Continuing our journey through 2007…
On the 4th of July we spent the day with some friends in the country at the home of our friend’s grandparents. It was a fun day of fishing, food, fellowship, and fireworks! The kids enjoyed being out exploring and getting dirty in the mud. Micah caught his first fish, which was a highlight for him. He will tell you that Dad caught it, but we give Micah the credit because he reeled it in after David hooked it (is that correct fisherman language?). Here he is with his big catch!
Playin’ in the mud…
Mid-July brought Isabel’s 3rd birthday. We celebrated with an Elmo party for the second year in a row!
One other highlight of the summer…we finally left the world of diapers behind! It was a big milestone, but bittersweet at the same time–at least for me. David wanted to start potty training Isabel when she was about 18 months, I think! But even though it is nice to move out of that phase of parenthood, it’s hard to see your babies growing up. (Sorry, no picture for this one!!)
The Autumn winds brought with it some special visitors from the North! My sister, Heidi, and her family came for a visit in September. It has been several years since all four of them have been here together. We went to a baseball game (Abigail’s first Rangers game!) and visited the zoo. For the most part we just enjoyed hanging out together and letting the kids play.
One of the most significant events of the past year was David’s ordination. It was such a blessing to watch him take this next step in ministry. Several of our friends came to support him when he stood before the elders for consideration and his family came when he was prayed for before the congregation. An added blessing to this event was our good friend, Jerry Brown (president of Leadership Vistas), also went through the ordination process along with David. He is the gentleman standing to the left of David in the picture (with the light-colored shirt); David is kneeling.
Christmas this year was nice, but seemed a little quieter than years past. We missed having David’s brother, Bruce, and his family with us this year, but his other brother, Aaron, and his family were able to come from Florida. Our kids are always excited to see their cousins, Ashley and Johnathan. A couple days before Christmas we had a big family dinner at David’s parents’ which included our family; Aaron, Tina, and the kids; Jacob and his girlfriend, Stephanie; and Uncle Bill and Aunt Donna (Uncle Bill is my mother-in-law’s brother). Of course, I missed spending time with my family during the holidays. We’re hoping one of these years soon to make the long overdue trip to Washington for Christmas.
Our year ended with a relaxing weekend in Arkansas at Lake Catherine State Park. Our dear friends, Tim and Emily, invited us to come along with them for a couple days. The kids stayed with Grandma and Papa while we had a relaxing and quiet weekend in a cozy cabin right on the lake. It was chilly, but the days were beautiful and sunny. We took a short hike to a waterfall and spent a majority of our time in front of the fire playing games and chatting. It was a great way to end one year and prepare for the next! We look forward to all the things this year will bring!
