FROM OUR FAMILY…

    Greetings to you and your family!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

(Proverbs 3:5-6)  

Sometimes the Lord will push us to our knees to force us to acknowledge our dependence on Him. In May, God allowed us to endure some difficult trials, but, like a silversmith uses fire to purify silver, God uses adversity to refine us and make us more useful to Him. Through God's grace and His infinite mercy, our family has been on the road to recovery, rebuilding, and renewing our minds in Christ as we learn to walk by faith.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

STEVE continues to enjoy the blessings of working from home and spending more time with our family throughout the week. Lately, he has also been working a couple of days a week at his client's office. His home projects this year included a new chicken coop for our new rooster and six hens, a fort addition to our children's swingset, and house and deck staining with Niko's help.

MICHELLE continues to enjoy our children. Our fourth child, Ian, has been relatively easygoing which made our transition to four children a relatively smooth one. What a blessing from the Lord! Michelle has been homeschooling Niko, who is in fourth grade, and Mia, who is in kindergarten. Michelle is delighted to see the God-given bents and talents that each of our children demonstrate.

NIKO is now nine years old. He continues to enjoy caring for and learning about God's creatures. This year he collected and cared for toads, tadpoles, frogs, fish, a crayfish, snails, insects, and hermit crabs. Niko really likes being a big brother, and seems to be a natural leader as he interacts with his siblings. He is still creative as he enjoys making magazines as well as drawing.

MIA is five years old now. She has started learning how to read and write. Mia really enjoys being a big sister again, and she especially likes holding Ian. Mia has gotten stronger; she is now able to carry her baby brother. She is creative as she enjoys making plays with Niko, drawing, and playing house with Luke.

LUKE is now three years old. He continues to enjoy exploring outdoors with his big brother and sister, collecting rocks, acorns, or leaves along the way. Luke adds them to his "nature collection". Luke really enjoys being a big brother. He often says he loves his baby brother as he gives Ian a somewhat gentle hug. Last year Michelle referred to Luke as her crooner. Luke still enjoys singing and playing his ukulele.

IAN is 10 months old. He has spent his first year growing and keeping up with his big brothers and sister. Ian is easygoing; he seems like he has always been a part of our family. He enjoys playing house, our family piano, and watching his daddy tend the woodstove. Now that Ian has started walking, he is quickly leaving his infancy and becoming quite a curious toddler with his newfound mode of getting around.

CHICKEN UPDATE  In May, we lost our two remaining hens. We had already placed an order for chicks, so we transitioned to a brood of sixteen. For an update on our chicken venture, please visit our chickens page on our family website www.ThrashFamily.net
 

Rejoicing in the Lord,      Steve & Michelle,       Niko, Mia, Luke, and Ian