Ping Pong Battle

Don't be fooled people, PC isn't just all work and no play for the guys ... this is Nate's classmate battling their Professor Mark Mullery

to get out of having essay questions on their test at the end of the week. If he lost, the guys had to plant a tree in Marks name

(he has forestry background I guess). Fun stuff!

Family Photo Ops

So on the trip to AZ, of course we had to attempt to get some pics with ALL of the family ... this was interesting to say the least with all the kido's - Nate set up the tripod in the front of the house - but how precious these will be to us years down the road. This was the 1st time in 7 years that Nate's whole family had been together! I pray it's not as long till the next time!

Phoenix Zoo

Thanks Rose! Mom's friend Rose works at the Zoo and got the whole family tickets to go. It was so much fun to get to do this with everyone together. The kids had fun, I think the highlight for me was the Baboon who was enthralled with Calvin, it really was amazing ...

Christmas in AZ

Thanks to all who prayed for our big trip - it was amazing! The plan flight was close to miraculous, kids did amazing and we were even surprised when they informed us we were going to be landing, it went by that fast! We arrived Christmas eve morning at 10am and were greeted by Nate's mom & dad, nephew Jon and sister Charity and her husband Mike and Jared and Abby their kids. SO great to see them all. Enjoyed Christmas morning complete with mom's homemade cinnamon rolls, the Christmas story read by dad and of course the fun of watching the kids open their gifts. Here are some pics - have tons of pics from the trip, so I figured I would blog them by category ...

"Bringing you up to speed"

Isn't that a funny saying? As I typed that I thought, do they really want to be "up to my speed?" Cause it feels like time is absolutely flying by - I feel like 2010 got here and I am at warp speed, cheeks all pulled back like you see in the movies. Though you couldn't tell it by looking at my life day to day. But when I get ready to "go to sleep" at night (I put that in quotations because sleep is relevant to a mom with a newborn), I think about June 6th (not only my baby girl's 4th birthday, but Nate's graduation from Pastor's College) and for a moment get this anxious feeling like it will be here when I wake up. I am so excited to be back home in MN, back in our own little house, back with our dear friends and church family, but I still desire so many more opportunities with our new friends here, more chances to pull from the amazingly gifted and wise people God has surrounded us with, time to savor the most stretching and most beautifully amazing season of my life...

Lord, there are no words sufficient to express the gratitude I have for your sovereignty. Your leading is PERFECT. Help me to rest these last months knowing that ALL that YOU have planned for us will come to past if we trust in you. Help me not to get in the way, help me to yield to you daily, that I may look back on June 6th and joyously say I have no regrets.