Micah Ryder Grandsons are a Blessing

 It seems quite ironic that one of my last posts was about Alex and Ivy having a baby boy, and now I am making a post about Alex and Ivy having a baby boy two years later.  Yep, our count is now 6 grandkids 6 and under.  What is funny is we have four boys and 2 girls, but for our kids we have 2 boys and 5 girls.  One more baby boy and we will reverse our status in boy girl ratio.  No there are no new babies on the way that we are aware of but I am hoping for many more in the future.

Christmas Eve 2020, during our Christmas Eve party, Alex and Ivy announced another baby on the way.  We were supper happy and quite surprised.  The surprises kept coming as they later found out it was another boy.  The nine months flew by for us and  before we knew it, we were having a shower and then we got the call that they were at the hospital.  It was all such a blessing and we are grateful for this new little life.  Micah Ryder was born in August, right between my grandpa and nephews birthday.  I guess he wanted his own day.  He has such a beautiful smile and we are so grateful for the time we get to spend with him.  His brothers love him and Dad and Mom are so proud.  

Alex is still preaching up a storm at his church.  He is the Youth Pastor but gets to preach to the church on occasion.  This is supper nice for me, because they stream those sermons and I get to hear them.  It is not too far away, so on occasions we have made the trip to hear him speak.  

Here are a couple links if you would like to hear a great message and some family stories.  I love that he incorporates his growing up years in his sermons.  If nothing else it is great parables.  

Ivy is busy with the three little boys but still finds time to homeschool, lead a Bibles study for moms, and is very active in their youth group.  Anyways, they are doing great and we are so blessed to see God's hand in their lives.  

Once again I hope you all are having a great day and God Bless. 

Alicia

The Out of Towners Family

 Good day everyone.  It sure has been a long time since I sat down and made a post (does anyone actually read blogs anymore? I guess we will see.)  It is hard to believe how fast the last two years went by, it is almost like a blur.  I am so grateful that we homeschool and for a lot of 2020 things have gone on with some consistency.  We have not had to worry about school, because we just keep doing what we're doing.  Life has not been without its challenges but also we celebrate the joys.

What can I say? A part of me wants to scream out and be political and another part wants me to focus on the positive.  Trying to find a balance in what I spend my energy on is hard.  Just like this blog, I would love to vent to you all the injustices and wrongs done these last couple years, but most of you already know it.  If you know me, you probably know I do not want to focus on fear.  I do not fear this sickness.  We had it in our home, and have moved on.  My firm belief is in a loving Father who knows all, sees all, and is over all.  The future of my family and myself is in His hands and I give Him control.  God is good, and let's all pray for our country, but even more our world.  

So... when I last left off we had just announced we were expecting a new grand baby.  Brent and Latisha welcomed Ellowyn April of 2020.  Brent had dropped the kids off when Latisha was in labor and very shortly after sent us pictures of this new baby with a full head of hair.  I thought they had to be joking, but nope, Latisha had a very quick birth and barely made it to the hospital.  Ellowyn is supper adorable and very active.  This is good because Brent and Latisha decided to travel the World with the kids and her high energy seems to work for that.  

Brent and Latisha decided to sell everything, quit his job, and explore the world.  As a mom, I was having a hard time thinking: with all the instability in this world, was this a good idea to venture out.  Once again, I am trying to choose life over fear and choose to rejoice with them in this adventure they are on.  They have begun a YouTube channel and we love getting to see their adventure in video.  Before they left oversees they traveled several areas around the USA.  We actually got to join them on their adventure to Glacier National Park and Silverwood Theme Park, which got us in a couple of their videos.  I am so thankful that we got to share in a part of their adventure.  

They left the states and first stop was Greece, then Holland, and now Ireland.  I love seeing their videos and recommend you check them out.  Their YouTube channel is: The Out of Towners Family.  It is a favorite family time as we cast their video to our tv and enjoy laughing at their adventures. 

Hope all is going well for you all.  I hope to catch you all up on our new little blessing, but for now, have a great day and God bless.

Alicia

The family at Glacier National Park

The kids and grands in Silverwod

Grandbaby Blessings

It is super exciting to announce a new grandbaby is on the way.  Brent and Latisha are expecting another baby April 2020.  We thought we would put together a fun dinner in honor of our new addition.  It was very fun.  Children are truly a blessing and we are thankful for all our blessings.

He's Here

Grandbaby #4 arrived.  David and I were on a trip, but only a couple hours away, when at 4:00 in the morning we got a call that Ivy was in labor.  We were up and on the road in the wee hours of the morning and were able to be at the hospital when little Everett James arrived.  We feel so blessed to have a new little man in our family.  He is so adorable and sweet and looks a lot like his big brother.  I was able to stay around a couple days and enjoyed time spent with this adorable and special family. Welcome to our world little man.  Thank you Lord.

God bless you all and have a great day.

Alicia

Happy Grandma and Grandpa

Mom and Daddy loving pictures of their new baby.  Alex and Ivy
have a photo business in addition to being youth pastors, so their pictures
are amazing.  

Look at my adorable grandkids.  

They all look so big once you add a little one to the picture.

Camping Wallowa

We haven't scheduled a lot of camping trips this year.  A couple of weeks ago we did get to go out though.  We went to a place in Oregon called Wallowa State Park.  It is a bit of a drive from our home but well worth it.  Brent, Latisha, and kids, Brent's parents, and another family joined us.  It was so fun to get away.  We went during part of the week days and it was very relaxing.

 As we approached the area, I was struck by the beautiful mountains.

 They just got grander and more amazing as we got closer. I wish my camera was able to get better pictures to show how amazing they were.  They were compared to little Alps, and that is what I thought of when we got there.  Then I saw these little "Heidi" shops and a sign that referred to them as little Alps, so I guess I was thinking correctly.

 Then we got to the lake, perfect

We took our bikes and did a little riding.  

 There is a tram you can take to the top of one of the mountains

 This was a nice hike we took that Aidric was able to do and it was fine. August hiked up, but was a little tired on the way down.

 crossing the bridge on our hike

 we made it to the waterfall.  So beautiful!!!!

 I took a little video. I felt like my pictures just weren't getting the full picture

 The grandpa's hanging out with Brinley

 The kids went miniature golfing on a really nice course, some also rode horses and go cart riding.

 Isabella and I went for a walk around the town.

 I really loved this mountain.  Isn't God's creation so amazing!

 On another day we went to the town just down the road and got ice cream, coffee and did some shopping

 On the way back we pulled over to see Chief Joseph burial site

 We were finishing dinner, and these beautiful deer literally came up to our table.  It was so cool.

 Game night

We also had smores and a lovely fire.  The whole trip was wonderful and I highly recommend the area.  Getting away for a few days can be so relaxing.

Latisha and Brent opened the back of their vehicle when they got there and had a couple stowaways - a couple mice.  They were a little concerned about eating their food, but there was more then enough to go around.  That is the fun of going with others. They rented a cabin, which was very close to our camp site and were able to just ride their bikes to us.  Perfect.

I hope you all are able to get out and do some adventuring this summer. God bless and have a great day.
Alicia