More Pics, as promised

This is the lovely bride I came to see walk down the aisle to pledge her love and life to Jerry. She was a radiant bride. Her wedding was beautiful. It was a great celebration and lots of fun. As a bonus treat, I had lunch with the newlyweds today. How incredibly special is that?!

Congratulations Denelle & Jerry!

Isaac is the cutest little man. He was fascinated with the camera and I used it to lure him into my lap for a cozy picture. He soon realized I wasn't so strange and actually let me kiss him on the cheek.

He likes to help with his baby brother Ry-Ry. Rylan looks just like his daddy and Isaac looks just like his mommy. Such sweet boys!

I went to lunch with friends after church and enjoyed seeing Randen holding Rylan. He was very proud.

And, I've been working on a project for 18 months that I finally finished! Back when I was pregnant with Rylee, my friend Heather made a cross-stitch for me that was beautiful. We had it framed and it has hung in Rylee's room ever since. (well, it's temporarily off exhibit because we keep changing the girls' room around and it needs a major overhaul, but that's another post entirely)

As I mentioned in a previous post, Heather was with Joel and me when Rylee made her debut into this world. She and her hubby Paul did not start their family until almost 5 years after us. One day, when she was about 7 months pregnant with her first, I saw the same cross-stitch at Michael's and thought "I have to make that for her!"

let's pause here. please note: I have not ever done a large cross-stitch. I cross-stitched a cluster of 3 balloons that was about 2x2 inches when I was 12 years old. I have three young children and serve in ministry.

So, I started the cross-stitch in December of 2008. I took it with me on our trip to India in January '09. Isaac, the planned recipient of the gift, was born in January while we were gone. I worked on it here and there, but would set it down for months and not work on it. Then, I knew I'd be seeing Heather and meeting Isaac in September, so I worked furiously to finish it. During my trip, I got the flu and knew there was no way I'd get it done. I set it down again after returning home. During that trip, I found out Heather was expecting baby #2. So, I began working on the cross-stitch again. In February I planned this trip to Arizona for Denelle's wedding and knew I'd see Heather and get to meet the new baby. The cross-stitch HAD to get done! I had a deadline.

I have worked frantically to finish this project and today it is complete! I am so proud. You have no idea. Well, you might since I'm writing so much about it and posting it on my blog! I feel very accomplished. Someone said to me as I was working on it, "Oh, you cross-stitch." My response, "No, I do not. This is my first project and my last. It was a special deal."

So, there you go.

Last Installment of Arizona Trip Pics

Whew! This is the final post on our Arizona trip with pictures. I'm just going to write little descriptions below the photos to finish it off.
We drove up to Phoenix one day to visit with our friends, the M family. Their oldest two kids are 9 months younger than our kiddos. And, my Jenna is sort of named after their oldest daughter. The mom and I would talk about our kids playing and one day I said "Rylee and Jenna; that just goes together so well." After my friend said it was okay with her, I decided I really wanted that name to be in the hat in case one of the twins was a girl. I had loved the name for years, so it was perfect. And, when I finally got to hold my Jenna for the first time, I knew she was a Jenna, not a Sydney.The kids were having a blast playing with each other. They really hit it off right away. I talk about the M family's kids regularly and they met them when we were in Arizona 3 years ago. They decided to roll over the legs of one another and were cracking up.It was all fun and games until Asa got hurt. That's what happens!
While in Phoenix, we also stopped by to see my college roommate and her family. J and I were in school at Northern Arizona together for one year...living in a dorm as older students. God was good when He matched us together. We both got engaged in the fall of that school year and then got married the next summer/fall. Our kids enjoyed meeting one another and playing. It was good to catch up on life.
My kids were enjoying all the beautiful 80 degree days and the swingsets at each home!

We spent lots of hours in the car. Between the long drive from Texas to Arizona and back, the daily commute from my mom's house into town (about 30 minutes each way), and then a day trip up to Phoenix and back, my kids sat in these carseats quite a bit. Jenna is obsessed with Dora. Loves her. Tells us so almost every day. So, we got her this cute little doll. I think she likes it.

One afternoon we stopped over to visit with more friends in Yuma that have kiddos the same ages as mine. Rylee is posing with Karis, who she first met as a baby and then 3 years ago.

The kids alternated between playing inside and outside. Jenna figured out how to swing herself this afternoon! She was literally yelling with excitement, so I grabbed my camera fast and clicked a pic. This was Wednesday and you can best believe she made a beeline for any swing she saw for the rest of the trip. She was one proud preschooler!
We took the kids to climb one of the mountains near Mom's house. It was a little windy, but they were excited. As soon as we hit the first peak and the wind bolted us in the face, they all begged to go back down. But, first I took a snapshot of the mountains on the other side and some kind of rock quary.

We spent one evening with the Mellons, very dear friends of ours. They have supported me in my pursuit of following God's call on my life for over a decade--from college to youth ministry to missionary. They invited all their kids and grandkids out to their place to have dinner and fellowship with us. Wonderful conversation and delicious food!
Pastor Chuck and Mary had us over for lunch. We always have such a great time with them. They are so relaxed and welcoming and have always treated us like family. They go out of their way to take care of us and support our family. Before we left that day, their oldest daughter let each of my kids have a shamrock cookie she made for St. Patrick's Day.


Andrew, Anne, and their sweet daughter were also part of that lunch. Anne's is the middle daughter and was in Joel's youth group when he served at Calvary. It's fun to watch their young family as it grows--another addition soon to come!
And, Sunday afternoon we stopped by to say hi to Grandma White. My mom spends time with Grandma White regularly and enjoys it so much. She is my friend Erin's grandmother. My kids took right to her as soon as they heard she was L and S's grandma too (those are the other kids who drove with us from Texas to Arizona and back)!

More Arizona Trip Pictures

We had the privilege of sharing at both churches in Yuma that financially support our family, Stone Ridge Church and Calvary Chapel.
Megan began attending Stone Ridge as a teenager and even served on staff directing the youth ministry for a year. Pastor Sam officiated our wedding in 2002. When we told him about joining the Gospel for Asia staff in 2007, he was excited since he had read the book Revolution in World Missions many years earlier and it shaped much of his own view on missions. During this trip we got to share for a few minutes in each of the church's three Sunday services. We also shared during their youth service Saturday night. Many people signed up to receive our newsletters and took the free copy of Revolution in World Missions we offer. It was a great time of encouragement for us.
Joel began attending Calvary Chapel when he got stationed in Yuma while serving in the Marine Corp. He began leading a simple weekly Bible study and eventually served on staff as the youth pastor and office administrator. It was during a visit by a GFA speaker to Calvary Yuma about a decade ago that Joel first received a copy of Revolution in World Missions. Like many other great books, it was put on a shelf and moved from place to place. Only when God confirmed His calling on our lives to serve in missions did Joel finally take time to read the book. And, now here we are. We shared for the teaching time at Calvary during both their Sunday services and Megan shared at their monthly ladies meeting on Saturday. The reception for us at Calvary was overwhelming and a good taste of the lavish love the Father has for us.
Though we have been gone from living in Yuma for almost eight years, it feels like it was just yesterday. The bonds that are forged in hearts between friends who love God and one another continually amaze me.
We enjoyed the Yuma Wetlands park several times during our 10 day visit. We met friends there for a picnic on Sunday, met more friends there for play and lunch Monday, and then had a little reunion of youth ministry days there on Saturday. Eight former students brought their families to play and visit. It was so neat to see everyone and catch up on where life has taken us all.
The kids were fascinated by the desert around their Nana's house, particularly the mountains. So, we took them on a few nature walks. They enjoyed collecting rocks, picking up big sticks, and running through the washes.We also played lots of dominos.

A Little More Detail

Our trip from Dallas to Yuma went quite well. We had 3 friends along for the journey. Our buddy L really liked holding Asa's hand when we went into the mall or a store.

And, it's always more fun on a trip when there are extra friends to enjoy. We stopped at a gas station to fill up and decided to pop into a little restaurant next door. The kids all sat the bar and ate ice cream sundaes. Memories.
We stopped in El Paso the first night and stayed in Lodging at Ft. Bliss. The kids really liked the cool army tanks.

One of our first stops in Yuma was a park. After driving for 2 long days, the kids were ready to run and play and swing and climb. Rylee spent a lot of time in the sand--burying her feet and then drawing. She loves to write now that she's learning words and how to read.

If you've ever been to my house, you might recognize this picture's set-up. I took this same picture of Jenna when we visited Yuma 3 years ago and it's framed in our living room. It will be fun to compare the two.

My mom now lives closer to the mountains than she did when I was at home. This morning I grabbed my camera to document how beautiful it is. Due to a little smoke incident, we had the front door open. Rylee was cross-legged playing cards on the floor and I could see the mountains from where I sat. It's really beautiful to see mountains in the distance. (It's one thing Joel doesn't like about Texas--the topography: no hills, no mountains.)

Today we met with some friends. It was fun to watch my three play with R. Rylee was born two days after R, but he's always been bigger than her. I have a picture of them as 3 month old babies and his feet are twice the size of hers. He was so sweet and kind and they hit it off instantly.
I overheard her telling Asa "he's my best friend" after about 20 minutes of playing.

Then, later in the afternoon we stopped by a school fundraiser. The kids enjoyed bounce houses, cotton candy, and a tractor ride.