It's been a little while since I posted, so I will try to bring everything up to date. All the kids are doing really well in school, Braeden has tested into gifted classes for reading and math, and Channy has tested gifted for reading. Alec is loving his new school, I think mostly because it is an accelerated school and he gets every Friday off :). He is taking fine arts and percussion this year, and is taking private saxophone lessons from a friend of the family. I have been working as a kindergarten aide for the last two weeks, but I will start today as a one on one for a special needs boy in Kindergarten. I am really excited, as being a one on one aide was what I had hoped for and am certified to do. Nathan has been working hard to get the new campus of our church set up (there will be two campuses instead of one), and will be taking a much needed break in October to go deer hunting. We will have some new pictures of the family up this week, we just need to get them on the computer!

Our Faithful God

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses[a] to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

We believe that God is calling us to obedience and faith in these verses. So in faith, we took Channy in last night before our elders and two of our pastors to have her prayed for and annointed with oil (a symbol of the Holy Spirit). We were blessed to have Nathans supervisor Cliff show up just at the right time to be able to stay and be with us as they prayed for Channy and her healing. It was awesome to see our church leaders come around our little girl and show her such love and care. We just know that the Lord is going to use Channy in a powerful way to bring Himself glory.

Endings and New Beginnings

We are (well some of us) looking forward to the start of the new school year tomorrow. Alec will be starting at his new school where in addition to regular studies, he will have his main focus in music and the visual arts. He is nervous but excited, and is looking forward to furthering himself on the saxophone while adding percussion to the mix. We are so excited about this new school, and to see where his love of music takes him. Braeden will be starting 5th grade this year, and he is still undecided about what sport or activity he will be getting into. We are thinking maybe basketball, or possibly another run (no pun intended) at cross country. Chantelle will be in 3rd grade, and she is excited to see all her friends again and catch up on what happened over the summer! She is still active in Girl Scouts, and hoping that she will be able to join the girls basketball team this year. I will be starting my new job tomorrow as a special ed aide at the school, and I am so glad to have the opportunity to work where my kids go to school.

The kids had a great "last day out" on Friday with Grandma Susan. She took them for dinner at Panda Express and then out to see Wall*E which Channy had been begging to see ever since it came out! They all had a wonderful time, and it was the perfect end to a good summer.

Lunch With Grandpa and Grandma!

Well, it is officially the last weekday of summer vacation. We were fortunate to be able to spend part of our day with some of our favorite people in the whole world....Grandma and Grandpa Roberts!!! We met up at Burger King for lunch, and then G&G took the kids for ice cream afterwards. It was a nice break in the day, as Channy and I had been hard at work school shopping all morning while the boys kicked back and relaxed at home :) It has been an almost weekly tradition to get together for lunch with Grandma and Grandma for the last 11 years (since Alec was born) and it is a treasured time for us. We are blessed to have them so involved in our lives!

A Visit To The Rock Museum

The kids all had a fun time this last Saturday, when Nathan's parents took them on a day trip to the Rock and Mineral Museum in Downtown Phoenix. Also with them was their cousin Devin who they hadn't seen in a while, so it was nice for them to reconnect. After their time at the museum, Grandpa and Grandma took the kids for ice cream at Dairy Queen where they loaded up on sugar to carry them through the rest of the day!