This morning, we found a note from the boys hanging in the kitchen:
Not sure why they are thankful for just half a year…but hey, we’ll take it. Under the note was breakfast…a bowl of special k for Robin and an english muffin for me. We both had tears in our eyes. Connor’s heart is so soft and tender. And Calvin is following in his brother’s footsteps. We love our boys more than words can express and are so thankful for the joy they bring into our lives.
the kids are playing soccer. we weren’t too sure how calvin would do in his first experience with an organized sport…..but he has been unstoppable. he scores at will. he’s having a blast. last week, connor scored a goal to tie the match at 1-1. a bit later, on the opposing team’s corner kick, he accidentally lifted his hand and swiped the ball – giving the other team a penalty kick late in the second half. 2-1. connor later took the ball the length of the field and scored a goal with 30 seconds left to tie it at 2-2. it was an awesome moment. enjoy the pics-
Robin and I, along with Marcie & Jared Doe, Michael Fay, John & Debbie Frick, traveled to the Dominican Republic last week. We were going to visit Sierra Prieta, a community McDowell Mountain Community Church will be walking with over the next 10 years. We are working with Food for the Hungry, an incredible relief and development organization based here in Phoenix, AZ. It was an eye-opening trip, for many reasons. We had the opportunity to meet Endri, the child our family sponsors, and his family. We spent time in Sierra Prieta, walking the community and meeting with the community leaders. We spent time in other communities that have had similar partnerships. And we spent time listening to Luis, the FH coordinator in the Dominican. His view of the Kingdom of God, transformation, the Gospel and relationship was incredible and mind-stretching. We are honored to begin this journey, this relationship. We’re honored to step alongside what God has been doing in the DR.
As we began the trip, I opened my Bible (the Message translation) to Amos 5 and 6. I was stuck here the entire week. This passage is a challenge to us and our lifestyles. I have been reading The Hole in our Gospel and Jesus Wants to Save Christians. Both of these challenge our worldviews and the way we live our everyday lives. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND picking them up and reading them.
Here are some pictures from our trip…
so it has been quite a long time since we last posted. life is busy. school, sports, church, friends, family. here are some pics from the past little bit…
Grams (Matt’s mom) decided to make a little Easter trip to the valley this past weekend. She was able to be here for Easter, for her birthday and for Connor’s birthday (well, close enough). We had a blast with her as we always do. Here are a couple of the highlights:
1. She decided to take Connor on a run/walk from our house to our church. It is a 5+ mile run/walk. Two hours after they left and not knowing where they had gone, we hopped into the car to see if we could find them. We found them walking back toward the house, about 2 miles away. We learned that Connor had to go to the bathroom a few times – and that rocks don’t work so well as t.p.
2. Grams loves to run and bike. She is an ultramarathoner – she runs 100mile races (not a typo). Matt decided to take her on a hike to the top of Camelback. He forgot that she was deathly afraid of heights. So, it made Matt feel pretty good that he beat her to the top, and then beat her back down. The fact that she is 64 has nothing to do with it.
Here are a few pics of her time with us and Easter morning with the boys. Thanks Grams for coming out, spoiling us and taking every ounce of our energy. 
Happy birthday…
Yesterday I came home from work to find that Connor had put together his lego castle. It was nice and all…but had nothing on the OC (the Original Castle). Does anyone remember the original lego castle? I loved putting that castle together – it was Christmas Day and I spent the entire afternoon working on it. It was awesome. A couple of months ago, my mom sent me all my old legos in an old green suitcase. So this morning, I busted them out and put together the OC. I had to substitute some colored blocks for grey ones I couldn’t find. But I think you’ll agree that the OC is still much better than the new castle.
This is the song Robin has sung to Calvin since he was a tiny baby. Now he knows it too…
This weekend, grandpa and grandma came for a visit. The boys had a great weekend. We love having grams, gramps, nini, papa, grandpa and grandma out for visits. Thanks for coming to visit…and for spoiling the kids.
Meet Barkley…the boys’ new best friend. He’s a lovable GoldenDoodle. A GoldenDoodle is a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. Supposedly, they don’t shed much at all. They are laid back and great with kids. We were sold. The boys love having him around the house. We’ll let you know how it goes.
On MLK, jr’s bday, we decided to take the family on a little hike at Camelback. But when we got there, there were no parking spots – it was packed. So we drove over to Squaw Peak. We parked and started the climb. When Grams was in town a couple months ago, she bought Connor a Camelback – personal hydration system. Then, she found a mini-Camelback for Calvin. So, here are some pics of our family hike. Notice the sweet personal hydration systems on the backs of Connor and Calvin. Thanks Grams…they love them! And the hike was great too.
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