Now he's pretty outfitted on the football gear. He's decided he wants to grow up to play soccer, however (notice his "combo" outfit :). He does enjoy dressing up in the American football gear, though.
Keith decorated Jacob a folder filled with pockets for arranging his collection of football and baseball cards. They're both off to the "playstation pad" under Jacob's loft, now, playing the Playstation 1 Basketball game Jeff found. Oh, the ideal birthday for a 9 year old boy!

For Keith's birthday, we had lots of folks over for a pheasant feed, so for Jacob's day, he decided to have the Cormiers and our neighbors over for a pancake feed! He told us he ate 11 pancakes - 2 more than his age - quite the growing boy!!
The latest collection has been football cards, so the desire for football gear has also been growing. Garrett found him a helmet!
(this wasn't even posed :) He!He!

SO glad we caught so many smiles on camera today :)! This is our Jacob (he hides behind his quiet, reserved self often), but this is the boy we get to see at home!!

Cozy moments by Ortling Photography :)! No worries, the mom was not fully choked by the toddler boy (only slightly).

Kara and Simon and I happened upon a super sale at a local thrift store and found her dress for a quarter! This morning, we realized she had some treasures to wear in her hair that might just match. I've felt it was "mini me" running around all day :)! My Mamaw made me those ribbons when I was a little lady :). Simon wanted in on the picture, too, but wasn't too thrilled that Kara was holding onto him. I'm thinking he's catching up to her in height because I remember a few months ago that she could look over his head completely for this pose!!

Saturday morning, our camp staff gathered for a summer planning meeting. The meeting ended with lunch so we could all hang out and visit a bit! I was instructed by the camp secretary to catch this "guy moment" on camera :). They were all kind enough to turn and smile for me, too :)! Next to Jeff is Ryan who has been helping around camp since September on a multitude of tasks laid before him! Beside him is Todd, a BCM missionary who teaches after school Bible clubs during the school year and helps with chapels and all kinds of fun during camp time. Across from Todd, is Sam. He and his wife, Amanda, just moved to camp last week. He will run the program at camp this summer. For those of you who have visited camp before, they are living in the Lakeside Cabin which has had a major remodel job done (by many guys at this table) to make it a beautiful spot for this couple to live! Jamy is next and holds the big job of running the show as our camp director! Brent, our maintenance director and major handyman, finishes off this table full of gentlemen. Pray for each of these men, as they prepare and carry out the many tasks which need to be accomplished to make camp run smooth!!!

A couple of nights ago I went to turn out Kara's light and found her sleeping like this. The song on her cd player as she slept was, "I Can Only Imagine". Here are the lyrics, and you'll get a glimpse of how extra sweet this was :

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By Your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When Your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory, what
will my heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus or in
awe of you be still
Will I stand in Your presence
or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be
able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine...

We finished up our Awana program at church a couple of Wednesday's ago. Kara finished her third year in "Cubbies", so she earned a fancy ribbon. Jacob finished his first T&T book and received a ribbon, as well. Keith finished his second T&T book and got the "Excellence Award". The books they work through are full of memory verses and activities. The big boys worked on them while we were away on our big trip so that they would be able to finish their whole books. Next year, Simon will be a Cubbie. He had fun helping Jeff with the "big boys" while I helped Mattea. He continually wants us to sing him the "wana"(awana) song, which he finishes by yelling "Youth on the March"!

On our trip this fall, we were able to visit our friend, Margaret, a resident at Inglis House, a wheelchair community in Philadelphia. We had been part of the team that taught (& still teaches) a Bible study in that facility. We found out this week that Margaret recently died peacefully in her sleep.
As we celebrate Easter, I can't help but think of the many special people I know who have gone to heaven this year, my Daddy, a dear lady, Mrs. Virginia at our church (and many more, I'm sure, come to your mind as you read this). We look at Easter as a time to remember and say thank you to Jesus who willingly died on a cruel cross to bear the weight of our choices to go against God's law. I lose sight, sometime, of what an indescribable gift this is to me. If not for Jesus' death, I would stand guilty before God, unable to be near Him, now or in eternity. I think of these dear ones . . . they are able, now, to say thank you, in person!!!
Margaret grew up attending a Catholic church and had always addressed Jeff as "Father Jeffrey". When we last visited her, she kept calling him "Daddy". God's love for her, and all of us, is so dear, like a loving Daddy (far beyond even the incredible love my Daddy had for me or Jeff has for our kids). He longs for each of us to say, "Yes, I want to be near you. Thank You for sending Jesus to take the punishment for my wrong choices so that I can know Your all-encompassing love for me!" I feel certain that tonight, Margaret, along with Dad & Mrs Virginia & so many others I have loved here, are enjoying a rich joy in expressing their gratitude to Jesus, their Savior and mine! Their faith in His sacrifice on the cross has made a way for them to call God, "Daddy", forever, reveling in His loving presence!! I miss my earthly Daddy's hugs, so much, but if it means he's enjoying this up-close relationship with God all the time, I will keep trying to let him go. I look forward to the day we can sit in God's lap together!

After a yummy ham dinner at lunchtime (thanks, Hazel, for waking me up at 4am, so I could put the ham in to cook while we slept & not have to come home from church to stick it in), we headed to camp where we had a big egg hunt! The Landis' girls, our director's kids, and the Williams' 3, our maintenance director's kiddos, joined forces with the Ortlings to find 150 eggs. (well, almost that many - a few were lost amongst the weeds or eaten by the camp staff dogs who joined us) Most kids didn't want to pause the hunt long enough for a photograph, but I ran ahead to catch a few ;). Simon, is about the same height as the brush, so he required a little help on reaching a couple. He was very much a part of the fun, however! After all the hunting was done, the little ones enjoyed some great swinging time on the tire swing my dad had put up when Keith and Jacob were little fellows. I was just remembering this morning with my kids how I spent lots of moments on a tire swing at my grandparents' house in Mississippi. Tire swinging is definitely a classic pastime! Spending time with these families makes us even more eager to be down at camp! Summer is on its way!

Ortlings all "beautified" for their Easter morning! This picture is especially for all those grandmothers :)! Kara got MANY compliments on her pretty dress which the Bailey ladies (Sheila and her daughter, Janel), friends from church, made for her. If you must know, she certainly stood out like a flower amongst the the rest of us, Orts, who all wore light blue attire :)!

Good Friday evening we spent with our Friday Night Out pals. Sylvia (in the pink shirt) brought graham crackers broken longways which we formed in the shape of a cross and decorated with icing & sprinkles. My mom had given us a set of Resurrection Eggs a few years ago which Jeff used for our Bible lesson. Each friend got to open one and show the group the item hidden inside which is a visual reminder of the story of Easter.
Dalton (in the striped shirt), sister to Taylon, came to join us, again, and was a great help. When we first began Friday Night Out years ago, she would regularly stay with us but then got busy with other activities and let Taylon have her "own" special night out. It was neat to be with her, again, and see the sweet young lady she is growing to be. We were all grateful Jeff thought to bring extra eggs with small wooden crosses in them because several didn't want to part with their story egg without the promise of another treasure to come :)! As you can see, we also enjoyed our music/worship time. Kara and Simon have a become great little dance partners. I don't have a picture of Mattea who was "featured" a few days ago on the blog. She was baptized today (Easter Sunday) at our church, and it was a very special time to see one of our campers/Friday Night Out friends stand up before so many to show that they believe Christ died and rose again to take away their sins. This is why we're here!

PopPop and Kathy are keeping the Ortlings up on the latest fads in PA - sillybandz. They are rubberbands in all sorts of shapes - sea creatures, zoo animals, dinosaurs, . . . The kids all sort them, create scenes with them, trace them, trade them, and wear them (oh so fashionably :)!! Thanks, they're fun!

We've been regularly attending library storytime, now that Simon is big enough to "sit" and enjoy it. This week was cowgirl/cowboy theme. We suggested a great Southern twang book we had just read, Desert Rose and the Highfalutin' Hog. She read that and a few other funny ones. They had a super time and all the kids looked great! (lots of cowkids 'round these parts). Don't you love Simon's stance. He's got the cowboy bowed legs down :)!