Summer Days

Here's Joel hanging out in his little "throne." :)

The past couple days have been full of girl fun. Andrea and Arely came over Friday night for a sleepover before they head back to college. We has lots of fun making pizza, doing nails, watching a movie and making a late night run to Starbucks. I sure miss these girls when they are gone!
Yesenia also came over and we made and decorated cupcakes. We put our creativity to work as we mixed colors and made patterns. It's amazing how therapeutic it is to do things with your hands!

Our Work Table

The Finished Products

More pictures of our little guy

Here is Joel after he fell out of the bouncy seat . . . it's more fun to fall out of it than to bounce in it :)

This is Joel & Peyton . . . he doesn't realize that girls have cuties. However, one day - it will kick in.

Joel enjoyed being in his jolly jumper, even at Family Camp. I'm sure it wasn't "code" to hang him from a tree, but Joel didn't mind.

He spent an hour and half one day in his turtle. The lake was cold enough that several ladies wouldn't venture into it, yet Joel didn't even notice. He thoroughly enjoys the water!

This is eating squash (actually, I'm not sure what it is. . . but whatever it is, it is squashed)

Still eating, but he has found his tongue. It is quite cute, except when he is eating and his food all rolls out of his mouth :)

Summer is flying by!

Well, lots has been going on in the Schroeder house! We went camping with our church family a couple weeks ago, and then just got back Sunday from camping again with 28 students from our youth group. Each time was wonderfully spiritually refreshing. Joel did fantastic each time. He's such a trooper and easy going baby. I'll try to post some pictures from these trips soon.

Joel had his 6 month check up last week. He is now 14 pounds, 2 ounces, and 29 inches long. He is also in the age of discovery now. First it was his toes, then his tongue and the list keeps going. He is adorable! The pic below is from the day he found his tongue. It didn't go back in his mouth all day!
Another discovery is food! Joel began eating cereal a couple weeks ago, and loves it. He now eats (and wears) green beans and squash. We can no longer eat or drink without him getting very excited and trying to grab at our food. :)
Another blessing this month was a visit from our dear friend Laura Thien. We had a wonderful time together catching up and enjoying time together. Her time with us went by way too fast!

Well, now that we are in town for the rest of the summer, I am looking forward to updating this blog much more regularly. Thanks for your patience!

Katelyn

Chicago Missions Trip

Well, I know it has been a long time since our last blog. Since then we have been on our 2009 youth missions trip to Chicago, IL. You can read about our trip at www.chicagomissionstrip2009.blogspot.com. We praise God for how He worked during our time away. The gospel truly is the power of God to save men!

Vacation Bible School

What a tremendous week this has been! This week we have had Vacation Bible School here at Grace. VBS is a kid's club for children ages 4 through grade 6. Our time includes games, crafts, skits, and a lesson time each evening. The theme of the week is "Global Expedition: the ultimate trek through God's world." The lessons are focused on the call of God -- how each person is a sinner and in need of God's grace and mercy. What a blessing it has been to hear some of the children really understanding these truths from the Bible!

It's been a full week for us, but a wonderfully rewarding week to be able to serve the Savior. Tonight is the last night, and we will have a special presentation for the parents at the end of the evening, followed by make your own ice cream sundaes...yummm!

Here's a couple recent pics of our fun little bundle of joy. Enjoy!

~ Katelyn :)

Pomp and Circumstance

It's the end of the year for our students, which means...graduation! We are thrilled to celebrate the graduation of 6 high school students. We praise the Lord for the work He has done in several of their lives as they have grown in Christ. What a blessing!

Grace Youth Senior Honors Banquet

Joel was pretty comfy at his first grad ceremony...

...and fell asleep.

Wow, Joel is 4 months!

What a precious blessing this little one is to us! Joel is such a happy and contented baby. He smiles constantly now, well, except when the camera is out. For some reason he's very intrigued by the cameras, so he stops smiling and stares. Ahhh.... we still think he is pretty cute. :)

This past month has been quite full for our little family. In the beginning of May we traveled out to Illinois to visit the Schroeder side of the family and meet our new neice Hadessah. We had a wonderful time together! We spent the first week up in Wisconsin to have a family vacation where Justin grew up at Victory Home for Boys. What fun it was for me (Katelyn) to see and experience Justin's childhood! After that week Justin flew back home to CA and I stayed out with Joel for a week longer. We spent much time together and took lots of pictures!

Great Grandpa Schroeder

Great Grandma Schroeder

Papa & Mama Schroeder with their grandkids


the Schroeder family...as it continues to expand

the new family of three

the other new family of three

Katelyn learning how to shoot skeet

The cousins hanging out :)

Waking up Uncle Caleb Joel hiking with Dad

Celebrating Katelyn's first mother's day

Joel & Uncle Jared