Meredith coming down the slide

Meredith is our adventurous child. She did the slide by herself over and over and over again! And loved every minute of it.

David and Alyssa coming down the slide

White Girls Really Can't Dance

This video was taken yesterday at Kristen's house. They all took turns dancing and well, Hallye is the only one with any sort of dance moves. The rest of the girls just made us laugh out loud! Enjoy laughing at my girls!

Boys will be boys

Family Vacation Pictures

Home

Don't you love the feeling of sleeping in your own bed? As much as I loved our family vacation, I was so looking forward to sleeping in my own bed!

Anyway, we got home late monday night. I'm trying to find time to upload pictures and video, just haven't been able to fit that in yet. I'll post them when I can. Cheryl took some really precious photos of the girls.

We had a fun, relaxing time!

Family Vacation...part 3

So today was another fun filled day! We all took it easy this morning, had a big breakfast and just sat around and played. It was kind of overcast all morning so we were afraid of packing up to go to the pool. We finally did, we were able to use the indoor pool until the storm past and then out to the wonderful pool. I think we made about a million laps around the lazy river, went down the slide a dozen or so times and played until we were so hungry we had to come home. I made dinner while the girls and everyone else watched Cars. And after dinner it was bath time and bed time for Alyssa and Meredith - the joys of vacation and kids going to bed early (7 pm). It made for a fun filled, relaxing adult night! We played games, had ice cream (I had oreo's and milk), and laughed.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can find time to get them off my computer.

We are even enjoying helping the girls choose their "favorite" thing of the day. Meredith's was the water slide and Alyssa's was the lazy river. Very fitting of both of them. Oh and they both loved that they got to play with Katy and Hallye today. They are staying at the same resort, so they found us at the pool this afternoon.

The guys are leaving early in the morning to go golfing, who knows what us girls will do. Poor Joshua will be way out-numbered!

Family Vacation...part 2

What a fun day today was. The morning started off with pancakes and then we hit the bike trails, well we started off on bike trails then ended up on the sidewalk because it was too hard for Alyssa to petal. She did so good. I think it was our first family bike ride. And yes, my face does get really red, but there were no hills, so it was enjoyable unlike the time David took me on a bike ride while we were at Pastor's College. Then we hit the pool!

Tonight we ran out to Walmart to get a few things, had dinner with Aaron and Crystal and then watched Planet Earth. Sandy, Cheryl and Dustin got here around 10pm. So the fun continues!

Family Vacation

It's nap time on family vacation!!!! We spent all morning at the pool, it has a lazy river, water slides and zero entry part of the kids pool. But now its nice and quiet! Our window over looks a canal and doesn't have any curtains on it - people can't see in, but the sun sure does get bright early! I'll try to upload a video of the girls of the water slide later.

We are staying at Hammock Beach in Palm Coast, FL. It is beautiful here and a great place for kids. We got here Monday afternoon and will come home next Monday. On Thursday Sandy, Cheryl, Dustin and Crytal, Aaron and Joshua will join us. This is the first Traugott family vacation and our first vacation just the five of us. We are having a blast. Planning on going on a bike ride later this afternoon if it doesn't rain.

Morning and Evening by Spurgeon

Here is this mornings entry in CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening. May it encourage us all to run to the cross to be FREE!

“Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

Revelation 22:17
Jesus says, “take freely.” He wants no payment or preparation. He seeks no recommendation from our virtuous emotions. If you have no good feelings, if you be but willing, you are invited; therefore come! You have no belief and no repentance,—come to him, and he will give them to you. Come just as you are, and take “Freely,” without money and without price. He gives himself to needy ones. The drinking fountains at the corners of our streets are valuable institutions; and we can hardly imagine any one so foolish as to feel for his purse, when he stands before one of them, and to cry, “I cannot drink because I have not five pounds in my pocket.” However poor the man is, there is the fountain, and just as he is he may drink of it. Thirsty passengers, as they go by, whether they are dressed in fustian or in broadcloth, do not look for any warrant for drinking; its being there is their warrant for taking its water freely. The liberality of some good friends has put the refreshing crystal there and we take it, and ask no questions. Perhaps the only persons who need go thirsty through the street where there is a drinking fountain, are the fine ladies and gentlemen who are in their carriages. They are very thirsty, but cannot think of being so vulgar as to get out to drink. It would demean them, they think, to drink at a common drinking fountain: so they ride by with parched lips. Oh, how many there are who are rich in their own good works and cannot therefore come to Christ! “I will not be saved,” they say, “in the same way as the harlot or the swearer.” What! go to heaven in the same way as a chimney sweep. Is there no pathway to glory but the path which led the thief there? I will not be saved that way. Such proud boasters must remain without the living water; but, “Whosoever will, let him TAKE THE WATER OF LIFE FREELY.”

Haiti...Day Eight

Today's traveling day!!!! David and the team in Haiti left for a long 4 hour drive to Port au Prince at 6:30am. I just checked and there flight leaving Haiti has been delayed, only about 20 minutes at this point. I am surprising David and taking him to a hotel tonight. I think he knows though, all this week I've been telling him that the girls and I were picking him up from the airport and yesterday he asked me, "so will you be picking me up alone or are the girls still coming with you?". I'm realizing he is the hardest person ever to surprise. Oh well, we will still have a good time even if he does know.

Thanks for praying for us while he has been gone! We have all felt God's grace upon us each and every day!

Less than 7 hours till David/daddy is home...

Haiti...Day Six

The girls and I were able to talk to David today for about 10 minutes. He said he had to wait in line for the phone and when we started talking the phone battery started to beep - whats with us and dying phones, ours at home do it all the time. Anyway, we didn't really talk about what they were doing today, but I got an email tonight saying that he and Chris Dunlop just found out they were preaching tomorrow. So its like 9pm and they don't have computers or anything other than their bibles. They are excited! I can't wait to hear how it goes.

The girls and I went back to the house for a little while today, really just to get a jump start on getting the house back in order so there wouldn't be so much to do on Monday. Then after nap time, we went swimming - thank God for Mimi and her pool, they have been having so much fun. Meredith even swam to me from the steps all by herself. I was so excited. She is beginning to love the water!!! Her daddy is going to be so proud. As for Alyssa, she just stays on the steps and pretends she is swimming. I guess she can't stay afraid of the water forever, right?

2 days left till David/daddy gets home...

Haiti...Day Five

No real update tonight.

David called, but the hotel phone was beeping because its battery was dying. Then he called on his cell, which cost $1.50 per minute, to say I love you, but I have to go. Needless to say I was pretty bummed, I carry around my cell phone like its an oxygen tank just in case he calls. Apparently the team leaders and the pastor from Haiti were supposed to have a meeting earlier this evening and he had just arrived several hours after the agreed upon time. No big deal, though. I was nice just to hear his voice. The girls and I miss him terribly, but we are glad we are in the home stretch.

We swam all day today. The girls are getting more and more brave each time we swim. Alyssa is the most cautious and although Meredith is more daring I think she picks up some of Alyssa's fear and carries it as her own. But she did great today, she would even jump in from the side of the pool in her little inner tube and was just fine. That's a really big accomplishment for us! Kristen's girls are like fish and my girls are scaredy cats when it comes to the water. Oh well, we all got worn out, but had a fun day.

3 days till David/daddy comes home...

Haiti...Day Four

Just got an update from David. The government is still holding all the medications so the medical team is basically only able to help with minor things. They are staying over night in the mountains and doing the modified clinic tomorrow. The rest of the team is at the orphanage. I only had about 15 minutes to talk to David because they only have a limited number of calling cards and won't be getting more in until sometime tomorrow. Today was his first opportunity to call while the girls were awake, so they enjoyed talking to their daddy. Alyssa asked if she could talk to the girls there because leading up to the trip we took them with us shopping to buy his supplies but everything fun we bought we kept telling them was for the kids and we found the names of the girls their ages and tried to explain to a 4 and 2 1/2 year old that the kids there didn't have parents or toys and all that, so Alyssa wanted to talk to the girls that we had been talking to her about.

The girls and I are holding up. We are at my mom's house now until Monday(when David gets home). We had a play date today with friends from church and tomorrow is an all day swim-a-thon. They begged from the moment they woke up from their naps to go swimming, but is was raining. I am tired, but I really feel God's grace. He is my strength and my only true source of help. I was encouraged by this verse today, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

The trip is half way over, so the count down begins... only 4 days left!

Haiti...Day One...Prayer Request

I got a very brief call from David tonight about a minute and 22 seconds. Jeremy was able to call Kristen and gave her the following update. They have all arrived safely, but all of their medical supplies were confiscated at the customs department in Port-au-Prince. Two of the guys stayed behind today to try and get them but as far as we know they were not able to. They plan on returning tomorrow to try again. Please pray for the workers in the customs department that they would allow the team there to have the medical supplies. If not, they will not be able to set up the medical clinic at all. Other than that they said they were tired. And other than the hotel being warm it is nice with a beautiful view of the ocean.

Haiti...Day One

So far so good!!!

David left the house this morning at 3am to head to the airport for a 6am flight to Miami. They had a short lay over and then flew from Miami to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Once they get to Haiti they had a four hour bus ride to Jacmel (I think that's how you spell it). Tomorrow morning the busy days start.

As far as us girls, we all came over to spend time with Kristen and her girls! The girls are doing fairly well. Much better than I expected! They played outside all morning; riding bikes,watering the plants,and watering each other, they even watered their popsicles. We had lunch together and they watch a cartoon then it was off to bed for "naps", although they varied in length and the babies didn't go down until the others started to get up we are having a fun filled day!

I'm off to start dinner and maybe we will be brave enough to take the girls for ice cream, but I wonder if that might make us scream?

Thanks for all your prayers!

Stepping...

Book recommendation...

A few months back, I read a quote from the book Stepping Heavenward. I was so encouraged by the quote that I bought the book and started reading it. I read it as a single but now as a wife and a mother the topics are so encouraging. I was telling David last night how neat it is that altought the book was written a long time ago some of "Katy's" temptations are much the same as mine. I found myself encouraged that even when life was very different the temptations to sin were the same and I find encouragement in how she worked through those issues. If you haven't read it in a while, bring it back out. I keep in it my bathroom for little snippits here and there - just one more attempt to read more this year.

David's going to Haiti

This coming Monday, really early in the morning, David will be heading to Haiti on missions trip. He is helping to lead a team that will be doing some work at an orphanage. So he is counting down the days till he leaves and the girls and I are counting down the days till he gets home :) He will be gone 8 days, so its not that long. Two years ago he went to Cuba for 12 days and that seemed like forever. I am looking forward to getting some projects done that I've been putting off for a few weeks and then when he gets home we will leave the next week for a family vacation! While he is gone the girls and I are going to go to the library with Mimi, play with Kristen, Katelyn, Hallye and McKenzie and maybe even some of our other friends. If we have time we may go to get some pictures taken of the girls and maybe even venture into some craft projects together. Pray for him and for us while he is away!