Just call me Jimmy

Sunday morning Vicky and I got up at the crack of dawn to drive north a few hours to Lynden, WA. There is a family with the last name starting with D and its really long and I always spell it wrong. This family is amazing though. When I was in junior high
and high school they lived here in P-town and were influential in shaping my character and providing wisdom that I often did not get from my own parents. So this weekend Vicky and I ventured north to spend some time with the family. Jim and Laurel
were out of town on a vacation that their kids had blessed them with (amazing kids yeah!!) so it was just us with all of the kids. They have 13 kids now. Only 12 of them were there. So there was still plenty of room in this house for us to crash. The last time I spent quality time with these kids was when Hosanna (who is now 11) was a baby. It was amazing to see the "little kids" now acting as the adults and taking care of their younger brothers and sisters. The teen aged boys were now able to prepare meals for a family of 14 plus guests. Amazing! I experienced such delight watching the older kids love on their younger siblings. Celebrating with them as they played a soccer game, carrying them when they were to tired to walk, tickling them and producing laughter that touched my heart. It was such a special weekend.


Greg just finished serving in the military and it was amazing to see the joy of the Lord shining from him again.


Cassie was up for the weekend (she lives in Bend, OR) with an amazing friend Heidi. We had some great laughter and stayed up late into the night talking about silly things. Its amazing how ten years later this kids are now teaching me so much through the things they are going through. We had some fun at Walmart sharing a "right of passage" experience together and almost getting hit by a crazy driver. We certainly laughed it up to some SNL magic too. You girls blessed my heart!


Jeremiah taught us how to play a couple games that would otherwise have intimidated the heck out of me. He surprises me again and again with how stinkin smart he is. He is going to be heading out to Jordan for a couple years in the next month.

Carissa was in Argentina on a DTS so I missed her. I am praying for you Carissa! Have an awesome time on outreach!


Lindsey was in and out of the house but blessed us with her presence at the park one night and I loved to see her playing with her little sisters. Precious!


Josh was driving. Gasp! Little Josh... not so little anymore. He played soccer with his brothers and sisters and was the best team captain cheering with them and causing such delight to erupt on their faces and the field.


Ben. Cute Benny. Now not so little, and not falling asleep at the dinner table or on my lap these days. So grown up and such a good big brother to all his little sibs. So crazy that he is not little Benny anymore.


Jacob has a smile that will melt any heart. He came to my bedside on Monday morning and said my name about 50-100 times. I was pretending to be asleep. He says my name in such a way that it sounds like Jimmy. Hence the "just call me Jimmy" title. This boy has been through more in his lifetime than most families ever go through in all their lifetimes together. He is 12. Also an amazing brother, story teller, and jester. The joy of the Lord is alive in his heart.


Hosanna, beautiful girl with such a pensive mind. She blessed my heart with amazing amounts of serving her brothers and sisters. I learned much from her this weekend.


Sarah has a smile that lights up any room and is so joyful. She is precious and I loved spending time with her. We played about 30 games of UNO in two days.


Josiah... aka little Josh. Amazing how much these two were alike at this age. He was so much fun to play UNO with as well.


Rachel, sweet girl. Her smile sneaks up on you like a wonderful surprise. She made me laugh so much with the silly things she did. Amazing girl!


Little Elijah... or should I say little Ben? Again, a repeat of the boy I knew a decade ago. Elijah was another silly one. Always giving me a goofy face and enjoying being the youngest of such a big family.


These two days showed me how healthy a big huge family can be. These kids are there for each other unlike most other average families are. I love the D kids and can't wait to see how God is going to use each and every one of their stories to touch a multitude of lives around the world! May God continue to bless each one of them as they seek Him! Thank you D's for opening up your home and welcoming this former babysitter into your lives again for a few days. Love ya!

PS. Jim and Laurel... or any D's for that matter... if you want to look at any of the pics I took while I was in Lynden you can view them (and even snag them with my permission) on http://picasaweb.google.com/jamijanelle
It was a joy to see all of you! I hope to see you soon! And to see you at all Jim and Laurel! Much love!