North Mahaska and Cardinal Archery

North Mahaska Tournament:

Ephraim shot at North Mahaska on the 17th.  He had a large cheering section with three grandparents, friends from church and me and his siblings.  The meet got off to a rough start with a bow mix-up, but he was able to shake it off and do ok.  He ended with a score of 200.  

Score: 200

Tens: 3

Elementary Boys Rank: 23 out of 33

5th Grade Boys Rank: 16 out of 16

Overall Boys Rank: 104 out of 125

Cardinal Tournament on January 24:

Ephraim did his best yet at Cardinal!  He had a score of 226.  (A perfect score would be 300).  

Score: 226

Tens: 4

Elementary Boys Rank: 20 out of 66

5th Grade Boys Rank: 17 out of 30

Overall Boys Rank: 118 out of 220

He had a great tournament here and his cheering section (Emmet, the girls and I) enjoyed watching him shoot.

T-shirt Quilt: Finally Finished

I finally got my quilt done.  I had first gathered t-shirts for a quilt in 2001.  I was going to make the quilt while I was laid off from the Judicial Branch.  Obviously, it didn't get done AND then 4 children came along, prolonging the project even more.  A local quilt shop held a class on how to make a t-shirt quilt and it involved time to sew in class.  That was exactly what I needed to get this project started and finished.  The class was in October 2013.  I got most of the quilt done in class.  All the squares sewn together, etc.  

The next step was to tie it to a back piece of flannel.  This took some time.  My mom and I would work on it together, but it still took A LONG TIME.  Over President's Day, my mom had the day off and I went over and we were going to get this quilt done.  Five hours later, we had all the ties knotted and the binding done.  It is a full sized blanket with t-shirts from high school, college, retreats, employers, mission trips and vacations.  Many, many memories!

A couple of models were anxious to be in the photo!

It is big enough for me and a couple of girls to cuddle under.  

I'm loving that it is done and crossed off my list of unfinished projects.  

It might be a couple years before I think of making another one with some of the children's t-shirts :)

Christmas Eve/Day

We had a most wonderful Christmas Eve and Day as a family.  Christmas Eve found us at our church's Christmas Eve service.  We came home for a delicious supper and to open a few presents.  

Our family photo on Christmas Eve.  

I didn't do stockings, but did gift bags instead.  Each gift bag held several small presents for the kiddos.  

On Christmas Day, we awoke and everyone was ready for presents.  

Everyone got a piece of clothing, a toy and an activity present.  Eliza got horse toys, Eden got Barbie toys and the boys got Erector sets.  The girls' activity present was a bracelet maker.  The boys' activity present was two lassos and a black plastic calf head for practicing their lasso skills.  In the bottom of the picture, you see a white pick up truck with a hay bale trailer.  The pick up was a previous gift, but Seth designed, welded and painted a trailer to go with it.  The boys are thrilled with it!  

Working with their Erector sets.  It is a nice change of pace from Legos.  

I think they're trying to lasso the pretend calf . . . not the chickens!

The girls with their princess/fairy outfits.  

Awww, yes, Eliza doesn't go outside without petting a chicken.  

We had a blessed Christmas at home, playing games, enjoying presents and watching a movie.  My gift from Seth was an evening out, just the two of us. We were able to take the next night to do a little shopping and enjoy a dinner date.   Yes, it was a good Christmas!

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Van Zante Family

We got together to celebrate Christmas with Seth's family on Saturday, December 27.  We start with a big lunch and then it was time for the presents.  

First, a photo of the grandchildren together.  

The girls were excited to get matching outfits for them and their dolls.  They also got a sewing kit and an other outfit from Grandma & Grandpa.  

You can't have a gathering without a game of Spit.  

Emmet was thrilled with his western coat, a gift from Grandma & Grandpa.  

Somehow I missed a photo of Ephraim with his gifts, but he got some Legos and farm toys.  

We got a gift card to go to the Science Center from Paul, so that will be fun to use.  We also exchanged gifts with Michelle's family and we are thankful for what we got from them, too.  

As a family, we received the Founder's Bible from Seth's parents.  We've already enjoyed using it in our homeschool lessons.  It is a Bible with pages about America's founders and their Biblical foundation.  

We finished off the evening by watching the Lego Movie.  

It was a good day and everyone is thankful for their presents.  

VW Extended Family

My mom's family got together for Christmas on December 28.  We always have a good time together and this year we had a big crowd.  We opted for a coffee-time only buffet and the table is always packed with goodies.  

We took a group photo of the cousins.  Getting us lined up AND getting the moms/aunts coordinated with their cameras brought many laughs.  

Finally, a nice picture:

Back row:  Brad, Brent, Glenda, Kim, Lori, Stacie, Me

Front: Amber, Valerie, Heather, Kristy

We were only missing Sheryl, Kevin & Eric.  

Now for the next generation, or at least some of them.  

Back: Ephraim, Makayla, Macey, Lindsey, Morgan(?, I think), Amelia, Jordan(?--I get Morgan & Jordan mixed up), Chelsea

Middle:  Drew, Evan, Garret, Emmet

Front: Reed, Kate, Haley, Eliza, Eden, Alyssa

Missing:  quite a few ;)

These girls and Alyssa had a great time playing together.  

It is always nice to catch up on the latest news (other than what's on Facebook), see how big everyone's children are getting (some are in the real world, graduated from college and some aren't even in preschool).  It's always a good time with this bunch of family members!

Operation Christmas Child

A long overdue post, but still worthy of being posted.  Samaritan's Purse has a project called Operation Christmas Child.  The concept is simple.  First, pack a shoebox or a shoebox-sized tote with hygiene items, school supplies, toys and other fun items.  Take your shoebox to a collection point and in our case, our church.  The shoeboxes are packed with other shoeboxes and eventually reach their way to all corners of the earth to needy children who need the items AND get to hear the gospel of Jesus at the same time.  This year, our boxes landed in Tanzania.

In mid-November we packed our boxes.  We packed 4 of them.  Two for older boys and two for girls ages 5-9.  Our supplies are a collection of boughten items and freebies.  School supplies and hygiene items.  Farm caps, tools and socks.  A little bit of hard candy.  You get the idea.  It isn't hard to have a box stuffed to the max and it doesn't have to be expensive.  We collect items all year long so we have a stash of items to use when mid-November comes.

Boxes are packed and ready to be dropped off.  

Adding our boxes to the others at church.  

We also had the privilege to help pack 60+ boxes with our Sunday night church group.  There are some from the church who just donate money to have someone pack a box for them.  That's our job.  The supplies are already purchased and then the kids pack the boxes.  A little chaotic at times, but oh so fun for the kiddos.  They are learning at an early age what it means to serve God, help children in need, and have a heart for missions.  

The children who packed the boxes.  

After we packed our boxes, we wrote Christmas cards to our missionaries.  Eliza is sporting her "I packed a shoebox" sticker.  

Our church collects the boxes packed by our church members.  Then, they are a relay center that collects boxes from other churches in the surrounding area.  We volunteered our services for that one night.  We brought in 200 boxes!  

What a blessing it is to be a part of this ministry.  My children talk about it all year long.  It is making an impact on those who pack the boxes and those who receive the boxes.  

Van Wyk Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Sunday, December 21.  

Wow, the grandkids are growing up!  Ephraim is 11, Garret 10, Emmet 9, Eden & Eliza 7 and Alyssa 8.  

Our annual family photo.  Amber and I did not plan to both wear purple shirts with gray/black sweaters!

Before we could open presents, we had a little "cow moooo-ving" time.  Moving the cows from one stock field to the other is pretty simple.  The cows know the routine.

A view from behind, watching the cows walk on the road to the next field.  

Nice work, kiddos!  Now we'll let you open presents.  

Eliza made several special wood drawings and a necklace for Grandma Twyla.  

The boys got a tractor and truck for their farm sets.  

The girls got Legos and headbands.  

The grandchildren with their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa.

The kids with their gifts from Aunt Amber and family.  The girls got Goldie Blox sets--toys that encourage girls to build, tinker and engineer.  

Lastly, they received new duffle bags from Grandma & Grandpa.  

Mom made Amber and I scarves and then then skein of yarn is the promise of another scarf.  Otherwise, the adults did not exchange gifts.  We donate the money to buy goats for families in Haiti.  

We gave Garret a remote controlled helicopter.  It is the blue light in the center of the picture. 

No gathering is complete without a card game of Spit!

We had a great day of food, fellowship, cow moving, presents and games!