Saturday, January 19, 2008

And We're Off!

Well, we started gearing up for another semester on campus. We have thought often that we are now becoming the "old staff members" now... most of the staff we work with now are just out of college. It is strange that we have been on staff for almost 8 years now. We really have grown a lot during these years though.

As we get ready for another semester we are asking for prayer:
~That God would renew our hearts and draw us near to Him. We want to fall in love with Him afresh.
~That God would move in unprecedented ways in the lives of the students we work with.
~And that we would not depend on ourselves to see God's Kingdom come, but that we would simply join Him in what He is doing.

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Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Decked out on Christmas

On Christmas eve sweet Avery was all decked out in her new Christmas dress. It was the first time she had ever worn a real nice dress. She was just a precious little thing.





Here's the family... Bill, Kathy, Brian, Avery & I, and Bethany.

Avery's first Christmas... she spent most of it sleeping or trying to eat wrapping paper.

Brian got Avery a KU beanie for Christmas.

Christmas dinner with everyone... it was great!

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Laughs & Drool

Avery has been laughing so much more these days! It is SO fun... at Christmas, Brian really got her going. I just caught the very end of it, but it was hilarious. You can actually see the drool going from Avery's mouth to Brian's chin. Oh my!
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Christmas with the Cousins

While we were in Wisconsin for Christmas my sister came out with her family. Avery got to meet Malachi & little Rachel (I guess that makes me big Rachel)... It was the highlight of our trip to see them! Malachi (who is a little over 2 yrs. old) was hilarious to watch open presents... the word of the day was "CARS!" He got lots of them and was so excited. It made Brian and I look forward to the day when Avery knows what's going on Christmas morning.


Malachi loved time with uncle Brian... here's a video of him tickling uncle Brian.

We all bundled up and went sledding on Christmas. Avery was sporting her new Green Bay Packers snowsuit.

Here's Malachi after his first sledding run!


Avery with Auntie Andrea


Risking our lives on the hill together...

Andrea, Aaron, & Malachi... little Rachel was ticked off at the time.

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Christmas with Grammy & Grampy

It was off to the frozen tundra of Madison, Wisconsin for us this Christmas. It was also Avery's first airplane ride. She was a champ and did so great! We were very proud and relieved. We stepped out of the airport to meet Brian's parents and Avery was swept into Grammy's arms... who accidentally forgot to say hello to her firstborn son. :) It was pretty funny. It really was so great to spend time with them and they sure did enjoy time with their granddaughter!


GO YANKEES!

She was ready for a nap here!
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She's A Looker

Brian and I have joked many times that we don't need a TV anymore because all we do is stare at our daughter. Mostly true. She is just beautiful... I know that we are biased, but we just think she has stunning beauty. I can't wait to tell her as she gets older what a beauty she is and help her understand the depth of how God has created her. These pics were from a car ride when we were in Wisconsin for Christmas.

She loves that thumb!



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A Little Photo Shoot

Who can resist cute babies in diapers? I was inspired one day to take a few pics of Avery when she was being super playful and really enjoying not wearing clothes. Funny how kids like being naked! She is not a fan of being on her stomach though, so the shoot only lasted a few minutes.


Avery loves Brian's hair... I guess it feels cool on her hand.
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Four Months Old

Avery turned 4 months old on the last day of November. Her fourth month was marked by lots of smiles, drool, and first giggles. She has been an utter delight (most of the time). We actually caught her first real laugh on video... SO FUNNY!




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Bathing Beauty

What a stinker Avery is! She has got the cutest & chubbiest little thighs & cheeks! She loves bath time... she actually gets pretty ticked when we take her out, probably because she knows that bedtime is getting nearer. She insists on putting everything in her mouth... especially the little bucket we use to rinse her.

Shove the bucket in the mouth!

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The Faces Of Avery

Brian and I spend much of our days cracking up at our daughter. She has got the most fun personality! We think she will be the life of the party (or the grump of the party at times!) :) We just adore her though and think that she adds so much joy to our lives.




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Thanksgiving in Vail

Yes... I know it is already the year 2008, but I wanted to make sure to catch the fam and friends up on the last few months. We spent Thanksgiving in Vail with my parents... super restful and fun. We watched movies, sat by the fire, played cards, and walked around the village. It was great. Avery was a champ!





Grandma & Grandpa had fun too! Pin It