snorkeling

while my mom and sam stayed behind, the rest of us went out to check out the fish, the turtles and some sting rays!

waiting to be picked up:
d and j

sisters

*there are no underwater photos because that would have killed our camera but the fish were very cool.

and of course tk was the very last person back on the boat. he LOVES snorkeling.

here we are almost back home.

except for feeling like i was on a boat the rest of the day the adventure was a lot of fun!!

the black pearl

not too far from where we stayed Disney is building a resort. and so it makes sense to find a pirate ship close by :) and not just any pirate ship but the black pearl. we were able to get up close and personal with the black pearl just used in the filming of Pirates 4. pretty cool for a girl who LOVES Disney and the Pirates of the Caribbean.

"tim do you spy any pirates?"

defense and jacob

tk, me and the pearl

yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!

pool time with mama

i am happy to report sammy enjoyed play time at the pool. she became more and more brave as the days passed. here are some pictures tim took of the two of us.

mom's birthday dinner at chucks!!

even a menu is a phone...
i love them!

happy birthday mom!! i will celebrate your birthday in hawaii with you anytime. you are seriously amazing and bless us in so many ways - i am grateful for you!

the zoo

day three adventure: the zoo!
lots to see (photos compliments of tk)

sammy and papa looking at the animals

this monkey had much to say

the zoo turned out to be one of the highlights from the trip for some of us. we had a great day!

diamond head

day 2: early morning, mission: diamond head
sister - looking as beautiful as can be

hold on to your hats, it is windy up here!

sammy was carried by tim almost the entire way. she did great. he got a workout. here i am offering temporary relief.

sweet sammy and her hero.

after adventure reward. dad takes his shaved ice very seriously.

mission: successful.

more from Eugene Peterson on a thursday morning

(on Psalm 130 and Hope)

We need hope. We need to know that we are in relation to God. We need to know that suffering is part of what it means to be human and not something alien... For the person who suffers, has suffered or will suffer, Psalm 130 is essential equipment, for it convinces us that the big difference is not in what people suffer but in the way they suffer. The psalm does not exhort us to put up with suffering; it does not explain it or explain it away. It is, rather, a powerful demonstration that our place in the depths is not out of bounds from God. We see that whatever or whoever got us into trouble cannot separate us from God. We are persuaded that God's way with us is redemption and that redemption, not suffering is ultimate.

after a season of suffering these are good words on a thursday. Redemption is the Lord's business. Redemption not suffering marks our lives. His faithfulness and love is ultimate.

amen and amen and amen.

(pictures to come)

home

we had an incredible time!! i am working today and tomorrow but plan to post pictures on thursday.

:)

aloha

this week we are taking time away from technology and spending some amazing family time together. check back next week - hopefully i will have time to post pictures. :)

an armful of babies

sick again - this girl is going to have incredible immunity :)

friday morning mom's group should be called cold swapping for babies. i swear - mondays following brings a new cold for sammy jean. what to do? i am not going to stop going. i love it. she loves it. but the colds are driving me crazy. well not the runny nose/cough bit but the sleepless nights sammy with a cold bring. i go back and forth from feeling bad for her to feeling bad for myself and back to bad for her. joy is not easily cultivated in the knipp home when sammy has a cold.

yet, joy we seek, and hope i try to hold on to. joy knowing sammy had a great day with her grandma yesterday. joy knowing the Lord is with us. joy knowing it is only a cold and nothing worse. hope knowing the colds now will hopefully make her stronger later. gratefulness knowing we have the means to care for her well.

weeks like this are challenging. beyond sammy having a cold - i have encountered great brokenness in the hearts of those i serve at work. coming face-to-face with sorrow in the hearts of children and teenagers and parents without proper support i find i can turn nowhere else but to jesus. somehow He has gifted me with the ability to care for the broken hearted and He calls me into this mission with Him. it is humbling and yet challenging and like i already said i can do nothing but turn to Him.

my prayer is that healing took place in the lives of those i saw. that even for those who don't know Jesus - because He was there with us - He restored them in some way through the tears they cried and the truth i spoke.

thanks David Crowder - your song spoke again to me this week.
Life is full of light and shadow
O the joy and O the sorrow
And yet will He bring Dark to light
And yet will He bring Day from night
When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When all seems lost
When we're thrown and we're tossed
We remember the cost
We rest in Him Shadow of the cross

sammy and the swiffer

Talking Sammy 2 from Kristi Knipp on Vimeo.

(warning: the video is a little long and not super clear. turn your volume up and enjoy some cleaning tips from sammy jean. this ones for you bek!).