Church Today

On a recommendation from a friend and mostly becuase of the fantastic weather this weekend, we decided to go camping one last time before rainy cool weather. We had family church next to the lake this morning. I won't lie. The kids were exhausted after staying awake in the tent way too late, Mommy and Daddy didn't sleep well which probably made our tempers a little shorter than usual, all three boys were struggling to listen and obey which meant that our intentions of having family church seemed out of the question.

Elijah had gotten in major trouble; I admittedly almost totally lost it with him. Micah was nearly asleep eating lunch, and Isaiah was crying over every little thing, but our window of opportunity surfaced during picnic lunch, and Eric seized the moment. He told the story of Jesus calling the fishermen to him (since we'd been fishing), teaching them to fish anew and giving them a new purpose in life, to be fishers of men. Eric asked the boys, "How can we become fishers of men?" The obvious answer came out first, "Tell people about Jesus." We said yes, but what else? Elijah said, "Show them." We asked, "How can we show people Jesus?" What followed was a great little conversation where each boy (maybe with the exception of a VERY tired Micah) thought of ways that they could SHOW the love of Jesus. We talked about showing love at school, at home, with our family and to others. When we talked about prayer requests, Elijah requested that we pray for a kid at his school that he says is a bully. I don't think it's any coincidence that after talking about showing love to people, the person Elijah requests to pray for is a bully. Kids get it! We didn't even talk about loving your enemies.

We all connected today- better than we have in weeks. Even though I was more angry at Elijah today for a few moments than I can remember being maybe ever... the reconciliation was sweet and because of it, our relationship is better. Before bed tonight, he hugged me tight. Really tight. It was a hug that said, "I know you were mad at me today. I'm sorry and I understand and I'm so glad that you forgive me and I'll do better." I hugged him back- tightly, and I know we are in a good place.

Anyway, Cave Run Lake is beautiful and the place we camped was great too.. secluded little campsites and helpful, kind staff members-highly recommend it. The place is called Zilpo Recreation Area in Daniel Boone National Forest.

End of Semester Camping

Trying to start a fire again. It got rained out. Again.

Thanks for the tent Mom! We loved it!

We decided to go camping to celebrate the end of spring semester. We've had the spot reserved for a while at Natural Bridge State Park- beautiful! But unfortunately, it did rain most of the time we were there. Eric and I set up the tent in a pouring storm while the boys cheered for us from the back of the van- the back door open- Micah cheering "Seek Shelter!"

With the tent up, the rain stopped briefly enough to unload the van. The boys made beds and played in the tent while I made oatmeal and PB&J sandwiches for everyone for dinner- not the original plan but it worked. We tried for a fire that night, but everything was just too wet, so at 10:30 or so, we put the boys to bed.

Sleeping in? No. Normal 7:00-30 wake up time and the sun was out so we went for a hike after breakfast. The trail was right by our tent and it was short, so we hiked to a cave. Elijah was comfortable, confident and in his element. Micah chatted the whole time about everything he saw, where it came from, where it was going and why it was. Isaiah is more comfortable at a party with an audience than in the woods on a hike. He noticed every spider web and bug, and was quick to warn us all to steer clear.

The sun you see in the pictures was during one 3 hour window of time. The other 40 hours, it was either raining, wet or cold. Somehow though, the boys still had fun. They read comic books to each other, made up silly games and played outside. We played together as a family- games, stories, food cooked outside, and going to sleep together. Eric and I were patient with the kids, but definitely annoyed by the weather and lack of campfire. Elijah asked to roast marshmallows at least 54 times (which we finally were able to do) and no one had dry shoes by Sunday morning.

Ah the memories! Hopefully more sun next time.

So much to tell...

So little time.
I really need to be off to bed; it's late and we have a flight to catch in the morning. But, I had to post a run-down on our end of vacation activities before we leave this place and return to the routine of life.

Overall, it's been an amazing trip to New Brunswick. I got to know my boys, my mom and my brother better all over again. I reconnected with old friends and relatives and soaked up every ounce of beauty that this place has to offer. I said goodbye to my beloved Grammie and reminisced with my cousins, aunts and uncles. I missed my dearest like you wouldn't believe, and was overjoyed that he would make the long trip with our friend Tom to spend little more than 48 hours here. (Thanks a million times Fuersts for your willingness to make the long trek to NB on short notice.)

The boys have done amazingly well being shuffled around from church to grave site to reception to my aunt and uncle's house and back to Mom's tonight. We fly out in the morning and will actually arrive back in KY before Eric and Tom, but hopefully only by 6 hours or so.

Besides the funeral, which was a wonderful remembrance of a Grammie's life and faith, we've been busy soaking up NB sun.

* Uncle Garth took us out on a houseboat that he helped design. It was windy but we all still had a good time. He also let the boys shoot his paint ball gun. Oooooo Ahhhhh :)

* Yogi Bears Campground provided a full afternoon of waterslide fun. Elijah was tall enough to go down all by himself, so he had a blast.

* The slip and Slide in Grammie's back yard was entertainment as Micah and Elijah perfected their dive down the hill.

* An old riding lawn mower behind Grammie's shed was another fun diversion.

It's hard to say good-bye, especially when we know it will be such a long time before we visit again, but we've had a wonderful time and I've fallen in love with this place and with my extended family all over again.

I am so blessed to come from such a loving, accepting, God-honoring family.
Ya'll come on down to KY anytime! :)

Ugh, pictures won't upload tonight. I'll post some soon.

Canada Day!

There is just something about being with family. I have lots of friends that I've made from lots of different places. And some of those friends are as close as relatives, but very few. There is a kind of unconditional acceptance that goes along with being related. We celebrated Canada Day with my mom's side of the family.

Even though I barely know most of my 2nd cousins and my 1st cousins (those who were present- I missed you Dillan, Andy and Sarah) are significantly older, it is still a comfort to be among them. I know that I'm accepted and loved even though I have never done anything to deserve their kindness toward me.

I've not been there to babysit their kids or attend their graduations. I haven't given Christmas gifts or even attended any Christmas dinners in the last 12 years. I don't send cards, and I've never called any of them just to see how life is treating them. Yet, they are glad to see us, they welcome us and make a special effort to get to know us on the rare occasion that we do see them. No guilt trips about not visiting enough. No judgments. No criticism. No disapproval for moving so far away. Just kind words, hugs, pictures and laughter.

I listed to them talk about the father, husband, grandfather and uncle they'd just lost. They mention my uncle freely and remember him well. They are free with their thoughts, feelings, words, affection and laughter. What a blessing- and I do not use that word lightly- to be a member of such a clan.

Jealous?

The sole purpose of this post is to incur jealousy in all of the Tim Horton's lovers who reside in the US, miles from what may be the perfect donut and cup of coffee. The boys and I enjoyed a box of 10 Timbits together (donut holes but awesomer) and passed around a large milk to wash it down. Then we went swimming for 2 hours to burn it all off. Well, maybe not all, but some anyway.

I'm quite certain that Micah burned off his Timbits in the first 30 minutes. He had his floaty suit on, and he was determined to keep up with Elijah who was swimming all over. So instead of staying where he could touch the bottom, he insisted on swimming everywhere he could in the shallow end. I'd try to offer him a hand or a push so that he wouldn't have to work so hard, but he'd puff, "Don't touch me. I'm doing it myself!" OK, never mind. Thought you might be drowning is all.

He finally got out after about an hour, curled up in his towel on the side and didn't move for 10 minutes. He would have gone to sleep if Isaiah hadn't decided to visit him. Elijah was a fish- jumping in over and over and swimming around the entire time. And Isaiah wanted to be in the water, but only while holding onto a large floating frog or Mommy even though he could touch at the shallowest part and was wearing a floaty suit.

It was a good day. AND it stopped raining long enough to play outside a bit tonight, although I think everyone was too tired from swimming to really enjoy it. Bedtime was a piece of cake. Everyone was sound asleep in 10 minutes!

Canada, Fish and the hammock

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Blogging from NB

The boys and I are in NB and having a relaxing time so far. I'm am always amazed by how much cooler it is here. I've visited 3 times during the summer, and every time I neglect to bring enough warm clothing. You'd think I'd learn, but alas, this three week trip I'll be wearing the same 2 pairs of jeans and 2 long sleeved shirts for most of the trip. I checked the weather before we left, and while it said that the high would be 80 on some days, that really only means 80 for about 45 minutes in the direct sunlight when there is no breeze.

The boys have had a great time exploring Grammie's back yard and especially playing on the hammock. We've made a couple of trips to the dollar store where Grammie gets them each a new toy. Pirate swords and flying things have been hot sellers. They all did really well on the airplanes and in the airport. We made it through with only one stern lecture to stay with me at all times (Elijah's curiosity tempts him to wander off constantly), and one of the flight attendants said they were some of the best little travelers she'd ever seen. Isaiah even took a nap on flight 2.

We'll post more pictures soon.
Love and kisses to Daddy.

More Pictures

Isaiah got into a container of baby powder on the front porch, and when Aunt Jess found him and asked him what he was doing, this was the face he made.
Playing music together- no Crisp family gathering would be complete without guitars and singing.
Nana played Candyland with the older kids. Later they played a very LOUD game of Uno together too.
Everyone enjoying a sailboat on the lake. If sound were included with this picture you'd hear a lot of, "Hi boat," "Over here," and "A-Hoy there!"
Micah and mommy watching the waves.

Michigan Vacation

Eating breakfast together every morning- the kids around the big table and the adults sharing a smaller table off to the side. When did the bigger table become the "kid" table? When our family included 6 kids in 5 years. Just in case you need a refresher, starting clockwise left to right- Olivia, Esther, Micah, Isaiah, Garrett and Elijah. Garrett helping Elijah bury his legs in the sand. The lake was pretty cold for the first few days, but by the end of the week it warmed up and we were all swimming.
Micah sporting his shades. He was probably the most timid of our boys about going into the water, but even he was enjoying the waves on the sandbar by the end of the week.
The boys asked Olivia and I to bury them, and we were only to happy to oblige. They don't seem to mind being completely sandy and grimy for hours at a time.

Missouri Trip

Cassie and Tom invited us to Cassie's parent's house in Missouri for spring break. The boys had a wonderful time in the pool and at Runge Nature Center in Jefferson City. Thanks Tom and Cassie, we had a blast!