and now there's five

(Several days after taking the first pictures of the 2 eggs, I came back to see if any had hatched. Instead, I found 3 more eggs. Also, I might be mistaken. Instead of house finches, they may be purple finches. I think the father might have had some red on his head.)

*********************

"We're here, we're here," cried the baby birds
to their mother who perched on high.
"We were so afraid when we left you -
never more from you will we fly!"

"Oh, yes you will," said the mother bird,
"When the time is right one day,
You'll spread your wings in that big blue sky
and from me you'll fly away."

"Oh no mother dear," said the baby birds
from the nest where they sought to hide.
"The world is so big and scary too,
right here with you we'll abide!"

"For now, dear ones, you'll stay with me
and I'll never leave your side.
Together we will learn and grow
and I will be your guide."

"We'll swoop and dive and chase all fear;
we'll rejoice in being free,
and the day I wave goodbye to you,
you'll turn and wave to me."

The 2nd Annual Cousin Sleepover

The tradition continued this week. 10 of the 13 cousins (on Jeff's side) slept over at Aunt Jonelle & Uncle Sean's house. The ages of these ten children range from 3 to 7. I have not seen pictures yet of all the energy that happened during those 19 hours, but I have heard the stories. There were fun times--including tie-dying pillow cases.

Yes, I know your jaw has hit the floor by now. Most people's do. But Aunt Jonelle enjoys this adventure (even with morning sickness) and plans to continue it each summer. Three cheers for her and the cherished memories the kids are making.

Carpodacus mexicanus or the house finch

House finches are natives of the American West, but were introduced in New York City in the 1940's. Since that time, eastern birds have spread throughout the eastern half of the country, while western populations have also expanded. The House Finch, like the House Sparrow, is well adapted to living with humans and has taken advantage of their presence rather than suffering because of it. Today the House Finch can be found throughout the country.



And one of those finch couples decided to take up residence with us. I really enjoy birds, especially the common ones that visit our yard daily--like the sparrows, cardinals and finches. So it is especially exciting to have a sweet little finch nest built in the fern hanging on our porch.

I really want to capture a picture of the male finch, but since starting my picture snapping frenzy of this tiny bird family, he has not shown his face or his lovely red head. I could kick myself because just a week ago (I guess while nest building) I saw both the male and female finch regularly swinging on the string of lights or poking their heads in and out of the fern. It wasn't until I discovered the nest that I thought to pull out my camera. A day late and a dollar short, I guess.

The close of another soccer season

Joost ended his soccer season this weekend. He had a lot of fun and improved greatly in his skills. He also enjoyed the award ceremony after the last game. I'm a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mother who didn't take any pictures of him actually playing soccer, but you can enjoy the snacks and awards with him.

A Present Salvation

From The Valley of Vision....

___________


Creator and Redeemer God,

Author of all existence, source of all blessedness,

I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee,
for giving me reason and conscience,
for leading me to desire thee;

I praise thee for the revelation of thyself in the gospel,
for thy heart as a dwelling place of pity,
for thy thoughts of peace towards me,
for thy patience and thy graciousness,
for the vastness of thy mercy.

Thou has moved my conscience to know how
the guilty can be pardoned,
the unholy sanctified,
the poor enriched.

May I be always amongst those who not only hear but know thee,
who walk with and rejoice in thee,
who take thee at thy word and find life there.

Keep me always longing
for a present salvation in Holy Spirit comforts and rejoicings,
for spiritual graces and blessings,
for help to value my duties as well as my privileges.

May I cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character.

Help me
to be in reality before thee as in appearance I am before men,
to be religious before I profess religion,
to leave the world before I enter the church,
to set my affections on things above,
to shun forbidden follies and vanities,
to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace,
to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good.

O God, make me worthy of this calling,
that the name of Jesus may be glorified in me and I in him.

The end of 111th Fighter Wing

"Men sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

George Orwell

I thought about Orwell's quote today as we toured the Willow Grove Naval Air Station, possibly for the last time, and saw all the men and women in uniform and camouflage that serve our country. Jeff's father, Lieutenant Colonel Joost van Bastelaar, served in the National Guards on that base until his untimely death in 1997.

This air force station will no longer be flying any planes and so today they held an End of an Era day and ceremony where both soldiers and their families came to celebrate the base's history.



It was wonderful for the kids to be able to experience a little bit of what their Opa did in his life. They were able to sit in jet simulators and try on pilot masks.

They were also able to explore different aircraft with their cousins.

This is our niece, Kassie, peaking out an opening in a KC-135.

Our nephew, Paul, along with Joost and Grace had a good time exploring the inside of the KC-135.

Joost and Paul even had the chance to fly the plane.

This picture shows half the family. You can see Jeff's mom (in the middle) and his brother, Sean, with his family along with us.

Jeff's dad flew an A-10, just like the one he's standing in front of.

At the end of the day, there was a ceremony that honored those members of the 111th Fighter Wing that died while serving their country, including Jeff's father. There was an A-10 flyover that happened during it. It was loud and awe inspiring.

Another exciting part of the day was to see the A-10 that was dedicated to Jeff's father. The whole family is standing in front of that jet.


It was a lovely way to honor Jeff's father and others who have given their lives to protect fellow citizens and it was a great day to culminate the flying history of an air force base that has served the country well for 86 years.

the Class of 1995

Last night, I had so much fun catching up with friends from my high school graduating class. Can you believe that it was our 15 year reunion? That sounds like a long time to me. (We might be getting old.) We had many laughs over shared memories and we enjoyed hearing each other talk about the paths God has placed each of us on since graduation.