R and R

We got to have Daddy home for two weeks after 9 months away and we had a great time!

He was here Oct. 19-Nov. 4 and we made the most of every minute.

First, you'll see the shots at the airport. Believe it or not, I was able to keep the kids from knowing he was coming home and they were really suprised. One of my favorite photos is the one below where they see him coming in from the plane -- look at those faces! It's blurry, but the moment is sure there!

After a couple of days of just sitting together and enjoying each other, we went on a hike to Dripping Springs State Park in New Mexico. It was beautiful and we got to see true flora and fauna of the area -- in fact, we saw 3 trantulas walking across our path and none of us even jumped! We just enjoyed!

On to Anaheim, California and Disneyland for Cali's 4th Birthday! She got a bike before we left, but I think Disney trumped the bike! We all had a great time.

From there we went to San Diego and spent two nights a the Navy Base at Coronodo Beach. Talk about beautiful!

Halloween was spent at Sea World, and then on home. Before he left, we celebrated and early Thanksgiving and even put up the Christmas tree. It was just all wonderful!

Just a few more months and he'll be home for good -- yeah!!!

Enjoying our Summer!

We had the privilege of having Deana (Steve's sister and my best friend!) visit with us this week. Deana has never flown, and never been out West, so we planned some fun and certianly had it!

First of all, she said she was so excited on her plane ride that she had a hard time not jumping up and down in her seat in excitement! I was so glad she had a great first flight!

We spent our first day together touring the base, and enjoying the vistas of El Paso. We also went to the El Paso Museum of Art and saw the DiVinci diplay. One picture below shows the hall of mirrors, one of DiVinci's many inventions.

After that, we took a trip. We spent two nights in Sedona, Arizona, said to be one of the most beautiful places in the world (and we believe it!). Not only did we enjoy the views and the shops, we had buffalo burgers and cactus fries for dinner! Yes, it was real cactus and it was good!

We also spent one day at the Grand Canyon. What can I say? That speaks for itself! And Deana and Hannah and Cali were seeing it for the first time, which made it all the more exciting.

On our way back to El Paso, we stopped off at the Saguaro National Park in Tuscon. If you ever get to Tuscon, be sure to go here; it's just so neat! The Saguaro is the cactus you think of when you think of a cactus! It's the one with the arms. And, if you can imagine this, the National Park has them as far as the eye can see! Here are some interesting facts: The Saguaro takes 10 years to grow one inch, it takes 30 years to reach one foot, and it doesn't bloom until it is 50 years old! Once it gets to be about 50, it begins to grow arms so that it can enjoy more space. The Saguaros you see that are taller than a person and full of arms are about 200 years old! And, perhaps the most interesting thing we learned is that they are able to stand tall like that because they have "ribs" inside. Those are like tree branches. A picture below shows what that looks like. Now, isn't God creative??!

Fourth of July

We missed Daddy this year, but we made sure to grill out hamburgers (yes, I learned to use the grill!), to see friends, to go swimming and to see the fireworks in El Paso. We had a really good time.

Hope you all had a Happy 4th, as well!

Achievements

The girls have already accomplished so much this year, and we're so proud!

After graduating 1st grade with flying colors and many awards, Hannah learned to swim at the YMCA, to ride her bike without training wheels AND is on her 5th belt in karate (purple/blue)!

Cali learned to swim, too! She also recently graduated from Princess Camp. She learned ballet and jazz, and even got to meet Princess Sarah...I don't know who she is, either, but Cali was beyond excited!

Springtime in El Paso

Yes, I'm a little late with this post, too, but I didn't want to skip it. I showed you Winter in El Paso, and couldn't possibly forget the Spring. It happened early; blooms began in March, but continue on. It really is a beautiful place all year round.

Oh, and I'll post some shots of the Balloon Fest they have every year in Spring here. We had such a good time!

I hope you enjoy!

Deployment Day

Some of you didn't get to see the pictures of Deployment Day. It was a little to sad to post at the time, and I've been crazy busy ever since, so here they are.

As you view, remember, we're nearly six months into this now, and all is well. Steve is very busy with ministering and counseling and trying to stay out of the 130-degree summer heat.

We're all missing each other, but all is well!

Please continue to pray for his safety and for God to continue to sustain us all in our time apart. We appreciate your prayers so much!

Winter in El Paso

Many of you think it doesn't snow in El Paso, but guess what??! Not only have we gotten to enjoy building a snowman at home, but this weekend we took an excursion to Ruidoso, NM (2.5 hours away) and encountered blizzard-like conditions! That may not sound so exciting to you who have snow on the ground all winter but for us who get it 3 times per year (and especially for two little girls!), it's VERY exciting!

In Ruidoso, we got 6 inches overnight and the girls and Daddy went tubing and thoroughly enjoyed it! The next day, we all went sledding on the retreat grounds and had a blast...that is, until Hannah ran into a tree and sprained her ankle. BUT, if you're going to sprain an ankle, it sure is fun to say you sprained it sledding; she'll testify to that!

The pictures with trees are in Ruidoso; the others (like the one with the snow-covered cactus) are right here in our own backyard. Beautiful, isn't it?