"It's time for Triple P’s!" And Micah knows that means bedtime. Strange how family sayings like that come about. It must have started when we were talking about alliteration for school. Potty and pajamas start with P so we need a word for brushing teeth that starts with P. That's when polish was added and the triple P’s began and was too catchy to end. While the order might change up and a step or two added or removed for a day, the current bedtime routine typically goes something like this. Micah does his triple P’s (or quadruple P’s if he takes a plunge for bath night) then we sit and snuggle and read together. We might read a chapter in the Boxcar Children or a picture book from our stash or the library. We usually check out 15-30 new books from the library when we go every other week. Then we read the Bible together and write in our thankful book. We each pick one thing we are thankful for from that day. It's really fun to look back and see what we have been thankful for on days past! Here is a recent entry: -making my Jeep -making venison snack sticks -talking with Heather Then it's lights out and Micah cozies down under the covers. We pray together, sing a song and tell a story. Then we give hugs and kisses and say goodnight. We truly cherish this sweet family time together and look forward to snuggling and reading to and praying with another child in our family. We pray together for another child for our family and we pray for mothers considering adoption. That they might know hope and feel peace in their decisions whether they decide on an adoption plan or to parent their child. We pray for you, that you will know hope and peace in whatever decision you make.

Brianna's grandpa passed away the end of May. It is hard for our family, especially with the recent passing of Brianna's grandma too, but we are so grateful for the close relationship that we were able to have with him. Brianna shared this at the funeral:

My grandpa was very active, playful, friendly and kind, but there is one characteristic that has always stood out to me most. I remember as a child when I heard the word "faithful" my grandpa came to mind and still does. Papa made friends easily and kept his friends too. He was faithful in his commitments and service to God and his church. But mainly I thought of his faithfulness to my grandma. My grandma has been slowly losing her ability to walk and to do certain tasks with her hands since I was a child. As her physical abilities decreased I watched Papa's gentle care for her grow. His faithfulness was demonstrated visibly in his own self sacrifice, increasing patience and loving care for his wife. They celebrated 61 years of marriage. Two days ago my husband Kevin and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. 10 feels long, but 61 is definitely much longer! I pray that I can show the same faithfulness and tender love to Kevin that I witnessed in my grandpa and that I might be able to demonstrate so clearly my love for God in the way I love others. If Papa would want you to know anything right now it would be that God loves you deeply and desires to have a saving relationship with you, this was the basis for his life. Thank you.

What a blessing to spend time with friends! Zeb, Ariana and little Ember came to stay with us for the weekend from Chicago. Zeb brought his ice cream maker and we enjoyed homemade mango coconut ice cream! And they left the leftovers so we are still enjoying it :) After the kids went to bed we played Taboo, Camel Up and Stone Age and spent time just chatting and catching up on each other's lives. Saturday we explored a local park and had a picnic supper in our backyard. It was so fun to watch Micah play with Ember. He loves younger kids so much and is so excited to have a little sister or brother! Ember isn't quite walking on her own yet so Micah would hold her hands and walk her all over the yard. They both loved it! He would also set her at the bottom of the hill and then he would run up the hill and back down to her and they would both start giggling. It made us laugh too to watch them play and laugh together! What a joy!

Fuimos a Tejas para las vacaciones. Los padres de Brianna fueron con nosotros. A Kevin le gustaba mucho ir de excursión a ver huellas de dinosaurio ¡y también el sol! A Brianna le gustaban mucho las misiones de San Antonio. Más de diez años pasados Brianna asistió a una universidad en Madrid. La arquitectura de las misiones parece simular a unos edificios en España. ¡Que divertido verlos y recordar las memorias! Micah disfrutó su primer curso de cuerdas altas. ¡Nos lo pasamos muy bien juntos y estamos emocionados de viajar con otro niño!

January was a difficult month for us. Brianna’s grandma passed away. After the funeral we had a luncheon and a time for people to share memories. Here is a portion of what Brianna shared:

“When I was a child, my family was going away for some reason and I asked Gram if she could babysit my doll for me while we were gone. When we returned, we went to their house so that I could pick up my doll. The doll was sitting propped up on the dining room table and she was wearing a hospital bracelet. Gram then shared a very long and detailed account of their time together and how my doll ended up getting sick and had to go to the hospital, but that she was all better now. Gram engaged in my childhood imaginations. The week before she passed away, I watched her engage in the same way with my son, her great grandson. Micah wore a lab coat and used his plastic stethoscope to listen to her heart. He held an eye chart up on the other side of the room and she perfectly read all the letters, all the while she addressed him as doctor and asked him his suggestions on remedies to the different ailments that he discovered. 

I will definitely miss the opportunity to have more times like that and the ability to call and just talk, but I think one of the things that I will miss the very most is knowing that she is praying for me. Gram told me regularly that she prayed for me every day and that has been such an encouragement to me.”

We are so grateful for the time that we had with Gram and her love and involvement in our lives.

December. Whew! December was a busy month, but a very fun month too with gingerbread houses, cookie decorating and homemade ornaments.

Kevin went hunting again and got an 8 point buck. He butchered it himself and made homemade jerky. Some of the best he has ever made!

Brianna worked on some home projects, organizing, purging and rearranging. She is definitely "nesting" during this time of waiting for and anticipating another child.

Micah requested for Christmas either a pet or a scarf that mommy made in secret for him. We decided a scarf was the easier of the requests so Brianna was busy knitting in secret. :D

Our favorite Christmas celebration was at home on Christmas day. This year was similar to Christmas the past few years. We open our stockings in the basement by the fireplace, then head upstairs to open a few gifts under the tree in the living room. All that before breakfast! The rest of the day we enjoy meals as a family, reading the Bible together, playing new games and with new toys and a walk at the beach. No snow, but the weather was gorgeous for a walk this year! A relaxing and enjoyable day.

While our smallest celebration is our favorite, we definitely enjoy all of the larger gatherings as well filled with family and friends, good food and gifts. We even received a few gifts addressed to "Surprise"! We are excited for a new addition to our family!

Kevin's favorite time of year has rolled around again. November and hunting season. Kevin has been spending time at the farm with his dad, walking the paths in the woods that his parents made and maintain, and sitting in a tree stand or at the base of a tree watching and waiting. A highlight this year was getting to watch two bucks sparring.

November held a job change for Brianna. After 7 years at the same company, Brianna left her part-time position as an IT analyst. She will definitely miss the challenge and hopes to be able to continue doing some analysis on the side. We are so grateful for her job and all of the ways she was able to learn and grow, but also so grateful now for the opportunity for her to be able to focus more time (and mental energy!) on our family. 

For Thanksgiving break Micah bunny-sat Louie, his preschool class pet. He was sure excited to feed carrots and lettuce and fill up Louie's water bowl. It was really funny to hear Micah squeal when he would have the cage open to feed Louie and he would make his escape and start hopping all around our living room!

November also meant family gatherings. Brianna's parents hosted Thanksgiving at their house with family from Brianna's mom's side, Brianna's dad's side and Kevin's parents. The Saturday after Thanksgiving we also got together with Kevin's mom's family at Kevin's uncle and aunt's house. We played games, watched football, talked and, of course, ate lots of food.

We are so grateful for God's blessings. Micah says he is grateful for the sun. Kevin and Brianna are both so grateful for the gift of being parents and we are excited to love another child!

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! - Psalm 118:29

October was a busy month for our family. One of our highlights was being able to take a family vacation to Ohio. The first couple of nights we stayed with a friend from college. It was so good to see her and be able to catch up in person. She took us to the Columbus Zoo, which was amazing! and many of her favorite parks. We also went to a Mediterranean restaurant where we tried new foods including stuffed grape leaves for the first time. So good! Then we rented an Airbnb in the Cleveland area. We went to a market there and bought some different kinds of fruits that we had never tried before. Some we definitely like more than others, but it was certainly fun trying! Waterfalls, forests, ledges and rock carvings were hiked and explored in Cuyahoga National Park and the metro parks. We were impressed by Micah’s stamina to do so many miles! There were definitely periods though with many many breaks in order to more closely inspect leaves, bugs and rocks. It is such a wonder to admire God’s creation through a child’s eyes. The one rainy day was perfect for museums and we were so excited to see dinosaur fossils! That museum choice was definitely spurred on by Micah’s current interest in dinosaurs. Kevin and Brianna both mentioned that the fossils were their highlights from the museums as well. We can’t wait to see what things another child in our family will be interested in and lead us to trying out something new!