We are so Excited!

On Monday evening we got a call from Mark saying that he had proposed to Gina and "she said YES!" We are very excited and happy to announce that Mark and Gina have set their date for a wedding in May. We are so happy to welcome another lovely girl to our family. God's blessings on the both of you as you plan your life together.

Brothers together

Times are few and far between when all four boys can be together. We can honestly say that some of the most fun times that we have are listening to the stories (sometimes grossly exaggerated!) of some of the things they did as kids. Lots of imagination has led to many adventures! We thank God for each of these wonderful young men, and we are excited to see how God continues to work in each of their lives, molding and making them into the men He can use in His great kingdom.

The two "J's"

"M" getting ready to go to work

Mark still has his touch on the piano

Jared, the handyman

On Saturday afternoon, we drove out to visit J&K and M&B's houses. (Quite handy, since they live right across the street from each other now!) The kids set up the Rock concert game and started playing...

...things got rather loud and foolish at times, but they certainly had alot of fun!

And Gina integrated well into this crazy group! The weekend went by all too quickly, but we treasured each moment together. Family time is wonderful!

After the Getty Museum, we traveled to Santa Monica to the Pier and the Promenade where we were joined by Jamie and Krista for the rest of the afternoon.

At the Getty Museum

On Friday we did some sight-seeing with the kids. First we visited the Getty Museum. We had a beautiful day and enjoyed the sights and also each other!

Happy Birthday Jared!

Today is a special day for a very special young man! We were so happy to be able to have Jared home this weekend to celebrate his 26th birthday.

Because he wanted all his brothers to be present for his party, he chose to begin the day (breakfast!) with the celebration meal! We cooked hashbrowns, eggs and had fruit compote for the main course...

...and then ended with "Death by Chocolate" which he had chosen for his birthday cake this year!

Everyone at the table decided that it was a good way to start the day.

We love you, Bud, and wish you a wonderful year filled with the blessings of God. May He continue to strengthen, fulfill and use you to His honor and glory.

of coming and going...

This past week we were been able to help M&B a little bit as they moved out of their apartment and into their new house. It was so wonderful to finally hear them say "we got the keys to our new home!" By Tuesday afternoon, they were officially living in their new house!

This pregnant little mama worked really hard to get all of their belongings packed up and then organized for the movers to come and transport their belongings in the apartment to the new house. Meanwhile, her husband traveled north to get their belongings that have been in storage the past year.

This guy was happy to be able to fix on something that actually was his own property!

Busy unpacking boxes...

The neighbors stopped by for a visit.

And there's that irresistable smile!

Grandpa time...

And then today we were thrilled to bring our youngest son Jared home for a long weekend visit. He left a temperature of 38 degrees this morning and arrived to our heatwave of 97 degrees!!!

In a couple of hours, Jared's favorite nephew arrived...

...and quickly became the center of attention!

By this evening, our son Mark also arrived home for the weekend, and of course he had to have a bit of "nephew-time" as well.

Mark also brought a special friend home on this visit! We have enjoyed meeting Gina and look forward to a fun weekend together as a family.

More Tea Party Pics

The Tea Party

A Tea Party

This past weekend, our women's group hosted a tea party as a fund raiser for our district women's organization. A lot of work and planning went into the event, and it was a wonderful day that was enjoyed by all! Jim's cousin Penny came down the day before the party so we could spend some time together just visiting, working on craft projects, and helping me decorate my "tea table" for the party.

On Saturday morning, Jim started working on all his "fix-it" projects that he had discovered the past week. He enjoyed a pleasant break visiting with Penny. We just share so many wonderful memories together...years together in Africa both as children and adults.

The Little Man

This past weekend, we had to visit the "little man" and his parents! He is growing up so fast and it is always fun to see the changes each time we get to see him. Jayden is indeed a very happy guy!He is more fun to play with now because he is interacting more and more with everything and everyone that is around him.

Jayden always has such a ready smile-especially for his mommy! And he loves playing and bouncing in his Exersaucer!