Getting ready to start her day ... looking at her face in this picture just reminds us of the fun and absolute joy she has brought into our lives and hearts. 
Emma and her friend, Martha, counting sprinkles (yep, 100 of them) to put on their cupcakes!
We still find ourselves greetings others in the Thai traditional way ... the wai, pronounced 'way.' Emma and a friend wai'ing with Ronald! 
Mothers and daughters ... friends in Conway, friends in Chiang Mai. This was taken just before the Great Nose Pierce 2011 (the daughters ... NOT the moms).
Another friend went first... 
Followed by Elizabeth ... so proud of her - not because of nose jewelry, but because she hasn't allowed what others might think to get in the way of this "totally-accepted-in-Asia-not-so-much-in-the-USA" way of wearing earrings! God grew her in some amazing ways during our time overseas. She has reminded us that there is no room for pride in the Chr!stian walk. She was a little nervous with going through it, but she had her friends' support (and a little hand holding). 
Yep, they just pushed it in ... if you've known Elizabeth for any length of time, pain is not her thing. 
All done ... 3 happy teenagers!!
And one beautiful daughter!! 
Just outside the Chiang Mai airport before starting our 36 hour trek home ... Chiang Mai to Bangkok ... to Seoul ... to Atlanta ... to Little Rock!! Leaving this part of the world, the place where we were prepared to live forever, was difficult on so many levels (and yes, those 2 little dog-crate looking things on the cart ... they're 2 little dog crates ... one for Jazzy, the Persian cat from India, and the other for Cookie, the Shih tzu from Thailand. And yes, we're crazy like that). 
A short Valentine's Day layover in Bangkok....
Kids and their technology ... never leave home without 'em!!
We were so excited to see family that there was no time for pictures ... but a few days after our arrival, we had our first birthday celebration!! 
Sisters.... 
We also made a trip to Little Rock for Winter Jam 2011!! The temperatures on this particular day in Little Rock was about as far away from the temperatures in Chiang Mai as it could be. We had to spend the first part of this day buying winter clothes and shoes. 
Fun family times!! 
What a great thing it was ... to see Verizon Arena packed out with people who love Jesus ... and good, Christian music!! 
Elizabeth's favorite ... Francesca Battistelli.
David Crowder Band.... 
And Noah's favorite ... the Newsboys. In all, 10-12 artists sang their hearts out for Christ! A good, good night!
A couple weeks later, we made a trip to see more family in Port Arthur - Dwayne, Karen, Anna, and Allie showed us a great time!! Anna and Noah actually ran a 5k that Saturday morning. Noah finished in 19 minutes but got sick at the finish line and didn't cross over for a few minutes. He still finished in 17th place!! We were super proud of both of them! 
We made a trip down to Galveston and "did" the ferry ride. 
Always a treat.... 
A trip to Joe's Crab Shack..... 
Yes, we saw some very interesting sites in Asia ... but this interesting site was actually found in downtown Galveston!! 
This guy was making salt water taffy ... the next thing we know, he's throwing it at us. Free salt water taffy tastes good! :) 
The beach ... the girls doing what they do best!! 
While the boy doing what HE does best ... standing on the edge of life!! And there is no telling how God will continue to use the zeal and love Noah has for people. We couldn't be more proud of him in the way he allows God to work in his life.
Cousins ... friends! 
"Jesus loves you" in the sand!! 
Noah had a chance to go fishin' with Grandpa.... 
And one of the highlights has been the arrival of our crate!! Since we first understood that God was shifting things up in our lives, we have continuously watched Him affirm this redirection. We're driving a 2009 Dodge Caravan for 6 months made available by a dentist in central Arkansas, a close friend emailed and said God had told him to give us his car, we were offered a 4 BR/3 BA home to live in (our parents weren't too crazy about us living 2 hours away, so we made the decision not to move there), we've had 3 other friends offer to let us either move in with them or move into one of their rent houses, we've found an orthodontist that agreed to take Noah as a new patient, and this list could go on. On this particular day, as we picked up our crate in Little Rock, we were reminded of the love and generosity of friends who emailed while we were still in Thailand saying that they felt God had shown them to "help us get some of our things home." What a blessing it was to be able to pack up some things from our time in India and Thailand and bring it back with us. It took 6-7 weeks, and though we still don't have a house to put it, we're excited to know that it's here waiting for us when He shows us our next place of service. 
Crackin' it open.... 
A little excited?!?!!?
Lots of good food ... this is one of Elizabeth's creations - cheesecake!! 
With blueberries on top!! 
Elizabeth, Emma and Makenzie making brownie bites with Grandmother!!
Grandmother and some of her girls in the kitchen ... simple times, yet very special times. We don't undestand why God has changed things up, and we're not sure where He'll take us next ... but we are grateful for the extended family time that He has given us.
2 comments:
No matter that I have heard every word of this, something about seeing the written words and the pictures just does something to my heart. To know how far you all have gone and what you have done...and still have to do, blows me away. Words cannot express how much love I have for all five of you or the pride I feel in knowing you are in my life. Keep up the good work and always know just how very much I love you all!!!!!!! Grandmother and Mama
I've had some of that free taffy! :) Good catchin' up.
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