The First Day of School

Today was the start of our 2010-2011 school year. Here's our special back to school cake that Kevin & I made last night.
Bubby is pumped to be a big 1st grader! YIPEE!!!

Sissy is thrilled to be a 3rd grader! YAHOO!!!

We had an excellent first day of school with lots of great, fun learning!

The start of school also means something else in our home....

"ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?"

(if you aren't a football fan, this is the theme song to Monday night football. It is a standard song in our home.)

Last night was the 1st pre-season game, even without the starters playing there was a lot of tackling and running - both incredibly fun to watch for our big football star! :)

JM...a future Chiefs running back!

The Family of God - Kevin's Family

Smiling at the Landing in Branson...another fun filled Redford family vacation.
Aunt Shannon, Isabelle, Kevin, Tyler (cousin), Uncle Brent, & Samantha (cousin)
The New Huck Finn River Blast - You WILL get wet!!

Kevin & John Michael in the 3rd car back! He was waving & smiling this year on this ride!
We spent one day at the Lake...John Michael was LOVING the water....

My little fishies!!!

Kevin, Kelly, and Aunt Cathy (Kevin's aunt) We were so excited to hear that she & her husband came to S.D.C. one day when we were there. She was celebrating her 60th & loves rollercoasters, so I agreed to ride on the front with her & Kevin on the Wildfire - it goes upside down at over 60mph.

Here we go!

Kevin and John Michael at White Water. Bubba loves water rides!

You can't tell it, but this is Isabelle (right) racing her cousin Tyler (left) down this 7 story slide.

The cousin crew....JM, Tyler, Samantha, Isabelle, and Jaden

Isabelle & I went shopping at the Grand Village with Grandma & Aunt Sarah. She thought this huge rocking chair was pretty neat!

John Michael tried his first Funnel Cake while watching the Echo Hollow show. Both the kids thought it was really good...what kid doesn't like funnel cakes?

Intermission photos with the Silver Dollar City Singers...

The Family of God - Our kiddos

The kids haven't had pictures in a long time! So they were due for some new ones....Isabelle is now 8 (9 in October). She will be starting 3rd grade in 1 week. John Michael is 6 1/2 & loving it! He will be starting 1st grade! We are so blessed to watch them grow to love the Lord each day!Cousin, Olivia - 3yrs. old

The Family of God - Kelly's Family

For 4th of July, we went to Kansas City and spent the weekend with my family. We were so excited to see fireworks, but it poured down rain so hard they cancelled the shows. The kids enjoyed the water guns papa bought them - water gun "wars" were on in the backyard, with very soaked kids & adults!

One of the highlights was a tip to Deanna Rose Farmstead. I have so many pictures of my kids on this bridge - they look to big for it now!

Touring an Indian Teepee

We have 3 individuals who like to be in charge...I wonder which way we will go first?

Uncle Kevin showing the girls how to milk a cow!

Olivia likes to lead this horse!
The old schoolhouse is a fun treat to stop in! So many neat photos & real desks & slates to use.

We had a wonderful b-day celebration for Olivia!

She turned 3!

Somehow I managed to not get any pics of any of the adults....kids are cuter anyway! :)

After returning home, we 2 medical issues. The first was with JM. He had been having sudden, very painful headaches. He had a slight concussion back in early May - but the docs weren't concerned. However, the headaches coupled with a fever sent them into panic mode. So on Wed July 7, we ended up in the ER. He had to have dye put in his arm for a full head CT Scan. Everyone was a little concerned. Thankfully nothing was found....no blood clots, tumor, etc. We were very relieved. And no headaches since then - bizarre! The doctors said he must just have a virus. I think he did.

The day he woke up feeling better, Isabelle started feeling bad. She had head dizziness and high fevers around 103 for about 48 hrs, then she was fine. The day she woke up better was Sunday. Kevin had taken JM to church & he came home & went straight to bed with chlls. His lasted for about 48 hrs as well & then he felt great. By the 4 day, he woke up and could barely move. His neck & head hurt so bad, he laid still in bed with ice packs. I finally said, "I'm driving you to the doctor." He was diagnosed with Strep throat & Poison Ivy. He also had received a tick bite on the Sat. before he got sick, so the doc was very concerned about limes disease. SO, the big tough man had to get 2 big old shots in his behind. He was feeling great by bed time that night. The wonderful world of antibiotics! Thankfully the lime test did come back negative.

I am DONE with the Doctor/ER scene. I think we have met our deductible for sure! :)

Now it's time for our next stop....

The Family of God - Peabody, KS

The Family of God includes everyone who believes in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This is what makes Kevin's trip to Haiti (2 posts ago) so meaningful as he connected with our family of God in Haiti. It's what makes my trip to Nebraska so special - friends that live far apart can reconnect quickly because God is at the center.

The Family of God feels really special when it includes your immediate family. Kevin and I are so blessed to have had 4 sets of grandparents who all believed in God and shared their faith with their children and grandchildren. One of those special people, went to be with the Lord just a few days after we returned from Haiti and Nebraska. Kevin's grandpa Stucky, pictured here with our kids about 11 months ago, went to be with the Lord in late June. While we were thankful that he was no longer suffering, his godly presence and wisdom will be greatly missed.

Isabelle interviewing Grandpa last year for her school history assignment. What a special memory she will always have of her great-grandpa.

At Grandpa's visitation, there were so many amazing testimonies of how David Stucky impacted every person around him. He let every person know how much God loved them. His favorite verse and the one he shared with everyone was John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." His words, his actions, and his presence so reflected God. He was a blessing!Isabelle with Great-Grandma at the funeral

Grandma with her daughters...Cathy, Judy, and Susan

Kevin, Richard(brother), Chris (cousin), Lisa (cousin),

Caleb (cousin), Isaac (cousin), Brent (brother)
Cathy's family
Susan's family
Judy's family

Great-grandma with all 12 great grandchildren!

Grandma with her 7 grandchildren. Lisa played and sang at the funeral,

while the 6 guys were pall bearers.

A legacy of faith is left for us to model. We are so grateful to have known Grandpa and that God allowed us to be apart of his earthly family. We look forward to the day when we will be together again....The Family of God!