Welcome Home My Brotha

Waiting...

and waiting...

and waiting...

on pins and needles...

Where is he?!

There he is!!

The kids get the first hug, of course!

Seeing Caroline for the first time!

Mom and Ben

Dad and Ben

He finally made it back! Two years in Africa- Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia!

So glad you are back in the U.S.A!

I think Quincy may have missed him the most! I don't think he missed a day praying for him for two years! He worships Bennett and couldn't wait to see him again! Welcome home cute brother! We missed you SO much!

I have a 2nd grader and a 4th grader... really?!

I can't believe my boys are this old! Where does the time go? They are growing up for sure; all they want to wear to school now are basketball shorts and t-shirts. I have given up the fight on that one. I think that is all we will be buying from now on. I can't believe how grown up these two are. This is the last year they will be at the same school until they reach High School. I sure love them and feel so thankful to be their mother!

Perfect Nights

I wish the weather would stay this perfect for another month! I have been loving the bike rides with the kids! Caroline loves looking all around outside! The colors are so beautiful and the temperature is perfect! I am NOT ready for the snow quite yet!

Dancing Girl

I can't tell you how excited I am that Kate is finally in a dance class! I think I am more excited than she is! I LOVE watching her little class in action! They are all so tiny and cute! She is lovin' every minute of it!

Colorado Chillin'

S'mores, talent shows, hikes, pudding eating contests, in-law skit, volleyball, late night laughs, cousin sleepovers, get-to-know you games, FHE, yummy grub, outdoor movies on the big screen, songs on the guitar, crafts, beautiful surroundings, and FAMILY were the highlights of this family trip!

See you all in 2013!

California Coast

Caroline diggin' the beach for the first time... that's my girl!

Kate loved every second!


The boys really LOVED swimming in the ocean this time around! Just don't ask them about our near tsunami experience! A giant wave came in unexpectedly and washed a lot of our stuff (including kids) into the water. It was CRAZY and the kids were screaming- running around! Chip ran after Quincy and my nephew and pulled them out of the wave before they smashed into the rocks and the rest of us scrambled to get all the other kids to high ground including two babies in strollers. It was NUTS! Thankfully we only lost a few shoes and none of the people!

This is Caroline 99.9% of the time! Really, someone pinch me... she is an angel!

One big highlight... getting a pedicure with Kate and my sis and her daughter Ellie! Kate was in heaven!

I swear I took more pictures than this!! I didn't even get one of my cute brother and his family that we came to visit! I am so glad they live there now! It's a great excuse to get out that way more often! I really am in heaven when we are there! It's so nostalgic and wonderful! One week wasn't enough! It was such a treat to have my whole family there (minus my cute brother in Africa).

Deer Creek

I KNOW you all get tired of hearing how beautiful it is around here- but WOW! I don't think this view could have been more beautiful! Come and see for yourself!

A New Jedi

I never had one of these fun chairs with my other kids. I love it! The boys call it her Jedi Council chair... she does look like a little Yoda sitting in there! We will have to come up with a really cool name for her!

Track Stars

I was so proud of my boys! They just finished a sucessful track season! William actually ended up with two more metals than he has in this picture. I am so glad! I can't believe how FAR they can both run! These are skills they got from their dad! I had to run the 4x400 once and I threw up at the end. Not my cup of tea! I prefer to throw and jump! They are already talking about which races they plan to run next time and how they want to practice on the treadmill everyday until next season! Way to go boys!!

Caroline's Day...

Oh, I love blessing days! There is such a sweet spirit that fills the house when it's a blessing day. I think just having a new baby will do that too! The day was really perfect! It had been raining all week and we were blessed with sunshine! The kids were able to play outside and everything was green and pleasant!

Chip always does a wonderful job on the blessings. I am always so proud of him. We were so grateful that his parents were able to fly in from Texas. We were blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family there to love and support Caroline!