All of July 2016

July 4th - A Simple Day of Independence

We started off the day by watching the boat parade on Lake Steilacoom from our dock. The boats were all decorated and they all threw candy wrapped in plastic because most of them fell in the water. Then we participated in the Steilacoom parade as our own Heely group. We dressed up, decorated ourselves, a wagon, the bike trailer and the 4-wheeler and joined the parade after all of the kids on bikes. We waved and threw candy and watched Eben and Kivi do Heely tricks and Berg almost crash into everyone. Later Kivi, Jasper and Eben kayaked over to the Wells in the lagoon and hung out with friends. We watched fireworks from our house and then drove the boat slowly around the lake to see the rest as we picked up the kids.

July 5th - 7th - My cousin, Kenzie, and her kids came and stayed with us! We had fun on the lake, tubing, hot tubbing, roasting s'mores and also went to Seattle for Lars' 13th birthday. We made him a scavenger hunt and he had to do 13 different things around Pike Place Market. We ended the day at a great playground in Seattle.

July 8th - 10th - We hosted 3 boys from the Ugandan Kids Choir while they were on tour. It was a different experience than when we hosted the Watoto choir kids the year before. This choir was much younger and their leaders lacked some involvement. But the boys were sweet.

July 9th - Brothers - All the boys cuddling one morning.

July 10th - Poppie and Nonnie came for their 2 week rotating stay (with a shirt for them to draw a road on so they could drive cars on his back).

July 11th - Lunch by Eben

July 11th - 15th - VBS at LC3. This year we picked up kids from the Arrowhead Apts. and brought kids with us!

July 14th - Happy Birthday Kivi! (We will celebrate later.) She got a cake from the Schocks and a fun day with them.

July 14th - Tuffy drives the police car!

July 16th - Baby Coal's photo shoot for the Baby Wall! This isn't the one we used but it's so cute!

July 18th - 23rd - Kookie and Buggy come up for a visit to look around and get a place to live up here!! And of course go skiing!

July 19th - Eben and Opal try out Poppie's new boom invention for wake boarding.

July 20th - Poppie has little ice cream helpers as he makes the antique ice cream maker that Nonnie and I picked up from Goodwill Outlet work. We have a homemade ice cream party with toppings!

July 20th - 22nd - Eben and Jasper go to Computer Clubhouse Camp #2

July 27th - 29th - Eben's first job!! Eben was asked by Mr. Kurt to teach the Computer Clubhouse Camp!! He got paid  a $50 amazon card!

July 27th - We host the Middle School Lake Day Party. 

We asked the Myhrbergs to come over too, so we got some cute Coal and Esther pics.

July 29th - We host the High School Lake Day Party.

June (The WHOLE thing)

June 1st - Pella's First Haircut!
I really didn't want to cut her hair! She still had the cute little baby curls on the end, but she insisted and I gave in. I guess 4 years is a long time to go without ever having a haircut.


Babies in Tuffy's Bed
 I made Tuff's bed out of the boy's room closet and a free crib front that I found on the road. Coal sleeps in a bassinet in our room, but Tuff loves him to lay with him for a little while before he goes to bed.

June 3rd - We found a baby bunny in the middle of the road!
Dada said we could keep him until he died, not knowing if he'd been hit and thinking he'd last a day or so. He lived in a little box for a couple of days, then in our kitchen for a month and now (yes, he's still alive!) he's taken over our master bathroom. He didn't die, yet. He's the sweetest little bunny ever!


June 4th - Playing in the sprinklers (not swimming in the lake) and hosting a Cast Party for the kids' musical.


June 5th - Dada cooks up breakfast!

The day before Dada realized that our BBQ doesn't work and we have a ton of kids coming over for the cast party, so he has to go buy one, but he comes home with the most amazing griddle and got it at a great price because the store was crazy busy, he was patient and he helped out the guy in charge of the BBQ section in the parking lot before he even got in the store and Dada's kindness was rewarded. Yay, Dada! Now we get super yummy pancakes, eggs and bacon in the summer mornings and it makes great dogs and burgers, too!


June 8th - The Ouries come over and cook us up a wonderful Benny Hanna style dinner on Dada's griddle. Everyone loves this thing!


June 9th - Dada takes us to Kobiashi Park in University Place.

I'd never been here before and it's right in our backyard! We end up going many more time this summer. The kids love the gentle creek, building dams, the path and the fun rope ladder to climb at the end and crossing log bridges.


June 11th - Kivi graduates into 6th grade at church!
Even though she's basically been in 6th grade the whole year, (she'd been doing 6th grade work and we'd let her go to youth events with Eben) she was technically still a 5th grader so now it's official. The church gives them a bible and a blessing and welcomes them to sit with their parents in service.


June 12th - We Host the Serve Team and Families Party

June 13th - Sweet Siblings

Eben and Berg Weird Cuteness


Baby Love


June 15th - We Host the Small Group Leaders Party


June 17th - Morning Devotions in the Living Room


June 18th - Happy Coal

This little man has got to be one of the happiest babies ever. He rarely complains and is smiley all the time.


June 19th - Happy Father's Day!

The kids spent the last week making a super cute video for Dada and cards that they brought him in bed.






June 20th - Eben and Kivi win an Essay Contest!
Eben and Kivi both decided to enter a writing contest for the city of Lakewood on their own. There was a special city hall meeting to honor them and reward them with a pizza party, a golden Lakewood coin a book with their essays in them, a certificate and a gift card!


June 21st - LC3 Church Directory Photo
I don't know when we took the photo, but this is that day that we got it! Whoo Hoo! We went Frieda Kahlo style. We wanted people to have to do a double take. I love Pella's pout. The best comment when Peter put this on Facebook was, "This family is usually so happy." Love it!


June 22nd - Little People Fun Summer Time/Eben, Kivi and Jasper go to Computer Clubhouse Camp

Pella and Berg paint pudding frescos while Tuffy had water bin day, we had a Bubble Party and Coal bonds with Mr. Flufferman.






June 26th - Coal Lyon's Baby Dedication

Coal's Life Verse: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

Coal's Blessing: Coal, We ask God to draw you in and keep you in his protection. We pray that you cling tenaciously to Him from this day forward, through times of blessing and times of adversity. May you always turn to God as the source of all strength, all wisdom, all patience, all kindness and all love, and may you be a reflection of His qualities and a witness of God’s glory to all who you meet. We pray that you are a willing lifelong servant and a tool in the hands of the Master, to be used as He sees fit to lead others to know the grace and forgiveness only Christ can bring.




June 26th - July 2nd - Eben, Kivi and Jasper go to Black Lake Bible Camp!


June 27th - 30th - Opal and Berg go to Drama Camp at Rainier View

They both had a solo and loved learning the songs that they performed in a musical on the 30th.

May I? Yes, You MAY.

May18th - Awana Awards Night!

Eben - Serve Team!

Kivi - Serve Team, Milestone 1 for Trek and Meritorious Award 

Jasper - Alpha Award for Truth & Training

Opal - Sparky Award

Berg - Sparky Book 1 Award

Pella - Cubbies Award

Dada - Best T&T Director ever!

May 21st - Eben and Jasper's Maker Fair at Pierce College

Eben's RPG Game that he made.
Kids used a giant controller that he made with a Makey Makey to play it.

Eben's Giant Breadboard

Jasper and Eben's Giant Android Chip

May 22nd - Kidz Under Construction Musical

This year Mama directed the LC3 kids' musical and Marlee choreographed the dances. All the kids' hard work came together in one, super cute, energetic night on the church stage. Props to Dada for doing all the props.

Kivi had been waiting for years for her turn in the spotlight. And this being her final year of Promiseland, she got the main role of Monica, a snotty news reporter who has a change of heart and accepts Christ.

Jasper played Woody, had a duet and danced in the boy dance. 

Opal was on Piper's Team, had a solo, and danced in the girls' dance.

Berg was on Woody's Team, had lipsync part and danced in the boys' dance.

The sand castle song was probably my favorite.  But the stomp was pretty great, too!

At the end, Kivi sang in the microphone while everyone danced and sang the final song, "Praise Him".

May 23 - Lake Steilacoom Kayaking Flower Tour by Dada

May 25th - Jesus Saves Dirty Boys, Too!

May 26th - 30th  - Dada's Lodge Boy Reunion in Santa Barbara (of which he took no pictures)

May 30th - Hold the Coal