We started June off with Chataqua Day's on the first Saturday, followed by my brother's wedding on the next. And then the 3rd Saturday was the June Jamboree in Spirit River, so we were out there for the day. And then only a couple days after that we were listing our house for sale and headed of to Slave Lake for a weekend of camping. Life only got crazier from there, but I want to expand on some of these events first.First of all, we are very excited for my brother and his new bride. They had waited a long time for
this day to arrive and it was beautiful. It was cloudy and a bit rainy, but rain has never held any other wedding off, and it didn't this one either. This was actually the only wedding of my siblings that I hadn't been involved in, so it was kind of different that way! But a good different because this was also the first wedding where I had my own family to take care of, so I was glad to not have any additional responsibilities! It was still a whirlwind day however, as we hosted my dad's side of the family at our house in between wedding and reception. Excellent conversations and time spent together, but a busy day none the less.
The June Jamboree was on the 20th of June and we had to attend because Dan was part of the parade. Plus we were house hunting following the morning events, so we kind of had to be there for that as well. There were two houses we looked at that day. Both were well suited for our family, but one stood out a bit more. Unfortunately by the time we were able to make an offer on that house, there was already another offer on the table, so we were not able to purchase that one. The other house was also a very nice house, and it is the house that we actually purchased once everything settled down. We gain possession on August 21st!
We had planned a camping trip to Slave Lake long before we even knew we would be moving, but as it turned out, it was well planned. We were able to list our house the day before we left and the next day we received an offer. We were able to negotiate a deal from that and this house will no longer be ours come August 26th. It did make for a little less relaxing camping trip as we spent a lot of time signing contracts electronically, but hey, so goes life sometimes.
July has been less hectic, but still busy. We had some adjustments to do on our house to finalize the deal and of course there was house inspections and whatnot to complete on both houses. But after all was said and done, all conditions were removed on July 17th. And to celebrate we took our kids to Jasper for the first time! It was an awesome weekend of camping, climbing mountains, seeing Athabasca falls, and just spending time together as a family. It hasn't been an easy road for our kids these last few months either, so having that time was very good. 
As for me, well things have been emotional. I finally had a clear ultrasound on June 15th, so praise the Lord that my body was able to deal with this miscarriage without surgery! And physically I am fully recovered, but emotionally I am still a ways off. This has been, by far, the most challenging loss. I have come to acceptance over not having any answers, but it seems that the little things are what hurts the most. My 20 week ultrasound was supposed to be on July 7th. That day really hurt. Seeing friends announce pregnancies and the sex of their new babies is like pouring salt on an open wound.
In the middle of everything that has happened the past couple months, Dan and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. It seems a bit surreal to think that it has been 6 years already. And I know that isn't even very long. We were discussing how much we have gone through in the last 6 years and we can say that it hasn't been easy. 3 kids, 3 miscarriages, basically completely renovating our house from top to bottom, inside to out, the death of his sister, the sale of my first house, and now a fairly major move, all in 6 years. Add in a few health challenges, switching churches and seeing my brother and his family move to Africa, and you've got our first 6 years! Yet through it all God has proven Himself to be faithful and true. He has lead us through some very deep waters, yet we have come out on the other side stronger and more equipped to deal with the next challenge.
And we have seen Him bless our family! I have saved this news for last because it is the most exciting for us! We have never been ones to push our kids to acceptance of Jesus. We pray for them every day that they would, we read stories, read the Bible, talk, answer their questions and what not, but we have never pushed them. I wanted them to come to the realization themselves that they needed to make that decision. So while we were eating supper on June 11th, Maddison, after we had prayed, quietly told us that she had asked Jesus into her heart the previous night in her bed. It kind of took Dan & I by surprise because we hadn't ever used that wording, but we have seen little ways in which she has changed since then and it is super exciting to see. We also realized that now the battle really starts and we have amped up our praying for our kids as they enter this spiritual battle.
And then, just a couple weeks following that, on June 28th, Brooklyn announced that she too had asked Jesus into her heart. And again, we were a bit surprised, but still thrilled! She too has changed in small ways since that day, so even though they are young, we can tell that the Lord is working in their lives.