Christmas Presents

Most of our Christmas presents came in the form of cash that will be used for a family vacation to the Grand Canyon in February. We also bought a Wii when Noah broke his leg.

However, there were a couple of presents under the tree like...

Matching clothes from Grandma Breeden...

Aren't they just the cutest boys you have ever seen...

And JJ got a Jonathon Parks CD set and a Star Wars Lego kit from Aunt Amy and Uncle Jim.

The family also got a game from Aunt Amy and Uncle Jim. The boys also received 4 nerf guns from their Aunt Jess and Uncle Jeff (we opened them a few weeks early when they were invited to a nerf party).

Thanks everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Potts Family!

In honor of the first broken bone in our family this year, we have decided to take a look at the things we have broken over the past year…

• We started the year with a broken minivan when our van was rolled over after a vehicle ran a stop sign and T-boned us. This led to a new minivan.
• In April our expectations were broken when we found out that our vicarage would be in Colorado. This was a total surprise and we were thrilled to find out we would be spending a year in one of our favorite places!
• In May we were given a break after 3 years of school. Chad completed his last quarter before vicarage and we are now enjoying a 15 month break from the books before Chad returns for his final 3 quarters of school.
• In June our family was broken for a bit when Chad left for another summer of Air Force training. This time his training took him to California where he worked along side a Chaplain to continue to learn the ropes of the Air Force Chaplaincy.
• In July we prepared to break up housekeeping in Fort Wayne. The boys took a trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa Potts and Breeden in Wisconsin while Michelle stayed in the Fort and packed and cleaned… Chad returned home and our family was reunited in mid-July.
• Toward the end of July we broke a new trail as we packed up a trailer and our minivan and hit the road to Colorado.
• After 5 days on the road we broke into the state of Colorado and broke through to an elevation of 10,200 feet where our new home sits in Leadville, Colorado.
• The next day we broke into our new church and met the people of Good Shepherd Lutheran, Leadville and Christ Lutheran, Breckenridge.
• Over the next couple of months we enjoyed breaking our lungs and legs into the new elevation as we hiked all over God’s beautiful creation.
• Over the months we have been here, we have seen the attendance records break at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Average attendance has gone from around 14 to 25+. What a blessing to be a part of the growth of God’s people and God’s church.
• We have also spent time breaking into the community with church events ranging from being a part of the annual “Boom Days” Parade, making cookies for the Trial 100 races, offering an Oktoberfest for the community and feeding our community rescue workers for Thanksgiving.
• In September we broke 10 years of marriage! It is hard to believe, but in the past decade God took two individuals and formed them into a family of 6!
• In November we broke into skiing… We continue to learn this thrilling sport and are looking forward to continuing to learn.
• Skiing led to the first broken bone among the Potts boys and Noah looks forward to breaking free from his cast in the next couple of weeks.
• We look forward to breaking into the New Year and seeing all that God has for us in our future!
• Over 2000 years ago our Savior broke into the world as a baby to heal the brokenness of his creation. It is our prayer that He would break into your life this year and fill you with the healing from brokenness that only He can give.

You can continue to follow our family adventures at www.pottsfamily6.blogspot.com!

Windsor Lake

When we first arrived in Leadville, someone told us to check out Windsor Lake. Well, we tried and took a wrong turn and ended up at the Hagerman's Pass tunnel instead (another very cool place to see and well worth the wrong turn)!

So we decided to try this short hike again. We were warned... not a long hike, but very steep... And they weren't kidding!

But as with so many things, we kept going, knowing there would be a fantastic view at the top... We came to a little pond and thought we were there... Not very impressive for a lake, but a great place to stop for a picnic...

and a family picture...

Then one of the boys noticed that the trail kept going and so we decided we should too (for a bit at least)

Then we found the real Windsor lake... A beautiful place as expected!

We hiked around the lake, scaling rock faces and taking in the view!

Colorado Railroad Museum...

Can't think of a more perfect place for a homeschool field trip day with 4 boys than a railroad museum where you are allowed to climb aboard!

Shrine Pass Hike...

The shrine pass hike is a gentler hike through some open fields and up to the ridge.
We made it to the ridge and enjoyed a rest!
From the parking lot you can see the rock formations you will hike to and JJ made it his goal to get to them that day.

Flag football 2010...

Some pictures from our flag football year! Chad, Zeke, JJ, and Noah participated this year while Seth and I watched. Each week we gazed faithfully into the sun.

Homeschool Olympics

A friend of ours was studying the Olympics in her homeschool and decided to organize a homeschool Olympics for us.

We started off by assigning each student a country and then having a parade of countries.

Then we learned that in the original Olympics the athletes would oil themselves up to show off their muscles and that they competed without clothing. So several of the boys removed their shirts for the festivities.
Then the festivities began.

We had several races...
A Javelin and Discus Throw...

A long jump...And ended with an awards ceremony...