Family Update

Right now my family is in the middle of some exciting times. Today seemed a good day for an update on what is going on in the life of my younger siblings=)

Why today, you ask? Well, because 8 weeks from this very day my sister Helaine will do what I did almost 9 years ago....change her last name! On September 5th she will marry Phil DeMarte and will no longer be a Rozelle, in name anyway=) We are so excited as the day gets closer and closer - she is marrying someone who has the same desire to serve the Lord as she does and what better 'match' could she have found than that!

And now to our next bit of exciting news....this one concerns Chad, the only one of my three brothers who had to put up with me his whole life and not just the last 10 years, in other words, the blessed one=) A few months ago Chad walked through an open door, a possibility that, although things looked promising, still took a step of faith. He spent time and energy over the last two months pouring himself into a ministry opportunity in Holyoke, CO. As of this past week he is officially their Assistant Pastor....! My little brother! Oh, I'm so proud I can hardly stand it. We wondered about where the Lord would lead him from when he was young....see, he was the kid that remembered to take tracts in along with the money to pay the cashier at the gas station, he was the teenager that started a Bible study at his public high school in Scotland despite the lack of interest, he was the one with the tender heart who has always stood staunchly in the corner of his mom and his sister. We are so excited for the Lord's perfect plan for his life! "Pastor Chad"....how cool is that!

There are also changes and updates as far as my brother Kendrick - first off he is no longer Private Rozelle, he is now PRIVATE FIRST CLASS Rozelle of the Marine Corps!! He was promoted last week after his well deserved break over the 4th of July weekend=) We, our whole family, is so proud of Kendrick as well. It was with trepidation that we watched him ship out back in January - into a world of things so foreign and so....worldly, for lack of a better world. But, he has taken these days where he dwells among the dark things of this world and has let his light shine brighter than ever. He has boldly witnessed to many people he has come in contact with, sharing the gospel and openly letting it be known that he is different, that he is a Christian. The Marine Corps is now his mission field! On Monday he starts classes - he will be training in the area of air traffic control and who knows what else during his time in Pensacola, Fl.

Of course the next one is Lincoln - he lives in a land far, far away so communication is sometimes sparse. But his upcoming plans include going back to college to get a degree in the business area, while trying to balance that with being the father of two (Layla and Elijah) and the husband of one (Sheena) =) I often wish they were closer so our families could spend more time together, but it just makes us look forward to seeing them all that much more. They stay busy with their family and have had such a ministry and a testimony to tons of young people over these past several years.

"Thank you, Lord for a family who knows and serves you!"

July 4th, My favorite pics

Here are some of my favorite shots taken throughout our holiday weekend. Some may or may not be duplicated from the last two posts, although I've tried not to do that - here they are.

The boys rode their bikes all over~
One of my absolute favorite shots, Jared and Matthew~

Jared's truck~

Logan and a green mohawk~

Sarah, who made almost every shot!~

Here's Alana, she looks sooo funny, she had just woken up and put on these earmuffs which were a bit tight on her cheeks=)~

And here's Levi with one of the kittens....can you guess how it's feeling?~

And another kitten picture - this one with my sweet Monica=)~

And little Jesse Lee-lee....~

Charlotte and Alana on a front porch swing~

Another 4th of July classic - Malachi at the parade with a patriotic popsicle~

Just a view from out the window as we drove back to Oshoto after the parade~

Devil's Tower~

One of the kittens taking a snooze with Mom~

Behind Jared and Sarah's house~

And, if I had to pick just one, this would be my favorite. I think because I like the picture itself, but also because it seems to capture a little bit of what the 4th of July is all about - our independence - won by many men before us and preserved by many more even today!

Happy Anniversary

My parents are celebrating 10 years of marriage today....I know that doesn't exactly add up if you count how old I am, but there's quite a story to be told when explaining how the math works on that one=) Since I've told it before, let's just say that I'm so glad for the parents God gave me and their testimony to me in so many areas. But, today, I'm specifically thankful for their faithfulness to their previous spouses, who are now with the Lord, and their faithfulness to each other.
As I've already written God took home each of their spouses, a man and a woman who had given their life to Him on the mission field. Uncle Dave and Aunt Lenore had just celebrated 25 years of marriage, and my parents only 9. It was after that when God brought them together and they are continuing to serve and honor Him, with their ministry, with their lives, and with their marriage.

So.... ten years ago today Helaine and I put on our matching dresses while Lincoln, Chad and Kendrick put on their suits and blue ties. We marched into church, the only members of the wedding party except for the bride and groom. Then in came my mom, dressed in a long, blue dress holding a small, white Bible. She stood beside my Uncle Dave and our family of 3 became 7 in that moment=) What a happy day that was as we witnessed God turning sorrow into joy!
Hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for your love for us, for you love for each other, and for passing on the legacy to all five of us....Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

July 4th, Part II

Just to add to the craziness of the week, Sarah was helping with some 'ranch' chores for one of her neighbors. So, in the morning and evening, she'd make time among the many other things going on, to go and feed the chickens, rabbits, dogs, and cats=) If only it had been as simple as it sounds.....I won't elaborate, but lets just say that what we envisioned as a cute little petting zoo for our many underage offspring, quickly degenerated....!

Don't be fooled by the cute picture.... The highlight on Saturday itself, was a 4th of July parade in Belle Fourche. We loaded up kids and drove over an hour to get there, but despite the hectic morning getting ready, we did have a good time! Here are some highlights~

Yes, he is riding a cow...a steer to be specific, nose ring and all. Look closely and you'll see he has a dog on his lap, too!

Eagerly anticipating the candy!That evening, since we had church the next morning, us boring mothers made our kids do their sparklers while it was still light outside just so we could get all 7 little people through the tub and into bed at a decent hour. It was worth the lame pictures to have them get a good nights sleep=)

Is this 4th of July or what?! Watermelon and sparklers=) Oh, and greenish hair, but I'm not sure that fits....
To end the post about our time away I'll show picture....5 points to the person who can guess what in the world is going on....=)

Thanks again, Jared and Sarah, for the fun weekend and your always-open door...."Hey, you guys ever think of just getting a revolving door put in?"....just a thought.

July 4th, Part I

Once again as July 4th rolled around we began making plans for a trip to Oshoto to spend the holiday with our friends, Jared and Sarah Berg. It was yet another crazy, enjoyable, kid-filled several days that will go down in the memory books=) This year the Shively family made the trip as well, much to the delight of our oldest two boys. So that made a grand total of 18 people (12 of them were kids) sharing a 4 bedroom house....it was great! The oldest 5 boys slept out in a tent, the Shively's in a camper, and the rest of us claimed the rooms in the house. We really did have a great time with lots of laughs, good talks, late nights, yummy meals, and just the refreshment that comes from time spent with ones that share more than just a simple friendship.

When we first arrived the guys went to work helping Tod Hartman who was up to do some work on the parsonage....poor Sarah, a house full of company and the drills and saws were running, there was sawdust covering the couch and carpet in the living room, new windows being put in, siding being put up....etc. But she handled it like a trooper=) And thanks to Tod, the sawdust disappeared!

Another item on the list was to get the tent set up for the boys, they had what I think is called a 'wall tent' which had plenty of room for all 5 of them - Jeremiah, Jon, Joseph, Zach, and Logan.All the older boys brought their bikes, so they immediately took to the roads and spent lots of time exploring all over the place.

The Bergs also went through the trouble of getting some new tires for a four-wheeler they had so that the boys would have that to ride around on as well. The only trouble then was getting the new tire on....!
But eventually, after much hard work and persistence (aka grunting and groaning), it was ready to go....the boys literally drove that thing for HOURS!!

With a houseful of kids things stayed busy....even little Hannah got to be part of the excitement between naps. Another favorite pass time was shooting....I wish I could list off the different guns that were used but I couldn't keep track of all of them, I know there was a .22, a 20 gauge, and Matthew's 30-06.

Some of the guys took turns throwing the skeets....

...while the others lined up and shot.
And, others still, watched with their ears plugged=)

Daddy helped Logan take a turn - notice how he keeps his eye closed=) Alana and Jesse actually had a turn with the .22 as well, but the camera and I were somewhere else. Helping make supper I think....

The Bergs had a cat with three young kittens that got enough attention in those five days to last them another few months!

Another form of entertainment that the grown ups found was to try out Jared's bike....those that rode had a pretty good time! This is the bike that has been down to Mexico where Jared drove it the length of the Baja Peninsula!

Jesse found his own ride....he would hop on this little 4- wheeler off and on all day long. Here he is 'posing' for me when I told him I wanted a picture of him riding it....BOYS!

And on that note, I'll wrap up this post - saving the rest of the details about our time there for Part II! Oh, the suspense....=)