Sweet Reese in Perfect Peace!

Our dear friends the Kostjuks held their Baby Girl Reese as she went safely into the arms of Jesus this past Thursday. God let us all be blessed by her little life for one year exactly. What a blessing she was to remind us of God's faithfulness and complete sovereign control, even down to exactly 365days. We are sad and rejoicing all at the same time. So excited for the joy that little girl is experiencing, that we can only imagine. Oh, this makes your heart ache, longing to be in heaven with our Saviour and free from sin and suffering. We will miss you sweet Reese and look forward to when we will all get to heaven too! I don't know, but I like to imagine you and Logan playing on the streets of gold...!

Peach Pickin'

One day this last week we took the neighbor kids peach picking. It was fall break for the older kids so it was a great time to do something out of the ordinary. The Richards, Chamlings, Youngs, Ashley Busenitz, and Waldecks had a great time eating and picking peaches. Each family filled a big bucket with yummy peaches and we all had plenty to eat while we were picking as well. It was fun experience! We have eaten many of them, and last night I made a cobbler that was delicious!
All the neighbor kids, ready to go....
And they are off....
Grandma Richard and Mrs. Richard looking for good ones...Kaylee, Tori and Josh, helping!
Braelyn enjoying a peach!
Kaylee, Tori, Brae, and Ashley

Dayton Richard guarding his bucket!
All the kiddos with all their peaches!

A Getaway to Arrowhead!

Last weekend 10/4&5) Daniel and I got away for the weekend with our friends Aaron and Kimberly Johnson. Aaron is the music pastor at our church and we have enjoyed getting to know him and Kimberly the last couple years. They have been married 9 months, so for us it was fun to hang with some newlyweds. We went up to Lake Arrowhead for the weekend and enjoyed some relaxation, and fun fellowship. It was cold and cloudy the first day, which was a fun change for us. It was great because it made us cuddle up and just relax. The next day was beautiful and sunny so we got to see God's beautiful creation surrounding us up in the mountains. We had some great laughs, and some great times of encouraging each other. It's always fun to have a little time to getaway!

They were waiting for me at our church.... I was just a little late.
Our hike by the Lake, cold and cloudy!

Dance, Dance Revolution... you should see these guys move!
Enjoying a yummy dinner!

A first for Braelyn as Awana starts!

After years of saying "goodbye" to her older sisters(it was only 3years, but seemed like an eternity to her) Braelyn finally is old enough to go to Awana. She started Cubbies and Tori started her second year of Sparks. For those of you who are not familiar with the club. It's held at our church and it's a time for them to hear a Bible Story, games, snacks, craft, and memorize Bible verses. My girls love the social part and I love how the memorization keeps me accountable to be memorizing with them. For the first time in a long time I am not working at Awana this year and taking advantage of at least a couple hours to touch base with my busy husband each week. We are looking forward to having a designated "date night" while the girls are enjoying Awana. All day yesterday Braelyn kept asking me, "Is it time for Cubbies now?" She just couldn't wait!

Got our vests and bags and ready to go!
Tori loves her lil'sis!
Braelyn and Lexi Kostjuk - they are buddies and so excited to be together for Cubbies!
Lexi, Braelyn, and Kate Penberthy getting ready to start!

My Birthday with my husband at "The Happiest Place on Earth!"

My Birthday was last Friday the 12th. Usually it comes and goes and you know how it is as a mom. This year I had the wonderful idea that Daniel and I go to Disneyland by ourselves. No little munchkins, no strollers, no stress, just a relaxing day at D-land. It's definitely one of my favorite places, not so much for my husband, so I considered it such a display of love on his behalf. We got there after lunch time and had plenty of time to ride our favorite rides and the new "Toy Story" ride in CA Adventure(lots of fun). Then had a wonderful dinner at the Blue Bayou restaurant inside the Pirate's of the Caribbean ride. I have always wanted to go there, and finally got my wish. It was a birthday celebration I will remember and I'm so thankful I had the time with my husband. B'ball is in full swing as they prepare for the season to start late October, so time with him is going to get sparse. I'm 32 now, which tells me I'm getting up there, but I definitely don't feel like it can be possible. However, I look forward to getting old and getting closer to heaven, the happiest place ever!
In front of the Castle
Our Blue Bayou dinner! So fun and so yummy!

Soccer Season is upon us....

It's soccer time again, and once again I'm coaching Tori's U6girls team. We have 5 members of the "Pink Crushers" and are having lots of fun. Though it's a non-competitive league(ie. we don't keep score) the parents all still keep score, and so far our "Crushers" name is very fitting. Tori and two other girls are playing their second year together and have improved so much. We have two new girls playing their first year and one we have nicknamed "bulldog". Believe it or not, they are moving past bee-hive soccer (everybody swarming the ball) to actually passing and making plays. I've been working so hard on passing with the girls and they are actually getting it! It's a joy to this coaches heart. So at night my husband and I can share coaching accomplishments! Yeah, so my kids are only 6 year olds verses college student, but you know it's all in a hard days work! Already, every member on the team has scored at least one goal so I feel like a million bucks! Last Sat. in their second game, Tori accidentally(while trying to clear the ball on defense) scored for the other team. After she said, "that's ok mom I just wanted to help them out!" I appreciate her sensitivity, but this competitive mom told her to clear it away from the goal next time! So hope you enjoy the pictures!

Tori's 6th Birthday Party

Tori and all her buddies!
Molly and Christina
Emily, Alyssa, and Julia
Brae, Kaylee, Tori, and Alyssa
The Big 6!

Tori turned 6 on August 19th. We had a busy day that day so we celebrated as a family with a dinner out the weekend before and then had a swim party the weekend after on the 23rd. We hosted the party at her Uncle Dhon's house. We had pizza out on their front lawn and then headed to their association pool for some splash time. The girls had so much fun and were pooped out after 2 and 1/2 hours swimming! All in all, another successful party! We can't believe our Tori is 6. She now is the age Logan was when she went to heaven. She is her own little person, yet reminds us of Logan a lot in her mannerisms here and there. Tori brings us lots of joy and never is lacking to entertain us. We continue to pray that she will see her need for a Saviour and come to know Jesus personally. She is a blessing in our lives for sure!

Tori's 1st day of 1st grade!

Summer came to a screeching halt last Thursday the 14th as Tori headed back to school. Life will be different for us Waldecks as she is our first child to go to school all day and start early in the morning. We have come to enjoy our lazy mornings in this house and it will be no more, unfortunately. You see, Logan went to afternoon kindergarten and was homeschooled for first grade. Tori went to afternoon kindergarten as well, so.... 8am school is early! I'm sure we will get used to it, as everybody tells us, but I'm not sure if we want to! We have loved our late nights, and late mornings! So for all my friends who, in the past, have known to wait untlil 9 am to call any morning, don't fear we will be up much earlier these days! Ok, so now that I've mourned the loss of my lazy mornings, on to her first day. It was a litlle hard to get her up. We tried for the early bed time, but I think a little excitement made it hard for her to fall asleep. Eventually we got her up, made her eat breakfast ( that's another adjustment, usually she likes to wait at least a half hour to eat) and walked our long 200 yards down to her school. I know you must be thinking how lucky we are to be that close. Yes, that is more evidence of God's grace in my life, knowing the morning thing is hard for me, He gave us a house super close to a school, knowing I'd need all the help I could get. I consider it a blessing! Next, met her teacher Mrs. Ediger,who seems very sweet, and then said our goodbyes to our big girl. Brae and I now have all day to hang out, which is fun, but we've only had two days so far so..... we will see how that goes. I can't believe my little Tori is in first grade, my how time flies. I'm looking forward to getting to work in her classroom in a few weeks so I can get to know her teacher better and her classmates.

Our Weekend in San Clemente

Last weekend August 9th and 10th we had our last little trip for the summer. Daniel was finally able to join us for a trip and we headed down to San Clemente. We stayed with my friend Rita and had a fun-filled, relaxing weekend! It was great to play at the beach and be spend time with Rita. Tori headed back to school on Thursday so we needed one more get away before it was back to reality! The above pictures are of dinner on the pier, beach time, pedicures, and the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile from the Street Festival, lastly Rita and I.

Summer.....

July was a super busy month for us just doing, "summer." Below is pictures of all that we have been up to.( yes, 6 slideshows!) In case you don't notice, Daniel is not in any of the pictures because he spent his July sitting in gyms from Seattle to San Diego recruiting basketball players. So the girls and I kept busy without him though we are enjoying this last week and a half together before Tori heads back to school.
So here is the break down of our July. On the 6th we headed to Shaver Lake for camping with my brother Bruce and many of his college friends. They do their annual "soccer head/TMC alumni" trip almost every summer. This was a first for us to join them. The Fays(gma,gpa Fay), Whitfields, Petersons, Fays, Burnhams, Athertons, Scherers and us enjoyed a fun week at the lake. It was a blast!
Next, we had a day at Magic Mountain with Lauren Labat. Tori is getting to be quite the thrill seeker, feeling like the kid rides are old news. However, their kid kareoke is their favorite thing now. We definitely have two rock stars in the making.
Then we had a few days with Aunt Melissa(My sister'nlaw) and cousins Holly and Kenny who were visiting from North Carolina. We always love our times with them!
Lastly, we headed up to WA State to attend the wedding of Jen Ayers'Stamper and Aaron Dickson. Tori was their flower girl and Braelyn was in a group of kiddos who were bell ringers. Being a flower girl has been a dream for Tori. I dont' think she realized it would last all of 10 seconds to get down the aisle, but it was 10 seconds she will never forget. The funniest part was how she started crying when the bride and groom left the reception because she told me, " I will miss them so much when they are on their field trip!" Very Cute! Before the wedding we spent a few days with my TMC soccer buddy Krissi(Trower)Olmstead near Seattle. We had so much fun hanging out with her and her kids. Then after the wedding we spent 4 days with the WA Waldecks for some cousin time as well! Their house is one big park for us, so it's always a treat to spend time and play in the pool, trampoline, swing set, soccer, pickle ball, basketball, and whatever other sport is your fancy! Actually, a highlight for my girls is riding Uncle Steve's lawnmower with him. So are we tired? Yes, but all the memories of a great summer were worth it!
I got a chance to update Logan's site, http://www.logansrace.com/ today, so be sure to check that out if you haven't. We hope summer is treating you all well, hope you enjoy our pics!

Visit to the WA Waldecks

Jen and Aaron's Wedding, July26th

Visit to Puyallup,WA with the Olmsteads

Timewith NC Burnhams

Magic Mountain