Date with kiddos

Last month the girls mentioned to me that they wanted to have a special day with their Nana to Wichita. 

Yesterday we made it happen!

First a stop for my husband to pick up some grout color at Star Lumber.  

But after that, it was all about having fun with them!

I let them each pick out one outfit.  Sophia wanted a Dollie and Me outfit.

Hannah's favorite store is Justice and she looked and looked.

 She is a terrible "decider" just like her mommy, and like me too!  But eventually she picked out the shirt she is wearing below.  (sorry - fuzzy pictures.  My phone camera is not the best and my other camera still in the shop)

We HAVE  to stop at Target!  In fact, the girls made a list of every place they wanted to stop.

Sophia got to choose the place we would eat lunch and she chose the Pizza Hut inside Target.  She loves that place!

As we were leaving Target (wearing new sweaters we bought since they were cold - and this is July in Kansas??) we ran into Mommy!!  What a fun surprise!  She and Adam had also come to Wichita.  (Claire was at our home with a babysitter.)  Jill was shopping and Adam was at his "study" (Starbucks) preparing his sermon.  The girls wanted to go see their Daddy so we surprised him and interrupted his study time for a little while.

Next on the list - going to the movies!

What a fun movie!

Mindy lives close by so we had to stop to see her and her kitty!!

The girls got Xander a cat toy that makes a chirpy sound.  He will love it!

It was supper time and Hannah got to choose where.

She wanted to go to On the Border.

It was beginning to rain by the time we left.  Jill called to tell us that  it had taken them 1 hour, instead of 30 minutes for them to get home due to the storm.  Water was running across the highway and they had to pull off the road several times.  There was a possibility that we would not be able to get the girls home due to flooding.

As we were driving to Newton, there was a downpour!  Had to slow way down!  After waiting half an hour, we decided we would try to get the girls home.  We would take another route using the pickup, but the highway patrol had closed off the road due to flooding.  We ended up going to McPherson and over, but so glad we were able to get the girls home!!

I love dates with my grand kids!

Action Packs

Every Christmas season I get so excited to support Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse.  

It is so fun to go to the store and pick out toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, crayons, and of course, TOYS for the little children.  I usually fill my boxes for children the same age as my grandchildren.

Wouldn't it be fun to be on the receiving end and watch the children open their shoeboxes?!?!

...........

Recently I found out about putting together an Action Pack through Voice of the Martyrs.  The Action Pack is a great way to get involved with the persecuted church and make a real difference in the lives of affected Christians!

When refugees arrive at a camp, they usually have only the clothes they are wearing.  Often they have fled their homes in haste.  So one of the ways that VOM assists them is through the gift of an Action Pack.  These packs are distributed in the camp.

So here in July, I went shopping and had so much fun getting the items that were listed for my Action Pack kit that I received in the mail.  I put those things in the bag from the list that was sent to me (blanket, towel, flip-flops, light sweaters, t-shirts, colored pencils, pens, writing tablets) and I have mailed it out!  They will include a Gospel story book or Bible in their language.  Praying that it will bless someone in the Sudan!

If you want to join me in blessing these persecuted Christians in these countries, you can click on the above link for Voice of the Martyrs and they will send you an Action Pack to get started!

 "Whoever wishes to meet Jesus must meet Him in places where brothers and sisters of Jesus are hungry, thirsty, naked, unwanted, sick or in prison.  Whoever keeps himself distant from these places remains distant from Jesus."  VOM founder Richard Wurmbrand (1909-2001)

County fair, part 2

After the parade, we headed over to the fair grounds.

Our church was doing face painting.

There were free snow cones.

And free watermelon

Ella showed her goats.

Ella's mom

and her brothers

 What a fun evening at the fair!

 Wheeeeee!

A county fair

The Parade

Marion County was founded in 1855.  The town of Hillsboro had a parade to begin the celebration of the county fair.

Hillsboro was named after John Gillespie Hill, who homesteaded in the area in 1871. Originally the city was named Hill City but since another city in Kansas already bore that name, it was changed to Hillsboro in 1879.

The Hillsboro area was settled by Russian Mennonites (some of my relation) beginning in 1874. These settlers brought with them Turkey Red Hard winter wheat. Today, the Mennonite Settlement Museum remains to demonstrate the lives of these early settlers.

Adam's sister and parents came to their first rural Kansas parade.  These next 2 photos are from Stacy.
She wrote on her facebook:
 "You know you are at a parade in the middle of no where Kansas when these are the floats."

The kids loved picking up candy that were thrown from the floats.




Friend, Ella, riding on the 4-H float.

Hannah and Sophia were so excited to become part of the action!  When the church "float" joined the parade, several church members walked alongside and passed out cold water bottles.

They passed out around 1,000 bottles!  Refreshing!  And of course as refreshing as cold water is, how much more it is our hope that those who do not know Christ would come to know the Living Water!

Maybe a chiropractor float?

 

* * *

This past Sunday our pastor spoke about a parade.  He mentioned that in the Biblical times, when the military was victorious after a battle, they would go back to their city and have a parade showing all the spoils of war, including the prisoners.  They would burn incense as they walked along.  To the victors, it was a wonderful aroma, but to the captured, it was the smell of death.

2 Corinthians 2:14

New International Version (NIV)

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Grandkids

When we were in Israel, I inadvertently got sand in my camera.  What can I post when my camera is in the shop?

Grand kids of course!  I went back through my old photos and found these to post!

* * * * * * *

Claire loves to watch birdies on the porch.  She calls them "zzeeez"  (like the end of the word "birdies")

 She loves babies and has one in her hand most of the time.

She loves to wrestle with Papa.

And of course the older girls do too!

And here are our Arkansas grand kids wrestling with Papa.

Claire is walking all over and climbing on everything!

Love my sweet babies and their Papa too!!  Incidentally, we just celebrated 38 years!  I love growing old with him!