Graduation, Grandparents, and Open House!

Here are a few of the homemade treats we had for Kyrie's open house!










This was some of the spread. BBQ turkey sandwiches, fruit, vegies, chips and goodies!












Some of the girls made a pyramid with the help of Grandpa Keister.














This is the new finished bathroom! It's the nicest room in the house!

I love the tile in the shower.

Kyrie walking down the isle after she had graduated!

All the seniors brings their parents a rose to say "thank you" during the ceremony.

This is Kyrie's cake. It was a yummy carrot cake.

These were lilacs from our backyard, but I didn't have the time to cut them. My next door neighbor, Connie cut them and put them in a vase for me. They made the whole house smell wonderful!

And here is Grandmama Robinson getting ready for the party! She spent the morning de-boning 6 turkeys! Thank you VERY MUCH Mama!

We made it through the week. We had two graduations, and an open house, and four of the kids left for Mexico on Tuesday morning. Tom left for Chicago on Monday night. I am still recovering on Thursday morning! We are so thankful for all the Lord has done.

Night before the Open House

We are getting ready for the open house tomorrow.  Kyrie is excited.  She graduated on Friday (pictures are coming!)We really enjoyed the graduation ceremony, with the music and the speeches! Faith Academy had graduation on Saturday afternoon.  It was such a nice graduation, and the kids were so excited!  It was great to see them finish and get to walk.

Today we had a great day at church with Rodney preaching on Romans in the morning service; lunch with the Robinsons and the Knerrs; the evening service on the Christian home, and a nice graduation party for Matt Bockert afterwards.  

Tomorrow, the Keisters are coming; we have the open house, and Tom is leaving for his class in Chicago.  Tuesday morning, the girls are heading to Mexico for their missionary trip.  It's all very busy and exciting.  

I have to admit, that Tuesday afternoon will be a wonderful, QUIET time here at the house.  Yes!

Tom's Cousin

As you can see, I have pulled the two postings related to Tom's cousin, Chuck.  One family member requested for me to remove the postings, which I did.  

However, I wanted to make clear that Tom and I have greatly appreciated all the prayers and support we have received personally, and what an encouragement it is to have family and friends who know Christ at such times.  We appreciated the comments and e-mails that we have received, and would appreciate continued prayer for the rest of the family.

kcci.com is the local news station in Des Moines, if you want further information about Chuck.  I believe that his obituary is printed in the Des Moines Register.

Kyrie's plans

This is Kyrie's Open House invitation.

She is planning to graduate from Grandview Park Baptist School, on May 16, 2008. Then she is hoping to join a missions team going to Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, along with her sisters, Kayren and Lorien, as soon as school is out. Afterwards, she will spend the summer earning as much money as possible since she is planning on attending Grove City College, in Grove City, PA, in the fall. She would like to study pre-med, Spanish, and music.

Kyrie's Formal Evening

This is Kyrie Jo and Luke.

We thought it would be fun to take their picture by the dumpster that was sitting in the driveway.

This is Luke's Dad's limo!  What fun!

This is Kyrie running from the car to the house because she is late, late!

This is the hair!  Wow!

More hair!

This is Kyrie, ready to go - whew

And this is Kyrie and Luke again!

What a great time they had!  But, Kyrie got her hair done at the Iowa School of Beauty, and it took longer than she thought it might.  She went to a friend's house, where they put on makeup together for fun, and then, she got stuck in traffic.  Luke showed up before she got home.  So, the picture shows her running up from her car to put on her dress.  Luke and limo drove around the block a couple of times and came back to pick her up.  We frantically helped her get into her dress and get her ready!  They had a wonderful time!

This week is the play "Wagon Wheels West," which Lorien and Kyrie are both in.  Lorien had a track meet today.  Kayren and Aleya have piano guild tomorrow, and Kyrie and Lorien have piano guild on Friday.  Sunday we go to Dordt to pick up Jathan's things.  Jathan comes home the 9th, and Kesse on the 10th.  Kyrie graduates on the 16th, with her open house on the 19th.  And the bathroom is still in pieces.  We hope to have it working by the end of the week!

Kyrie

This week in Iowa

This is Sarah Knerr playing the harp for our ladies' shower on Thursday night 

Tom is getting ready to do the evening dishes.  Thanks, wonderful hubby!

Oscar doesn't always like getting his picture taken.

This is Kayren having fun.  I like her new haircut!

Oscar wishes he could go a-wandering out the front door!

This week brings many busy things.  We are rebuilding our bathroom, and Lord willing, by the end of the week, it will be mostly working again!  Tomorrow, Lorien has a track meet and a project due.  Kyrie is working on the play most of this week, though her formal is this Friday!  She's very excited about that!  

The dryer guy is coming tomorrow to fix our new dryer that doesn't work.  Bummer.  

Lorien gets a haircut on Thursday, which is the same day of Tom's mother's surgery.  She is getting a benign tumor removed then.  

Tom is still working on his ecclesiology class as well as his Sunday school on the Life of David.  Church is so busy these days.  We had a shower for one of the ladies who had a son this past fall.  Sarah Knerr played her harp for it!.

Rodney is preaching on Romans in the morning, and the Christian home in the evening.  Several of the younger girls are starting to help out on the piano by playing the preludes.  Kyrie and Kayren are participating in this.  

We had a very nice service this evening.  The singing was so encouraging and the message was very good.  We enjoyed the Knerrs this afternoon.  John Knerr is leaving tomorrow on his motorcycle to go to California and work in a national park.  It will take him six days to get there!  We will miss having him with us!