anyways, he was the sweetest little thing ever, and i feel so incredibly overwhelmed with amazement at where God has brought me and our family. i just feel...full. i have a husband who is an incredible man of vision, and wants to serve the Lord entirely. i have 2 beautiful boys who have both been saved and baptized. does life get any better? you can check out his precious little baptism at www.eppingbible.org
it should be up in the next day or two!
i will be gone for the week, but i will fill everyone in on the details of the trip when i get back! please pray for safety, and for strength...especially for the boys. that they would stay healthy and safe. can't wait to see what God will do this week!! love to you all! xoxo