Who Needs Disney World?

Our family has officially declared Branson, MO to be our favorite family vacation spot. We love that it is so close & that there are SO many things to do . . . each time we go, we can do something different which makes it great.

Last weekend we went to Branson with my family & what fun we had! Here we are on the tram to Silver Dollar City - I know my smile looks forced - it was! I was freezing - note the long sleeve shirt & everyone else looks cold too! The weather was incredible but at 9am, a little cool!

We arrived early for the opening ceremony. JM got to meet the Sheriff & received an honorary Sheriff's badge! He thought that was pretty cool.

We got Aunt Holly on the "jumping frogs" hoping Olivia would want to ride - no luck! The rides scared her this year, she just wasn't quite ready.
JM & Papa on the "Hi-Lo Silo". See JM's open mouth expression - what FUN!

Isabelle got daddy, Papa & Aunt Holly to ride the powder keg with her. Kevin looks like it's his first time on the ride - not sure why. . . Holly & Papa didn't know what to expect. 0-60 in 1 second is a VERY fast start!

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We all had a great time on the Ducks - it was very entertaining & very educational. We have gone to Branson every summer for the last 8 years & had never heard many of the historical facts we learned while on the tour. And as a bonus - we got DUCK whistles!

JM & Isabelle got to be Captains on the Duck while on Table Rock Lake.

The kids with "Captain Smiley"

On Saturday morning, Kevin & my dad took the kids trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo. They caught 2 trout by getting JM's line caught in a snag. He got snagged on a bunch of tangled line on the bottom & while pulling that mess up the "caught" 2 fish. They said it was hilarious. My mom & I went shopping & out to lunch at a little tea shop I've always wanted to go eat at. It was all freshly made & absolutely delicious. It was all wonderful, but the homemade Coconut Cream pie (that was still warm) was by far the highlight!

Our hotel had lots of extra perks . . . they had 3 great pools, kayaks, paddle boats, & bikes to check out. The weather was so amazing, but it was just a little cool to make swimming fun!

We went to the Dixie Stampede - they serve an amazing amount of food, most of which our kids didn't even eat because they were so consumed watching all the action. It is definitely a must - we'd never seen the show & hope to be able to go again. There is really so much to see!

BACK TO SCHOOL BASH

We officially started our new school year yesterday. Although for the kids, school never ends. They love to learn. Even the last 2 weeks as I gave them a "break" from summer school, they were asking to do a math sheet or practice letters, etc. They are hilarious!! To mark the beginning of this new year, we did a few things with the kids over the weekend to celebrate & let them know how special we think they are. We went to Pittsburg to play mini-golf & then to eat at Chili's - that was a big hit!! After which we came home, made kettle corn (thanks dad for the yummy recipe - now a family secret, so we won't be sharing! HeeHee) & watched football (JM's personal favorite).

I asked Isabelle if there was a treat she wanted me to make for back to school, (I've done extensive cakes in the past - not real excited about that idea this year, but I was willing!) Her response was "Can we make a bird house fruit salad?" Huh??? She ran to get her Ranger Rick magazine & came back with the picture & recipe. It was a watermelon with pineapple for the perch & banana for the door. She was so pumped so how could I say no. Healthy & EASY!!! The kids had fun making & eating their creations.

We are all very excited about our year & will continue to post updates as "the teacher" has time. Please pray for us to get a contract on some land we continue to feel led to buy. Also please pray for my voice. It has gotten really bad & I have had to go back to 2 "1 hour" quiet times a day as a did a few years ago when I had to have voice therapy. It is very frustrating & at times pretty painful. Thanks to all who read & keep updated on us. It means alot that you care. Leave us a message!

The County Fair

This past week I took Isabelle & John Michael to see our their friend Katie ride her horses at the county fair. She did AWESOME getting 3 purple ribbons for all 3 events she rode in. WAY TO GO KATIE!!! We were SO proud of her. Isabelle was excited to see her ride & win. Katie is about 1 1/2yrs older than Isabelle so it was doubly exciting for Isabelle to see someone so close to her age doing so well! John Michael enjoyed hanging out with Katie's brother Jake. Jake took him to see the pig barn & to sit on Katie's horse. However, he was mainly "horsing" around!

Annual Redford Vacation

THE REDFORD CREW . . .

We wrapped up July with a trip to Branson with Kevin's whole family. It was non-stop fun! The weather was AMAZING!!! In fact the first 3 days we were there - it was cool enough that we didn't want to do any water rides at Silver Dollar City or go to White Water. We run our legs silly & crash into bed each evening. Our week is full for laughter, fun, & FOOD! Here are a few photos & memories.

First night's swim had to be in the indoor pool - outside was too cold! (Jaden, JM, Izzy & Sam)

DOGWOOD CANYON

Our hike at Dogwood Canyon . . . SO PRETTY!!!

Isabelle, John Michael, Tyler, & Samantha (Jaden had already gone home)

Me & Isabelle in front of one of the MANY waterfalls in Dogwood Canyon.

SILVER DOLLAR CITY

Our First day at Silver Dollar City! Are we excited???

Aunt Shannon & Isabelle on the Electro Spin - this ride makes me puke, but it is one of Isabelle's favorites . . . it goes up high in the air all while spinning.

THE WILDFIRE RIDE . . .

The 1st photo is Tyler, Kevin, Richard, & Brent. The 2nd photo is Kevin, Shannon & Brent - it goes upside down. My nephew Tyler (8) convinced me to give it a try. . .

This is my second ride - see me in the pink/white tank top - 2nd row back. My 1st ride was with Kevin & Tyler. . . I held so tight to Kevin's hand - he actually asked me to relax a little bit. As the rollercoaster made it's initial climb - I started screaming & panicked - I told Kevin I should not be on the ride - He & Tyler laughed saying "it's a little late for that." I was so scared - eyes closed the whole time - but it was FUN!! I rode it again.

POWDER KEG - this ride starts with a 0-FAST in 1 second. It is a jolt. Isabelle & Samantha both had their first rides together with Kevin & Richard. They loved it!

On our last day we took the kids on a nature hike on one of the State Park Trails & to play mini-golf. It was a great way to end the week!

A Trip to the Big Apple

God certainly is hilariously funny & definitely has His own ways of operating. In my last post I wrote about us selling our home - what a MIRACLE!!! We are so relieved & thankful! Do read that, if you missed it. At the same time, He was moving mountains to sell our home, Isabelle's Global Orphan Project was hitting Local & National Media. We actually closed on our house between interviews - one for ABC & one for CBS. We closed on our house on Friday the 10th & headed to NY City on Sunday the 12th - CRAZY!!! After arriving, we found out that breaking news was bumping us to Tuesday morning live - what fun a WHOLE day in NYC. . . .

We spent lots of time in Central Park - these are some of my favorite photos!

Isabelle had one request when she found out we were going to NY - We went to see the Statue from afar - too many people to get a boat ride over to see her up close. Isabelle stilled loved it. Then we went to Ground Zero & went into the Cathedral that was a place of healing after 9/11. It was moving - there are so many memorials & stories from that tragic day. One of the amazing things for our history bugg - was this church pew - it is the one President George Washington sat on in this very church before the capital moved out of NY. Cool!!

Riding the Subway was a HIT with Isabelle. . . she thought it was great. She also enjoyed the LARGE NYC Pizza


Times Square was BUSY, LOUD, & FULL of people. Very fun for Isabelle to see. Her highlights were shopping at the M&M's Store & the Hershies store - CHOCOLATE fix, YUMMY!!

Mike Farag, Beth Fox, Isabelle, Kevin, & Mike Fox (The Fox's founded the Global Orphan Project & Farag is the Marketing guy.) We were SO thankful to get to travel with them! Here we were in front of Radio City Music Hall. The other picture is from the M&M Store - a whole wall of M&M's - it was really a crazy sight to see!

What trip to NY wouldn't be complete for a little girl without a trip to the American Girl Doll Store. We have 2 dolls, so a little accessory was all we purchased - fun none the less to see 3 floors of DOLLS & their necessities (well, dad doesn't think they were necessities!)


Isabelle with Harry Smith - he was so kind & very gracious to us all. . . we so enjoyed meeting him. He sat with us for about 5 minutes after the interview & chatted. He seemed very genuine & interested in Isabelle & the orphans. Harry wanted one of Isabelle's cards & asked her to sign it for him. . .

Here we are in the conference room waiting for hair & makeup!

Isabelle went outside for the last segment on the Early Show - they were making cookies. Harry had promised her one after our interview was over. So she went & got to be on TV again with Harry, the weather guy, & the news guy. It was too cute!!!

This is Liz - she works for CBS & did our story. She was so sweet & very excited about Isabelle & the Global Orphan Project. We can't wait to see what else God has in store! He has moved in mighty ways over the last 7 days. There are many orphans who will be able to have homes because of God sharing Isabelle's story in only ways that He could do!

Person of the Week

Well what a week we've had. I have been sitting her speechless, not sure what to type, where to begin or how. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we would wake up today & realize that Isabelle has been seen all over the world. We found out a friend of Kevin's growing up in Africa saw the story yesterday on ABC! Isn't that amazing.

God's ways are truly amazing. We could not have tried to make any of this happen - it is so clearly His way & His will. He is doing something to alert everyone to the forgotten plight of orphans. We knew Isabelle might do a few things in the future weeks with the Global Orphan Project. We had no idea God would trump any plans we were beginning to make & move things so quickly & SO big. Kevin & I are still astonished at the attention her story is getting, she doesn't seemed phased at all. When we told her someone wanted to come talk to her & it would be a bigger news station that more people would get to watch she said, "that's great, maybe more people will hear my story & more people will help." She has NO idea how big any of this is. . . and we are thankful for that! We are thankful that God has spoken to her heart & that she is obedient to His call.

One year ago in our Bible study, one of the questions was "Has God called you to do anything?" - she answered "yes, he has called me to help orphans." She has known this & it is just in her. One week ago our devotional was about Esther - a similar question was asked in that - again she replied, "He has called me to speak up for Orphans." Thursday (2 days ago) our Devotional was entitled "God calls Isaiah". Again, a similar question about calling was asked & she said, "I already know what he's called me to do & I'm doing it!" This morning our devotion was entitled "God calls Jeremiah". Are you seeing the theme yet? God is truly moving & speaking. This isn't about her - it's about HIM!!!

We all have a call, we all have a special part to play in His great story. Our time on this earth is very temporary & He has a job for us to do. He has people for us to bless. He has love for us to share. We are His voice, His Hands, His feet. What is God asking you to do? I've been asked that questions before & have pridefully answered "it doesn't feel like much". Throughout the last 6 months & especially this last week, I've been convicted of my answer. Nothing is small in God's kingdom. He notices every touch, every smile, every word, every action. It is prideful for me to think I don't matter - because when I think that I'm just focused on ME. I'm not thinking what does GOD wants me to do or allowing myself to be open to what He might have because I'm focused on ME.

As you share in our excitement for Isabelle being chosen as person of the week - will you also honestly ask each day what call God has for you? It may look different each day, but each day is unique in it's own way. There will NEVER be another Saturday July 11, 2009 & He does have something for you in this day - a way to grow you, challenge you, encourage you, bless you, increase your faith, etc. . . . How will you respond?

Please pray for us as we will be travelling to NY for the CBS Early Show on Monday morning. We are thrilled & honored that they will be welcoming us to share her story. We cannot wait to see the amazing responses God will bring for the orphans. Keep praying that we will all wake out of our slumber & move as the people of God!

Contract on our home!

Well, I can hardly type fast enough because my mind is just swirling with excitement & joy today and I have to share all the details. I MUST share because I want you to know how amazing God is. He is amazing just because of WHO He is - but we have added reasons to praise Him today!

Yesterday we received a call at 11am that someone had made a cash offer on the house we've been trying to sell since January. It was a low offer so Kevin countered the offer around 11:30- our realtor wasn't too optimistic. At 1:00pm, the realtor called my cell & with much excitement said, "WE SOLD YOUR HOUSE!" He couldn't believe it! He said he'd never seen anything like it. The guy wants to close by the end of the week - so they are expediting paper work, etc. Today is the inspection & assuming all is okay (which it will be because this is completely God!) then we should be finished very soon! We found out later in the day, that this buyer called our realtor's office & made his secretary get him out of a meeting to show him the house - I'm sure that was a little annoying! So he showed the house & then the man pretty much made an offer on the spot. That's when he called us. . . CAN YOU BELIEVE IT????

So now we wait for all the details to come together to finalize the sale & then we begin to move forward on our end. We have NO idea what that looks like at this point - so don't ask! :) (I have to say that because it feels like it did after we had our first child & people immediately ask when you are having your second! This is a tremendous weight off in this journey we've been on & we want to enjoy it before we jump into more chaos!) We feel very overwhelmed with all of these developments as it is without adding on the future too fast. We feel a tremendous peace about moving forward slowly & waiting on God for the right thing - He did it with our house & He can clearly show as we move forward.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us . . . we feel so blessed by your care & genuine concern for us through your emails & calls. This is truly a story that only God could have scripted & we wait with you to see the next chapter.

The devotion I read this morning was entitled "PRAISE TRANSFORMS"! I was reminded of my Monday(7/6/09) - I felt the Lord leading me to spend a chunk of time with Him in prayer. During that time, my heart was heavy & burdened about our home, but I kept feeling Him say - "Just praise me!" So I did, despite my feelings (which can never be trusted) I praised Him . . . over & over & over. The devotional this morning said the following:

Rejoice in the Lord always, for as you rejoice and give thanks, you release heaven's treasures and shower upon your head the blessings of a delighted Father. Nothing so thoroughly delights the Father's heart as the praises of His children.

For Praise exercises the heart toward gratitude, and gratitude nurtures contentment, and you may know for a certainty that no fruit appears on the tree of discontentment.

So praise, My children, and never cease in your praising, for in the midst of it I will manifest Myself, and you will understand that when I demand of you your praises it is for your highest good.

Out of praises come courage, faith, strength, optimism, clarity, and peace. Out of praises come health and happiness and the soul satisfaction men seek in the world and do not find.

Praise will transform the humblest dwelling to a hallowed haven. It will light the countenance and make the plainest face beautiful. It is impossible for the man who has learned unceasing praise to be a failure. God's blessing attend his path, and God's Spirit rules his heart. He is eternally at peace with both God and Man.

How will you praise Him today?????