Minivan Turned Pumpkin Averted

Whew! We made it into the driveway last night just before our minivan turned back into a pumpkin.

After church yesterday, we headed straight for Iowa, where we spent several hours with Grandpa & Grandma Boehlje at the farm. They returned recently from Arizona, so we haven't seen them in quite some time. The farm was beautiful, of course, with rich green grass perfect for the 2 games of bocce ball Eric and Grandpa played. I know Grandpa won the first one, 30-17, and I never heard the outcome of the second, but the two of them sure looked like they were having a great time.

Grandma made a yummy casserole for dinner...along with red jello that the kids LOVED. Apparently I should make jello more often. We brought some homemade bread to share. Of course there was ice cream for dessert--what would the Boehlje kitchen be without at least 3 kinds of ice cream treats in the freezer?

The kids searched and searched for the 2 sets of kittens, but the mama cats were far too clever in hiding them. Braden had a BLAST driving the John Deere riding mower all over the property. Holland and Aidan had to take turns sitting behind him on the seat. Aidan took me for a ride on the bigger tractor in the field. The fields aren't plowed yet, so we drove over lots of old cornstalks. He was in heaven. That boy just might take over the farm some day. They also got to ride on the HUGE John Deere tractor--dualy tires & great big cultivater on the back & everything--it's a MONSTER. The back tires are as tall as me. Grandpa drove them around in that one. The cab fit Eric, Grandpa, Holland & Aidan.

We did our "18 month checkup" survey at church yesterday (our annual survey of how well we're accomplishing our mission in the minds of our attenders). Grandpa & Grandma enjoyed reading the comments many people wrote on the surveys. Eric also showed them a couple of videos we've produced for church. He caught them up on how things are going at church, and I think they were pleased to hear that their prayers & support are having an impact on lives.

Eric's excited because there are now 2 Starbucks on the route to/from Iowa. The children watched a movie on the way home & we returned at midnight with 3 sleeping munchkins.

It's a chilly day here, and it looks like rain but none so far. Eric got the mower running and is starting a landscaping project. The ground slopes toward the house on the north side, so he's going to fill it in with dirt from under the garage, some ground he's moving from beside the patio, and then with purchased topsoil. Then he's planning to transplant a lily bed that grows randomly in the back yard to the north wall. We have lots of PVC pipes (with lids) by the back patio, due to the septic system, etc., so he's going to do some landscaping & cover that area with mulch & some stepping stones.

Well that's enough rambling for me. I'm off to sit some more...Sabbath Monday, you know.

God bless!

Easter

Happy Easter!
I was reminded by my grandparents this evening that I haven't blogged in a while.
So here's the latest from the Dykstra front (though Grandpa & Grandma Coulter don't need to read this since we just chatted on the phone.)

We've spent the past 2 weeks preparing for and "doing" church off-site, at a local junior high school. We were concerned about space issues in the theater. Plus we can't use it on Friday night, and we needed to do a Good Friday service. All three --Palm Sun., Good Fri., and Easter, went really well. We are thankful to God for the really cool stuff He's doing in The Crossing, and we're pretty relieved that the past 2 weeks are over.

God brought 392 people to our church this morning. Right at the 400 Eric had been praying for. Awesome!

We enjoyed having Kristin and Josh with us for church & lunch today. Dave Phelps was with us also for lunch. Josh and I played 3 competitive games of ping-pong. I'm bummed to say that he won 2, but I did win 1, and 1 also went to like 22. So I think he enjoyed the challenge--and I know I did!

Rather than Easter candy, we bought our family a Bocce Ball set for Easter. It is a fun yard game that we can play together. Eric, Braden & I played this afternoon, but Aidan & Holland were too busy playing in water & mud in the garage & front flower bed.

Tomorrow we plan to go to a park or lake with Daemynn & Tara & family. Hoping the weather will be as nice as it is today. It's way above average temp here lately--and I LOVE it!!! Woo hoo! Thank you GOD!!

We're all pretty healthy, though I do have a cough still. Thanks to Aunt Julaine's emails, I've been stocking up on natural remedies. Can't convince my children that the garlic capsules are candy, though. But we do call them "poppers", because when you bite them, they pop open. We've all been on multivitamins, too. Yeah, I'm on the road to being SuperMom... haha...

Braden turned 9 last Monday. Where has the time gone?

God is good. Have a lovely week!

Blessings!