Saturday, April 16, 2011

Classic

Madelyn discovering the pure joy of unrolling the toilet paper.



Here's Zoe enjoying the same fun 4 years ago!


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Outside Play

Coming in for a kiss





Ended up in the pool, fully clothed!


Saturday, April 9, 2011

Baby meets Duck

Assessing this new creature that emerged from the Easter decorations box...


I'm thinking I like him and his little song...


...so much that I'll give him a kiss right here on the beak!


Saturday, March 19, 2011

One Year Down...

... one and a half more to go. 

Yep, it's been one year since we stepped off that plane to begin our West Coast tour.  Living in California leaves me with a mix of emotions.  Sometimes I feel like we live in a different country because we are soooo far away from everyone we know and love- the 3 hour time difference, the endless plane rides, the expensive tickets- it all makes it seem like family is a million miles away.  I absolutely hate missing the big things- my Grandpa's 80th birthday, watching my sister compete, getting to know my nephew and meeting his sibling that is arriving this fall- and the everyday things- going shopping with my mom, meeting my dad for lunch, letting the girls have a sleepover at their grandparents' house.  It's really hard. 

But I know that God has a plan for our family and right now it includes living in California and enjoying all the wonderful things He has created here.  We have found a great community, good schools, a loving church family, and our entire family will benefit from having the experience of spending  two and a half years in Southern California. 

So while some days I get sad that we live on the other side of the country, I think about how fast this past year has gone.  The next 18 months are bound to go just as quickly, and I want to look back at this time and be able to say "We had an awesome time in California and we took advantage of everything it had to offer!" 

And before you know it, we'll be off to discover another part of the world...