Family Time: Uncle Dave & Aunt Marsi

One of the great blessings of being in America for this extended season has been the opportunity for Janelle & I and the girls to get time with friends & family. Late November brought a very welcome visit from my Uncle Dave & Aunt Marsi. Dinner at Joe's Real BBQ, playing games, and lots of laughter made for a very fun & memorable visit!

Science Lessons

My parents bought a group birthday present for me and the girls over the summer - a trampoline! We were excited to give them another outlet for some exercise at home in our small backyard. Though it takes up a good part of the yard, and is not the most attractive thing to look at, it really has been a lot of fun AND great exercise. It has also been the source of good object lessons in science. Grace (above) learned first-hand the effects of static electricity generated from bouncing on the trampoline!

Kicking Goals for God's Fame

Elise & Chloe, who have been involved in ballet for the past few years, decided they wanted to give a go at soccer, so this fall they traded in their ballet shoes for cleats. We miss seeing them dance, but we were excited to have them get to experience something new, especially something team-focused that would teach them things like sportsmanship and working together with a team toward a common goal (pun intended!). Janelle was team mom for both teams, and I served as assistant coach for Chloe's team, so it made for a busy fall, but it was well worth the investment. Though it was a steep learning curve for the girls (neither had any experience), they had a blast, learned a great deal, and both of them actually developed into solid players (proud dad speaking here!). One of our favorite experiences was seeing God show His love to the girls in an interesting way. Half way through the season, neither had scored a goal and desperately wanted to. One Friday night, I was moved to pray very specifically that God would allow them to score the next day. As I drove Elise to her game early the next morning, I felt compelled to tell her that I had prayed for her to score a goal, but then hesitated. "What if she doesn't score? What will that do to Elise's view of prayer -- and God? Should I really put my faith and God's reputation on the line over a silly goal?" I wrestled with these questions for a moment, but believing that God had really led me to pray for them to score, I went ahead and told Elise. Wouldn't you know that both she and Chloe scored their very first goals that morning?! May God's fame grow.

Seen on the Road: Ringgold, VA

I was privileged to take part in a strategic gathering in December on the use of mobile devices. The venue was a small farm in southwestern Virginia boasting the only broadband connection in the county. What we lacked in technology was made up for by the beautiful surroundings. It was great to have a few days to enjoy some southern hospitality and the beauty of the Virginia countryside.

Further Outnumbered

We had written earlier about our decision to finally get a dog. Boscoe joined us earlier this year and immediately made his puppy presence felt. In fact, we still have a variety of reminders around the house from his brief time with us: holes in the sofa cover, chewed up cabinets and baseboards, chewed blinds in the living room, dress shoes with teeth-mark chic, etc. Minor damage to the house aside, Boscoe was a bit too playful for our younger girls, so we finally decided that it just wouldn't work out. Happily, he has found a new home now, though I do miss having another guy in the house ;-) We did all enjoy having a dog enough that we decided to check into other options, and in late September Roxy came to join our family. She's a cute 6-year-old Jack Russell terrier that we rescued from a shelter. Though we wish sometimes that she had some of Boscoe's energy, she's been great for our family -- easy to care for, great with the kids, loves visitors, is 100% house trained, and does not feast on shoes or furniture. The only downside is that I (Brad) am now outnumbered 6-1 by the females in the house!

The Dad Life

Car seats, ballet recitals, Beauty and the Best, BBQing, minivans, bedtime stories and night-night songs... It may not be Father's Day, but this modern ode to dads is worth watching.

The Jellyfish Evangelists

Among the many highlights of our recent visit to California was a trip to the beach with our great friends, the Bernards. Shelling was high on the list of our girls' hoped for activities on this particular outing. The shells were few & far between, and certainly nothing to write home about, but that didn't stop this hearty band of beachcombers from searching for undiscovered treasures. Their prize was the large remains of a deep purple-colored jellyfish. This discovery was so thrilling that they embarked on a mission to ensure that everyone within a 7,500 mile radius (well, OK, that's an exaggeration) received a personal viewing. May they ever be this bold and vocal in sharing good news!

Meet Bosco

A few years ago, when we were forced to leave Central Asia, we had to leave behind Boots, our rambunctious, but very much loved pooch. As a family we've talked on & off about getting a dog since that time, and finally felt led to consider it more seriously. About a month ago, we came across a dog named Bosco on the website of a local animal rescue group called Desert Paws Rescue. He looked every bit as cute as puppies should, and was a border collie/lab mix -- highly intelligent, easy to train, and great with kids. He seemed like the perfect dog for us! We were in VA at the time, but thought that if he was still around when we returned to AZ, we'd go take a look. We put it in God's hands. Alas, Bosco was adopted before we returned home. However, on a whim, we happened to return to Desert Paws Rescue's website again last week and discovered that Bosco was back! His previous owners decided not to keep him so put him back up for adoption.

Sounds like it was a slam dunk for us, but... one big obstacle remained -- my allergies. I'm terribly allergic to most dogs, so Bosco had to pass the enormously challenging "I-won't-send-Brad-into-fits-of-sneezing-and-asthma" test. So before we allowed the girls to go see Bosco on adoption day, I snuck over to spend a bit of time with him to see if I'd have a reaction. After 30 symptom-free minutes, I called Janelle to give her the green light on bringing the kids over. The rest is history. Bosco came home with us a few days ago and is settling in as the latest member of the family. All the credit goes to God for working this out in ways that we never could have orchestrated.

Back to School

It seems that summer just began a few weeks ago, and THAT means it is time to head back to school here in Arizona! Elise & Chloe (far left & far right) were excited to return to Edu-Prize with teachers that they both enjoyed last year. Awesome having that continuity! The one big change for this school year is that Grace (center) is now officially a Kindergartener. So we've got 3 kids in school now, and just 1 to go. Wonderful milestones for us, and for these precious girls that God has entrusted to us.

Seen on the Road: I-10 at Quartzsite, CA

Exiting in Quartzsite, AZ for some gas while heading on the I-10 from L.A. to Phoenix, I caught a glimpse of this plane sitting on top of a vintage car carrier. Just had to stop to snap a quick shot of it.

Fun in the Sun

What better way to pass the time on a hot, muggy Virginia afternoon than to cool off in the Lynnhaven Bay? Chloe (in the air), Elise (on the platform) and Grace had a blast jumping from Grandpa's boat!

Bliss

Bliss: a state of extreme happiness (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn). There were many blissful moments during our time in Virginia, including just about every outing on the awesome rope swing behind my parents' house. Here Chloe is enjoying one of her blissful moments.

"Can we get a dog... please!"

The only (and therefore, the most exciting) pets in our house are our 2 goldfish, which we have only because we got "stuck" with them at a Christmas white elephant gift exchange. It wasn't surprising, then, that we constantly found ourselves having to pry our girls away from the dogs they got to spend time with during our whirlwind tour of Virginia. The most favorite, of course, were Cavu (pictured above with Grace) & Cassie. I'm sure it will be some time before we stop hearing the question, "Can we get a dog... please?!!"

The Blessing of Family

One of our greatest joys on our recent trip to Virginia was time with my parents. There were plenty of bigger activities, like trips to the beach, boat rides, fishing, a dolphin watch, etc., but nothing was as wonderful as simply spending time with family - Janelle & I with my parents and brother and the girls with their grandma & grandpa and uncle. Dinner on the deck, catching fireflies, taking the dogs for walks... sometimes it is the simple things that mean the most....

Happy 3rd birthday, Brooke!

Our joyful little toddler with the infectious smile grew up a little bit as we celebrated her 3rd birthday the other day. What a gift she's been! Having just returned late the night before from VA, all we could muster up for her in the morning was a groggy offer of, "What would you like for your birthday breakfast?" Her reply was an emphatic, "Donuts!" She loved having those, but apparently turning 3 did little to rid her of the habit of eating the frosting and ignoring the donut (the donut is merely a delivery mechanism for the really good stuff). But with a smile like hers, who cares?! Happy birthday, Brooke. We love you!

Our Prima Ballerinas

Elise (top) and Chloe's (bottom) semiannual dance recital was this past weekend, and we were proud as could be as we watched our little princesses dance and leap across the stage. Their studio, Leap of Faith, always puts on a tremendous show, and this one was no exception. Elise seems to have really grown in her technical skills, and Chloe has progressed leaps & bounds in both skill & poise.

Summer = Swim Lessons

Summer unofficially began last Thursday afternoon as Elise finished out 2nd grade and Chloe finished 1st grade. What better way to keep them occupied in the summer Arizona heat than... swim lessons! Thankfully, all 4 girls were able to get into a community class at the public pool in the same time slot, making life a ton easier for Janelle. It is great fun watching the girls progress in their swimming. And with every other house around here having a pool (not ours, sadly!), we feel a whole lot safer with play dates & parties knowing the girls can hold their own in the pool.

Sisters

I'm a bit overdue on posting something so thought these couple of photos of the girls, taken today, would be appreciated. The girls are growing up fast! 4-year-old Grace (2nd from left in the top photo) learned to read and ride a bike last week. Brooke (on the left in the above photo) is just over 2 1/2 years old, and is progressing quickly with her language. As you can see, she's got a winning smile, too! Elise & Chloe are both doing great as well - busy with ballet, Girl Scouts, Bible study, and books. Always lots of books!

Beauty of the Superstitions

Since the photos below do not provide a "big picture" view of the area we hiked, I thought I'd include this one. What doesn't stand out in this photo is just how numerous and beautiful the wildflowers are right now. But it is beautiful even without the flowers. I sized this for widescreen monitors, so if you enjoy placing photos as wallpaper (desktop background) on your computer and like this shot, you are welcome to it. Simply double-click on the photo to get a larger version of it, then save it to your computer.

Adventure on the Hieroglyphics Trail

The arrival of family from L.A. for Easter along with the incredible spring weather inspired us to finally take our first significant hike here in AZ. Hiking trails abound out here, and we'd heard numerous ones cited by friends & colleagues, but the Hieroglyphics Trail located in the nearby Superstition Mountains got the nod. Our big crew of ten - 4 adults, 1 teenager, and 5 girls aged 8 and younger - hit the trail around 3:30pm not quite knowing how our little trekkers would fare. The heat took a toll on them early on, but they soon got their second wind and did a great job! Plenty of loose rocks and a slight but steady incline did not deter them (or us!) as we plodded along through scrub, cacti, and an amazing abundance of blooming wildflowers. Ancient petroglyphs (someone misnamed the trail "Hieroglyphics", which refers to a more complex written language used by ancient Egyptians) from the Hohokam depicting antelope, snakes, and people awaited us, but our time to view them was cut short thanks to the presence of a very large rattlesnake that was maneuvering through the boulders & brush right where our crew of girls were. Very top-heavy with Brooke in a backpack on my back while standing on the side of sloping boulder with few good footholds, I was close to the snake, but not in a great position to help out(!). After more than a little screaming, we managed to get everyone past the snake and back down the trail a bit for a snack and an incredibly beautiful hike back down the trail. Someone later informed us that the Superstitions have the highest concentration of rattlesnakes in the world. If that doesn't deter you too much (and it shouldn't - most snakes only strike when threatened), we'd highly recommend the hike. It certainly inspired me to start hitting the trails more often to explore the beauty of Arizona.

Relaxed!

The key to making our quick trip to HI work was the support from friends & family who very generously agreed to watch our girls. It had been 6 years since we'd last had a night away from our kids. They did great without us, which really freed us up to relax, once our work was done. Thanks Bernards, Grays, and Mom & Dad for a much overdue opportunity to unwind!

Morning at Diamond Head

Janelle & I were blessed with an incredible opportunity to teach about culture and worldview to a group in Hawai'i last week. We had a terrific time teaching, and were blessed with a little bit of free time to enjoy the beauty of Oahu. High surf curtailed our boogey boarding plans, but we had a fabulous time snorkeling, including 5 minutes to drift, within arm's reach, of a huge sea turtle. The above photo was taken at the top of Diamond Head, the well-known crater overlooking Waikiki and the rest of the southern coastline, during a quick but rewarding hike.