Lego Land with Beckett

Weekend

We had a very fun and eventful weekend.
On Friday, we called in a babysitter and went bowling with a group of people from our church. I hadn't bowled in a LONG time, and started off surprisingly well, only to slowly deteriorate over the course of the night. But it didn't matter! We had a great time hanging out with friends and spending time together.
I stole these pictures from Saverio's facebook page:
Me & Sarah

JP, Cole & Chris work out their strategy

Sarah looks like she hasn't eaten in days


Before we left that night, Rae found one of my sweaters and brought it out to JP, saying "Pees?" He put it on her and she loved it.




Saturday was busy. JP watched Israel most of the day as I ran to our "Help Meet" book study and to a baby shower. Then it was home to relieve JP, pack up Rae, bring her to my mom's, and head to church (Did anyone else have as much fun as I did during worship that night?!!?)

Sunday was extra special, though, because we celebrated Great-Grandma Dellas' birthday (JP's mom's mom). I think Uncle Kev said she was turning 39. Wow. It was wonderful to see her, as well as Great-Grandma Arlene and all the rest of the family we barely ever get to see.

Now it's Monday and we're back to the grind. Fun weekends make Mondays seem extra boring. But I guess I just have more to look forward to that way. :)

Know Your Man

I have been re-reading an excellent book by Debi Pearl called "Created to be His Help Meet." As I read it, I'm reminded of the verse in Acts that says "they were not able to resist the wisdom & the spirit by which (s)he spoke." I can't resist the truth of what Debi Pearl has to say about women and their roles as wives -- IT'S SO GOOD!!!
One of the most interesting chapters in the book is Chapter 8. It talks about 3 different types of men in the world: Mr. Command Man, Mr. Visionary, and Mr. Steady. Knowing and understanding which one your man is (or what combination he may be) offers invaluable insight into what kind of woman he needs you to be.
The first time I read the book (when I was engaged), I thought JP was 100% Mr. Command Man. Now when I read it, I cannot decide between Mr. Command and Mr. Visionary. I have learned so much more about him in the last 2.5 years, and it changes who I need to be in order to be the best help meet possible for him.
The chapter is so good! If you can't read the whole book, at least read the chapter here!

If you like what you read, you can order the book here.

My Lord, My Love

O Love divine, what has thou done!
The immortal God hath died for me.
The Father's coeternal Son
bore all my sins upon the tree.
Th' immortal God for me hath died:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified.

Is crucified for me and you,
to bring us rebels back to God.
Believe, believe the record true,
ye all are bought with Jesus' blood.
Pardon for all flows from his side:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified.

Behold him, all ye that pass by,
the bleeding Prince of life and peace!
Come, sinners, see your Savior die,
and say, "Was ever grief like his?"
Come, feel with me his blood applied:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified.

Spoke Too Soon

We ended up taking Rae back into the ER last night.
As we were getting her ready for bed, she started puking, which we assumed was due to an upset tummy from her new antibiotics. She seemed better, so we cleaned her up and put her to bed. About 20 minutes later she was still moaning and whining in her crib, so I went to see if she had puked again. She hadn't yet, but she did almost as soon as I picked her up. But what really scared us is that her color was VERY pale, her skin was really blotchy, her lips were blue and she was shaking.
Our first fear was that her oxygen was really low again, so we set out immediately for the ER. By the time we got there, her color was already looking better and her oxygen levels were fine. But after listening to her lungs, the doctor ordered another of those darn chest x-rays!!!!!!!! Her left lung was sounding crackly, and the x-ray showed worsening conditions. The doctor diagnosed her with pneumonia. The discoloration and shaking were due to her fever shooting up so rapidly (went from nothing to 102.9 in about 30 minutes).
They wanted to give her a shot similar to the shot JP got last week. We waited and waited and waited for it to show up, and finally around midnight we decided to leave because Rae was falling apart from exhaustion.
I am taking her into another clinic this morning to try to get the shot. She ate better this morning than she has been the past few days, but is still very sleepy and clingy.
I am frustrated and discouraged. I was so happy that we seemed to have turned a corner as a family, and now this. Please pray for little Rae. JP is feeling much, much better.

Hallelujah!

I took Israel in for a follow-up appointment today, and everything looked good! Her oxygen levels were at 98% and the doctor said her lungs sounded clear. He told me to continue the nebulizer treatments for now.
The only thing is that she has an ear infection in her OTHER ear now (the first one is gone). He gave us an antibiotic for that, so in Jesus' name we say she will be HEALED!

Here are some new cute pictures. I got her a pair of rubber boots so we could splash in the puddles this spring. Trouble is, they're a little big...and she can't really walk in them. But she loves to play with them!

Chest X-ray

This is a picture of what the chest x-ray torture chamber was like. This baby doesn't seem to mind it - but Rae was in pieces with fear.

I should have mentioned...

...the doctor said Rae has bronchiolitis. You can read about it here.

Admitted

The past couple of days have been some of the most eventful of our parenting lives. On Friday afternoon, Israel woke up from her nap burning with fever. We gave her Tylenol and she seemed to perk up, played for a while and ate her dinner. But by 7:00 pm, she was falling asleep in my arms (she usually goes to bed at 8:30). I put her to bed and left JP in charge while I went to a birthday party for a friend from church. When I got home around 11:00 pm, she was sleeping with JP on the couch. I took her temperature and it was 103.3. We gave her more Tylenol and put her back to bed.
The next morning she woke up with a 101.6 fever. Knowing she's been struggling with bronchitis and an ear infection, I decided to take her into urgent care.
When the nurse checked her oxygen levels, they were at 87%, which is very, very low. They gave her some mild steroids and a nebulizer treatment, and also took a chest x-ray -- which just so happens to be the very worst thing a parent could ever watch their child go through. It was like willingly placing my daughter in a mini torture chamber. They put her in a very uncomfortable looking bicycle seat sort of thing, then they had me hold her arms up in the air over her head. They then took a clear plastic tube and enclosed her in it so that she was stuck with her hands above her head. At that point I had to go behind a wall (since I'm pregnant) while they did the x-rays. Rae could see me out of the corner of her eye and was looking at me in terror, screaming her lungs out. I was bawling. It was horrible. Thankfully, it was over quickly.
The x-rays came back clear, and her oxygen levels were on the rise, but the doctor was watching her breathe and was not pleased with how hard she was having to work for each breath. He sent me to North Memorial's ER to have them evaluate her and decide whether she should be admitted for the night.
After nearly 3 hours of sitting in an ER room with doctors and nurses going in and out, the ER doctor agreed that Rae should stay overnight. We waited even longer for a bed to open up, and finally around 5:00 pm we got into a room.
At this point, Rae had gone all day without a nap (she usually takes 2 naps per day) and was becoming delirious. I tried to get her to sleep in the hospital room, but the big metal crib was so scary and she had wires hooked up to her to monitor her oxygen levels -- it just wasn't going to happen. We ate dinner and had to have ANOTHER chest x-ray done, and after that, she fell sound asleep on JP's chest.
Later, JP went home and I tried to transfer her into the crib. It was still too scary, so after a while I just brought her out and let her sleep on the couch with me. She preferred this very much and slept pretty well. I didn't sleep a wink. Every time she moved or made the smallest noise, I was wide awake to make sure she was ok. And every time her oxygen levels got too low, a machine would beep and I'd be wide awake again.
At about 12:45 am, the nurse came in and said her oxygen levels were staying too low (about 86%), so they gave her a nebulizer and I held her down as they stuck plastic oxygen tubes up her nose and taped them to her face. Poor baby. She hated it at first, but exhaustion finally won out and she fell asleep next to me again. Her oxygen levels stayed high the rest of the night and she slept very soundly.
This morning she woke up without any fever and behaving very pleasantly. The doctor listened to her lungs and said she sounded good, gave us our instructions, and sent us home.
She seemed pretty tired and on edge today, but not too bad. She has little marks on hr face from where they peeled off the tape that was holding the tubes to her face. She is in bed with a slight fever right now, and I plan to check on her a couple times throughout the night to make sure she is breathing easily.
We want to thank all of you who were praying for us yesterday and have been praying for us the past couple of weeks. Things have been hard, but God is good. I am exhausted, though, and will need miraculous rest tonight.
Here are a couple pictures I took at the hospital last night and this morning. Special thanks to "G" (JP's mom) who brought us food, "Grandma" (my mom) who brought books and fruit, and "Gammy & Grampies" (JP's dad & step-mom) who watched our dogs for us all weekend long. We love you guys.

Cuddling with Grandma -- notice the wire hooked to her foot.

Exhaustion takes over

Just before she woke up this morning

Just after waking up -- cutie pie bed-head!

Walking around with her tubes and wires. These are the yellow "prison pajamas" they had her wear during her stay.

Health Update

After two weeks, we seem to finally know just what is wrong with JP's health. Yesterday the doctor very clearly detected Strep Pneumonia in JP's left lung. He thinks JP may have also had a virus on top of this, perhaps even Influenza A. They have sent in a test swab to confirm whether or not he has the flu.
Today JP woke up with his glands swollen so much, he looks as though he swallowed a couple of golf balls. I think overall he is feeling better, though. Yesterday the nurse gave him a nice, painful shot in the buttox, and today he gets to go in for another one. They also upped his dose of oral antibiotics and are keeping him on steriods and nebulizer treatments.
Rae still has a cough, but other than that, you'd never know she is sick. She is also taking antibiotics and doing nebulizer treatments.
I have remained amazingly untouched, excepting a small cough that seems to have passed already.
We give the glory to Jesus for the continued healing in our household. We're confident that this will be over with soon.

Kisses from Israel

Remembering Bill

Tonight, I watched hundreds of people fill the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis to honor a man some of them had never even met before, but felt was a friend.
Bill Carlson's final send-off was grand and beautiful. Bill loved the theater, and there couldn't have been a more suiting venue. The words spoken, poems read, and the music shared were perfect to capture the man Bill was and is.
The service opened with Bill's favorite song, "What a Wonderful World," as performed by Louis Armstrong. That was enough to put me over the top right from the very beginning. What followed were various testimonies from friends, colleagues, and family, intermingled with songs that perfectly captured Bill's personality and love.

Some of the songs:
I'm Glad There is You (John Denver sang this at Bill & Nancy's wedding)
Perhaps Love (by John Denver)
Follow Me (the song John Denver wrote for Bill & Nancy's wedding)
Till There Was You (from The Music Man)
It's Something That We Do (by Clint Black. Iff you don't know this song, find it on iTunes and listen to it now!)
Through The Years (Bill's granddaughter sang this one)
Nancy With The Laughing Face (Nancy's dad named her after this Frank Sinatra song, and Bill loved it)
...and one whose lyrics really touched me...
Once Before I Go (from the musical The Boy from Oz)

Some other highlights for me:
-Les Holst, former United Airlines pilot and dear friend of Bill & Nancy, pretended to get a phone call from Bill in heaven during his speech. He joked about Bill giving the weather report from heaven. At the end he told Bill he was "kind of in the middle of something" (not a direct quote, but something like that) and got off the phone with him. Then he turned to us and, in tears, said that was Bill; he said he's fine and that he loves you.
-Bill's sister, Judy, shared the gospel with the simple message: "Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Nobody comes to the father but by Me."
-Jeanette Trompeter read a story called "The Eagle and the Wren." It's the story of an eagle who competes in a contest to see which bird can fly the highest. The eagle soars far higher than any other bird, but once he reaches the highest he can go, a tiny wren burrows from out of the eagles feather and flies even higher. The wren explains to the eagle that she never could have flown that high herself - he carried her there. She had always wanted to see the world from such glorious heights, and he made that happen for her. Just like Bill lifted Nancy to new & glorious heights she never could have attained on her own.
-I couldn't control the tears when Don Shelby imagined Bill in heaven receiving the greatest honor of all. It wasn't an Emmy or an Academy Award. It was Jesus telling him "Well done, good and faithful servant."
-Nancy burst into tears when the National Guard presented her with a flag for Bill's service in the army, as a trumpled played "Taps" in the background.

Finally, here is the song we all sang together at the end of the service. This song was sung by Bill & Nancy's wedding guests at the end of their wedding ceremony. I can just hear Bill saying these words.

May each day in the week be a good day,
May the Lord always watch over you
And may all of your hopes turn to wishes,
And may all of your wishes come true.

May each day in the month be a good day.
May you make friends with each one you meet,
And may all of your day dreams be memories,
And may all of your memories be sweet.

The weeks turn to months, and the months turn to years,
There'll be sadness and joy, there'll be laughter and tears.
But one thing I pray, to heaven above,
May each of your day be a day full of love.

May each day in the year be a good day,
May each dawn find you happy and gay.
And may all of your days be as lovely,
As the one you shared with me today.
May each day of your life be a good day,
And, goodbye.

Watch Bill's Memorial Service Live

WCCO will stream today's memorial service live at 3:00 pm on their website.

Under the Weather and Stranded

Our household has had a difficult last couple of days.
JP had been diligently fighting off a cold for the past week or so, but on Sunday he started feeling really poorly. He went into North Memorial and they told him they suspected bronchitis and sent him home with some antibiotics.
Yesterday he was feeling even worse, so he went to our regular family clinic. After blood draws, x-rays, and various other tests, they told him it seemed to be early pneumonia. He came home and spent the rest of the day in bed and on the couch feeling utterly miserable.
To top things off, both of our cars are out of commission right now, so we are basically stranded. He was in the middle of fixing the brakes on his car when mine went out as well, and then he got so sick he couldn't continue working on them. We had to have a friend from church bring JP to the hospital on Sunday and another friend took him to the doctor yesterday. JP's dad also came to our aid yesterday by picking up JP's prescriptions and bringing them to the house for us.
Today JP is feeling better and is trying to at least get his car back in working order. But I have developed a nasty cough, and Rae is not feeling well either.
Please pray for healing for all of us, and that we would be able to get the cars functioning again soon!!

Bill's Memorial Service

Visitation - Wednesday, March 5th, Old Log Theatre in Excelsior, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Memorial Service - Thursday, March 6th, State Theater downtown, 3 p.m.

Both events are open to the public.

Click here for a beautiful interview with Bill's lovely wife, Nancy.

Links About Bill

Obit with video.

Bill's Bio.

Star Tribune Obit.

Don Shelby's In the Know.

Notes from family and friends.

Snips from a song John Denver wrote for Bill & Nancy for their wedding.

Condolences from viewers.

Various blogs about Bill:

Star Tribune article.

An update on Bill's condition at the time.

Bill & Rae meet for the first time.

Bill announces his cancer returning.

Bill

As many of you have probably already heard, my dear friend Bill Carlson passed away tonight around 6:00 pm. I got a call from my former boss at WCCO around 10 with the news. He said Bill passed peacefully, while sleeping next to his adored wife, Nancy, in their home.
I don't even know how I am doing right now. I am heartbroken, and thankful to God for bringing him home at the same time. I am trembling with grief, but rejoicing that I get to see him again someday in heaven.
I don't have to tell you how close Bill & I became during my time working at WCCO. We sat right next to each other and talked every day. He was one of the first to know when we became pregnant with Rae, and Bill confided in me that his cancer had returned before he had even spoken to the WCCO higher-ups about it. I cried with him when his mother died and he rejoiced with me when Rae was born. He held her in his arms for the first time when she was only 10 days old.
Bill is a remarkable man. I have never known a man like him. I say he "is" a remarkable man because he lives on with Jesus right now. Bill is the epitome of kind, compassionate, and generous. He is always optimistic - even in the worst of situations. His favorite song is "What a Wonderful World," and I think that says a lot about his outlook on life. He absolutely adored his wife Nancy, as well as his daughter and two granddaughters. He loved his dogs. He loved Hawaii. He loved green tea. He loved unique pens. He loved the arts. He loved people. And he loved life. Now he is enjoying eternal life.
Tonight I was singing to Rae before I put her to bed. For some reason, a song that we used to sing in high school choir came to my mind and I sang it to her tonight. I didn't know yet that Bill had passed away, but I sang to her "No more night, no more pain. No more tears, never crying again. Praises to the great I AM! We will live in the light of the risen Lamb!" I couldn't have known the significance of this at the time, but I praise God that even before I heard the news, he had put it on my heart that death has no sting anymore. Bill is free. He is no longer in any pain. He is living in the light of our Savior!
We were at our church when I heard the news, and Rae was sleeping in one of the children's church rooms. When we got home and I transported her into her crib, I noticed that the teddy bear she had waiting for her in her crib was the one Bill had given to her for Valentine's Day, just after she was born. Another sweet reminder of the man Bill was and is.
The last time I saw Bill was at his birthday party. He was happy, surrounded by his friends and family. He got to see Israel, too. Shortly aftewards, he mailed me a framed picture of the three of us on that day. I am so thankful for this lasting memory of the last time I got to see and hug Bill. The last time I talked to him was to tell him of our new pregnancy. He was thrilled with the news and sounded so happy and optimistic about his own situation. Classic Bill.
I am rambling now. I have so many memories of Bill that I could record.
I want to thank all of you who are praying for everyone affected by the loss of Bill. Please especially keep Nancy in your prayers. They were so in love - I've never seen a couple as crazy about each other as Bill & Nancy.
Knowing Bill has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I love you Bill, and I will miss you until I get to see you again! love, Audra

What a Friend

I listened to a copy of Kathryn Scott's new album "I Belong" today. One of the songs is the old hymn, "What a Friend we Have in Jesus." I wept as I remembered the lyrics.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

Family Day

My beautiful mother's birthday was on Saturday, so as a special treat, we got the whole Harpel clan together for an official family day that Sunday. We took advantage of the beautiful weather (mid-30's...it's a heat wave!) and brought all the kids to Como Zoo & Conservatory (excluding Zach & Missy...Zach was home sick). It was warm enough to walk around the zoo and enjoy the animals, and most of the kids are at an age now where they can really enjoy the monkeys and tigers and Israel's favorite..."fshhh!" (fish)

Elijah enjoying the fish:


After roaming the beautiful gardens and watching the polar bear swim laps, we headed out to lunch. Afterwards the kids went down for naps and a handful of us went to see Juno. It was a good movie - a bit more raw than I expected it to be...and the ending was a little sad...but overall a good movie with a good message of choosing life.
Finally we all met up again for our regular family dinner.

To all my family: days like this one are the highlight of my life. I love every minute I get to spend with you. love, Audra


(all of us watching the polar bear - notice the sign)

The New Baby

We had our first ultrasound of the new baby this morning. What a thrill it was
to see that tiny heart flutter! Much to JP's disappointment, there is only one
baby in there. :) But we are both thrilled that we have one, HEALTHY baby,
measuring about 9 weeks along. We've been affectionately referring to the baby
as "our little pinto," since my pregnancy book told me he or she was about the
size of a pinto bean last week. This week they say he's the size of a green
olive.

Some people say that a faster heart rate indicates a boy and a slower heart
rate, a girl. Our baby's was 153 -- right in the middle -- so I guess we'll just
have to keep on guessing!!!

Here are some pictures. The head is on the left, and you can see his little body
and legs curl up like a tadpole to the right. I've attached another picture of
what a 9-week-old baby looks like so you can get a better idea when you look at
the pictures.

Please keep praying for a healthy, full-term pregnancy. I have been blessed with little to no morning sickness this time around, and I do not take it for
granted!

CycleBeads

WCCO had an interesting story about a birth control method rising in popularity, called CycleBeads. It only works for women with a regular menstrual cycle, but when used correctly is 95% effective. And it's 100% natural. Its kind of like a really dumbed down version of natural family planning.
Read about it here.

Sick Baby

Tonight Rae and I are home from church because she started puking today. She's puked four times so far, poor baby. She can't keep anything down.
I should have known something was up when she was highly disinterested in her lunch. She normally loves to eat. She forced down some stuff, but not much. Later she ate a good portion of a banana. Shortly after that, I tried to give her some grapes, but she refused them (which she NEVER does) and just wanted to be held. So I picked her up and...the rest is history. Three times in a row.
Later in the day she woke up from her nap crying, which is highly unusual. I went in to check on her, picked her up, and what do you know. Round four.
To make matters even worse: I tried putting her back in the tub after episode #4, but she was bawling and kept trying to crawl into my arms. So I decided to fill the sink up and rinse her off there instead. Well, her arm must have hit the hot water handle, and burning hot water started pouring out of the faucet onto her leg. She, of course, freaked out and once I realized what had happened, I freaked out. Her leg was all red, so I called my mom in tears and asked her to bring over some Melaleuca oil. Thanks, mom, for your help!
Rae is sleeping now. Her leg is fine, I don't even think it hurts her at all. She and I are both on our third outfits for the day. She is still in good spirits, which is a blessing. Please pray that her tummy will settle soon.

Pictures from Rae's Birthday

G & Bompa brought Rae the same cake JP had on his first birthday.

Unsure what to do with it.

Hey, this is pretty good.

Can someone please turn the cake so I can reach the other strawberries?

This is what happened when we took the cake away.

Opening Gifts

The sugar-free carrot cake that Gammy made:

She like that one, too. Especially the yogurt "icing."

Happy Birthday, Israel!!!!

Happy first birthday, my darling daughter. This past year has brought me more joy than the other 24 years combined. God couldn't have given us a more beautiful, brilliant daughter. You truly are a miracle of grace.

Can I be honest for a second?

Dave Helm preached a great sermon at church last night about making time to spend with the Lord. Every meaningful relationship requires quality time spent together. Our relationship with God is no different.
As soon as Dave started preaching, I had to laugh to myself. Just that very morning, JP and I had sat down to read together from the One Year Bible. We were a few days behind and had some catching up to do. I wanted to hurry through it so I could get back to the thousands of things I felt like I needed to do...the pile of dishes in the kitchen, the laundry, checking my email, etc.
For some reason, JP was reading ESPECIALLY slow that day. He would pause after every verse, ponder it, then his eyes would light up with revelation and he would share what he had just learned. He was obviously having a very fruitful time in the Word. And I was annoyed. VERY annoyed. It was taking so long!!! I could have been finished reading by now! I was irritated that he wanted to look up every name we came across to see what it meant. I was growing fidgety and restless. Finally I started dropping hints that I wanted him to hurry it up.
JP gently rebuked me and told me that it wasn't about catching up or getting through the reading. If we didn't learn anything, it was pointless. I knew he was right, but I was still glad when we were finally done and I could get up and go on with my day.
Needless to say, Dave's word was very timely. :) I thank God for His faithfulness to screw my head on straight when it needs it.
One other thing to any single people out there reading this: It really is true when the Bible talks about married people being distracted. Before I was married, I used to get up, read my Bible, spend time singing to worship music as I got ready for the day, etc. Now I wake up, change a diaper, get breakfast for the baby, breakfast for JP, lunch for JP, let the dogs out, clean the baby up after breakfast, get her dressed...you get my point. I am distracted by taking care of my husband and daughter - finding time to be alone with God is far more difficult. JP and I read together, but that doesn't substitute for my own time with the Lord. I look back on the days when it was just me & Jesus and wish I had cherished them more. So even though you may desire a husband and family (which is a wonderful desire), be sure to be thankful for the time you have now with Jesus.

Announcement!

JP and I are thrilled to announce...our second child is on the way!
Baby #2 is due September 27th, 2008. What a joy! We praise God for His kindness toward us!
I'm feeling great. I haven't had any symptoms yet, except maybe a little fatigue. Please join with us in prayer for a healthy, full-term pregnancy, and grace along the way!

Sesame Street Live

G and Bompa (JP's mom & step-dad) gave Rae & Ava the best gift ever this weekend...front-row tickets to Sesame Street Live at the Target Center!!! I have never seen Rae sit so still and so engrossed for such a long time. The characters were right in front of us and at certain points they would come down off the stage and interact with the kids. We were in the perfect position right at the bottom of the steps...so the characters would come right down and touch Rae & Ava's hands, honk their noses for them, etc.
It was a blast to watch them both have such a great time - thanks, G & Bompa for the memory!!!!

The count stops by...I am not zoomed in at all!
Saying hello to Ava.
G bought the girls balloons. Rae's accidentally ended up at the roof of the Target Center less than five minutes after this picture (my bad).
They sat like this - totally engrossed - almost the entire time.
I think Lisa, Gail and I had just as much fun as the girls.
We made friends with the girls sitting next to us. You can see where we were in relation to the stage/steps well in this picture.

She's a Classic

Yesterday JP got a "new" work van. The payment on his other one was ridiculous, so we went for something cheaper.
To say "new" is pushing it - it's a 1983 Chevy Beauville. Despite the fact that it's almost as old as I am, it is in GREAT shape. It doesn't have any rust, the interior is in good shape, and it only has 83,000 miles on it. It's really classic and "retro" looking.
God is good, and we were able to pay cash for it, which eliminates another nasty car payment. And the family who sold it to us is Christian. The original owner of the van is now a missionary in Thailand. He gave the van to his son who has used it a couple times a year as a camping/vacation vehicle, then stored it in a garage.
Praise God for this answer to prayer!

Food Experiments Continue

Maybe I shouldn't have relinquished control of the fork. :)
Actually, she did quite well. She even flipped the fork around when she was holding it backwards a couple of times. One time she even got some food on the fork and put it in her mouth. :) Ha ha...we have a long way to go. I'm so proud of her, though.

Walking

Israel is full-blown walking these days. She only crawls to places she can pull herself up to walk. She's still pretty wobbly, but every day she gets better and goes further without stopping to catch her balance on something. Is my baby really this big?