Muskegon Weekend with the Nickel Family

To celebrate the start of our school year, we did a weekend getaway with the Nickel Family in Muskegon, MI. We had such a fun time together!! The kids all get along so well and we stayed up late playing cards and talking every night. Here's our first night on the beach...

The kids played on the beach playground a few times each day. We were the only ones around and felt like we had the whole place to ourselves!
Lucas, enjoyed watching the sunset with all of us and loved being in the baby swing. He did so well on our weekend away.

We took a walk on the boardwalk on Saturday morning.

Ryan and Mark led our families in devotions each morning. The kids made Smore's to show how families stick together through both good and bad times.

We wish we could have stayed longer....it was such a relaxing and fun time together!

Babies Having Babies!

It seems like yesterday that my brothers and I were building forts in the kiawe forest, shooting bb guns at GI Joe stick figures, and goofing off til the wee hours of the night.

Now we're all grown up with families of our own. This summer, we ALL had babies!!

Jon had his 4th....Aysen Asato.

We had our 3rd...Lucas Husted.

And Davin had his 1st MIRACLE baby....Sophia Asato. A incredibly healthy girl after mommy Marissa survived heart bypass surgery during her pregnancy.

We went from 3 kids to 3 kids, 3 spouses and 8 grandchildren...16 now in the Eddie Asato family. What a blessing from the Lord!

Family Camp!!

We spent Labor Day weekend in Hastings, MI at Trinity's Family Camp!! It was SOOO much fun!! The girls loved living together in our cabin, playing all day with friends, chapel in the morning and evenings and always having something fun to do!

This may be our last warm weekend of the summer!! Sunday morning we celebrated with those being baptized!

This is "granny". The girls absolutely loved her and the funny skits she did everyday!

Kids Schedules!

Today, I took pictures of the kids doing their daily activities like waking up, eating breakfast, getting dressed, etc and posted a visual schedule on the fridge.

We re-arrange the days activities first thing in the morning and put an arrow where we are in our day. The girls love looking ahead to see if they are taking a nap in the afternoon or skipping their nap to go to the pool.

All day long, they move the arrow to the next activity and remind me when we got off schedule. It was fun to see them put their shoes on and load the car without being asked. The girls thrive on schedules and predictability!

Everyday Moments

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with the task of raising your child spiritually? Does it have to be that complicated? When I was a child, I vividly remember times where my parents used everyday moments to show me Jesus.

At the age of 4, I stole quarters from my dad’s nightstand. He used that opportunity to share with me about Judas and how he betrayed Jesus because of his love for money. I learned how Jesus died on the cross for my sins and how much He loved me. That night, I invited Christ into my heart and it’s a night I’ll never forget.
Another time, my brother and I were goofing off. He pushed me and my face slammed into the pavement resulting in my teeth penetrating through my bottom lip. Blood gushed everywhere as my parents rushed me to the hospital. My dad and brother sat in the waiting room in agony as they listened to my screams as the doctors stitched my lip. My dad used that moment to share with my brother about the pain Jesus suffered on the cross for our sins.
The memories of my mother passing on her faith are also memorable. I recall her banging her head on the kitchen cabinet and saying, “Lord, these kids are driving me nuts. Please help me!”

A friend shared that he uses his failures to teach life lessons. At a store one day, he received terrible customer service and got angry at the salesperson. While steaming and sitting in the car, he told his kids that Jesus would not want him to treat people like that and we should always treat others in a way that we would want to be treated. He went back into the store and apologized to the salesperson. What a lesson!

There are many ways to pass on our faith to our kids. It doesn’t have to be just at bedtime or praying at dinner. There are hundreds of opportunities we have in our daily life. How are you using everyday situations to share Christ with your kids? I'd love to hear them.

Highs and Lows

I received a letter from the Health Department saying that Malia was behind on her immunizations. I called our doc and found we were up to date in her records but she suggested we go to the clinic to settle the matter. So, I loaded the kids up in the car and headed downtown.

Riley egged Malia on all morning about getting shots and boasted about not having any herself. After waiting an hour in line, we discovered that all the kids were current on their shots but since we were there, they offered to do Riley's shots for next year. I agreed.

Riley was not happy!! She screamed in pain while receiving her 4 shots, Lucas started wailing and sweet Malia did a little dance and sang a happy song through all of the chaos. I was torn between laughing or crying but decided to laugh along with all the madness.

On the way home, Riley said, "When we share our highs and lows at dinner tonight, this is DEFINITELY going to be my "low point"." I busted up laughing! We went to the dollar store to pick out a toy for being brave. Here she is with her new cash register!!..note her sis in the bottom corner.

Rainy weekend in Cadillac

We just got home from a weekend with the Husted's in Cadillac. Ryan played 18 holes of golf with the men and mom and I took the kids to the fair. Between rain showers, we rode rides, ate colored popcorn, visited the animals and had a FUN time!

Riley didn't appreciate the cows that much. She held her nose and wanted to get out of there quickly.
The roosters were making so much noise!!

Lucas was the perfect angel...content and happy the whole weekend!

We ended the day having warm soup and fresh salad with our aunts and uncles. Riley and Malia made butterfly treats with pretzels and gum drops.

Fun on the Lake with the Ashdowns!

It was a beautiful day!! We hung out on the lake and soaked up the sun with the Ashdown Family! It's an annual event and one we look forward to each summer. Our families continue to grow and it's always fun to spend time quality time with friends.

Debbie reading princess stories to the girls! They loved it!

The girls were so hungry from playing that they each had seconds!!

Blake and Lucas.

Luc slept most of the day but stayed awake for a few min to check things out.

Malia was a little scared but gave it a shot!

Riley kept saying, "Faster daddy, go faster!"

Blake, Debbie & Ryan.
Delicious dinner...grilled chicken, oriental salad, fresh fruit, pasta salad, etc. Yummy!

We had a blast hanging with the Ashdowns! The kids slept the entire drive home and woke up asking, "Can we ride motorcycles on the water today?"

Back to School

Last month, we joined the Nickel clan and took the kids back to the place where Ryan and I met over 12 years ago...Michigan State University! I graduated with a degree in Business and Ryan with his in Building Construction Management. We never thought we'd end up back in Michigan after living in Chicago, California, Budapest and Maui, but we love it here and this is our home. Here we are at the 4H Gardens.Peyton, Jenna, Jacob, Riley & Malia

We're all in our Spartan Green!

We wouldn't miss the MSU Dairy Store for some homemade ice cream!

Ryan and Mark were roommates in college here at Wonders Hall.
Now look at how grown up they are!!

Spartan Stadium

What a great day! The girls can't wait to grow up and go to college. They think college is a huge ice cream store with lots of cows. :) Good night!

Locks of Love

The day after Lucas was born, I decided to chop my hair and donate it to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides wigs for children battling cancer. Ryan provided his usual caution by reminding me that my hormones were running crazy and that I might regret an impulsive decision. I've had long hair most of my life and thought this would be a good way to start the summer with 3 kids while doing something good for another person. Here's my before picture...

At the salon, my stylist kept asking over and over again if I was sure that I wanted to cut my hair. She finally asked me why I was doing this and I told her that I had a little baby at home. She asked, "Is your baby sleeping through the night?" I hesitated for a moment and said, "Hmmm...tonight's his first night at home but I'm pretty sure he won't be sleeping through the night." She was in hysterics and yelled across the salon to tell everyone the news.

The Perrault family delivered a cookie bouquet to celebrate Lucas' birth!

I like my haircut! I usually hit Fantastic Sam's 10 mins before closing for a cheap, fast & low maintenance cut. I got a FREE cut when donating 12 inches at a fancy salon! I think I prefer long hair but this was a worthwhile thing to do. Glad I did it!!

Uncle Jerry's Farm

This weekend, we drove up north to Cadillac, Ryan's hometown in Michigan for a family party and bunked up at Uncle Jerry's farmhouse. It was a fun weekend and a great reminder that "less is more". Here's the fresh water well pump. The kids played with it all weekend!

Uncle Jerry opened his barn for the kids to see how the cows were fed. Uncle Jerry grows corn, tomatoes, potatoes, etc and has LOTS of land, tractors and old fashioned vehicles.

We enjoyed quality time with Dad & Mom Husted, Uncle Jerry and Kent, Becky & the boys! Here's Riley on a tractor ride! She loved it!Lake Cadillac...Ryan's childhood memories
Malia & cousin Elijah

The kids loved playing together and making LOTS of noise!! Riley got 3 stings from a nest of yellow jackets she stepped on while picking apples off the tree.

Lucas chillin' with dad.

Duck, duck goose with all the cousins We can't wait to go back for another visit this summer! Riley said she wants to live on the farm.