TROOPERS!

This is a picture of my beautiful daughter who is 4 days away from finishing her first year in school... officially known as kindergarten. We took these pictures up at Hume Lake after hiking up to the Little Brown Church with Mik, Toby, cousins Samuel, James, Matthew, Allison, Lowell and Myself. The kids AMAZED me with their ability to hike the half mile it was from our cabin (ok, Toby WAS begging to be carried) and they were thrilled that they made it and thrilled by what they found at the end of the journey. (As you can see, the Little Brown Church is exactly what its name implies.) It is beyond thrilling to me, though, that all these kids love Jesus and church so much that they would be so excited about finding a little church and the little Bible in it. (That's a yellow golf ball on the little pew, by the way.)

Mikaela hugged the cross. Remembering it still brings tears to my eyes. I couldn't ask for more than for my kids to truly know and love God and I am so grateful for the priviledge of watching them and guiding them in their learning to know Him. (Toby has been reminding me of a little Nicodemus lately. He wants to understand so badly where God is and how He can be everywhere and so big and still be in our hearts. It's amazing the questions he asks. And hard to find answers sometimes.)

When I started this post, I was calling it "4 more days..." thinking about how Mik has 4 days of school left and how ready I am to be done--especially with feeling bad when we're late to school (which has been way too often lately) or don't get all her homework done (again, too often!) It's particularly embarrassing since I was a kindergarten teacher before Mik was born. But I think I have a case of summeritis (like senioritis but for parents of non-seniors.) and I'm just ready.

And not ready all at the same time. I am anticipating this week will be an emotional one for me. But I realized I will get through it the same way we got up the hill to the Little Brown Church. One step at a time. Together. Sometimes whining, sometimes aching, sometimes being carried... but oh SO thrilled at the destination when we find Jesus there. And shouting "I love Jesus!" at the top because He's the One who's gonna be carrying me convincing me that I can be a trooper, too.

And by the way, He'll do the same for you... Troop on friends!