Happy Travelers

We are on our way to Colorado...

It was a smooth trip with 3 kids. We even got to meet cousin Heather and baby Carolanne in Amarillo to caravan with us north. We had breakfast together at Cracker Barrel and stopped at various spots with play areas as we trekked through New Mexico and southern Colorado.

One Month Old

You've made our family that much sweeter for a whole month now, Ezra!

Ezra's First Bottle

Ezra tried his first bottle at almost one month old, and he thought it was just fine!

Johnathan is Four!

Happy Birthday, Johnathan! For his fourth birthday, he opened his birthday stocking full of cars, bandaids, activity books and a new Buzz Lightyear thermos. After his morning occupational therapy session, he chose a hamburger from Sonic for lunch. Then is was off to rest in preparation for a birthday dinner with little buddy Jackson. They kids played, we all made our own pizzas, and we ate lots of cake with chocolate frosting and a Buzz Lightyear on top. Johnathan got a new Buzz bike for his birthday (are you picking up on a theme?), which he was proud to try out.

You've grown and learned so much this year, buddy. We've seen you become a "big boy" before our eyes and try so many new things - running, climbing, riding a bike, going to "school" with Naomi. We are so impressed by how brave you are, going to so many doctors this year and getting stronger as you use your AFO. You've been working so hard, and your hard work is paying off! And now you are a big brother, too. We know Ezra will look up to his big brother and want to try everything you do. We are proud of your determination to work at new things, even when they are tough. And we love your sweet spirit and hugs, too!

James 4:13-17 Dependence Day

Kevin skipped ahead a little in James to preach on Independence Day about how dependent we are on God. Though there is nothing wrong with preparing for the future, we do so knowing that he is ultimately in control. It is pretty arrogant to think we have full control over our circumstances or to

Kevin shared (with Naomi's permission) a story fom her last week of swimming lessons.it was the big day - time to jump off the diving board. Naomi had never tried it before. When it was her turn, she crept onto the diving board, then, feeling the shakiness beneath her feet, got down and crawled. As she neared the edge, her teacher down in the water encouraged her, "You can do it, Naomi. You've been jumping off the edge all week and I've caught you every time."

Naomi wasn't able to go off this time - we trust she will the more she gets to practice in the pool. But God is calling us to greater and greater challenges in which to trust Him. He wants us to jump in!

Little Firecrackers

Happy 4th! Here are our 3 little firecrackers. On Sunday we went to church, napped, grilled a gigantic steak, decorated a lemon pie with berries, and tried to keep everyone calm until dark so we could watch the Kurten Volunteer Fire Department's fireworks show from the church's parking lot. By the time it rolled around, our night owl Naomi was hopping up and down, Johnathan fell asleep in Daddy's lap, and Ezra was ready to nurse his way through the show. After a while rain showers started up, and that gave us a good excuse to head home to bed. Whew!

How We Survived Our First 2 Weeks...

How did we survive the first 2 weeks as a family of 5?

One answer....

Grandma!


Thanks, Grandma Stata, for taking care of Naomi and Johnathan, making food, cleaning, chauffeuring to and from the hospital, cheering us on at swimming lessons, and generally help us keep our sanity for the first two weeks of Ezra's life.