Supplies

As promised, here’s a pithy little update on basement progress this week.  We were able to make a family trip to Wausau on one of Sam’s days off and purchase many supplies that will help keep Sam rolling in his basement efforts.  We were so incredibly grateful for many things in that day….for time to prepare for the trip and know exactly what we needed, the means and ability to purchase the needed supplies (mostly lumber, insulation, recessed lighting and some other miscellaneous items), for kiddos that seriously did amazing despite strange nap times and being carted around many different stores all day long, for a fun time together as a family, for the use of our friends’ trailer, and that our van had the power to haul all of the supplies up our (very steep) driveway once we got home!  Thank you God for all that YOU provide!

Winter Family Camp

We’ve just wrapped up Winter Family Camp and here are a few pictures from the past few days.
These first three pics are “stolen” from our friend and CFS media specialist, Jesse Schutt, who took them.  They certainly capture some of the winter fun that families enjoyed in our recreational areas!

Playing a game of Broomball!

Father and son out on the ski hill

A camper on his way up the tubing hill lift

Enjoying supper out at camp

Session time!

The speaker spoke on creation - it was geared toward the entire family, so many of the kids sat were able to sit in on the main sessions with their parents, (usually we have seperate classes for all of the children during family camps).
And just some shots of our kids with people they love…and who love them! 

Katy is one of our babysitters, (fellow staff member’s daughter) - she does a wonderful job loving on our kiddos!  This turned out a little blurry but just had to get a shot of Tava with Katy at supper the other night.

Truman with “Ms Heather”

Truman is completely star struck with John and Diane Windle (who, if you don’t know, have a puppet/music ministry both at camp and as outreach.)  He LOVES them! 

It Doesn’t Get Much Better…..

....than this

I love my boys.  They love their snowman.  And we have something much more interesting and friendly to look at all winter long now.  Thank you wet, sloppy snow.  You showed up just in time.

Basement Update

We thought we better bring you up to speed on our basement!  I made the mistake of stating in my last post that we’d post pictures when there was something “worth showing”.  I must have been saying that sometime in the future when the mess is cleaned up and things looks “pretty” we’ll post.  Well that’s not honest blogging.  I realized that I wasn’t giving enough credit to the process and mini-steps along the way that seem small but are such a big deal (even if only to us!).  Sam is beginning to put a lot of hours and effort once again into the entire process (and hey, I’m making sure he is fed and his work clothes are clean:), and so I’m committed to posting that progress along the way….mess, dust, inevitable set-backs and all!  That way, you (who want to know) will be in the loop and will know how to pray for us!

Let’s rewind for a moment.  Due to a startling revelation two years ago, (just as Sam was tearing down existing walls), we became aware that two of our foundational walls were bowing.  After MUCH researching, discussing and praying we were led to an expert company that installed an anchor system (this past June), to ensure the bowing would stop and our walls would stay put.  We praise God for supplying the means for this process.  This was such a major set-back, but we are thrilled to be able to move past it!  In my opinion, anything else we encounter will pale to this…(remind me of those words along the way, will you?)

Sam’s been working hard lately on scraping as much tar from the foundation of the slab floor as possible by using a heat gun and a chisel.  A time consuming process no doubt.  This is paving the way for the trench he will cut very soon to prevent any future water damage. Other items he ‘s working on: tearing down remaining drywall and studs, tearing out electrical and plumbing in prep to re-route, and fine-tuning the basement plans.  The end result, we plan and pray for in the basement, is to have two bedrooms, a bathroom, living space, laundry room, utility room, and storage closets.  We want God’s hand to be on this basement project - please pray with us that that would be the case!

Playing in the basement is a novelty to Truman since we’ve never really let him down there before.  Now Sam has a little helper while he’s working so that’s been a fun thing for the both of them. 

We’re off and running

I’ve really not been great about blogging lately.  To be honest, we’ve just been moving right on through to all of our “winter-project-to-do” lists and whatnot around here.  Oh yeah, and taking care of those kiddos takes up a fair amount of time too.  I think the first of the year can bring with it the false feeling that somehow since the holidays are over, life will slow down. But life is still the same with all of it’s needs, responsilbiites and cares.  I’m thankful for lots to do though, especially during these long cold months indoors.  The kids and I may be “hunkered down” for the most part, but we are all but bored and without task.  Just ask her…

We officially have a 5 month old - eating cereal, chewing on hands, rocking the exer-saucer, and by-golly has a tiny little tooth just starting to rear it’s white little tip.  How is this seriously possible?  Didn’t she just open her eyes to mine?  Wasn’t I just carrying her in the snugli just so I could can up the last of our tomato harvest?  Does time just laugh at you as it whisks by?  We are trying to laugh along with it and enjoy these precious days, however tiring and unrelenting they may be.

She loves this thing.

She’s a tough cookie….push-ups are her specialty these days.

Tava took the first helpings of rice cereal like a champ, all runny and slurpy as those first “bites” are. 

We have lots of these pictures lately.  Truman asks frequently to hold Tava and the hitting incidences have subsided, (that is, in fact, unless you look like a drum to Truman…no, then you’ll be drummed upon, at which point the drummer will receive disciplinary action). 

And lots of these too….in fact…our Christmas day present from Truman was that he actually figured out how to give a kiss!  And he hasn’t stopped giving them since and boy are we loving it:)

What kinds of winter-to-dos are up my sleeves, you may ask?  Oh, nothing grandiously exciting: clean/sort the bathroom closet, clean carpets, sort clothes for thrift store, finish touching up paint on finished window trim, re-hang kitchen valences, finish an apron (for myself:), work on   start Tava’s scrapbook. My dear husband on the other hand has begun the basement work once again.  He is currently working on removing the tar and old carpet glue/pieces from the concrete slab….something that’s taking a bit more than elbow grease itself.  Some of you have asked for pictures…..I guess we’ll post some when there are pictures worth showing!

On the camp end of things, life is full and good and busy!  These days, you might typically find Sam manning a tow building on the ski hill, supervising the ski tow rope, teaching Geo-caching to outdoor education students, fixing critical equipment for the kitchen, filling the wood burners up, or plugging away at the list of maintenance needs around camp.  God is continuing to bring people through our doors who are in need of drawing nearer to Him, which is each and every one of us really.  Weekends are packed with groups from all over the region.  We’ve also had several outdoor ed groups in during the weekdays already. 

We are grateful to be a part of all that is happening at Camp Forest Springs and in the little Smith household too.  HE has withheld no good thing!