The first steps of obedience

One of the best days in a parent's life! Being a witness to his birth was one blessing, but to be a witness to his second birth was one I can't put into words. Caleb has know for a while about being a sinner, seperated from God and could tell you that he believed he needed Jesus. But until recently, he has been very afraid of professing faith in Christ by being baptized. At our missions home briefing in March, Caleb pulled Shawn aside and said, "I want to get baptized now." Shawn and I both talked with him further and asked if he wanted to wait until the next week when his grandparents were in town. He said, "NO, I want to be baptized NOW". The next Sunday, Shawn had the honor of baptizing our oldest son. Here are some pics and also a link to watch a video of this special day here!

Some big changes coming!!

WE'RE MOVING TO HAWAII!!!!

OK, I just had to get that out of my system! I'm not very good at beating around the bush when it comes to giving news (good or bad). Shawn and I have begun the process of becoming church planters in the Aloha state. Now, this process is likely to take several months, and God working out many details. This entire thing may seem as quite a shock to you, but honestly, the Lord has been working this out in us for over a year. It is amazing the roller coaster of emotions a person can feel all at the same time. Fear, excitement, worry, peace...

Shawn began blogging about this journey recently. Hop over to our church blog and read about some of the journey of Grace Community Church. I promise to write a little more about this later. But for now, we are praying for our hearts to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading.

Easter Sunday

Look how big I'm getting!

You'll hear me say this so much, but it seems hard to believe Nathan is two months old! But, it is true and he's made some exciting milestones this month! Nathan is sleeping about 5 hours at a time at night, which means I only wake up about twice at night to feed him. Believe me, that's a big deal for this mom! Also, at about 6 weeks old, he started smiling :) He has the sweetest smile and it really is fun to watch him respond to you. He is also cooing and making sweet baby noises and giggles. Honestly, I could sit and do nothing but talk to him all day long! I've also discovered this month that when I eat dairy, he gets an upset tummy. So, this nursing mommy has been dairy-free for a few weeks now, and it is making a big difference! Well, here are Nathan's stats from his two month check-up:Weight: 11 lbs. 6 oz. (45%)

Height: 22 3/4 (45%)

Nathan grinning at Haleigh

Nathan frowning at Haleigh...he really is figuring out how to work those facial muscles!

Ava turns 2 (Better late than never!)

Our little girl is 2?? I must say, this age is one of my favorites, even though it can be quite a roller coaster ride! We celebrated Ava's birthday at home with just our family this year since I was three days away from having our newest addition...Nathan! One of our family traditions for birthdays is to let the birthday boy or girl choose their favorite breakfast for the day. Ava's choice was a very popular one...doughnuts! She loved her sprinkle doughnut and ate every last bit of the icing and sprinkles. In the evening, she had pizza for dinner and birthday cake. Her favorite presents were the Elmo plate, bowl, fork and spoon and also her BIG SISTER shirt.

Ava is such a sweet little girl. She has a smile that can melt your heart (just as Daddy). She has great speech for a 2 year old and usually speaks her mind without hesitation! Her favorite things are Elmo, and little pets, and playing dress up. We love you Ava Leilani!!

Haleigh's last year in single digits!

Well, many people think year 10 is a big deal since they are finally in double digits. I, however, think this year is much more important. Since Haleigh turned 9 this April, it is her last year in single digits forever!! I love that this year, Haleigh got to spend her birthday party doing exactly what she wanted...basketball! She was a part of the LCS team this year and made several new friends while playing. She wanted to invite all of the girls to her party, so we had a combination birthday/end of basketball season party. The girls all came in their LCS uniforms and they played b'ball at the gym at our church. Shawn grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and then the girls played an adult vs. kids game. The adults had a little disadvantage because they had to play with one hand behind their back (just to keep things fair!)

Haleigh is growing into a lovely young lady. I am so blessed to be able to spend time with her each day. She has a wonderful imagination and a tender heart that loves Jesus. One of our

favorite things to do together lately is have tea. She gets to drink out of a tea cup and saucer and we get to "chat" together. She loves to play basketball and make up stories and plays and is really enjoying learning about plants in her Botany class.She is a huge help to me around the house as well. I'm so glad I get to be her mommy!

Joshua turns 5!!

This year, Shawn was out of town on a mission trip for Joshua's actual birthday. However, he had the next best thing....Mimi! My mom came to stay the week with the kids and I while Shawn was in Hawaii. We had a fabulous time together and the week seemed to fly right by us! The day after Joshua's birthday, Shawn came home, and my dad, brother and sis-in-law came up to get my mom. Patrick and Amanda had never been out here together, so we had a great time showing them around town and visiting.Joshua had a kind of low key birthday this year, because of everyone traveling. Shawn and I promised him a trip to Entertrainment Junction with just the four of us(Nathan has to come) to celebrate. So while the family was in town, we headed to Outback Steakhouse to have a birthday dinner for Joshua and Haleigh.

Afterwards,the kids opened gifts and we ate some ice cream cake!It's hard to believe that 5 years ago, I was holding a 9 lbs. baby, and now he's quite the little man! Joshua is full of giggles and jokes, always making our family laugh. He loves to play with light sabers and swords (usually with Caleb). He also loves board games and playing the Wii. He is going to be ready for kindergarten in the fall and I get the joy of being his teacher at home and at our co-op. We are praying that Joshua will fall in love with Jesus as he grows up and keeps the tender heart that he has right now.

I LOVE his face in this pic! He was so excited to get an Amazing Hamster!

Joshua and his Kung Zhu pet!