The Wilkes Team

One thing I really like about having a big family is all the fun things we can do together. Doing things together helps make good relationships. Our brothers, sisters, and parents should be our best friends.

A little while ago while Mommy and Daddy were out on a date, we decided to have an ice cream contest. Everyone had to make something with ice cream and all types of yummy stuff like chocolate chips, ice cream cones, marshmallows, nuts, craisins, marshmallow cream, and other things. We had to build quickly so our ice cream would not melt.

Then, starting with Markie and going all the way up to Joshua, each one picked their favorite ice cream creation. The part I liked best was eating the ice cream .

8 Comments » | posted in Family News, Sunny-Side Up

One morning while eating breakfast, Sarah and I looked on the back of a cereal box.There were some questions about past American presidents. I started to read them and everybody tried to guess. It was a lot of fun. Let’s see if you can answer some of these.

1. Name three Chief Executives who served as U.S. Generals prior to their election as President.

        2.What are the four state capital cities named for U.S.Presidents?                                             

        3.Identify the President on both the penny and the $5 bill.

I’ll post the answers in a couple days.                                    

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Former President Ronald Reagan once said, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” In essence, he was touting the importance of investing into future generations. What greater place than the family dinner table! Dinner, Wisdom Search, family meetings, birthdays, and more transpire around the table.

There is one person I would like to publicly honor and express my gratefulness for. She is one who has invested into our family for many years through dinner table events. Grandma has a desire to see each one of her descendants walking with the Lord and enjoying a relationship with Him. From birthday parties to family wisdom searches to manhood ceremonies, graduations, vacations, and more Grandma has seen the value of being a positive influence in the lives of children, grandchildren, friends, and more. Last week we were blessed to honor her with a birthday celebration. Dad’s brother, sister, and their families joined us in this special event.

One characteristic which seems to stand out among Grandma’s many Godly qualities is prayer. Her fervent prayers for Dad many years ago were instrumental in his salvation and hence the salvation and personal relationships with Jesus Christ that each one of us children have. She has a constantly changing prayer list. Infact most of you who are reading this post have probably made it on to her prayer list at one time or another.

We appreciate you Grandma and pray God’s richest blessings upon your life throughout this next year in your life.  America will be a more Godly country because of your prayers and dinner table investments.

4 Comments » | posted in Family News

Being apart of the Wilkes team calls for excitment, laughter, adventures, and team work!!! And this last Thursday was no exception . Dad and the boys are helping to put on a camp out for their Alert Cadet Squad this weekend. To complete the final preparations Dad decided to go down a day earlier and camp out.  Everyone went along to help set up.

From Thursday on, the forecast called for rain. Yet, Thursday was beautiful, clear skies and a delightful breeze. We were so successful working around the property that afternoon and praising the Lord that it was not raining, that no one thought to set the tent up right away. 

About half way throught dinner ( which was around 8:00pm ) we looked up and to our astonishment huge dark clouds were rolling our way! I wish I had a picture of it. It looked like a massive wave rolling towards us!!! We JUMPED to our feet and yelled “the TENT!!” “We don’t have it set up yet and the rain is almost here!! HURRY EVERYBODY!!!!”

Everyone pitched in, and we began to set the tent. While some were setting the tent others were putting all the camping gear under cover so it would not get wet, as well as putting dinner away. We kept looking up and that BIG wave was coming closer! Suddenly the wind began to pick up! Now do you know how hard it is to set a tent in real gusty wind? It is near impossible, but with Dad’s wisdom and guidance we began to see progress.

THEN it happened! The huge wave was upon us! It started raining. We still did not have the rain fly up so all the camping gear that was in the tent began to get wet, as well as all of US!! We began working even fast which just encouraged the rain to fall even faster . By this time we just started laughing, we couldn’t belive what we had gotten ourselves into!

We finally got everything in order by 10:00 pm that evening.  We learned a valuble lesson that night to not take sunny weather for granted  But good work Wilkes team! It was a blessing to see everyone work with such enthusiasm in such extreme circumstances! It was definantly a night we all will not forget!

11 Comments » | posted in Family News, Outdoor Adventures, Sunny-Side Up

Over the recent months, our family has been developing a greater passion for beholding the creatures in God’s creation. This was fueled even further on a birdwatching trip earlier this year to Huntley Meadows Park with the Staddon family. So many overlooked miracles transpire daily right in our own backyards. Its little wonder that King David would say, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou has ordained: what is man that thou are mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him?” David was awed by the handiwork of God as he “considered” all that God had done.

Birthday number 2 in a series came along, when our outdoor lover, Kenan celebrated the begining of another year.

Special consideration went into preparing for his birthday morning. Dad started the ball rolling with an idea to have a surprise birthday breakfast at a local nature park. He took Kenan out at 7:30 to go shopping while the rest of the team gathered balloons, streamers, cameras, and more before heading over to the park. Before long, Kenan arrived and with eyes closed he was lead into a decorated gazebo for a big surprise! Happy Birthday Kenan!

Breakfast included some of Kenan’s favorite foods: bagels and yogurt along with a brand new (atleast for us) unique, healty cereal called, “Ezekiel 4:9.” Following the meal, everyone went on a hike over the pond, along a stream, and through the woods. Our hi-lights along the way included a water snake, indigo bunting, large wolf spider, and a nest full of brand new baby birds. Everyone experienced great fun as the intricacies of Creation were considered.

7 Comments » | posted in Family News, Outdoor Adventures