Welcome Home Daddy!

Well, my daddy is finally home! After being gone for 10 days, I wasn't really sure when I would see him again, but this past Wednesday, mommy took me to this place with a lot of people, airplanes, and a thing inside the building that goes round and round with lots of people's bags on it! When I saw my daddy walk through the twirly door, I looked at him for a second...not quite sure what to think...and then I realized "Hey, that's my daddy!" and I smiled really big, started kicking my legs really fast, and reached out for him to hold me! He was so glad to see me and mommy, and we are so glad to have him back! We missed him very much!! He said he had a good flight back and that his time in China was very productive!

Fun with Family!!

Here are a few pictures of our time in Waco (the weekend before Dave left) and Austin (Katelyn and I--while Dave was gone). Dave is scheduled to return this Wednesday evening, and Katelyn and I are counting down the hours!!

From left to right: Dave, Dave's grandmother, Katelyn, Dave's mom

Reading time with Granny (Dave's mom)

Katelyn's favorite pose with Peepaw (Kristen's dad)

Helping Mamaw (Kristen's mom) with her knee exercises (and arms too!)

Playdate with my two good friends from high school and their kiddos

Celebrating Aunt Jessica's birthday (that's Uncle Evan to her right)

One small step for man, one giant step for our sweet Katelyn!!

Well, it happened!! Katelyn took her first steps...five in a row!! What a treat it was that Dave got to see her too, since he flies out for China tomorrow morning! A special blessing indeed! See the video below to witness the excitement!

And We're Off!!

We are leaving today to spend the weekend with Dave's family in Waco. Part of our weekend will include celebrating his mom's birthday which was Sept. 9! We will return Sunday evening, unpack, do laundry and then repack. "Repack?" you ask. "A weekend in Waco wasn't enough travel??" Not quite. Dave flies out to China at 8 a.m. Monday for a last-minute, 10-day business trip. Katelyn and I will leave straight from dropping him off at the airport to drive to Austin for the week and hang out with my parents, my sister Jessica (whose Sept. 10 birthday we will be belatedly celebrating), and her husband Evan. My mom is still off work recovering from her knee replacement surgery and my dad is off work taking care of her! So....we will all get spend some fun family time together (but it's without Dave, so that always makes it a little less fun). Please pray for safe travel for Dave, a productive time of working through the company finances/budget, and a refreshing time of reconnecting with our teammates and Chinese friends.

An Honored Guest

This past weekend we had the opportunity to host a special guest! Michael is 24-year old Chinese student at SMU studying for his Master's in Statistics and also serving as a Teaching Assistant. He received a scholarship from SMU to study there, and he was the first Chinese student to be accepted to this Statistics program!

I actually met Michael when we lived in China! For those of you who remember us writing about our helper, Anna, Michael is her nephew!! I know....small world! We found out he was coming to study at SMU and were in contact with him before he even arrived! Katelyn and I went to pick him up from his apartment on Saturday afternoon (the end of his first week of school), then we met Dave back at the house, and we all went to church together that night! After church, we came home, ordered pizza, and watched a little football. Dave did a good job of explaining the game to Michael! We also stayed up late talking about very Meaningful things. Sunday morning, Kristen had her first day of volunteering with the 4-year-old Sunday school class! While she was with the 4-year olds, Dave, Katelyn and Michael went to Wal-Mart to pick up a shower curtain and some school supplies for Michael! Then we all had lunch at home and watched a tennis match on TV (Michael is a big tennis fan!). Dave took Michael back to his apartment that afternoon. We really enjoyed hosting Michael and giving him a chance to rest, relax, and be a part of our family for the weekend. He is going to have a busy semester, so we hope to serve as an encouragement to him as he adjusts to a new culture, new campus, and new people!

Katelyn was taking a nap, so she couldn't be in the picture, but I couldn't just leave her out!! Below is a picture of Katelyn in a little dress that my friend Rose bought her for her birthday! I put Katelyn in the dress last time we visited Rose, and I took her inside so Harry (Rose's husband) could see her too!

It's Party Time!

Dave, Katelyn and I left for Austin with my youngest sister Brittany last Friday for a weekend of partying!! We always look forward to the time we spend with our family in Austin, but this visit was extra special because we not only celebrated Katelyn's 1st birthday (is she really one already??!!), but Brittany's graduation from UNT! Instead of being in Denton with the rest of her graduating class, Brittany and her roommate were in London finishing up their last class (where was that class when I was in school??!!). Needless to say, they were not able to walk across the stage on graduation day. So, when we got to Austin, my dad had a "cap" (read: a UNT baseball cap), Brittany's graduation gown from high school, his tassle from HIS high school graduation in 1967, and a homemade diploma - it was definitely a one-of-a-kind ensemble (see picture below)!

As far as Katelyn's birthday party....She loved every minute of it! With an intimate gathering of family and friends of the family present, what a joy it was for us, as her parents, to not only celebrate the gift she is to us, but to see the joy that others had in celebrating her as well! Over the last year, she has taught us so much about ourselves, our ability to love, and most of all, the Lord's love for us as His children! We look forward to many years to come with our little rascal! ...and another birthday tidbit for you--Katelyn loved her birthday cake!! It was made out of cupcakes, so we placed her very own cupcake in front of her to devour...and devour she did!! The pictures say it all! I also included a video of us singing happy birthday to her and the reaction she had! So cute! We also had a little tri fold picture frame that had a picture of me, Dave, and Katelyn, all at one year of age! It was so neat to see the resemblances she had to each of us!

HAPPY GRADUATION BRITTANY!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY KATELYN!

Serving Some Sweet Seniors!

Another weekly activity that Katelyn and I enjoy is visiting a nearby nursing home! We got hooked up with this particular home through our church. I have always had a heart for the elderly and actually visited a nursing home on a consistent basis when I was in college. I thought this would be the perfect time to start again! I figure....Katelyn brings so much joy to us that SURELY the Lord can use her to bring that same joy to people who may not otherwise have anyone to look forward to seeing during the week! It has been such a blessing! Katelyn and I love the residents just as much (if not more!) than they love us (well, let's be honest...it's probably Katelyn that they look most forward to seeing each week!). Some residents invite her to jump on their beds, others want to hold her hand, and still others just love to see her smile, clap her hands, or hold on tight to mommy's fingers and walk around their room. "This little piggy" is also a favorite game for residents to play with Katelyn when we visit. Her "little piggies" are worn out by the time we leave! The picture below is of Katelyn and one of the residents, Ms. Ann. All of Ms. Ann's family lives in Canada, and hers is always the first room we stop at!