the kids
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new years resolutions (by amie)
This year I made lots of resolutions and wrote them in my journal to check off. Last year I had resolutions but only a few were accomplished. Now that I’m older it seems easier. I have in mind that these might not be finished, but I think it’s a good structure for the year. Here are my resolutions: 1: I have an urge to learn how to make clothes. I enjoy making things and challenging myself in different areas of art and I thought making clothes would be a good one. Not necessarily making all my clothes but on occasion. It’s perfect because I have a neighbor who knows how…
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noah is 9!
Can you believe that Noah turned 9 last week? I certainly can’t. We adopted him when he was two, and when I spend time with the two-year-olds at church I marvel that he was that young when we brought him home. At the same time, it feels like he and Gabe always been part of our family. Here’s two-year-old Noah (and a very young looking David!): His birthday, which is on New Years Eve, began with Duck Donuts with Grandpa, Mum Mum and his siblings, while David and I drove home. That evening some friends from church had a party and made street tacos. We brought…
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our week.
Last night, David and Judah returned home from 9 days in the Middle East. We’re thrilled to have them back with us, and I am excited for Judah to get on the blog this week and share about their trip. We had a busy but very sweet time while they were away. I wish I’d thought to take more pictures hanging out with friends and family — thank you to Joyce, Nina and Papa, Grandpa and Mum Mum, Annie, Caroline, Brittany and Sarah, the Wingates, and the Allen family for hanging out with us. Here’s what else we did: Noah is finally ready to play on his “own team”…
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the gentino zoo (by amie).
There are four things our family collects: Legos, books, plants, and animals. This blog post is about our current collection of animals. This is Max. He is our chubby, spoiled, furry friend. You can definitely tell that he’s happy with his life. He lives in Gabe and Noah’s room, and all day, when people are coming and going, he gets plenty of “hellos” and pats. His least favorite days are bath-and-nail-clipping days. Which happened today. Dad’s role in the family is “guinea pig nail-clipper.” You can tell they don’t like him because of that, but immediately after we bathe Max and clip his nails, we give him…
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end of summer.
The last two weeks of summer slipped happily by, as we soaked up lazy mornings in pj’s, reading whatever we wanted, and spending time with friends and family. Gabe has been begging Judah and Dad to play Risk with him all summer. If you’ve never played before … Risk is a big commitment. So Uncle Eddie and Nate had him over one Saturday afternoon to play Risk and Mario Kart, and he was a very happy boy. After we returned from our road trip, David’s priority was to sell our last two rental houses, with the help of our fantastic realtor. One of them needed a good bit of…
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days 3 and 4: chicago, driving, amie’s birthday.
All six of us slept for 10 hours on Thursday night! We awoke Friday more feeling a hundred percent better and ready for another day in the Windy City. After eating a quick — and unusual — breakfast in the hotel room of bell peppers, salami, and string cheese, we checked out, loaded up the van, left it in the parking garage, and walked a mile to meet David’s aunt, Cathy, on the Riverwalk. The Chicago Riverwalk was one of our favorite parts of the city; breezy, quieter, and peaceful right along the water. If we’d had more time, I’d have loved to get dinner in one of…
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one year of mentoring.
A year ago we started mentoring a girl through Ezekiel Ministries, a local non-profit that connects adults with kids in mentoring relationships. David and I are friends with the director of Ezekiel, and our church has supported this ministry almost since we began. I’ve watched several friends mentor over the years, and love hearing about their friendships. I have wanted our family to mentor a child too, but one thing I respect about Ezekiel is they ask for a long-term commitment, so I didn’t want us to take the decision lightly. At the beginning of last year, the director let us know about a girl who needed a mentor, who…
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he says.
Noah: “Why can’t we be done with sabbatical now? I want to go back to our church. I want to see my friends and my friends want to see me.” Amie: “Because, this summer is a chance for Dad to rest from being a pastor and preaching.” Noah: “Well, why can’t we go to our church and Dad just stay home and watch church on TV or something!?”
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our week (by amie).
My parents went away on a trip and Grandpa and MumMum watched us. Here are some things we did: On Sunday morning, we went to church, and I helped in the nursery. I love playing with little kids and babies. Afterwards, we went to Chipotle, which is my favorite lunch place to go after church. Later that afternoon, the massive LEGO pirate ship Gabe ordered came, and as you can tell, everyone was excited. The next day after a hot run we were all very excited to go to the golfing range with Grandpa. I have to confess I have no talent with golf. The picture…
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gabe is 10!
Gabe turned double-digits last week! We celebrated on Saturday with birth family, grandparents, and cousins. Amie is now the official cake-baker of the family, and Gabe requested a chocolate birthday cake with peanut butter frosting. Birthday gifts included a mountain bike, a Hogwarts Lego set, games, Pokemon cards, and the favorite gift of all from his birth mom, Christi, a hoverboard. We’ll see how long we can go without a broken bone. Gabe is a true middle child of the family, with a peace-making personality. He is such an encourager — of both children and adults — and wants everyone in his world to be happy.…