The Muncks Quiver

Ah, back to routines.....

2012-01-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

As wonderful as it is to take a vacation
there is something equally as grand about being home!

Life is back in full swing,
the store reopened...
mountains of mail sorted....
school lessons planned....
RV cleaned...
groceries purchased...
and
12 loads of laundry washed, folded, and put away....

I'm so thankful for 60 degree days
and the ability to hang laundry out to dry!

With team work our daily life seems to be a back in order,
now I'm sorting through my pictures to share about our trip.
But it's almost midnight, and well, bed is calling ....
Until tomorrow:)

Make each day useful and cheerful and prove that you know the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be happy, old age without regret, and life a beautiful success.
Louise May Alcott

A day in the RV ...

2012-01-30T16:40:00.000-05:00

*Originally Posted on Sunday, January 22.....
But the pictures never posted, so here are the pictures :)

Sunday, January 22

After some much needed rest we all woke ready to hit the road. We cleaned up, ate our muffins, had our morning worship, devotions, and prayers....then we were on the road again. As you can see from the pictures, the children are happy and occupied! And that makes everyone traveling HAPPY:-)

The weather has been a mix of sleet, snow, and fog! The fog made for slow driving, then later we hit a section of interstate that only 1 lane was open. When driving in that area we saw 3 cars got the road, then a few more miles up there was a 3 car accident. So "careful" our word for the day...we truly have felt the Lord's hand upon us as the miles pass! We are ever so thankful for His protection.

We are approaching the border crossing soon ...and as always praying it goes fast and "smooth".

I hope each of you have had a wonderful Lord's Day.

All in a day...

2012-01-29T04:46:00.001-05:00

We woke at a Wal-Mart right outside Kansas City, Missouri ...

We saw many sites along the way, like the Arch in St. Louis ...

And at 11:12 PM we pulled into our driveway, we are home!!! Bringing to an end our vacation and a wonderful trip in which many memories were made. I'll share some pictures and stories ...after some real sleep "in my own bed"!

Praising our Heavenly Father for travel mercies and provisions!

It's morning ...

2012-01-28T12:40:00.001-05:00

This morning we woke to the sun streaming in the RV, we parked at a Wal-Mart right outside of Kansas City. Across the street was a treat....yummy, Panera hazelnut coffee:-)

Now we are making miles.....

Traveling ...

2012-01-27T17:36:00.001-05:00

IOWA!!!!

On the road again...

2012-01-26T20:45:00.001-05:00

After 3 very full wonderful days with our Canadian Cousins the Pauls, we are back in the RV heading south! We have several days to travel home, taking in family time and enjoying the sites of God's creation along the way.

Pictures of our time in Canada still to come.

Wordless Wednesday: The Beauty of a Canada Morning

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

We are here.....

2012-01-24T22:30:00.001-05:00

Yep, we are here in Canada, and we arrived safely! We are having a wonderful time with lots of fun, food, and the best part of all F-E-L-L-O-W-S-H-I-P!!!!! Our time here is short so no real time to blog, cause we have to soak all of this in before we head back home....which will be way to soon. But one must always be thankful for the time in which we are given, and we are just that thankful! Here is just a tiny glimpse of some fun.......

**My last post was missing pictures, sorry not sure what happened. I posted from my cell phone, I'll have to try re-post them when we get back in the states... no cell service here :)

Traveling North....

2012-01-21T21:14:00.001-05:00

Yesterday after all the store chores were done, with a sign placed on the door....we are officially closed until January 30! We have sweet friends caring for our home, chickens, dog, and bunnies. Once all the little details were complete we loaded into the RV...which we had packed over the course of a week and we were off to Canada! Yep, we are heading up to see what we call our Canadian Cousins, The Pauls Family! We are all very excited this is the first time we have seen them in 15 months! That's the longest we have gone without visiting with them since the time in which the Lord orchestrated our friendship /meeting.

So as crazy as it may seem to be heading "North" in frigid weather in the middle of winter ...the fellowship is worth it! Tonight we rest our heads in a RV park in Sioux Falls, for the first night of real sleep sense we left. We are thankful for our travel thus far and feel so blessed to be able to travel with all our children.

Composed from my cell phone, please excuse any typos ;-)

Ruth Ella turned 2!

2012-01-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Memories Monday

September 9, 2011

"Ruth Ella" Katherine turned 2

Which means I'm wayyyy behind on blogging her birthday. So, I thought today would be a good day to post it, plus in a few short weeks the birthdays for 2012 will begin. On to the party....

Monkeys was the theme.....

Ruth Ella loves monkeys.....

This little monkey since her birthday has become her buddy, and her sleeping partner....

Since Ruth Ella was tiny she could imitate the monkey chatter, so funny!

She was excited!!!! And in her quirky smile phase ;)

For the cake we opted for something a little different...a rice crispy treat cake, it was a BIG hit!

The monkey girl throne....

On the birthday menu

*Homemade Pizza...Ruth Ella's favorite food
*Toss Salad
*Candy Balls...A.K.A Grapes ;)

Not sure Ruth Ella is a monkey or a clown?!?

September has come and gone Ruth Ella is now 2 years and 4 months old. She is a chatter box and talks our ears off. We often refer to her as "the little old lady", because she doesn't just talk she carries on adult type conversations. She also reprimands her brothers for wrong doings...not that they listen to her:) She is a joy in our life and we are so very thankful to have her as part of our family!

And the Angels are rejoicing!!!

2012-01-15T23:20:00.001-05:00

As is the Munck Family.....for today was a day extra special day! Today Amanda and William made their profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ public and were baptized! What a glorious day it was....All heaven and earth rejoices!!!!

Salvation, the sweetest thing I know!

Buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life!!!!
And all God's people said "AMEN"!

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
1John 4:14-15

Scenes from Christmas

2012-01-12T19:30:00.001-05:00

Joy isn't just something to have at Christmas
but can be attained throughout the year,
by remembering this....

J.O.Y.

"Jesus"

Others

and then

Yourself

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you,
and that your joy may be full."
John 15:11

Sugar Overload!!!!!

2012-01-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

During the Christmas
and the New Years
holidays our family partook of some delectable sweets!

In doing so, we had a sugar high for days!!!!

All the sweets were yummy!!!
But reality set in right before January 1st,
our bodies were calling for healthy eating....
with WAY less sugar!

Our start back to healthy eating has begun
and I believe our bodies are all feeling a
sigh**of relief.
The healthy eating is here....
lots if fresh fruits and veggies,
along with beans and whole grains!
I'm sure our bodies will be thanking us;)

Christmas baking...

2012-01-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

Every year the week before Christmas we always do some baking to give away. Well, this year our store was very busy, so I was short handed on bakers. I looked around and found 2 willing helpers....no to mention the oldest children at home;)

Wesley and William were very excited to let the baking begin!!!! Wesley sadly had to wear the pink apron (because we only own 1 little boy apron). He informed me rather quickly that pink wasn't his favorite color, and that he wished he had an orange apron....note to self make Wesley and orange apron. Wesley also had new rain boots and felt the need to wear them to bake :)

The W's were GREAT little bakers....

They took turns and worked as a team.....

We made 6 loaves of banana bread and 5 loaves of soft oat bread....

When Ruth Ella woke from her nap, she joined the baking crew. Of course she wanted to wear the pink apron....

And her "new" rain boots...with the tag still attached! Not sure if Wesley and Ruth Ella were trying to create a new accessory to wear while baking:)

Ah the finished bread, waiting to be delivered .....

And an extra fun day with a few of my littles :)
Photo taken by the oldest helper William age 7!

OOPS...Blooper Photo!
This is the photo you get when Wesley 4 year old tries to hold a heavy camera with a long lens......
You get a funny photo, loaded with memories!

8 on the 8th

2012-01-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

"Mary Ann" Faith is...
8 months old today...
on the 8th of January!!!!

Time is passing ever so quickly, I find it hard to believe she could be 8 months already! Mary Ann is a wonderful baby and has the most pleasant nature. She is always ready with a very large smile, and often a squeal will accompany her smile. It was surprising that Mary Ann learned to crawl the week before Christmas, since she is often found being held by one of her siblings...or Mama and Daddy ;) Well, it hasn't taken long for Mary Ann to master crawling and now she is go go go!!! She is now thankfully sleeping through the night...as of 6 days ago! WOW, I didn't think this little girl would ever sleep. We have also found in the past month that Mary Ann is a Daddy's girl, she wants Arthur as much or more than me....and I love to see the bond between the two of them. I look forward to seeing what areas Mary Ann will grown in, in the month ahead.

2012 !!!

2012-01-05T22:30:00.003-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I hope everyone has had a wonderful beginning to this
New Year
2012!!!

Our year has started off well, with lots to look forward to in the days/months ahead.

But, before I can share our thoughts, ventures, and hopes for 2012,
I must first wrap up 2011.
The past few weeks of December got away from me,
with the celebration of Christmas and our store being busy...
for which we are very thankful!

Here is a little glimpse of what I'll be sharing over the next couple of days....

Miss Mary Ann

1st Christmas...
as her bib says

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

And the winners are....

2011-12-22T17:10:00.001-05:00

Sorry ladies it took us little extra time getting the winners. In order to use Random. org to select our winners, we had to assign each person a number and then enter each person for the giveaway of their choice. Well without further ado the winners are listed below....

#1 Jam and Bread Cloth...Cinnamon is the winner!

#2 The Headband...Salinn is the winner!

#3 Earrings...Sharon is the winner!

#4 Hand Towel & Soap...Doris is the winner!

#5 Panda Key Chain...Theresa is the winner!

#6 Owl Key Chain...Missy is the winner!

#7 Changing Pad & Wipes...Rebecca Fowler is the winner!

#8 Tote Bag...Deb is the winner!

#9 Stationary...Cathy is the winner!

#10 Pot Holders...Lu is the winner!

#11 Tea Ball...Chris is the winner!

Ladies please email us at munckfamily @ att.net or leave us a comment with your address, and we'll mail your item to you:)

We would like to say thank you to each of you that stopped by to enter the giveaway old friends and new!

May each of you have a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year!

"And they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
Matthew 1:23

It's not to late....

2011-12-20T23:09:00.003-05:00

You have a few more hours to enter the

Christmas Giveaways!!!

Let us give according to our incomes,
lest God make our incomes match our gifts.
Peter Marshall

Wrapped gifts are just one way of giving at Christmas.
My prayer for our family this Christmas is,
that we focus on giving of ourselves to others in time and love.
What better way to celebrate the birth of the ultimate gift,
CHRIST!

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart,
not grudgingly or of necessity;
for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAYS

2011-12-15T22:00:00.001-05:00

It's finally here.....

#1 Cross stitched bread cloth and homemade strawberry jam.

#2 Handmade headband

#3 Handmade glass beaded earrings.

#4 A colorful handmade accent hand towel
and
Lilac handmade cold-process soap...

The soap was made by
Hannah Girotti.
We have known of Hannah from the blog world for over a year.
This past October we had the pleasure of meeting Hannah and her family at the
NCFIC Marriage Conference. What a treat to meet blog friends face to face.

If you would like to see some of Hannah's other soaps visit her at....
Pleasant View Soap

#5 Handmade glass beaded panda bear key chain.

#6 Handmade glass beaded owl key chain.

#7 Handmade changing pad with plastic wipe box.

(I have 2 and love them!)

# 8 Canvas Tote lined in flower print with 3 front pockets.

#9 A set of 5 stationary cards uniquely designed with envelopes.

#10 Two handmade pot holders.

#11 Tea ball with glass beads.

RULES:
We want to again keep it simple, there aren't any rules! You can enter for more than one item. There are 2 ways to enter, you will find the details below.....

1 entry...
Just leave us a comment with the item numbers you are entering for!

For a second entry:
Post the giveaway on your blog, and leave us a separate comment to tell us you did so. We will list this giveaway on our side bar.

The last day to enter is Wednesday, December 21

Lets talk about Christmas...

2011-12-14T16:40:00.004-05:00

HELLO EVERYONE!

Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner?!?!

Well, that's what I keep hearing people say....

Ya, know this is my first Christmas which makes me pretty excited....

I giggle and smile when I hear talk of Christmas, and see the traditions that my family have to celebrate Christmas.....

I just know it's the most wonderful time of the year!

BUT, then there are the moments when I look like this.......

This is the look I get when I hear that one of our family traditions hasn't happened yet, it's the Christmas blog giveaways!!!!

I can't talk yet, all I can do is give my Mama and big sisters this look! It's the look of, have ya'll forgotten the gift of blog giving tradition?

Well, no need to worry anymore, the news I'm about to share put a smile on my face....

I overheard my Mama and big sisters talking of the Christmas giveaway.

So, keep your eyes wide open because it's coming TOMORROW!!!
I really think you will like the things they made :)

Until the next time we chat I hope each of you has a blessed Christmas season. And as my Daddy always says we need to continually reflect on the true meaning behind CHRISTmas...and that is CHRIST!

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11

Christmas Giveaway...

2011-12-13T19:53:00.002-05:00

Our daughters are hosting a giveaway
for this cute earring and bracelet set....

Head on over

HERE

to enter
the giveaway ends Friday the 16th!

Holiday happening ....

2011-12-05T23:45:00.000-05:00

With daily life,
Christmas preparations,
and
decorations going up

I almost forgot to show you what we had for Thanksgiving.......

A Little Turkey :)

What a blessing to have Miss Mary Ann
in our family. She was top on our thankful list for 2011.

Rebekah wrote a post today about (our/her) Thanksgiving, you can go HERE to see it.

On this day...

2011-12-01T22:30:00.000-05:00

8 years ago.....
December 1, 2003

Arthur began his first leg of his battle with cancer,
this was the day he had colon surgery.
This was the day the head of our family took a step in the direction of the unknown?!?!

Arthur was prayed up, leaning on the Great Physician to guide the hands of his earthly surgeon, his faith never faltered, and he held my hand before surgery always being the rock and encouraging me.
We had one last kiss and he was wheeled away......

I once again began to plead with the Lord...

"Please Lord hold my best friend, love, husband, father of our children in the palm of your hand. Heal him Lord and restore him, that he may be able to continue to serve you...spare him Lord, Please"!

The Lord heard my prayers...
AND
the MANY, MANY
prayers of those who knew Arthur
and
prayers of those who never knew him, they just knew his name...

Oh how the body of believers lifted Arthur and our family up to the Lord,
and in the days/months that followed....

We felt the Lord's hands carry us....
We saw HIM touch Arthur's tired body...
We experienced the love of Christ in others that words cannot explain....
All because of the power of prayer, and God's amazing grace.....

OUR FAMILY WAS FOREVER CHANGED!!!

Now 8 years later..........

I still have my best friend, love, husband, and father of our children...
I never go a day without being thankful to our Heavenly Father!

I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL !

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Psalm 126:5

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T06:30:00.001-05:00

Just for the record.....

2011-11-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

Because there is a rumor floating around I thought I would post here to set things straight.....

I am not pregnant....

Now that is not to say we wouldn't "love & welcome" another baby blessing. We would feel blessed beyond measure to be adding another addition to our family. But for now the only baby in the Munck house is this sweet little girl.....

Picture taken last week in Florida,
thanks Mrs. Victoria for the dress:)

Children are a heritage of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3

Memories Monday: Our trip to Germany

2011-11-21T16:00:00.002-05:00

OK, so we didn't really go to Germany. In August we really took a day trip into the mountains of Georgia, to a little spot known for looking like Germany....

Helen, Georgia

In the late 1960’s, Helen was revitalized from a remote mountain community into a replica of a quaint Alpine Village located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We have visited Helen, GA many times and we always enjoy taking in the little German town...only a couple of hours from our home, a mini vacation.

On our way to Helen, Ga we passed by this place...

Goats on the Roof

This was truly a sight to see, well if your city folk ;)

You can see more pictures of them at this YouTube link.

The model railroad museum was our next stop.....

Charlemagne's Kingdom......
you can see more here

It was amazing all the tiny details, truly nothing was overlooked. We spent almost 2 hours there watching the trains pass by, it was fascinating to see all the locations, events, and imagination that went into this display.

This was a replica of Neuschwanstein Castle, the history behind this famous castle is so interesting and you often see it used in books and magazines.

You can see one of the trains going through in this picture.

These are just a few of the pictures we took while touring, you can see more HERE on there web site!

We had a great little day trip here. It was very hot that day so we ended our trip at the frozen yogurt shop :)

Our Millennium Boy turned 11!!!

2011-11-20T19:30:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday were very thankful to have all of James birthday party supplies with us, so there were no worries when the van broke down. This way we were ready on Saturday evening to decorate for his birthday on Sunday!

James was our Millennium Baby born

NOVEMBER 13, 2000

James woke up to a party!!!!!

SURPRISE!!!!!

Breakfast started with a treat, Duncan Donuts...YUM!!!!

James is a Dog Lover, so a doggie theme was perfect for him!

Great that James loves dogs so much since our family business is all about dogs! If James could he would bring all his 4 legged friends home each night from our store. James can often be found curled up with one of the dogs in the floor, on a pillow, or even in a kennel :)

Short bread bone shaped cookies...

James chose to open his presents after breakfast.....

James was "Top Dog" for the day, and spent most of his birthday swimming!

The Dinner Menu:

*Grilled Cajun Chicken
*Green Beans
*Salad
*Au Gratin Potatoes

*Lemon cupcakes with cream cheese icing and strawberry ice cream

( cupcakes and ice cream and photo taken after lots of swimming and a few were already in jammies)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

JAMES

WE L♥VE YOU!!!!!

We pray this year brings you much growth in mind and body, for the Lord has great things for you.

James had a "woofing" good birthday!

Blessed are the peace makers: for they shall be called children of God.
Matthew 5:9

We are here...

2011-11-14T14:23:00.001-05:00

We arrived safely on Saturday evening, and are very grateful once again to our dear friends for blessing us with a week of vacation.

We have experienced one set back, much like our last Florida trip in March....our van broke down! Thankfully we were in the parking lot of the resort, definitely praising the Lord for that! This morning the van was towed to the repair shop, the same one from March...and they remembered Arthur! So, today we are just enjoying the warm weather and sunshine, and family time!

Blogging from my cell phone, so excuse any typos :) The internet has been down. More post coming...

On the road...

2011-11-12T08:53:00.001-05:00

It's Saturday morning we are in the van and traveling! Right now everyone is settled in for the ride, and it's a beautiful day ;)

A new "Baby-Do"

2011-11-11T15:15:00.002-05:00

Miss Mary Ann was born with a head full of hair, but over the past few months it had begun to look pretty shabby! The top stood straight up and she had begun to rub some hair off in patches...Not Pretty!!!! So, the end of October Elizabeth and I gave Miss Mary Ann a little trim.

BEFORE:

The back of her head had this really long piece of hair. It was also as long on the right side but she has cow lick that causes her hair to swoop to the left side...hence the bunch of hair on the left!

The hair over her right ear was very long but thinning....

And love her heart the left side was truly wearing thin, due to the fact she favors her left side to sleep!

TRIM TRIM TRIM, SNIP SNIP SNIP...

AND....

TA-DA....

THE AFTER....

A neat and clean baby girl!!!!!

Ah...much better!!!!

The back all dry and in place. You can see that silly cow lick and her birthmark, it's been 3 weeks her hair is going fast and getting thicker :)

Loving Life....

2011-11-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

Looking out the windows of our house this week,
these are some of the views we have been enjoying.
The blessings of God's amazing colors painted across all of nature......

I L♥VE FALL!!!!!

In the past 2 weeks 11 out of 13 in our family have been sick...
today was the first day in 2 weeks we have had a home that is fever free.
Arthur was the last one sick, and today he seems to be on the path to well!

In sickness the world and life just keep moving right along.
I have a long list of "to do's" that I just haven't had time for like...
*return a few emails
*blog MANY things
*make a few phone calls
*write a couple of letters
*work on several Christmas projects
*Oh the list goes on blah blah blah..

But here are the things I have done in the past couple of weeks...
*Cuddled littles
*given medicine
*read story books
*taken temperatures
*listen to Cd's
*wiped noses
*listen to my children's stories/dreams
*made LOTS of hot tea
*talked of the Lord and His Word
*taken pictures
*made bread
*said "COVER your MOUTH when your COUGH"

And last but not least...
* I have done a whole lot of PRAYING!!!!!

Now I see that I may have lots on a "to do" list
BUT
I also see that in the mix of all this crazy yucky sickness
I was given some very special time with my kiddos and hubby!
And for that I'm thankful.....

So, even with sickness...
what's not to love about life????

Loving Life...
is a choice!

What a blessing to be given another day,
to open our eyes to the beauty all around us
in nature and people!
Thank you Lord!!!!

HALF A YEAR!!!

2011-11-09T22:40:00.000-05:00

MARY ANN
IS
6 MONTHS OLD!!!!!

Mary Ann is a treasured blessing,
half a year has come and gone and somehow
she is now 6 months old!

Each day I love her more and become more smitten with her...
I still love breathing in her sweet baby smell, rubbing my face on her soft white skin,
looking into her crystal blue eyes as they glisten, hearing her babble and say "mamama"!
Mary Ann is now sitting up, and getting onto her hands and knees to rock...crawling
will be here before we know it. But for now I want to hold her close and soak in each
baby stage/moment, for this time passes ever so quickly!

So, I'm not just celebrating Mary Ann's 6 months,
I celebrate the Creator!
The One who formed her and entrusted us with her,
for He has great plans for her.
May we raise her to know our Lord as Savior,
and to serve Him all the days of her life.

Wordless Wednesday: Sugar & Spice

2011-11-02T22:05:00.001-04:00

STATS~

2011-11-02T21:15:00.000-04:00

6 TO 5

I'M NOT LIKING THESES STATS!

6 SICK CHILDREN

TO

5 WELL

Praying for healing and comfort,
May the Lord change the stats in our favor...
11 to 0
Would be wonderful!

Stephen's 9th Birthday

2011-10-23T12:30:00.001-04:00

OCTOBER 16
WAS
STEPHEN'S BIRTHDAY.....

And we had a popping good time ;)

Popcorn was his theme, Stephen loves popcorn...as do the rest of us!

Popcorn & Hot Dogs...

With this party theme and the foods we had it seemed all we were missing was a fair :)

On the Menu:

*Hot Dogs
*Chili
*Slaw
*Sweet Potato Fries
*Raw Carrots

Ranch Seasoned Popcorn & Gummi Bears

We made Candy Apples in place of cake...and they turned out so yummy!!!!

Our daughters put the Candy Apple recipe on their blog you can go HERE to get it.

Stephen was one excited boy to now be 9!

9 Candy Apples and a Wish !

Stephen we love you so much and pray that this year brings you growth in many areas of your life. Your 9th birthday will forever be etched in our memory as not just another birthday. But the day that the angels were rejoicing for your profession of faith in our Lord and Savior, followed by your baptism.

Rejoice Evermore!
1 Thessalonians 5:16

Life is full.....

2011-10-22T16:15:00.001-04:00

Fall is in the air, and the days are changing.....

September was truly a blur for our family! With the 2 floods and home repairs from the flooding, September and now October is gone in a blink! The past few weeks have been filled with daily life activities and then added into the mix repairs, accounting for all the damaged items, and getting estimates on a few repairs that remain....like our duct work that was saturated. Thankfully a week from Monday we have company to come in and replace all of that. I'm excited to see this season, meaning the season of our floods passing. I'm ready to get back to our daily routine and "normal" life... whatever "normal" is ;) While being in the state of busy...which I don't care for AT ALL.....we had some times of break and celebration. We had a weekend road trip in the RV, and we had 3 birthdays (blog post all coming soon, pictures uploaded they just need some words). This past week our County schools had fall break and this coming week our City schools have fall break, this making our business very busy...This busy we are VERY thankful for!!!!

All in all in the mix of this season of busy, I had moments of feeling overwhelmed...Thankfully they were fleeting moments, none were welcome to hang around! The Lord has a plan with the good and the bad, He is refining us during those times. My prayer is that I come away with stronger faith and a purer heart. I'm praising and thanking our Lord for the good and the bad!!!

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.
Zechariah 13:9

Wordless Wednesday: The Chauffeur & The Little Lady

2011-10-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

Moments from September

2011-10-18T16:15:00.000-04:00

Random happenings in pictures......

The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad.
Psalms 126:3

Born Again & A Birthday!!!!

2011-10-16T18:20:00.000-04:00

Today is Stephen's 9th birthday!!!!!!

But it wasn't celebrated like any other birthday, and not like any birthday in which he will ever experience again!

On September 2, 2011
Stephen ask Jesus into his heart to be his Lord and Savior!!!!
We were so excited for him, and have prayed for this day since he was born.

Stephen with the Bible we gave him for his birthday.

TODAY.....

Stephen was baptized!!!!!!

What an awesome birthday he has had!!!!!!!!

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

Wordless Wednesday: A Tea Party with Friends :)

2011-10-12T13:15:00.000-04:00

13 years ago today....

2011-10-11T17:15:00.000-04:00

Jonathan was 2 days old,
our little miracle.
He was fighting to survive....

People all over the country were praying for him,
and
The Lord our Great Physician
was working overtime taking care of Jonathan.

We praise the Lord daily for the 13 years
He has given us with Jonathan,
each day we have with Jonathan is a treasured gift!

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them,
With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26

5 months old !

2011-10-08T08:00:00.002-04:00

MARY ANN

5 months has come in gone, truly in a blink of the eye!
You area bundle of joy, with cooing and chatter,
smiles that light up your entire face from ear to ear
and make your little eyes glow with excitement!
You love your brothers goofy faces and noises they make,
and you amaze us how you can handle Ruth Ella when she comes at you full force...
thinking she is going to put on a show for you:)
Your often smothered in kisses and hugs
xoxoxoxox
from all your adoring sibling fans!

As for your Daddy and I
you are a remarkable gift and we are smitten with you.
You are the perfect fit into our family,

We l♥ve you more than the moon and the stars....
as Wesley likes to tell you;)

Photo by Rebekah

31 for 21: Coloring King

2011-10-06T15:16:00.001-04:00

Coloring is one of Jonathan's favorite things to do. You will often find him in this position. It wasn't so long ago that Jonathan couldn't hold a pencil or crayon well ...making coloring an effort. Once he mastered holding a pencil or crayon he would only select 1 color to color the entire picture. But not any more, his pictures now are a rainbow of color.

Like his bright coloring crayons, Jonathan has a bright gleam of life in his eyes...We love you Johnny :)

31 for 21 : Capable

2011-10-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

Capable- adjective
1. Able; skilled: a capable teacher
2. capable of-Having a certain ability or capacity: She is capable of great kindness.

definition from The Christian Student Dictionary

Jonathan is highly capable of more than most people give him credit for. Here are a few pictures of Jonathan coming along side our family just as we all do in "working as a team". Jonathan plays a key roll in our team, just as each family member has his or her own gifts/talents!

Cleaning out from under our home after the first flood....

Helping clean out the last off the veggies and weeds from our garden boxes....

And hanging out with a few brothers while taking loads of debris to the road for trash pick up.

Yes, Jonathan is capable of MUCH!!!!!

31 for 21 : Super Heroes

2011-10-02T22:20:00.000-04:00

March 2011
outside
Once Upon a Toy Store
Downtown Disney

Super Heroes
like the one Jonathan is standing beside
are a dime a dozen....

Super Heroes
come and go over time....

Super Heroes
are only super when they are doing a heroic act....

Super Heroes
in the worlds eyes are normally fantasy or fiction.....

When I think of a Super Hero,
it's not a character from a cartoon, book, or movie.

NO, a true Super Hero is a person with a disability!
What makes them so unique and super is everyday living,
their determination to strive to achieve what comes so naturally for the rest of us.
Then one day after much work they conquer another milestone,
only to face more ahead....
Yet, they never give up!!!

Jonathan
is a true
Super Hero!!!

The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head.
Proverbs 20:29

The winner is.....

2011-10-02T21:30:00.003-04:00

THE WINNER OF FIREPROOF IS

AMY !!!!!!!!!!

Thank you to all who stopped by to enter :)

Down Syndorme ....

2011-10-01T23:10:00.001-04:00

OCTOBER
IS
DOWN SYNDROME
AWARENESS MONTH

So, for the next 31 days I'll attempt to blog something about Ds.
This is my third year to participate in 31 for 21...
I'm not sure what will be posted this year but ,
for sure you will see plenty of pictures of Jonathan ....
Along with hearing about the things he can do,
just being a boy/ with a little something extra:)

To see other families that are blogging about Ds this month use
the Ds button on my side bar to take you to a list of some wonderful families!

Weekend Giveaway!!!

2011-09-30T18:00:00.003-04:00

Our family is very excited to see that Sherwood Productions has another
inspirational movie

COURAGEOUS

And it opens this weekend in theaters!!!

We are living in a day and age that there are so few movies created to
encourage families or moral values.

Because of this
we thought we would offer a giveaway of the last Sherwood movie
FIREPROOF

TO ENTER:

There are 4 ways to enter this giveaway....

1 leave us a comment for 1 entry
2 leave a second comment to tell us which Sherwood movie is your favorite, of the 3
older ones
3 if you go this weekend to see Courageous, leave us a comment and tell us
4 blog about this giveaway

This giveaway will run until Sunday night at 8PM, and the winner will be picked by Random. org.

In our house we all have our own favorite Sherwood movie, my favorite is Flywheel ! It may have been produced on a tight budget, but it still packs a powerful message!

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Proverbs 3:13

William turned 7

2011-09-30T16:30:00.001-04:00

SEPTEMBER
8, 2011

William turned 7!!!!

Our 7 year old boy didn't ask for much other that
to be a Sheriff...

So, for the day William was the Sheriff!

The tree was adorned in cowboy boots,
and western stars....

William checking out all the ornaments...

One thing William ask for was a Sheriff hat,
black of course ;)

We purchased a black shirt for him,
and then Rebekah did her magic. She added a
#7 to the shirt with cowboy hat print material,
and made a matching band for his hat.
The pennants that hung from the doorways
and windows were made of matching fabric,
and also sewn by Rebekah.

On the Menu:

PBJ..with homemade strawberry jam
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Sun Chips
Raw Carrots
Banana Bread
Popcorn
Lemonade

Oh the ideal meal of a 7 year old boy:)
I love him so!!!

Gifts with his favorite candy,
Reeses Pieces....

7 Sheriff Cupcakes
with a badge and cowboy boot

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, WILLIAM!!!!!

The look and smile on William's face is what we see all day long every day, and his smile is contagious....what a gift he is to us all! We love you Sheriff :)

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance....
Proverbs 15:13

My nesting list complete :)

2011-09-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

This bathroom project didn't just take place. I have several post to catch up on, so I can have the events chronicled for our family. This project was on my list of things I would have loved to have had done before Mary Ann was born. But my list was longer than time allowed for. My sweet husband and children continued to work on my "nesting list" after Mary Ann was born. This bathroom was the last project on the list and was completed in July.

This bathroom was part of our addition we added on 14 years ago, and not much other than a coat of paint had changed in the 14 years. So, it needed a little cleaning up. I forgot to take before pictures, the pictures below were taken after Arthur had taken out the vanity. But it will give you a little bit of an idea :)

BEFORE...

Carpet...not good with kids! And you see the tub at one time had ceramic knobs...gone from children using them to help climb in the tub :o

The work began...

Arthur removing the tile in front of the shower....

Elizabeth pulling out staples in the floor from where we had had carpet....

The laying of the flooring, Ruth Ella felt the need to help :)

We are very pleased with the flooring, it's durable and easy to clean!

We didn't make any real drastic changes, but I'm loving it!

The finished bathroom....

We purchased a mirror to hang above the tub.....

We replaced the light fixture.....

We painted the tub frame a moss green, but kept the same shades......

We kept the same curtain for the shower, and the pictures on the walls (they are from our trips to Nicaragua).....

The flooring is probably my favorite thing we changed....

Finally we purchased a new vanity and counter top. Now if you noticed the wall color didn't change much, it's just a little shade darker than before. We really like the taupe color because it's so neutral.

I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalms 7:17

When it rains, it floods....literally!

2011-09-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

During the flood.....

Thursday night flood, a view of our side yard....

This was about 10:50PM.....

The pool was out there somewhere?!

The waters were much higher this time, poor bunnies! On Saturday we thought Carmel wasn't going to make it. She became very lethargic, and wouldn't eat. But miraculously she survived, the kids were so happy :)

The view from our front door,.....

Looking across the street towards our neighbors house. This was a first for that house/yard to have flood waters in it!

The waters went down............

But that left a mess to clean up mud, mulch, and debris everywhere!

You can see the water line on our house.....

Arthur got a more accurate measure and it was an inch and a half from getting into our house! The Labor Day floor got 9 inches high, this flood was 15 inches high....sigh***

When we went to move the girls cars the water was up to their doors, so when we moved them water got in the floor.

There were lots of hands helping with the clean up, thankfully many hands makes lighter work;)

Funny how to clean up a flood mess you need more water :)

The pool, well, it's NASTY!!!! Glad swimming season is over :0

At the moment of the flood and the next 24 hours after it just seems overwhelming! But then we have time to talk with the Lord and pray, and clean up time gives you lots of time to do that. It's always amazing the peace that the Lord gives us each time...now I'm not saying we like the flooding, or the clean up! What I am saying is the Lord gives us His strength and peace.

I could sit here and tell you of all the "stuff" that was damaged or lost. But after I did that it would all come down to the same thing it's just "stuff" ! We aren't taking any of this "stuff" to heaven with us....So what was of real value to us the flood didn't harm, and that is our family! We count ourselves very blessed and praise the Lord for His grace and mercy. Thank you for your sweet comments, and most of all your prayers.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6: 19-20

The winners are....

2011-09-23T14:45:00.000-04:00

Nicole won the tote with the school supplies!!!

Martha is the winner of the earrings!!!

Congratulations ladies! Please, email us your address to munckfamily@ att.net

We would like to thank all of you who stopped by to visit and enter our giveaway. Hosting a giveaway opens the doors for us to not only give but also to meet new people. We will be having another giveaway on September 30th, come back and check it out.

The past few weeks the girls and I have been busy planning our Christmas giveaways, and the crafting has begun. Oh how we love to share the gift of giving at Christmas. You know there are only 92 days until Christmas :)

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

Seems hard to believe ....

2011-09-23T03:08:00.001-04:00

Well the flooding was WORSE, much worse than last time! Arthur and I were outside until right at 2 AM, we had been moving things around. Then we stood and chatted with our neighbors who were outside helping us, and checking on their homes. It's to dark to know much information for us. What we do know is our new refrigerator that was delivered on Monday is now a goner! The pool is a big muddy pond....and lots of stuff in the garage was underwater! We weren't prepared like before. And as I was writing the last blog post Arthur had gone to check the water. As I pushed publish he came back in our room and said it's already in the garage and deep, we have to move the cars now! The bigs moved furniture and tried to ready the house if it came in...it was 4 inches from the door this time. Tomorrow, or I guess I should say when it's daylight we'll know more.

Right now I just cannot help but be broken hearted for our neighbors who had just started the process of rebuilding ...our prayers remain with them. We praise the Lord for His hand of protection.

Just when things were cleaned up!

2011-09-22T22:27:00.004-04:00

Clouds came in, and the rain came down.....

This was going to be more than just a rain...

And the water spilled out of the creek quickly....

Another day, another flood!!!!

The flooding took place this afternoon on into early evening. Thankfully it didn't reach our garage. The skies cleared some and the water went back down. But about an hour ago it began to storm again, and the water is now back out of the creek and higher than this afternoon. Our prayer is that it doesn't come into our garage again, or get into the house...so we PRAY!

The flood and the aftermath....

2011-09-20T22:00:00.002-04:00

Our walkway off our porch

On Labor Day we knew it was going to rain and we were, so we thought, prepared for the flooding. It hadn't rained in our area for over 30 days, and the ground was as hard as concrete. We knew if we indeed received the rain that they were calling for us to have there wouldn't be anyway the ground could soak it all up. Plus, you know we have a flooding issue at times with the creek in our backyard. So, on Sunday evening Arthur and Madison moved somethings around, just to be on the safe side.

Arthur moving the RV to higher ground

The rain started to come down, and it came down hard for hours....but it didn't take hours for the creek to come up and out! It also didn't take long to see that this wasn't the typical flood, where it comes up fast, doesn't get to high, and goes back down within less than an hour. Nope, this was going to be "a good one"! Quickly we realized that what preparations Arthur and Madison had made the day before weren't going to be enough, so out the door Arthur and Madison went to secure things.

Our backyard

This picture was taken mid afternoon. By the end of the day the wood pile you see in the picture was covered in water, and then carried down stream :(

Our Backyard

Arthur and Madison working on tying down our basketball goals.

While out there Arthur saved one of the boys cowboy hats that was floating away.

Anyone for a jump/bounce on the trampoline???

Our garden boxes were somewhere under there...this was the first time since having our boxes that the water has ever gotten in them. We were pretty sad about that, and we lost the herbs/veggies that were left.

The boys and I were watching out the window when we saw the ladder to the boys fort floating away. Thankfully Arthur came around the house about that time and grabbed the ladder before it was a goner!

I'm not sure our rabbits knew what to think of the flood. Along with the rain, the temperatures dropped very cool for us that day, and the wind was blowing. Our big white rabbit "Snow White" we have had for over a year, she is a strong rabbit and did well.

We have 2 other rabbits that are still bunnies, at the time we had only had them 2 weeks. "Carmel" the tan and white bunny did well, but our sweet little black and white bunny passed away a few days later...we believe it caught a cold.

Our chicken coop was surrounded by water! We were thankful that the "Ladies" (William's name for "his" chickens) had high perches to stand on until the water receded.

Ruth Ella stood at the front door watching the flood waters rise.

Here is how a few of the children spent most of the day....

We were very blessed that the waters didn't get into our house, 3 of our neighbors were not so fortunate the water got into their homes between ankle and knee deep. For us the worst of the flooding was to our garage, some duct work, and our insulation. Our duct work and insulation are going to be replaced. In our garage we have a freezer and "extra" refrigerator, they both were damaged by the flood waters. We have already purchased a new refrigerator and we'll soon be getting a new freezer.

The clean up was a slower process than in the past because of the standing water, puddles, and mud that hung around for days. The flood also caused us to put a hold on school for 1 week. Our family made Saturday a flood work day and accomplished the last of the cleaning. Now all we have to do is get the insulation and duct work installed, and purchase a new freezer.

In the toughest times we can always cling to God's Word, it speaks comfort for whatever trial we are facing. For such a time as the flooding we could rest assured in God's promise to Noah in Genesis! God never changes, nor does His Word, or His promises!

Genesis 9: 11-16
Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said: " This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

Giveaway Time

2011-09-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

The first giveaway is a canvas tote bag, lined in black corduroy material with white polka dots and bright pink flowers. But there is more....

Tote crafted by: Rebekah

To help kick off the school year, the bag has been filled with school supplies.....

*2 pks 24 crayons
*12 colored pencils
*Glue sticks
*24 pencils
*Erasers
*10 Bold colored markers
*10 Fine line markers
*Folder
*Composition book
*Dividers
*3x5 cards
*3x5 card holder
*ink pad
*4 stamps (just for fun)

We had a giveaway like this last year because...I LOVE SCHOOL SUPPLIES :)

NEXT.....

For those of you who don't have a need for school supplies and an Oh so cute bag, then we are giving away......

Butterfly Earrings
Crafted by Amanda

To enter .....

To enter once leave us a comment telling us which giveaway you would like. To enter a second time blog about the giveaway. And for a third entry tell us what you like best about home educating your children or what you loved about school :)

The winners will be picked next Friday 23, by random. org

Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven....
Matthew 5:12 KJV

Apron Giveaway

2011-09-15T13:10:00.005-04:00

Our daughters just had their 200th post on their blog, and to celebrate they are hosting a giveaway. This cute little pink apron, so hop on over to

3 Sisters Soaking Up The Son

and enter to win :)

Before the flood I had posted that I was going to have a giveaway, well "tomorrow" is the day! It's set to post at 8:00 AM in the morning, so check back to see what we have ;)

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:10 KJV

A checkup ....

2011-09-12T19:07:00.000-04:00

Today these sweet girls had a checkup at the doctors office today. Miss Ruth Ella was there for her 2 year old check and Miss Mary Ann for her 4 month check.

Ruth Ella was 25 pounds, and 35 inches tall. For weight she is in the 50% and for height she is in the 75%.

Mary Ann is 14.3 pounds, and she is 25 inches long. Her weight and height both fell in the 50%....making her what we call square ;)

We are so very blessed to have 2 happy healthy little girls!
And I'm loving blogging from my phone, this is great!

Birthday Children

2011-09-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was William's Birthday, and Mary Ann was 4 months old yesterday!
Today is Ruth Ella's Birthday!!!!

Busy week around here with flooding, daily happenings, and birthday celebrations!
More flooding pictures to come, along with party post.

William

Ruth Ella

Almost Wordless Wednesday: The progression of flood waters

2011-09-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

October 2010
Our side yard on a dry day....

Yesterday
The start of the flood....

Going...

Gone!

Our side yard doesn't get as deep as the back yard,
more pictures and story to come!

Blogging from cell phone

2011-09-07T04:22:00.001-04:00

Due to flooding at our home on Labor Day the giveaway has been postponed, until I can get pictures to post with it.

Our family is fine, and I'll give details of the floor later. Thank you for understanding.
Laura

Moments from August...

2011-09-04T08:30:00.002-04:00

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily.
Colossians 3:23

Giveaway coming....

2011-09-03T23:54:00.005-04:00

CHECK BACK ON

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

FOR 2 GIVEAWAYS

Wordless Wednesday: Beans Canned ✓

2011-08-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

Amanda is 18!!!

2011-08-27T17:30:00.000-04:00

AUGUST 19th.....

AMANDA TURNED 18!!!!!!

Amanda's party theme was OWLS!

Amanda is our animal lover, and right now she is really into owls!

Since owls are so popular decorating for her party wasn't difficult :)

Amanda ask to please have a cake or cup cakes, no cookies....

I baked her cup cakes, Elizabeth and Rebekah made the icing and flowers and decorated them.

Along with the owls, we added in flowers something else Amanda loves.

Coming up with a birthday menu wasn't easy. It seemed for the past 2 months whatever we were eating Amanda would say "We could have this for my birthday meal". She is very easy to please, yet, we knew her favorite thing is Mexican. But we hesitated to make Mexican because that is what we had last year. So the day before her birthday Elizabeth and I had decided we would again go with Mexican but a different main dish. Well, that night Amanda came into the living room and told us of something she had been craving. The next day Arthur and I went to the grocery store and picked up the items of her craving .....

Birthday Menu
* Toasted Sub Sandwiches (what she was craving)
* Queso Dip and Tortilla Chips (this had been on our original menu)
* Potato Salad
* Homemade Pickles

This was an extremely easy birthday meal, and she was so thrilled when she saw what we were having.

The little boys helped in making place cards for the table.

The blue owl on the gift table was our inspiration for the party. Amanda had had her eye on him at Hobby Lobby at the beginning of the year in February, she saw him while we were shopping for Rebekah's birthday party. A few rows over Elizabeth quietly looked at me and said "I just came up with Amanda's birthday theme Owls"! So, we had Amanda's birthday theme planned for the last 6 months, we purchased this owl in February the week after Rebekah's birthday:) As you can see we all love giving a birthday party, it's truly become a family affair!

18 years has come and gone it seems at lightspeed....

We are abundantly blessed to have Amanda as our daughter.

Jonathan colored a special picture for Amanda...

It was present time, Ruth Ella helped Amanda hold her box lid ;)

Make a wish....

Happy 18th Birthday Amanda!!!!!

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven...
Matthew: 5:12

We love you, Amanda! We pray that your days ahead be filled with joy, love, and knowledge in the Word. That your life be a shining light for the Lord!

Wordless Wednesday: SMILES

2011-08-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

A love of books...

2011-08-15T22:00:00.001-04:00

MEMORIES MONDAY

Our family loves to read,
and I'm not sure how old Miss Ruth Ella was when we
first began reading to her.
I just know it was early, before she could sit up.
And so her love of books and reading began before she could even talk.

Miss Ruth Ella
June 2010

8months

As soon as Miss Ruth Ella could crawl
she began to crawl to this basket.
She would pull up to the basket find a book
and then sit gazing at the colored pictures.

This basket of books could keep her occupied for a good hour!

September 2010

Miss Ruth Ella had just turned 1 year old,
and now she had mastered climbing into the book basket.

Once in the basket she would shop around to find her favorite books,
all the while tossing aside the ones that didn't appeal to her.
She would remain perched in the basket until
she had found the perfect book for someone to read.

August 2011
23 months old

Today....

Miss Ruth Ella is such a big girls now,
yet, she still loves the perfect book!
Daily we find her in this over sized chair
looking at books and talking about the pictures.
If, she catches a glimpse of you watching her,
then you will instantly be summonsed
(in an oh so sweet voice, that melts your heart)
to read to her.

This is what she will say...
"Read Mama Read, dis' book"

I'll have to say reading to my children is a pure joy:)

Random moments from July

2011-08-10T12:00:00.001-04:00

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts....
and be ye thankful.

Colossians 3:15
KJV

Why we went out west....

2011-08-09T22:20:00.003-04:00

Our trip out west was unexpected. Miss Mary Ann is the only child that traveled out west with us. The first leg of our journey started at 4:00AM on Friday, where Mary Ann took her first airplane ride. She never made a peep the whole 5 hours, we were so thankful!

Mary Ann on the plane.

We flew to Arizona to pick up this.....

RV! For the past few years our family has wanted to purchase a RV. Then a couple of years ago we rented a RV and took a winter trip up north. Since our return we have all continued to talk about and pray about one day purchasing a RV. Arthur began doing his homework on what RV would best suit our families needs. After looking and looking and looking Arthur happened upon this RV. Yet, at the moment we didn't know we were going to purchase it. This RV was everything we had been looking for and "more", and the best part was it was in our price range! See we have for years included our children in saving for vacations. Well when purchasing this RV it wasn't something Arthur and I did, it was a family purchase. As a team we work our family business, and as a team we save money. That is why we drove back so quickly from our trip out west, the other share holders of the RV were excited to see our investment:)

Mary Ann enjoying the ride.....

We drove down lots of open road....

Stopped at a few rest areas to eat lunch.....

And took in some amazing scenery....

Mary Ann had naps on the couch.....

Where she slept like an angel....

We are thankful to have made it home safe and sound.

Last Wednesday we took a evening trip to celebrate with the children. We drove 20 miles to our favorite Cracker Barrel restaurant for dinner.

Now we are looking at the calender to plan a trip, to visit with friends and see America and Canada!

West--to--East

2011-08-04T18:00:00.000-04:00

Late Friday afternoon we left
Arizona and started to head East
on I 40.
We stopped in Holbrook, Arizona for the night.

On this trip we traveled
on I 40 for over 1,000 miles.....

SATURDAY

There were so many sites to see,

yet no real time to stop at them all....

So, we took in a few things,
and wrote down lots of places we would want
to come back to see on another trip.

Another state
and different landscape....

We stopped for the night in
Tucumcari, NM....

SUNDAY

The next morning we were
back on the road....

TEXAS...
we seemed to pass through it quickly!

We covered lots of miles on Sunday.
Sorry this picture isn't good, I accidentally hit
the setting button on top of the camera...which resulted
in about 20 poor quality pictures :(

Oklahoma City,
boy we hit some major traffic there!

Arkansas!
3 states in 1 day!!!
We stayed the night in Fort Smith.

MONDAY

On the road again by 7:30 AM,
for the last leg of this trip!

1:15 PM
Our home state!!!!!

The Rock City bird house,
a very familiar sight!
This meant we were very close to home!

The sun was about to set on this Monday evening,
and we were just 45 minutes from home!

This was truly a whirl wind trip that started out early Friday morning
and ended late Monday evening.

More details to come....

Out West....

2011-07-30T12:30:00.000-04:00

Friday
July 29
A beautiful day surrounded by God's amazing creation!

Tonto National Forest

Coconino National Forest

Details of our trip

and
more pictures to come......

Christmas in July?!

2011-07-28T23:30:00.000-04:00

Christmas and crafting are on our minds :)

This past weekend our family did a bit of celebrating. We had a little Christmas in JULY! Last year was our first year to celebrate Christmas in July, you can go HERE
to see what we did. This year we changed things up, we got the whole family involved and we had a blast!

First there was lots of baking to be done.....

The aroma of warm cookies filled the house.........

There was gathering and creating.....

Pressing the material ....

And sewing........

Some computer work.....

Designing the cards......

Almost finished.....

Now it was time to fill the crafted bags with homemade cookies, peppermint candy, and tea.

After all the bags were filled and tagged, it was time to go and deliver them.

We had some sweet fellowship with family and friends we don't get to see often. Our family had a wonderful time, and we are looking forward to next year!

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

Another Year, Another Anniversary....

2011-07-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

To: My Love

On this day
July 27th
We became one!

When we entered into marriage we didn't take our
vowels lightly.
And in the years that have followed I believe we have
touched on each vowel taken, and with each one
we have grown.

To Have & To Hold
This vowel was so easy,
who isn't "In Love" when they get married?

For Better or Worse

Better are days of laughter, jokes, quiet moments shared,
dreams, cuddling, vacations, prayers together, joy,
talking over coffee, children, and much love.
Worse thankfully are few and far between,
marring your best friend helps that:)
Worse are when "you" look at your spouses
flaws or quirks,
and picking them apart or trying to correct them.
All these years later, those things don't seem to now apply!
Oh we both still have some
flaws and quirks,
but with prayer and love for one another
they don't seem to be a big deal....
because we seek to die to flesh daily!

For Richer or Poorer
In our marriage we have seen our fair share of poorer.
With poorer came stress, and worn out knees from
prayer. The poorer we experienced was what the world
would view as poor.
Over time and listening to the Holy Spirit speak to us about
our being poor, we gained much wisdom.
Poorer began to fade away, financially speaking.
But what we realized was, all the time that we thought of ourselves
as poor...we were
Richer beyond our wildest dreams!
Our eyes became open to what Christ would call rich,
not what the world values as rich.
We are rich in love, faith, and family!!!

In Sickness & In Health

Health, oh we had many years of good health,
and we are thankful for that.
Then the dark cloud of sickness came!!!
With sickness, meaning cancer,
there were many days of uncertainty and sadness!
The road of cancer/sickness took us to depths
that one cannot explain.
So, we sought our Heavenly Father,
and prayed much!

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:5

To Have & To Hold

Now
To have and to hold,
means more today than I ever knew it could.
Because of
Better & Worse,
Richer or Poorer,
Sickness and in Health

I'm now more in love with you than the day we married!
Thank you for loving me!

Your Bride

A sweet surprise....

2011-07-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Tuesday morning, the door bell rang......

It was FedEx with this box in hand.....

Now to look in the box, flowers!! squeal!!! And a note from a very sweet friend.....

Not only is this bouquet beautiful, but their fragrance is marvelous ....

I was so excited......

The flowers truly brought a lasting smile to my face, Thank You friend!

How we named her......

2011-07-20T07:15:00.001-04:00

Mary Ann Faith

Mary....The name Mary comes from both sides of our family. Mary was Arthur's moms first name, she was Mary Elizabeth. Arthur's maternal grandmother was Mary Amanda. Mary is also after my paternal great-grandmother Mary Louise, but she goes by Louise.
Ann....is after my maternal great-grandmother Ann, who is now 91 and going strong!

"Mary Ann"...also happens to be the name of one of Arthur's first cousins. We love you Mary Ann!
Faith....this is something that we choose to live by! And defined it's an unquestioning belief in God, complete trust, confidence, or reliance.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17

To read how our other children received their names you can go to our favorites page, the post is titled "What is in a name"? Or you can click HERE!

Favorites Page

2011-07-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

FINALLY, AFTER A VERY LONG TIME OUR FAVORITES PAGE IS READY!!! STOP BY AND HAVE A LOOK!!!!

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!!!!

Summer down time....

2011-07-19T17:15:00.000-04:00

Over the past week or so Elizabeth has been reading "Where The Red Fern Grows" to the boys.

Afternoon reading is great in the summer time. For one here in Tennessee it can be so hot in the afternoon, it's nice to be inside cooling off listening or reading a good book. And secondly it gets a little more schooling in since we school year round. When there has been to much activity before reading this can happen.....

Heads begin to drop........

It was hard for Wesley keep his eyes open.....

And it didn't even matter what position he was in, Jonathan feel asleep!

(And for inquiring minds, Jonathan is very limber from low muscle tone, and this position didn't hurt him. You cannot imagine some of the positions he can get himself into, he's our little contortionist)

But 3 chapters later, Elizabeth did still have 2 very eager boys wanting to listen to where the story was going!!!!

My Little Cup of Tea

2011-07-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

Miss Mary Ann

Fills my cup of tea with....

The aroma of sweet baby smell....

Crystal blue eyes that melt my heart.....

Warm cuddles....

Complete and utter joy.....

Pure love......

And cries that can break my heart!

Life has been full and busy (a good busy), I haven't shared much about Miss Mary Ann. Oh how I love each moment and phase with her, from the first days with little sleep and the bouts of crying... tough at the time but is passes quickly. These are the things I'm savoring and soaking in holding her for nap time cuddles, the fragrance of her skin, listening and watching her Daddy hold her and sing to her, gazing at her while she sleeps with fist clinched tight up near her face, her hair that brushes up under my chin as I rock her, when her eyes light up and glisten as she watches the ceiling fan turn, the sound of siblings giving her kisses, her wet face after Ruth Ella and Wesley kiss her, quite times for nursing, seeing her brothers hold her so tenderly, her precious open mouth smiles, and her coos that are like a sweet melody to my ears. Once again I am in love....as are the other 12 people in this house:)

Mary Ann is 10 weeks old today, these pictures were taken at 8 weeks.

Wordless Wednesday: Wednesday Evening Fun :)

2011-07-13T19:35:00.000-04:00

Blessings after loss...

2011-07-08T17:30:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I thought long and hard about the blessings in which the Lord has bestowed on me. In July of 2008, I had been on a journey. One that I spoke of in this blog post "I've been on a journey". I wrote about a journey I was having to the valley, the valley in which I was speaking of was a miscarriage. Our 10th child went to be with the Lord on July 7th, 2008.

When thinking of those valley days I thought of the deep pain and loss that I felt. And how I wondered if the Lord would ever see fit to bless us with another child. In the days/months that followed the Lord spoke peace and comfort to my soul, and carried me as the healing took place. I think of our baby often who is now in the arms of our Lord. One day we will see our baby face to face. I will be able to hold our baby in my arms just as I have my other children...what a glorious day that will be!

Now, today I sit with 2 precious girls on my lap, and my heart is filled with gratitude to our Lord for His wonderful gifts! For I am unworthy of such blessings....Praise the Lord for His love!

But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
Psalms 68:3

Last year Arthur and I attended the Baby Conference in San Antonio, TX put on by Vision Forum Ministries. Doug Phillips held a session on miscarriage and it was wonderful and very encouraging. If you would like to hear Doug speak on this topic he has a CD available, you can purchase it HERE.

Wordless Wednesday: FAMILY

2011-07-06T23:50:00.001-04:00

Beach Towel Winner....

2011-06-24T16:40:00.000-04:00

Our Summer Giveaway Winner is.....

SARAH !!!!!!

Congratulations! Please, email us at munckfamily (at) att (dot) net, and let us know what name you would like monogrammed on the towel.

Thank you to all who stopped by to enter the giveaway, look for another one in the near future:) Hope each of you have a blessed weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Look alikes?

2011-06-22T13:45:00.001-04:00

RUTH ELLA
3 wks

MARY ANN
5 wks