driver: 4 years old and quite determined

passenger: 25 weeks, 4 days

2011  easter/barn photos

But sometimes… on rare occasions… it looks like this, instead.

And then I come home to this…

And this..

And this…

With a whole weekend ahead of us.

Yes, please.

(pictures via Matt… I think)

They conquered Mt. Silliman (11,188 ft elevation) in the Sequoias. It involved back country camping and trailblazing… which apparently makes this sort of a trip even better.

Casey has been scheming ever since – ready to go on another adventure.

Because they are just as hip and fun as they look.

And I remembered.

That I still hadn’t sent my Grandma a disc of pictures from the wedding.

Um. It was months ago.

So while I won’t be winning any titles for Most Responsible Granddaughter…

I did enjoy going through the pictures tonight and (gasp) actually burning a disc for her.

And now, to assuage my guilt, I’m posting some of those family pictures she’s been waiting for (high-resolution copies are in the mail!).

And for the rest of you, since you were so patient through this post–

Here’s what Arthur looks like if he’s allowed to stay up an hour or two past his bedtime, eat cupcakes, and dance under flashing lights:

Yes- he is that blur. Busting some crazy moves.

Apparently too much for me to write about? I’m usually one to do a lot of processing here, in writing, but I just couldn’t quite get there.

I think it’s been a long enough break. So time for some catching up:

1. We went to Mexico City at the end of October and it was amazing. Not because it’s a super glamorous place, or made our hearts go pitter-patter, but because we both felt deeply that it was the place we had been praying about. And the partnership.

2. I didn’t bring my real camera, because I hadn’t quite figured out what it would be like to care for my kids well in that crazy mega-city, and thought it best to be undistracted by things like aperture and shutter speed. Little did I know, the lack of those options could be equally distracting! I have some pictures, and I’ll post several… but they leave something to be desired.

2. Penelope loved Mexico. She still thanks God for the “orange train” nearly every night.

3. Arthur hated it. In an all-consuming, unhappiest-we’ve-ever-seen-him kind of way. But when we came back, he hated California for a full 2 weeks too, so we think it may have just been a phase.

4. After Mexico City, I increased my hours at work to help another department. It meant cool things like a raise and benefits, all while my kiddos are napping in the afternoon, but you know… that’s a couple less hours in my day. Life is a little busier, but not in a bad way.

5. Next up came an evaluation having to do with our little girl. We still haven’t wrestled through what it looks like to respect her privacy, and still be transparent about our lives, but we’re working on it. We learned a lot about our quirky (ahem. awesome) Penelope, and some unique challenges that she’ll have… just in the way she’s knit together. It’s the kind of thing we need to dive headfirst in to – gathering info, figuring out what kind of support and help is going to benefit her most, and what that means for our family. Our kind and compassionate missions agency agrees. They want us to put everything related to support-raising on hold for six-months. They were kind and quick to reassure us that we are 100% part of the reach global family, and they want to support us through this journey – but that it’s most important at this point to take care of sweet Penelope.

6. Number 5 is really, very hard for us. But we’re learning (again, and again) to trust. And hope. And wait. Pray with us?

7. Then came Thanksgiving. At just the right time, truly. We shared a meal in the barn, and then played shuffleboard in our hallway. Obviously.

8. At the beginning of this month, Casey finished the final lap of his degree. Oh the sweet, sweet feeling of completion. He technically graduated yesterday. There was much dancing in the streets.

9. Now we prep for Christmas. Isn’t this just the best time of year?

10. Why you all check this thing – pictures of the kids. Here’s a random smattering:

The compound pumpkin carving contest. We attempted (successfully) to bribe the judge. Yes!

barn shuffleboard: first edition

turkey table

zoo trip

stirring some dry beans very seriously.

Look for a full newsletter later this week, and more regular blog updates!

The kids, I think, had forgotten about rain alltogether.

It’s been awhile.

And as an added bonus… my niece Allie (and her Mama) were trapped on my porch till it passed..

and was a wonderfully happy groom.

more pictures forthcoming.