2013 Staycation

We were so blessed to have Daddy home with us this week!

We took a walk to one of our favorite nearby overlooks,

took a hike down to Glenn Falls,

went bowling, 

went to Ikea to buy a few things for the new boys,

(and some things for rearranging the rooms)

these are 4 $8 tables from Ikea lined up together and covered with paper--these will be a great place to store bins and play!

and went canoeing!

(see the deer?)

The place where we canoe, the Chattanooga Nature Center, also has a refuge for animals--

Red Wolves

bobcat 

Daddy also did a whole lot of painting! He painted all of the trim in the living room--including the mantel and bookcases.

Yay for more time with Daddy!

Announcing the New Family Members

Dear friends and family,

Many of you know that our family has been waiting to adopt 

for over a year. In the last year and a half we have learned 

much about God's power and love. We have also learned 

that His plans are often quite different from our own. We 

thought we would birth a fourth child, instead He showed 

us adoption. We thought we would adopt domestically, and 

after much waiting, He gently nudged us toward Uganda. We 

thought we were surely supposed to adopt just one, and He 

placed two boys on our hearts.

After seeing these two boys' picture a few months ago, we 

couldn't stop thinking and praying about them. Even when 

we don't understand God's ways, He is beautifully relentless, 

and we are very thankful that He has again withheld no good 

thing.

We have also learned that we can do nothing in our own strength. 

God's hand in this adoption is evident, but we need you as well! 

Would you pray for us? We need prayer for our travels, for raising 

the rest of the money and for bringing two very different children

 into our family. We are excited and scared and in wonder all at the 

same time.

If you would like to help us raise the $19,000 that we have yet to

 raise, you can easily go to Lifesong for Orphans and donate using 

our family account number: #2961.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting our family over

 these years of waiting. I can't wait until we're on the other side of 

this adoption and I'm typing about how wonderful it is that our Oster 

Five are our five children!

Blessings!

Look what the boy lost!

Camp G and G

The kids went to AL last week for Camp G and G

They started the week off painting hot rocks with crayons

They spent some time at Grandad's new lake house

And did experiments with Granna in the kitchen

Did some fishing with Grandad

Made stepping stones with Granna

'

And swam!

Ate waffles

Rode the Truck

Put the stepping stones out at Grandad's lakehouse

And swam!

Fished,

And swam!

Fun times were had by all at Camp G and G!

Tellus in July

Yesterday we went back to the Tellus Science Museum for a fun summer outing.

There was an illusionist there teaching us how to do some of the more scientific of his tricks and we enjoyed the regular museum displays.

Above: the kids love digging for fossils in the fossil room. Each child gets to take home a tiny fossil.

Panning for gem stones: the kids love this room because they get a tiny back to collect the little gemstone pieces to bring home.

And here are the kids being fearful of our favorite dino. 

Ballet Camps

Bethany attended both weeks of ballet camp this summer

(The first was The Red Poppy Ballet)

Firebird Ballet

Summer Random

Veggies from our garden

Family outing to see Despicable Me 2

Ready for Ballet Camp

Spider-ballerina

Cow Appreciation Day

(=dress like a cow and get free food)

(here's the shirt we left at home when we went to ChickFilA

(and some play dough ice cream)

Monte eating his once-a-week meal