Halloween October 31, 2008

We take our kids to visit family's houses on Halloween. Our kids know that Halloween can be used in a negative way but we chose to use it for good. They have to dress up as something good. Hope chose to be a sweet little Amish girl this year. We have Amish friends that own a store and they helped us out with getting all the things needed to make her dress. Jon was a nice Batman. He is keeping with the super-hero theme. We have covered Superman, Spiderman, and now Batman. Who knows what next year will be! I am hoping that the "Incredibles" will make an appearance in the whole family but that has been too many years on the back burner.

Austin's 4th Birthday Party

Our little buddy, Austin Walter, turned the big 4! He had a John Deere party with family and friends. Jonny, Hope & Austin are with Brendon & Riley Brown and Luke Walter goofing off in this picture at the party. Happy 4th Birthday Buddy!

Field Trip to Crystal Valley Organic Farm Oct. 21

We visited an Organic Amish Farm in Shipshewana. The kids loved the hayride, pony rides, making butter, watching cows being milked, apple cider pressing, collecting eggs and the delicious dinner they served us. We were a rather large group....over 50 of us. Hope, being the lover of animals, wanted to bring home the baby cows. Jon loved just running around the farm chasing chickens with his buddies.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven-"

Speech Day October 17

Hope had to give a speech at our homeschoolers group "Speech Day". They will do speeches once a month on various topics. She was so nervous. She did a fantastic job telling her audience a little bit about herself. Here she is anxiously awaiting her turn.

Philips, Craig & Dean Concert

Our church was honored to have Philips, Craig & Dean perform at our church. Our choir sang a few songs with them. Greg is in the choir and jumped in the photo at the autograph signing table. We thought they might change their name to Philips, Craig, Dean & Cripe. I think it is a long shot but we'll keep you posted.

The Dominican Republic September 20-27

Wow! What in the world can I say about this trip. We had a phenomenal time. The Lord really answered prayer for us. Our group consisted of a medical/dental team and a choir/drama team. Greg is in our choir so he now sings in Spanish. The choir/drama team would sing and present the gospel to our audience while we set up for the clinics in small churches, schools, and other buildings.

Many people came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior!!!PTL!!! Greg had the priviledge of being part of leading a Voodoo Priest to the saving knowledge of Christ. Hearts and lives were radically changed for the kingdom!! Tammy assisted the dentists in pulling lots of teeth!! WE were able to meet a physical need in the Dominicans lives but more importantly spiritual rebirth happened!! We met a variety of people: Dominicans, Haitians, Americans etc. This is a picture of Greg with a guy who was trying out for the LA Dodgers. Interesting story....

It rained alot due to the tropical depression we were in the middle of . But we had a blast even with our bus stuck in the mud.

These young guys in this picture make up alot of the choir in a Dominican Church we were at. Most living with so very little but great joy in their hearts because of Jesus!

We not only did medical/dental clinics but also visited a few orphanages, gave testimonies at church services, passed out tracts in Santo Domingo, the capital of D.R.

We visited the new sports facility that is being built. Greg & I have been praying for 3 years about joining up with SCORE international as missionaries to help build and maintain this sports facility. Pray with us, as we get our applications in and start the possible process of becoming missionaries to the Domincan Republic. We are very excited to see what the Lord has in store for our family of four.

My one request was to see a tarantula. A dead one! Right outside our SCORE hotel, they killed this guy by the pool. They said he was just a little one, but he looked BIG to me. I wish I could share all 230 pictures that Greg & I took. But at least you have a little picture of where we were and what we experienced.

Please, pray for us and the kids as we diligently seek God's will for our lives, whether it be serving our Savior here in the United States or in the Dominican Republic. We desire to do His will (sharing Christ and seeing Him change lives) wherever that may be.

Dominican Republic Countdown

We are anxiously counting down until Greg & I leave for the D.R!! We are starting to get packed and get ready!! Pray for us and our group as we serve the people of the Dominican and share the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Monarch Crystalis

We have some friends that homeschool and they were raising Monarch's. We were able to go over and see one come out of its crystalis. Way cool!!! They had 10 all together. Hope & Jon enjoyed seeing the Lord's amazing handywork!!

Front Yard Fort

September brings many things to our little family, but the kids will be sad when the weather gets cooler and the days of forts in the front yard come to an end . Here they are enjoying the great outdoors under the front tree!

Labor Day Weekend Camping

For the past couple of years, we have been camping with family on Labor Day Weekend. We always have a blast! WE tent it, while others in the fam have trailers. It is such a great time of fun and fellowship. The camping crew is as follows:Al & Mary with granddaughter Riley, Cal & Kendra, Heather & Kevin with Austin & Alexa, Christine with Ethan & Calvin, Philip & Crystal with Cole, Clint & Kristy with Bailey, and Greg & Tammy with Hope & Jon& Abby. We have a few extras show up here and there for dinner or some games. We relax, eat, relax, eat some more and pretty much follow that routine. Til next year, Twin Mills!!

Dressed to kill

Our poor Abby!! She never can quite understand why the kids find so much humor in dressing her in their clothes. She is ever so gracious and compliant! She is ready for a night out on the town but unfortunately has no where to go!!

School had begun!!!

School has begun in the Cripe house!! On Wednesday we had our first day. Hope has started the 3rd grade and Jon is now a Kindergartener!! Hope is convinced that school is just wonderful. Jon is not so convinced. He said he really likes his teacher but not the school part. Be in prayer for me as I adjust to teaching 2! We finished well this week. Next week is a whole new week with new and exciting things to learn and grow in.

Metamorphisis-Aug. 18, 2008

This month's Science Sleuths was all about Metamorphisis. Hope made this wonderful molding clay exhibit of the metamorphisis of a frog. She did a splendid job! It was a great representation.

Cookout Crashers!! August 15

We were part of a group of "Cookout Crashers". We thought it would be great fun to invite ourselves over to our dear friends "The Yoders" and make our own party. Unbeknownst to them!!They seemed pretty shocked when about 40 friends and neighbors showed up with all the food and games for a great party!! In this day in age, we have unfortunately frowned at guests that just pop in. We are breaking the trend, going against society, and reintroducing the times of just stopping in for a little visit. We have a great group of friends that want to be involved in each others already too-full lives. So friends beware.....you just might be next!!

A trip to the Ft. Wayne Zoo

My dear friend Lora Scott and I decided to take the kids to the Ft. Wayne Zoo one day. It was kind of our kick off to a new school year. Her little Kendall had heard enough of the other kids talking and we looked back and there he was plugging his ears!!! The kids loved the pony & horse rides. Jonny was afraid if I said "Yah" his little pony would dart!! Hope is an old pro when it comes to horses (or so she thinks).

Here they are being hatched. We always thought they were a little "different", but couldn't put our finger on the reason why. Here is Jonny in the dog house. It was very fitting for him!! He's my little cutie!! We had alot of fun and I think the kids were tuckered out.

August 1-3 Cripe Camping

We had a wonderful time camping at Uncle Al & Aunt Mary's farm on this weekend. We had our own church service Sunday morning on the pool deck. Cousin Clint brought forth the Word for us. He did a great job encouraging us on what a Christian family should look like. When he was finished, I sat there realizing how blessed we are in the Cripe Family. Most all of us know Jesus Christ in a very personal way and are walking with Him. We had a ball being together playing games, eatting ice cream and just talking. The kids loved the golf cart rides!! Thanks so much Al & Mary!!!

Mi Amiga & Salvador

This is my precious friend Veronica. She is now in Costa Rica visiting her sweet boyfriend, Salvador. She is just a great friend and sister. I love her to pieces! Our mutual adopted Mama Jo emailed this pic to me and I had to post it. I hope to see them both, very soon. Vero, Te amo con todo mi corazon!

Psalm 25:4-5

Make me know your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day.

Tammy' s trip to Florida July 23-28

I spent 5 days in Flordia with my lifelong friend, Shelly, and her fantastic family. Shelly & her husband Bryant, just had their first baby, Sara Elizabeth. This adds another child to their family. They have adopted 3 children (Hannah, Brittany, and Cory). They also have a foster son, Jakori. We had a blast!

Shelly & I ventured out on our first outing to an outdoor mall for some coin tossing into the fountain, and hot dogs. That was our goal with 5 little ones, ages 6 & under. We succeeded and had no melt downs, no dirty diapers, no lost kids, and everyone had a great time!

Hannah & Brittany decided to do my hair one night. This is a picture of them making me pretty. They tried their best but my hair is fine, thin and doesn't hold well.

Shelly does a fabulous job with her girls hair! Every Saturday night is hair night! It takes about 1 1/2 hours for her to do each girl!! Granted, it lasts all week, but still she amazes me. Here is her finished product with Hannah's. My finished product with Brittany's doesn't quite take the cake but not too bad for my firsttime. The girls were very gracious!

I was blessed to be able to assist Shelly with Sara's first real bath! She wasn't very thrilled with it but she survived. She is absolutely darling!

Bryant took the kids swimming in the river at his parents house. They loved being thrown in! Bryant shared his "FLAdora" with Jakori and Brittany modeled it with her new boots. I think it will be a new trend and Bryant is responsible for bringing it back!

Cory allowed me to capture his lizards on film. These two little guys are his pets. The King house is full of all sorts of pets. Dogs, Lilly & Fawn, lizards, a frog named Katie ,a bird, and lots of snakes. Bryant is amazing with his knowledge of reptiles but I haven't learned to appreciate the species, yet. I filmed him feeding one of the big ones a rat. Couldn't post it, I'm still having bad dreams about it. Just kidding, Bryant! It was something to see!!

I had such a great time with my precious friend, Shelly, and her family. I was blessed to be able to help out after Sarah was born. Shelly and I have been friends for close to 30 years! She deserves a medal for sticking with me for that long!! Or at least, an extra jewel in her crown in heaven. She is such a treasure to me. I am so thankful to the Lord for blessing my life with her. She's the best!! She is a fabulous Mommy to her kids and the way she foster-parents, is truly a gift from the Lord. She and Bryant make such a great team!

I came home challenged to be a better Mom, wife and friend! My sweet, Greg, took great care of our kids while I was gone. We all had a very busy 5 days having fun and making memories!!