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1.16.2012

There's a Reason

I haven't written anything on here in almost two months...
I have been feeling sick and so tired and the holidays sucked everything out of me!  But we are so excited for #3 to join our family in July.  I am 13 weeks so hopefully that 2nd trimester burst of energy comes asap!  I have lots of catching up to do :)

11.20.2011

3 1/2!!

How do we have a three and a half year old?!
Grant is so much fun these days!  I just love how much they observe and learn and take in and remember at this age.  The things he says and remember surprise me sometimes!  He loves going to school and church and seeing his friends there.  Miss Kristina says he is a great listener and a great helper.  He is a great big brother and is always (well, usually) very concerned for Cale.  He has his moments of screaming and whining but overall he is such a sweet boy who loves to cuddle and give big hugs and help clean up and help in the kitchen.  He is still obsessed with instruments and he also loves to play pretend with his dinosaurs or bugs or trains.  Anything that is in the past he refers to as "yesterday" which confuses me sometimes because I think he really is talking about yesterday but sometimes he is even talking about like a year ago.  We are so thankful for this happy and fun boy!

11.15.2011

ADIOS 11.11.11

Last November a group of about 100 people from our church, The Bridge, took a trip to Ensenada.  They do these trips fairly often to build houses or something similar but on this trip they started coming up with the idea to take the whole church down there.  So last weekend about 800 people took that trip down there and it was awesome!  We debated bringing the boys with us but I am so glad we brought them. We want these kinds of things to be "normal" for our family, whether it is to another country or even right here in Bakersfield we want serving others to be something that is just part of our lives.
On our way!
Didn't take long for them to fall asleep once we got back in the car
Our team was at Ranch Sordo Mudo...a school for the deaf
Chad did a dental presentation for the kids
He pretends the kids are teeth and the broom is a brush and the rope is the floss
Then we did an edible craft with them

They all loved it!


Then it was time for a little basketball


Cale thought he could go play with the big kids
Grant and Owen being silly at Norma's taco stand...the BEST tacos!
Friday night chapel at Rancho El Refugio
Saturday morning...the view of part of the camp and the "barn"
On our way through the "wine country" back to Rancho Sordo Mudo
Such a beautiful school and so many beautiful people living and working there

Our boys were pretty spoiled getting a hot chocolate break
Craft time with the kids

Face painting was a huge hit
It was so cool to watch the kids interact and sign and to watch how much the stuff LOVES these kids!
Another taco stop on the way back

This is a road that we were supposed to take back to the ranch but it was closed because of all the rain and flooding.  Luckily we found our way around!
Back at Rancho El Refugio, warm and dry
Everyone piled into the barn for dinner and chapel and lots of people had to sleep in there because their tents were flooded from all the rain
Sunday morning, everyone was eager to get on the road
We had to wake Cale up so we could finally take down the tent.  He slept through everything!
Ensenada from the hills above

I forgot how pretty this drive is!
Grant asked if this was God when he saw it
We had to of course get churros at the border!

This was such a great trip!  There were 40 different sights that teams from our church were working at all around Ensenada.  People painted, built houses, fixed roofs, did VBS, brought 100s of blankets to a prison, there were medical and dental clinics and so much more.  Besides serving the people down there, one of the main goals of the trip was to change our hearts and perspectives and from what I have heard from people I think that happened.  Now to take what we have learned and put it into practice in our lives everyday!

11.09.2011

A Perfect Rainbow

Last Friday a good friend from Point Loma, Daniel, got married.  Chad had to work so Becky and I went together and it was a great time and a beautiful wedding!  It's always fun to see the old PLNU gang, just wish Chad could have come.  Anyways, it was such a crazy, rainy day but when we walked out from the ceremony there was the most perfect full rainbow.  Becky and I tried to follow it because it looked like it was coming from the ocean but we couldn't find the end :)


11.07.2011

Halloween Happenings

Grant the saxophone player
Love how they are looking at each other!
Cale is a happy little ninja
Ready to go to a party and carve pumpkins
Just marching around the neighborhood
In front of Brayden and Brynlee's house
Carving time
Playing in the house
Trunk or Treat at Ashe Bash on Halloween


Jeremiah and Grant
Teddi is their favorite!
Trick or treating at the Smith's house
Getting more candy!
Checking out their loot
Halloween was so fun this year now that Grant is getting older and understands the fun of it.  He was so excited for all the activities and wearing his costume!