A HUGE SHOUT OUT!

Thank you to all of you special people who helped to make our Shin Dig a success! I was so thrilled with all the details--from the paper lanterns, to the centerpeices, to the excellent choice of food, to the games set up in the front yard. We are so thankful that we have a family who all chipped in and helped to create an atmosphere of celebration!

We love all of you, every single person, with our whole hearts. We continue to overflow with love and thankfulness this week and are already counting the days until you are here with us again!

Thank you for loving us so much!

Love,
Kristi & Ryan

Gideon's Prayer

Another funny Gideon story from this morning...

We're sitting on the couch and he is looking sleepy.  So we often pray right before he goes to sleep, and I said, "Should we pray?"

He said, "Bible book?" (We usually read the Bible before he goes to sleep at night.)

I had the book of Luke up on the computer, so I said, "Yea, Daddy is reading the Bible.  And then I'm talking with Jesus."

Gideon looked blankly and sleepily, so I continued, "Yea, prayer is just talking to Jesus."

Gideon nodded.

"What do you want to say to Jesus," I asked.

"Jeez-a?" Gideon asked, "Peez."

"Please what?" I wondered what he was going to say.  I was waiting for something profound.  You know, please save me.  Please help.  Please with me.  Something amazing and theologically deep for a eighteen month old.  Gideon's eyes brightened, got real big, and he said...

"Pleez crackers!"  He clapped his hands and laughed and I gave him a big hug.

Please Jesus, send us some crackers.

Hello my wonderful family, time for one of dad's rare blog's. First of all I want to thank Ryan for his nice words -I agree with Rob that u are part of that family u talk about and we are thankful for that. We trust that u will only bless our family and enrich the family as Kristine and Courtney have already done. We are thankful that God has given us new daughters and a son to enjoy. ok maybe it's not official yet but close enough. Also congrat's to Matt and Court today on their 6'th wedding anniversary-it only seems like yesterday. We celebrate with u and praise God for the 6 years past and the many more ahead-and also for the young grandson your marriage has produced.
I wanted to also thank each of u for making my Father's Day so special last weekend. To all be together for the day was the best gift ever and I know it will not always be possible as u all have other dad's u must honor as well. But thanks so much for the love u all showed me last Sunday. Especially I want to say thank you to Andrew and Kristine for giving up time on their 1'st wedding anniversary to spend with us. I realize that was a sacrifice and I appreciate it very much. I love u all. Also thanks for the ipod clock/radio-it came this week and is perfect and dad was even able to figure it out and get it set up by our bed. I'll show u all when u are home.
Last I would like to ask for prayer for my dad as he get's worse and for mom as she takes care of him. I think often of them-I miss my dad and mom needs strength. I also need for u to pray that I put 1'st things 1'st in my life. I am sorry that I did not spend enough time with Kristi when she was home as I let other things crowd in on my time with her-I'm sorry my wonderful daughter! Life is busy but I need to make sure I keep my priorities straight and am available to my family and not let other events or things take their place. Sometimes things come up we can't control but often it is the choices we must make. Please forgive me when I have chosen poorly I will try to do better as u pray for me!!! I want my choices to reflect what I believe to be most important and that is my God and my family.
I love u all and look forward to our next time when we will all be together over the Labor Day weekend. Send me your prayer requests!!!

Love and Hugs DAD

Your Amazing Family!

I wanted to thank all of you for the wonderful Sunday spent in Indy. Your family is truly amazing and I just wanted to let you know that from an outsider looking in the love and strong commitment to one another is visible in all you do. I feel so lucky to be joining what I believe to be the epitome of "the ideal family unit."
I was not brought up in the best or worst of family situations but what I see happening in the Miller family as a whole and also on individual levels with Andrew and Kristine, and Matt, Court, and Gid is inspiring to say the least. Thanks so much for making me feel welcome and I also want you all to know that I love you very much!
Ryan

HONEYMOONIN'

Ryan and I made a decision and put our deposit down on the amazing locale below! We got a deal that was 35% off the room--and this place is AMAZING! Now, if you could all be praying for great weather (we're at the end of hurricane season when we go), that would be fantastic! Enjoy looking at our amazing resort! You can also watch videos on it on YouTube.

http://www.excellence-resorts.com/all-inclusive-resorts/playa-mujeres-mexico/playa-overview.htm

Love,
Kristi & Ryan

Coming Home Soon! (& some other details).

This is the soon to be Mrs. Murphy! I haven't written since we got engaged, and it feels so good to be marrying the love of my life in just about 4 months. We've been busy wedding planning, but have gotten a lot of the details taken care of for now. Please pray that we can decide on a caterer soon and that we find a great honeymoon deal. Any suggestions? We have no clue what kind of price range we should be looking for. We'd like to get these two things taken care of soon.

Mom asked me what I wanted my week at home to look like. I fly into Chicago on the 13th and will be spending a night there with my girlfriends who are throwing me a party to celebrate the engagement. I will then be coming home on Sunday the 14th and will be there until Thursday morning when I head to Indy. I'm up for anything as long as it includes time by the pool and mom's homecookin'.

I'd like to stop at Matt & Court's on the way home from Chicago to have dinner, catch up, and play with Gideon! Then, we have the shower on Tuesday night. Andrew & Kristine--what are your plans like that week? Basically, I'd like to see all my siblings as much as possible. The offer still stands for whoever can make it to come to Indy on Sunday, June 21st to see Ryan & I before we head back to Denver. Let me know what you guys have going on during that week so we can match up schedules. I'm sure we'll be talking wedding details, etc.....

I think that's it for now! I love you all so much and can't wait to spend some quality time at home with you!

MESSY!!

We are in the middle of our remodel of the bathroom, and definately we are at the messy stage! They have been working on dry wall the last two days. Tomorrow and Monday they will sand the walls to prepare for paint on Tuesday. Then on the 8th they start the long process of tile in the shower and floor, etc. They tell me that could take up to 10 days!!! Your dad and I are now all over the house. Our clothes are scattered and we have to use the other bathroom. Kristi when you come home we may all be using the same room! Oh well it will be worth it when we are done.
Just a prayer request for your dad and I. We will begin a new session of The Truth Project on June 3rd with my family. We could use your prayers that it would be a building time and not a devisive thing. Andrew and Kristine will be joining us. Kristi we look forward to seeing you soon and maybe you could let us all know what you would like to see happen the week you are home. We will be having your shower on the 16th in the evening. Well it is time to make supper and I am glad your dad will be home soon! I love you all.
Mom

Update before the summer fun begins

Hey to all,

It's been awhile since I have posted or even had the internet access to check the blog. I have enjoyed getting to read some of your recent updates and look forward to seeing what happens this summer. I want to say a big Congrats to Kristi and Ryan on their recent engagement and say that I am honored and so excited about getting to be a part of one of the best days of your life. I am pumped for October and bet that you are even more so :-)

Matt and Court- I am glad to hear that you had such a wonderful time on your retreat and that the P90X has been a challenge that you two can do together. I know Andrew and I have had a blast working out together and even through the pain, we always find ourselves laughing. Way to go! I really enjoyed seeing Gid at the Mother's Day get together and am so impressed with his ever expanding vocabulary and little personality showing. He is such a sweet little nephew and we find ourselves talking about him at our apartment quite a bit. We wish we could see Gideon more than we do, but enjoy every opportunity!

Mom and Dad- We are looking forward to our time with you this weekend and always do. I enjoyed spending the evening after Mother's Day get together with you and hearing some of the wisdom you shared. Even if I talk more than I should sometimes, I really am listening to what you have to say and I reflect on it in my daily life. There are many times that I also share what you have taught me to other people! Keep it coming...

About us- Andrew and I are winding down an adventurous first year of marriage. We celebrated our 11 month anniversary yesterday (yes we celebrate months) and are planning to go camping in the next week or so. Andrew is slowing down at the tennis center and my awesome season at Westfield ended yesterday with a hard fought loss against 2nd ranked Carmel. I saw a lot of heart from the girls and loved the opportunity to help coach them. Today and tomorrow morning, we plan on watching the Kokomo sectional. My old team has won the past 9 sectional crowns and are going to be pushed hard this year. Eastern High School (which I was the assistant coach for last year) is the favored team to win. No matter what happens, it will be exciting.
Well a few days ago, I got news about the job I had interviewed for down at Westfield. It wasn't the news I was hoping for, as they let me know that they would be recommending someone else for the job. I have been disappointed, but have had a lot on my mind to keep me occupied. Throughout the process, I dedicated myself not to worry and I do not plan on changing that. I know that whatever I am supposed to do, it will happen and I am trying my best to listen. You can pray though for my peace about that situation because I do need help and support. Well, I am not trying to cut this blog off, but I am subbing at Kokomo right now and should probably get back to work...not that subbing is too rigorous :-)

Love,

Kristine

A Mid-May Update

Congratulations to Ryan and Kristi! I've been looking forward to saying that for a long time! And I'm excited to see you both fairly soon. To think by Christmas time you'll be married, wow. And awesome. I just wanted to start by saying we're really happy for the both of you!

I know it's been a long time since I posted an update here. Sorry about that everyone. I do want to keep you up to the minute on what's going on. Life gets really busy for me in May, when the school year winds down and I always find we have a lot more to do than I planned on. So, anyways.

Last weekend was awesome for our family though. Gideon got to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma (Peters) and Courtney and I got away with our friends to a local bed and breakfast for a "Marriage Retreat." It refreshed both our marriage and our church. Although, I have to say, I have a great wife and going into the weekend we both felt as if the retreat would be more a celebration of our healthy relationship rather than the fixing of a tattered one. We've had some rough spots throughout our married years, but I'd have to say that raising a son has brought us even closer, and the past year and a half have been the best of our marriage. A lot of that has to do with the way that Courtney treats me as a father and supports me in the things that I do. I just wanted to recognize here what a wonderful wife I have!

So the retreat weekend was really a fun time, but a lot of late nights, which made this week really difficult. Courtney and I have been doing a workout program together in the mornings here at home called P90X. It's pretty much amazing. I've lost 5 pounds in the first two weeks, but it is kicking our butts. We were so sore the first week, like all the time. We'll have to post our before and after pictures when we're done. The bad thing is that it requires us to be up at 5:00 in the morning in order to do it while the little guy sleeps. So without much sleep, that made this week kind of difficult too.

We could use prayer in a couple of areas. First of all, we've dedicated ourselves to a couples devotional time in the evening. Over the years of marriage, we have often maintained personal devotions but find it difficult to find time to follow Christ together. Often, we are too tired at night, or in the morning, and the middle of the day gets crammed with stuff. So, we're trying to spend a half and hour each evening in the Word and then in prayer as well. There's already been some challenges, but I think this is really important for our family.

Also, prayer for our church would be appreciated. Nothing really specific, but I'd really like to see the Holy Spirit liven us up a little bit. Sometimes it seems we fall into a rut, and so just prayer that we will continue to feel alive in what God has called us too.

Thanks for reading my long update. Can't wait to hear more from all of you. Thanks for the mother's day thoughts as well mom, I love the old pictures. And it was nice to talk and see Drew and Kristine last weekend. Too much time passes between our visits:( Hope to see more of you soon. Love you all.

Matthew.

Thank you

I want to thank all of you for the gifts and warm wishes on Mother's Day. I loved the flowers and the flower holder. They even go together! If the threat of frost ever goes away I may even get to put it outside. Kristi and Ryan, we missed both of you and hope you had a good day. Glad to hear about all of the planning that is going on now. Keep us posted on what is going on and how we all can help. Again thank you and forgive me if I did not express it enough on Sunday. I love, Love, LOVE you all! MOM

Mother's Day

I know that it is traditional to honor your mother on Mother's day, but this year I am protesting.
I want to honor all of you! It has been such a priveledge to be your mom and I could not have any better children. I feel so blessed to have three children from birth and three more that have joined our family. When I look at the pictures that I have included, all that comes to mind is the joy that you have brought to my life. I loved your laughter and your tears, your accomplishments and your failures. I want you to know that althought I could have done anything that I wanted, what I wanted most was to be your mom. Now you are all grown and our relationship will change, but my love for you and your spouses will remain the same and constant. Thank you!!!!!

In the car, one of the places we often were.

Three little pumpkin heads all in a row! What great memories. Our first time in Colorado? Maybe the second.

Thankful for Family

Hi! Just thought I'd share some quick pictures and stories of mom and dad's time out in Colorado this past week! Mom came in a few days before dad and we mostly spent our time shopping, talking, sharing wonderful meals, and doing some preliminary planning! Dad flew in on Wednesday and my wonderful man picked him up from the airport and met mom and I in Golden, CO. Here is a picture of the happy reunited couple riding a fish after dinner:

Mom and Dad riding the fish in Golden, CO

The four of us were able to eat a yummy meal at a local Mexican restuarant, and we took a walk afterwards through a kayaking park and creekside trail in Golden. This is a great town..and maybe in a few years, you may see Ryan and I settling down here!

Strolling over a bridge above kayakers

We talked about all of you a lot--missing you and wishing that we were all together! We are trying to plan for a day together on Sunday, June 14th. Ryan & I are flying in for Rachel Sparks wedding on the 20th (I am a bridesmaid), and mom and dad are attending as well. So, we are hoping that you'd all consider coming up to Indy on Sunday the 22nd to spend the day together. We don't fly back to Denver until 8:15pm that night. Please say you'll come see us!

Family photo minus the handsome brothers

My boss ended up giving me a half day off on Thursday and the full day off on Friday. We hiked half of the incline on Thursday and ate a wonderful steak dinner at McKenzie's Chop House. On Friday, we took a long hike in Woodland Park after we ate a hearty breakfast at the Hungry Bear. We then headed up to Denver for a night of fun with Ryan--eating pizza and checking out an "upscale" bowling alley. Unfortunatly, the bowling alley was full for the night so we weren't able to get in. Saturday was full of exploring the mountains and having a liesurely day at an afternoon movie.

Last dinner together at the White Chocolate Grill

Sunday we took mom and dad to church (which was a GREAT) service, and then had one final brunch together before dropping them off at the airport. The rest of the day, I spent sleeping and relaxing at Ryan's before heading back for work today. (I still get sad every time I have to leave him!) We had such a great time together talking about anything and everything and just spending time exploring the city and reminscing. There's so much to look forward to this year and I can't wait to share it with all of you!


Talk to all of you soon!


Love,
Sisti

Who do we pray to?

Funny anecdote from a Saturday afternoon.

Gideon and I were walking to the park, he was riding on my shoulders, and it was starting to sprinkle. He kept saying "Play, play, play," because he could see the park down the road. I told him if it kept raining, we would have to go home. So, we've been learning to pray, and I asked him if we should pray for the rain to go away. He said yes.

I said, "Can you say, 'No rain please, Jesus.'" He said yes. Then I went word by word and he repeated, "no," "wain," "peez," "Jea," and "amen." He said the amen without being prompted, which made it extra cute. I gave him a high five, and pretty soon the rain had stopped.

After I gave him the high five, I asked him, "Gideon, do you know who we pray to? Who do we pray to?"

Matter-of-factly, he replied, "Papa."

Contentment

Hello, it's Kristine*~

Spring Break ended over a week ago. We had an absolutely wonderful time, by the way. The first week, I stayed at home, doing house wife things during the day and coaching by night. I had a job interview last week for the P.E. position at the new Westfield Elementary School, so keep praying for that situation. I have since then started subbing again this week at Kokomo. That is the general overview of the daily life stuff.

However, over the past couple weeks, I noticed that some sort of discontent was creeping into my life. I am wanting to know what my future holds, wanting to know if Andrew and I would both have jobs next fall, wondering if we would stay in the same apartment, having to have all these things in order, the way I want them. It's definitely part of the control thing I have, which I have been trying to work on. Over the past 3 days however, I have renewed the committment to be content and know that God knows the plan he has for me and that is enough. I need to continue to seek what it is that he would have me do (not just in the future) but each day. I had this cemented further in my mind when I was in the car yesterday listening to the Moody station and a woman started talking about Paul's letters on how he was content in plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I have never had to face hunger and I feel my basic needs have been met. My goal right now is to be at peace with what is around me, work hard at what work I am given that day, and love those around me the way Christ loves.

Kristine

Visiting

Well, I am getting ready for a big trip to the great state of Colorado. The only thing that has me stumped is that Kristi keeps telling me of the wonderfulness of her state, but spring has finally arrived here in the midwest (supposed to be 70 today), and it is snowing in Denver! How is one supposed to know what to pack? I thought you all might enjoy the pictures that I have included. The second one is now my desktop photo. Please be praying for me as I travel. That I would have good flights and that your father would do fine without me. Also that the time spent with Kristi and Ryan would be great and make up a little for all of the time that we are apart. Kristine please let us know how your interview goes today. I am wishing that we were all going to Colorado, but since we are not, I will try to blog with updates through out the week. Remember I am just a phone call away! I love you all!

Mom

Thoughts about Dad and Being a Daddy...

I've had several things happen over the past couple of days that have me thinking a lot right now about fatherhood. Between getting to be a stay at home dad for the past week during Spring Break, to some readings I've been doing online, to mom and her devotional moments; the topics of being a dad and my own great dad have been on my mind.

Mom called me Friday morning and asked a simple question, if I'd ever realized what a great dad that I had. I said that of course I'd realized it, and I think I've communicated with Dad how much I respect and love him for the dedication and love he showed to us growing up. We talked then about how it had come up in her devotions, how a godly man is a blessing to his family. And I think we've definitely been blessed by Dad.

But then again today, I was reading an article about struggle, about faith that gets caught between the kingdom of God and ugly realities of the way people treat each other here on earth. The author of the article was noting how he cannot identify with people who have had serious questions of their faith, who have struggled and had major difficulties. He says how he's never gone through a "crisis of faith" and attributes that to the steadfast love of his father. It made it so much easier to envision the love of God.

I have to echo that about my dad. His steadfast love certainly has given me a true picture of what God's love must be like. And because of this, I've never really questioned that God is good, and that God loves us. And I don't mean to leave Mom out here. I know that two parents loving us together really made everything complete.

So that has left me thinking about being a dad. I have started to realize that Gideon will learn about God through me (and Courtney). The ways in which I act toward him will start to form the image that he has of his Heavenly Father. That's a scary responsibility, but not one that is overwhelming. And the reason it's not overwhelming is because I've grown up and still have an example of how to do it.

So thanks dad, and mom, for providing all of us with a picture of a loving God, a proper view of how the world should be! Courtney and I look forward to living in your example as we love our son.

Missin' my Family...

Hello all! Just having one of those days when I miss being around all of you. I am really excited to be with Mom & Dad this upcoming week, but will miss my brothers and sisters and little Gid.

I love hearing what's happening with all of you and reading about your lives!

Drew & Kristine--please post pictures of your trip! I'm dying to see everything.

Please pray for me right now as some days at work I'm feeling very overwhelmed. The work is fairly easy to me, but having three bosses and keeping up with all the deadlines, etc. can be tiring. I always wonder how long I'll be in this job...and am beginning to pray for some direction in that. Maybe I'll have another opportunity when I move to Denver...maybe I'll just find refreshment in what I'm doing now. Either way, I'd love prayer about that.

I know that a lot of days I'm tired and more irritable at work just because I'm missing Ryan. It is increasingly hard to leave each other during the week! We both miss each other through our days and live for Fridays when we get to see each other. I know that the end is in sight and we only have to do this a little while longer, but it's still hard!

On a happy note, spring is here and we'll be able to go camping soon! I look forward to long weekend hikes--getting away from the city and cooking over a fire and playing cards in the tent. I love getting that physical exercise and being able to be in the wilderness!

This weekend we are going to see a band, Thievery Corporation (check them out!) Then I am having breakfast with some girlfriends on Saturday morning, and then Mom flies in that night! She'll get some time alone with Ryan & I before we head down to Manitou for the week. Dad comes in on Wednesday (the 22nd), and we'll head back up to Denver to do some things that next weekend before they take off again. I'm more than excited to have them out here--it will be a fun trip, but we will also be able to get a lot accomplished. :)

I'll leave you with a cute picture we took in Rocky Mountain National Park while snowshoeing a few weekends ago! Love you all!

-Kristi

A Message from the Champ

Hey family,
This is the bracket champ talking. Even though I won the picks for the first time ever, this was not the best March Madness by a long shot. Too many blowouts, not enough close games, and not near enough upsets. Ryan, your Spartans forgot to show up last Monday in their own state. Anyways, more importantly Kristine and I are back safe from Myrtle Beach and we had a great time. Despite some up and down weather, we had some time at the beach, some activities on the "strip", and plenty of time partying with our friends at restaurants, a bar, at home, etc. I had a chance to go golfing with the guys, not exactly real golf since they shaved at least one stroke off their score per hole but oh well. Kristine and I got away for a couple days as you all know. It was amazing and the highlight of our trip. The golf course I played was (The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island) was unreal. Right on the ocean, so beautiful, so hard, and so worth it! Kristine was my driver, caddy, scorekeeper, and photographer. She had fun too despite being cold. The wind was ridiculous and truly was the toughest part of the course. I played up and down and shot a 93. In three years when the pros play there for the fourth major that year, I can't wait to see how they do with the crazy wind, tough greens, and all that waste sand out there. Anyways, we stayed at a hotel in Charleston that night and roamed around the city for a day. We had a great time out to eat and along the coast. It is amazing to get a way for some alone time in a beautiful place. The only down of the trip was the long car rides, and some down attitudes by our friends at times. Overall though, the trip was amazing. We are glad to be back though, seeing our precious kitten Reggie, and I loved hanging out with the family yesterday for Easter! Catch you all later!
Andrew

Final NCAA BB Standings

ok family here it is the final standings-and the winner is Andrew!!!! Unbelieveable!! One of the best in BB knowledge never to win a major (family BB tourney). Listed next is the total points and your total misses. It is too bad that Ryan was in the lead and it came down to the final game-then he chose poorly(picking MSU again) and allowed Drew to win. O well you got to dance with the one who got you that far. It's just that the final dance was pretty ugly.
Name Total points Total misses

Drew 90 14(wins by tiebreaker)

Dad 90 16lost in tiebreaker and is mad)
Ryan 87 15(lost in final game)
Kristi 81 19
Matthew 79 20
Kristine 72 19
Courtney 64 25
Mom 58 26
Gideon 44 34

So as you can see Drew would have won even if we would have used the old method of determining the winner. If fact he almost lost to me using the new way-now that would have been sweet! So the next time we are all together Drew gets to pick the place to eat! Congrats my son on your victory but all of us will be out to dethrone you next year. Hope you all have a great week -I love you all.

Gideon and Loose Ball Drills

So, our little guy just doesn't know how to stay out of trouble.  This past weekend, Courtney and I went up to Grand Rapids to visit our friends Janet and Aaron.  Aaron was the children's pastor at River Oaks when Courtney was on staff there, and Courtney formed a pretty tight friendship with Janet, his wife.  Aaron and Janet were originally part of the group that started talking about forming a new church, but Aaron eventually took a job as curriculum writer for Mars Hill.

Anyways, Bryan and Kim, Courtney and I trekked up north to meet them, and when we got there found out that Joel and Jackie were in Grand Rapids for the weekend too!  So we hung out together all day, the guys watching soccer from morning until afternoon while the women cooked wonderful meals and snacks.  Then in mid-afternoon we went outside to play.   Gideon was super excited because Aaron coaches little kid soccer (he actually played soccer at Judson College, which is in Elgin right down the road from Grandpa and Grandma Persyn's old house).  But because of that there were tons of balls in the backyard.  So we were kicking them around and he was chasing them.  Then he noticed there was a basketball court at the neighbors.  Apparently we when weren't looking he decided to do loose ball drills, and dive after a ball head first on the cement.

The funny thing was that he cried for a couple seconds but when I picked him up he pretty much stopped.  Aaron was like, "wow, you're a tough guy."  And Gideon actually said, "I tough."  I took him inside to clean the wound, and he kept saying, "Outside" and pointing out the door or, "Ball."  It was really cute.

Anyways, the guys all watched Michigan State punch Connecticut in the mouth and that was fun.  We were screaming at the TV about the uncalled Connecticut fouls and the amazing Michigan State plays.  I'm officially a Spartan fan for the Final Four.  Big Ten wins the NIT and NCAA?  Sounds good to me.

So, Sunday we chilled at home and that was our weekend.  Now on to Spring Break week!

Love you all,

Matt and Courtney.

Andrew and Kristine, thanks for the updates and yes we will be praying for those jobs! They seem like such a good fit for both of you! Remember to use Eddie at any point to drive your applications to the next level. Also I am relieved that you are safe and well on your way. Kristi and Ryan, I hope that your day is successful and that snow did not dampen your day. We can't wait to hear how your fact finding mission has gone. Gideon, grammi hopes your toe is feeling better! Maybe you should come visit me this week on your spring break? We are looking forward to the Easter play being over. Although we enjoy serving, this last week gets very busy and for your dad especially, it is like two jobs back to back. I think we will be going to grandma Miller's for Easter day. It should be good to see the family and take any time we can with grandpa. Only two weeks until I see my Colorado kids and I am looking very forward to that. How about some sunshine while I am there! Well that is all for now, I am off to have devos and then to Fort Wayne for some shopping with Karolyn! I love you all and looking back at my post I think I am ! happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mom

Road Trip

Hey all. This is first place Andrew. Thanks for the update dad. I enjoyed your quick wit and digs on MSU. Here is the dilemma: I can taste my victory but in some ways don't want it. I want MSU to lose so I can win the bracket, but I also am rooting for MSU to win it all because I like them most as a fan. What to do... Anyways, thanks for the blog! As for me and my wife, we are writing this from a hotel just off a highway in North Carolina. We left Kokomo at 6:30 Friday evening thinking we'd go all night and arrive in Myrtle Beach on Saturday morning. But at midnight we found out that there is a softball team staying at Porter's house and won't be gone until the morning. So if we showed up we would have no place to go. So even though all 3 of us were wired, we pulled in to this hotel around 2. We'll get some sleep, and finish up in the morning getting there around noon. So far the trip has been great. Greg, Kristine, and I have all taken turns driving and we've had some fun and laughs. We can't wait for the real vacation to begin upon arrival tomorrow. We'll try and give updates as we go. Some prayer requests for us include sent resumes to Westfield schools as we hope to both land jobs at a new elementary school (her teaching, me as a media specialist and possibly running intramurals or peewee sports). Also, continued travel prayer and weather prayer for our trip. That is all for now! Love you all.
Andrew

Hello family I'm actually blogging. ok I'll give u all a update on the NCAA brackets. Andrew (if u can believe it) is leading or at least tied for the lead with the always in first place papa, both with 79 points. Next comes a surprise with Ryan and his unbelievable MSU team (which he picked with his heart and not his brain-ok just a joke but come on who would thunk it) with 77 points. Kristine comes next with 72 pts and no chance for any more as she has no teams left. So sad!!! Kristi is next with 71pts after picking MSU also (just trying to impress her man-makes me want to vomit). Matt is next with 68 pts and is embarrassed by being behind his little sis. Court is not doing as well as last year with 64 pts but is still ahead of mother who has a anemic 58 pts. Gideon who is trying to be nice to his grammy is in last place with only 44 pts but what can u expect from a 15 month old. If there is a tie for first place the tie will be broken by the one with the fewest total misses and right now that is the Drew mister. So he is in the drivers seat unless MSU can pull another rabbit out of it's butt and the Ryguy could pull the upset. The next round is worth 5 pts per winner and the final game is worth 6pts. I love u all, had a good last weekend seeing Matt, Court, and the Gidman on friday and spending the rest of the weekend with Drew and Kristine. Look forward to seeing Kristi and Ryan in a couple of weeks. send me your prayer requests! Love Dad

Gideon is Hurting...

Hey everybody, it's been a quiet week in our household, except that the Gidster has had to go to Angola twice in the past couple days to see Doctor Grandpa. Friday he had his regular checkup, and though he had a cold everything else was fine. He's in the 95th percentile for height, 40th percentile for weight and 30th percentile for head size. So apparently he'll be tall, pretty skinny, with a really little head.

Anyways, last night he cried intermittently the whole night, crying for an hour or so straight and then for just minutes at other points. We couldn't figure out what was wrong, he couldn't tell us and we couldn't see anything, he didn't have a fever, or anything. So we just figured it was his teeth hurting him. So we gave him some Tylenol and put him back in bed. But this morning Courtney found a blister that had broken open and been seething all night long. So, he's back over in the magical land of Angola getting that looked out today. We have no idea what caused it.

Anyways, you can be praying about that. I always worry that random things I don't notice could really hurt my son, I hope this doesn't end up being a big deal and that he heals quickly.

Love you all,
Matt.

Colorado?

For those of you who like to use the computer and are serious about looking at dates in July and October for flights to Colorado, Frontier Airlines has some great deals out of Indy. For instances a flight on 7/11/09 returning 7/19/09 was right at $130. I think that is a good deal. We should think about this and maybe coordinate something. Let me know what you all might think. mom

Weekends!

Hi All,

Well, it's been another quick weekend. This weekend was full of fun with family and friends, but it seems like it just came and went. I have been looking forward to this weekend for two weeks now, with Mom and Dad coming to visit, and I always get sad when it's over.
On Friday night- Andrew, Greg, and I got in to plenty of mischief, going to BW's for wings and the games. Of course we overate and had left overs, but it's all good. Greg stayed the night so he could go play in the tennis league the next morning.
I had tennis practice on Saturday morning from 10-11:30 and when I got home, mom was waiting for me on my sofa! The boys had gone out golfing and we headed off to Panera for some food and talking. I always get good insight after talking with her and more peace from hearing what she has to say, because her opinions and thoughts are different than mine and it challenges me! Then, we went to bed bath and beyond to get some curtain rods. Nine months after making our nest, I decided to get something up on our windows. That project was a success and now there is slightly more character in the living room and bed room.
After golfing, mom and dad got checked in to their hotel and we all got cleaned up. They picked us up to go out to dinner at a cool little place called the "Half Moon." This was after we stopped by the mall to get me a one piece swim suit (more on this later)
Dinner was excellent, convo was great, we had a sweet little waitress, whom Andrew proceeded to fart really loudly as she walked by...I love my husband because he makes me laugh.
We played a cool game at the apartment called "True Colors" I did not get some of the logic from all who were playing, but I will not be bitter. :-)
Then, I was a party pooper and fell asleep really early. Why you ask? My mom convinced me it would be a good idea to do a triathalon this morning. Tha's why I had to get the swim suit at the mall. So 7 a.m. I was at the YMCA, in a pool for 15 min. Biking for 30 min. and Running for 30 min. I am now dead tired and sore on every part of my body, but it felt great to do it. Many times during the event, I couldn't help but thank God for the strength he gives us to be able to accomplish things with his help. I hope this is something I can do again.
We went to church this morning and had a sub pastor. Our normal one was on vaca. Then, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and enjoyed wonderful homestyle food. We hung out a little longer at the apartment where I think all of us napped and/or watched golf. Then, we said good bye to Mom and Dad at the tennis center, where Andrew and I were working for a couple hours this evening Now I am waiting for Andrew to get done (hence the book I just wrote.)
Love you guys,

Kristine

Never far from my thoughts!!!

I wanted all of you to know that each day you are never far from my thoughts. I wonder how you are all doing and if you think about your dad and I. You are all like the sunshine in the spring, making me feel lighter and younger. I love talking with all of you and spending time with you. When I am with Gideon, it reminds me of when my biological three were young. Sometimes I thought those days would never end, but they have, and the three of you gave me a beautiful gift of another three children/friends. Guess I am feeling a little sentimental today. Just go on about your days knowing that you are loved and cherished!! mom

I second that thought...

Of a vacation in Colorado! I know that you've all been here before, and next year we should consider doing something different....however, I need my ladies out here to help me with some big decisions I will need to be making for a "certain event" happening later this fall.

That's it for tonight--I am snuggled in my little house alone hoping that the blizzard will pass tomorrow morning so I can make it up to Denver to be with my love this weekend. :)

Love you all!
Kristi

Family Vacation?

Talking about a family vacation, what about July in Colorado?

Tennis Coaching

After seeing Kristine's post, it reminded me that I should tell everyone that I just started coaching middle school tennis this year. It's amazingly hectic, because I have 25 guys out and no assistant coach, and most of them are complete beginners. It's probably a lot like Kristine did last spring. Anyways, we only meet for two practices a week, and those practices are only 1 hour each. So, not much time. Which is good, because it allows me to still get home and spend good time with Gideon on some days. What's really important is that I need some of the guys who think they want to play soccer next year to choose to switch over to tennis. Otherwise my team might get really small, and I would lose funding for my assistant coach and I'd be back to coaching the high schoolers by myself.

Kristine, hope all goes well with your first match!

Love,
Matt.

Spring and Sun

Hi fam,

I am excited about the sunshine today and I love the Spring time! I definitely haven't done a blog in at least 5 years, so this is cool. I have enjoyed reading about some of your recent events and what goes on in your typical days. Honestly, this really excites me because it makes me feel more connected. As for me right now, I have been filling in at Kokomo High School for the past 2 months. I have taught Physical Education, Substance Abuse, and my favorite has been Adapted P.E. I have students in that class with Downs, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, Behavioral Disorders, etc...etc... It has been my biggest challenge, but I always go away smiling because I have pushed them to do their best. Some activities we do together are gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, swimming, dance. It brightened my day when Andrew was able to come in and help with this class one day! My P.E. classes have been really interesting. A lot of them were not prepared for a teacher like me that made them do things like run, sit-ups, push ups, taebo, jump rope. I have no clue what they have been used to, but daily I get cussed out, screamed at, and disrespected multiple times. I try to have my management and discipline on top notch, and slowly but surely it has started to get through to these young ladies.

I started coaching at Westfield High School a couple of weeks ago, and absolutely love it. Our first match is next Tuesday against Noblesville, a big rival. On the Westfield front, I applied two days ago for the Elementary School position that is opening up for next year. Please pray that the administrators will see clearly who should be the best person for this position and that I will trust the decision that is made is for the best.

Well, I am absolutely pumped to be going on vacation in a week. Andrew and I need some time to just be free of work and be together! We have very opposite schedules right now with me working mornings and afternoons and him working afternoons and nights. I miss him a ton during the week, but always enjoy the weekend times we share. We have loved taking walks outside with Reggie, hiking, eating out, visiting with family, and growing together. Please pray that we will be able to make some tough decisions regarding next fall (where we should be living) (what jobs we should be taking)

WoW, I wrote a lot more than I was planning, and it is off to Westfield for me now! Hope to hear from all of you soon. I love all of you*~*~

Kristine

Golfing

Hey family,
Many of you know that Kristine and I have Spring Break coming up in a couple weeks. We are going to Myrtle Beach, SC to spend some time with Amy and Josh (roomate and groomsman) who live there. Greg (another best friend and groomsman) is going with us. I am more excited about the side trip Kristine and I are taking while we are there and that is for golfing and fun. We are going to the Charleston area to spend some time and spend the night which will be a blast. I am also golfing at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. It is ranked 6 in the country on the best course list and it will host the 2012 PGA Championship as it has hosted in the past. Even though it is pricy, it will be worth it as Kristine will be riding with me in the cart looking at the views of the ocean! We are most excited about our trip and glad to get some time away from the stress of our life here in Kokomo. We love and miss you all. Can't wait to see you mom and dad this weekend. Hope to see the rest of you soon.

Andrew and Kristine

PS: I still am a fan for a summer family vacation on a houseboat or wilderness area for whitewater rafting or cruise or exotic vacation or basically am wanting a family vacation!!!

For your enjoyment....

Just a funny little glimpse into my man's mad skills....

Prayer Requests Please

matt thank you for setting up the site I love it even though I'm not a good typer. ok make sure everyone sends me their prayer requests cause I love to pray for u all. I'm very excited to make this a regular part of my day. I love all of you!!!!!!!!! Dad

Painter

Gideon

So, here is a little Gideon update for those of you starving for little boy information. He's continued to be the cutest thing, right now he's standing out in the dining room saying, "Daddy, dinna," trying to tell me that it is dinner time. Of course, if we'd ask him to say a word for all of you he would clam up and just grin. He's mastering more and more words everyday, like 'please' and 'thank you' and 'love you.' Yea, we're a little proud of him.

Matt and Courtney

As far as Court and I are concerned, life is hectic, but really good. Courtney started selling Pampered Chef in February, and was top seller in our area for the month. Okay, that wasn't too hard to do considering that not many people in our area are buying right now because of the economy. But she got a cool little certificate. It takes a lot of her time at night though to make follow-up phone calls, put numbers into the computer, etc. So, it brings a little extra money that we're trying to save right now. As for me, I am loving being a daddy, which all of you knew would be true. School is a bit stressful because we're making schedule changes for next year, major changes, and I keep getting a bit worried to see if they'll cut my position back at all. So far, so good, but it does mean that I'll get to teach another new class next year: PE. So Kristine and I will have that in common. The other thing that is stressful is that I have to finish my education classes by the end of the year to keep my license up to date. But, I'm having a lot of fun in my Bible classes right now. I've tried some new things in my seventh grade classes and they are going awesome, so that's making me feel like a good teacher. Also, middle school tennis started today and I had 22 guys out playing! That's pretty good for a school that only has about 40-45 guys total.

Anyways, that's all for now! I'm looking forward to putting some more family pictures up soon for you to enjoy.

Ta ta,

Matthew.

EDIT: Courtney says I'm underrating her 'mad' Pampered Chef selling skillz. So, she's completely awesome and I'm completely wrong :-)

Hawaii Photos

I thought you might enjoy a few photo's from Hawaii. The first is our last night there, the second is at a luau, and the third is on our hike. Hope you enjoy seeing them. Thank you Matthew for making this sight. I hope we all remember to use it and continue to share our hearts with one another. Andrew we are looking forward to seeing you this weekend! Kristi and Ryan, only 2 and 1/2 weeks! Yeah! Let's do a family vacation soon. I love you all. mom

I'm blogging?

Hello my lovely and beautiful family! You should feel very honored--this is the first blog I've EVER DONE!!! I'm pretty proud of myself for figuring it out this far.

Matt & Courtney (& Gideon)--thanks so much for putting this together. I am going to love checking this every day to see who has new pictures, updates, life changes, etc! It was awesome to catch up quickly on the phone the other night. Words can't describe how much I miss your growing family. Let me know when Gideon starts saying "Aunt Kristi." Maybe I'll consider moving home then.

Drew & Kristine-thanks for the update on what is going on in your lives right now. I know that we've been playing phone tag for about two weeks, so it's so great to get a real update and know how to pray for you! I know the job market is tough right now--so take your time in looking. I'm so thankful that each one of us has a job in this tough economy. (I'll give you one tip--why don't you try looking for some jobs in Colorado???!!!???!!! You know we'd love to have some family out here, even if it was just for a year or so.)

Update on me-I've had quite the busy spring season so far. First, Rachie came to visit, then Emily & Dennis came out, and this past weekend Ryan's sister (Megan) and her bf (Mitch) came to visit. In between those, we also celebrated Mardi Gras in Manitou with Caitlin, Amye and some other friends! It's always fun having visitors, but I'm sure ready for a relaxing weekend after all those guests.

The soon to be Rachel Graeser and I

Loving life with the girls in Manitou (Caitlin had just gotten her wisdom teech out! Ouch!)

Ryan & I in Nederland with Dennis & Emily (the new Wheelers!)

We've gotten about 10 days of skiing in so far, and we plan to have another possible two before the slopes close. It hasn't been the best ski season this year (how can it be when it's been consistently 60-70 degrees???), but we've enjoyed our time in the mountains and definitely gotten our money's worth. We continue to love the great outdoors with long hikes and learning new sports. I believe Ryan is going to take paragliding lessons this summer! Below are some pictures from some hikes and also one of us on this year's Valentine's Day.

Here we are at "Indulge!". After a long hike and a glass of wine, we came here for a 4 course dinner!

A day in the life of your adventerous Coloradians..skiing at Keystone!

A beautiful hike!

The top of "Pancake Rocks"

Well, I think that is it for now! Ry & I will make sure to keep posting life updates and fun news! I love you all so very much and am glad we are taking the time to keep each other really informed on what's happenin'.

-Kristi

March Madness

Hey family! March is here and the madness is upon us. In my life, that means two things right now. First, the basketball tournament has finally come and after the first weekend, I am leading the pack. I can smell my first victory coming!!! More importantly for Kristine and I, our schedule has been hectic. Now that she has started coaching again, we both are working 2 jobs a day. This means we don't see each other often. It has put stress on us and it is hard to fit in spiritual time, relational time, free and fun time, personal time, etc. This has led to one conclusion which some of you may or may not know. I am looking for a new job. This isn't public knowledge yet and isn't for sure but I am hoping to find work in Indianapolis or Fort Wayne. We would move there, possibly get a house, and have a more normal and less busy schedule. Pray for us as we again search for new jobs/work and that we follow where God is leading us. This adds even more stress to our lives now as, just like last year, we are unsure of our plans over the next year but hopefully it will be worth it. Thanks!

Welcome to the Family Blog!

Hello everyone! Here is the Christmas present that I promised, a blog for us all to keep in touch, post pictures, write prayer requests, share stories, share devotional thoughts, really whatever you want.

I love you all and look forward to reading further posts!

Matthew.