A Special Visit

Brad's brother, C.O. of an E-2 squadron, paid us a visit in early January enroute from Norfolk to San Diego. A nearby airport, just 5 miles from our home, turned out to be a good overnight stopping area on the flight route. We all enjoyed the visit, and the chance to take a quick tour of the plane before he hopped back into the cockpit for the final leg of his journey.

Ruth

Here's the missing photo of Ruth from the entry below :-)

Thankful for Friends

A couple days after we moved down here back in late December, our good friend Ruth (picutred here with Ellie & Chloe) made the 6-hour trek from Los Angeles to pay us a visit, and to bring a load of things that wouldn't fit in our maxed-out car! We had fun hosting her, and are very thankful for her friendship and help!

Brooke Update

Brooke is nearly 8 months old now and continues to be a delight! She's got an incredibly infectious smile (this photo doesn't quite capture it) that draws attention from just about everyone who sees her. If you're ever having a bad day, and you happen to have the ability to do video calls (we use Skype), give us a ring and we'll hold Brooke up to the camera. She'll brighten your day in no time! If her smile doesn't get you, her funky hairdo (compliments of the dry Arizona air that makes her hair stick straight up) is sure to get a laugh out of you. She took her first roll off our bed the other day, and should be mobile before we know it (and before we're ready for it!).

The Phoenix Zoo

We took advantage of the 3-day weekend (President's Day) to hop in the car and see a little more of the area. Desination: the Phoenix Zoo. While not as big or populated as the zoos in L.A. or Washington, DC, it is a great zoo to explore with the kids. The smaller size makes it a bit more manageable, and there lots of fun things for the kids to climb and play on. The highlight for the kids was a walk through Monkey Village. The older three are pictured below on an oryx. We took advantage of special membership pricing so look forward to getting back there often (preferably before the summer heat arrives!).

 

Exploring Arizona

We were thankful to have Janelle's mom visit us a couple weeks ago for several days. It turned out to be propitious timing as we had our hands full battling several rounds of illness (the flu, a stomach virus, mysterious fevers, ear infection, strep throat, and bronchitis!). We were so grateful for Mom's help. More than that, we really enjoyed the time being with her now that we no longer live around the corner! We took one day out to enjoy the weather and scenery at the local library, which borders a riparian preserve with walking trails, ponds, a small observatory, and lots of cacti! It's a neat place to hike around, play or picnic. Come see us so we can enjoy it with you!

Happy 2008!

We apologize for the long period of silence over the past couple months. Our blog site fell victim to busy schedules with work, school, and - most demanding - our recent move from CA to AZ! Our move went smoothly thanks to the wonderful help of friends and others whom God raised up (much to our surprise). Now that we're settling in and have internet service again, we'll get back to posting updates regularly. Check back soon!

- Brad

Brooke - Oct 31

Brooke dressed up as a little lamb (thanks for the costume, Julie!) and went around the neighborhood with her three big sisters on Oct 31. She seemed to enjoy it almost as much as they did!

Cowgirl Ellie

Ellie was the cutest cowgirl in California on Oct 31!

myFaves

I don't have T-Mobile, but these are my Favorite Five taking a moment out from our Pumpkin Patch excursion last week for a quick photo. Pictured left to right are Chloe, Janelle, Brooke, Grace (making a break for it!), and Ellie. An October trip to the Pumpkin Patch at PCH & Hawthorne is growing into a bit of a tradition for us, and one we'll miss when we move (yet again) out of the area. The girls really enjoyed feeding the sheep & goats and going on a pony ride. We thought Grace would be afraid of the ponies, but seeing her 2 big sisters ready to ride them, she refused to be left out. We had to laugh when she, the smallest kid in the line-up, ended up on the biggest pony. She loved every moment of it!

Pumpkin Time!

All the girls seemed to enjoy our fall activities last week. Grace dug digging into our pumpkin as we prepared to carve it for Oct 31. With the girls' help, I went with an oceanic theme for these year's pumpkin, hastily carving a dolphin jumping in the waves. Sounds exotic, huh?! After seeing my work of art completed, I feared no one would have a clue what it was! Maybe it's just that we live close to the beach so people were able to imagine it a bit better, but several folks actually complimented us on the carving. Amazing!

The Fabulous Four

Do we have our hands full with four girls ages 5 and under? You bet! Janelle is Super Mom, to be sure, just for keeping up with these four little balls of energy! But as challenging as it can be sometimes, it is also a LOT of fun, as the above photo shows. We feel very blessed by these four precious ones that God has entrusted to us!

Brooke - Our Happy 4-Month-Old

Brooke turned 4 months old on November 1 and continues to be a very delightful addition to our family! Two things always seem to surprise folks when they see her -- first, that she's so happy, and secondly, that she's only 4 months old (everyone guesses she's much older). We love having her out with us because of the joy she brings to others with her beaming smiles and cute giggles. Happy 4-month birthday, Brooke!

Ellie - Student of the Month!

Ellie was chosen as one of Fern Elementary School's Students of the Month a couple weeks ago and honored with the other recipients at the school's weekly assembly last week. She was quite proud of herself, as you can imagine (and as the above photo shows!), and this was a wonderful encouragement to her. We continue to be amazed by her academic progress. She's reading at nearly a 2nd grade level now, as a kindergartner, which shouldn't surprise us considering the bookworm that she's been since a baby! I guess those times when she would get up at 2:30am to "read" when she was 3 years old are beginning to pay off! We're very proud of Ellie Bear!!

Happy Birthday Chloe!

Chloe celebrated her 4th birthday on Saturday with friends & family at Walteria Park. She had a great time, and the Hello Kitty pinata was hit with everyone (I sure would have enjoyed hitting it!). Thanks to those of you who came out to help Chloe celebrate. She felt very blessed!

Ellie's 1st Day of School

We loaded the car up this morning and all headed down the street to Fern Elementary for Ellie's very first day of Kindergarten. She tested well so was placed in a combination Kindergarten/1st Grade class, which we think Ellie will enjoy and benefit from. She arrived home very excited about her day. "I wish that my first day of Kindergarten could last FOREVER!" No stopping her now...!

Chloe with her new doll Elizabeth

Chloe was very excited to get her first-ever American Girl doll for her birthday (thanks Grandma & Grandpa!). The doll's name is Elizabeth, which is Chloe's middle name and her grandma's first name, so that makes her doll all the more special. When she's not walking around with Elizbath, she's got her fancy new Hello Kitty purse, which she's excited to take with her to pre-school next week (thanks Nana & Papa!).

Happy Birthday, Chloe!

Chloe turned 4 yesterday, and the smile above shows how happy she was (and is) to have reached this milestone. We had a small family celebration on her actual birthday, but will have a full-blown party at the park for her this weekend. Chloe is fun, rambunctious, sweet, ambitious, and more! We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for her in the year ahead!

Cousin Kate is a favorite of our older girls. Brooke, who just turned 2 months old on Sept 1, seems to share their love for Kate! Seeing this picture reminds us of how grateful (and blessed!) we are to be living so close to much of our extended family during this season.

Family Birthdays

Today we celebrated Vernon's birthday and paused to also acknowledge Chloe's upcoming 4th birthday (Sept 5). We thank God for an incredible father (Papa to our girls) and a beautiful daughter! More pics of sweet Chloe coming next weekend...!