I was home for Christmas

My niece Eden was 3 months old when we met for the first time at Christmas.

Humility was captivated by my brother playing the guitar.

Samuel wanted snow for Christmas. And it snowed when we went to my Uncle Mike's house.

Having fun during our layover on our way to see my parents for Christmas!!

Humility and Eden meet for the first time.  :)

We love sweet cousin Eden.

It was fun to see cousins that I hadn't seen in years! I also got to meet my cousins  daughter Okleigh. Abigail and Okleigh are only one month apart. All the "little" cousins had fun playing together.

It was so wonderful to be with my family for the Holidays. Making memories that we will treasure  always. We look forward to the next time we will all be together. We love you all!

Grandma Ann's 83rd Birthday

 Abigail talking to the seagulls at the beach.

 Snuggle time

 I was the first one to see this huge bear outside the window of the house we stayed at in 

Tahoe. You can't tell as much in the picture, but he or she was ginormous!

 I love this boy.

For Grandma Ann's 83rd Birthday we spent the weekend at a house in Lake Tahoe. Seven out of nine of her children were able to be there. It was a lot of fun.

We made it!

We have arrived in Baton Rouge! We had a great trip along our way here. We stopped to see my sister and her husband in Colorado for one night and then drove to Missouri to see my family for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to get to spend a few days with everyone. While there we announced to my family that a little bundle of joy should be making his or her debut into our family sometime near the end of June! We are excited about this new addition and blessing to our family. My morning sickness has been minimal and seems to stay away as long as a eat often.

Yellowstone

On July 4th we went to Yellowstone. You never know how much wild life you will see on any given day, but this time we saw a lot of animals including 2 moose. My favorite part of the park is the Lower Falls. The following picture with the rainbow was taken there. Reminding me that the Lord's mercies are new for us every day.

Jackson Hole, Nat'l Parks & Camping

Archway of antlers in Jackson Hole

Yeeaaaahh Daddy! Thanks for making such a great fire!!

Bye-bye bison

Overlooking the Lower Falls and Yellowstone River

We woke up at 5 o'clock and left early Tuesday morning for Jackson Hole. This is a little town with the population of around 8,000 very similar to Cody. To get there we drove through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and saw some beautiful scenery and bison along the way. Once in Jackson Hole we rested on a grassy area downtown while Samuel tried to play with chipmunks (video below). We walked around looking at different shops and ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant called, "The Merry Piglets." After getting some ice cream at Haagen Daus we ventured back toward Grand Teton National Park to find a camping spot for the night. We found a spot, set up the tent and Cody began to build a fire. That night we cooked hot dogs, popcorn and had smores. It rained that night while we slept in the tent, but thankfully everything stayed dry inside. The next morning while Cody was out praying he got to see a bald eagle! I thought it was pretty cool that he got to see it. Then we packed up everything and headed towards Yellowstone. On the way to our next stop we met a herd of bison along the road. This was quite an experience (to view video click here). I have never seen that many bison that close up in my life! My favorite scenic area was the Lower Falls along Yellowstone River. We walked down a very long trail to see a close up view of the Lower Falls (video below). Standing above the waterfall looking down was amazing! I was reminded of how small I am and how big God is.

After viewing the Lower Falls and making the trek back up the trail we were ready to start heading back home. Over the course of our trip we had been praying that we would see a bear (from a safe distance, of course). We were excited to see cars pulled over to the side of the road because that is an indication that something has been spotted. And guess what we saw....a bear!! It was at least 120 yards from the side of the road with a river between us, so we weren't able to get a picture. But we did watch it with our binoculars. It had found some food, which looked like possibly an elk or a deer. It was neat that over the course of those two days we saw a bald eagle, a herd of bison and a bear. Thank you Lord for your creation. How wondrous are the works of your hands.

Samuel and the Chipmunks!

Lower Falls

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles.

They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

Heather and Jay's Wedding!

Samuel with Grandpa George

If you'd like to view more photos click, *here*.

We had a great trip to Chicago this weekend for my sister's wedding. We had started saving for the trip ahead of time. Then unexpectedly, a family gave us $500 for our trip and another family said they felt led to give $200. The Lord provided the finances we needed. Thank you, Jesus! We left early morning Wednesday the 21st and got there Thursday evening. We had a great time on our drive listening to music and teachings on our ipod. When we hit the Chicago city limits we were in heavy traffic. But in the midst of that I just started laughing for no reason. Then I realized the Lord was filling me with joy and I couldn't stop laughing for about 10 minutes. (I experienced this laughter again on our way back to Wyoming, right before hitting traffic in Minnesota.) This made our drive through about an hours worth of traffic very enjoyable. When we got to Chicago Cody dropped me off at Birthway's while he spent the evening with Jay and another friend Michael. I went to Heather's Blessing Way Party where we had some food and blessings were given. Afterward we went bowling! I haven't bowled in at least a year and a half. I bowled a 145! I was surprised by how well I did. It was fun to have a ladies night out with Heather and her friends. Then on Friday night we had the wedding rehearsal and dinner which was Chicago style hot dogs (yummy). My Mom, Dad, brother, Tim and sister-in-law, Tara arrived in Chicago that night. It was so great to have the whole family together again.

Heather and Jay's wedding was on Saturday. The wedding started at 3 pm at my sisters church. It was a beautiful wedding. Instead of having the minister do traditional vows they had friends read excerpts from different books for the vows. Then Heather and Jay shared vows spoken from their hearts. While they lit the unity candle, I sang a song called, "My Romance." For the benediction I sang, "The Gathering of Spirits" with two lovely ladies who have beautiful voices. It was an honor to get to be a part of Heather and Jay's special day. They had tied their rings to a ball and Samuel was the ring bearer. The plan was for Samuel to throw the ball to Jay. Samuel did throw the ball and it bounced at Jay's feet. He did a great job :) The wedding reception was a lot of fun. It's one of the best receptions I've ever been to. They had a Mexican buffet and a dessert buffet. The food was delicious. They also had a live karaoke band and sooo many of Heather and Jay's friends sing professionally. The talent would definitely have been competition for American Idol. The reception went from 5-midnight. Samuel had a great time dancing and hanging out with the other kids. He eventually fell asleep in my arms around 11. The next day Jay's mom, Annie had a buffet put together at the hotel from 10:30-12. It was sad to say good-bye to my family. The weekend seemed to go by so fast. But I am thankful for the time we got to spend together. I am 28 weeks and I know the next couple months are going to go fast. My parents and sister plan on coming out to see us when Abigail is born, so it won't be long before we'll get to see each other again!

On our trip back to Wyoming, we ate at Outback Steak House that night for dinner. As we were leaving the restaurant we noticed a lady sitting outside on a bench. She looked like she had been crying. We talked with her and found out she had just gotten out of an abusive relationship and had run out of gas. We got to encourage her, pray with her and helped her get some gas. I love living for God. It's so enjoyable to partner with Him.

Back Home

The Lord has continued to do miraculous things in the lives of people on the streets of Seattle. For those who haven't known, Cody and a friend hitch hiked up the west coast and the Lord led them to Seattle. Cody had been gone about 40 days traveling up the west coast, sharing the gospel and ministering to the homeless and drug addicts in Seattle. Though it was cold and rainy for much of Cody's time in Seattle, the Lord gave him a heart of compassion for the homeless and he is thankful for the opportunity he got to live like they live for a moment.

One weekend, our good friend Steve flew into Seattle to see his brother and do work on his brothers house. He was able to contact Cody and Cody helped Steve work on his brothers property that weekend. Steve's brother welcomed Cody to stay in his home and Cody was thankful to be in a warm place, take a warm shower and sleep on a comfy couch. The Lord also provided a plane ticket for Cody to get back to California which we were very thankful for. Samuel and I picked up Cody at the San Jose Airport Tuesday, the 19th! We were all excited to see each other and Cody was amazed by how much Samuel has changed over the past month. He is saying so many new words and putting together 3 and 4 words to make phrases. Our time apart has caused us to fall more in love with the Lord and with each other.

I also got to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time on Tuesday. It was strong and didn't take long for the nurse to find it. I'm at 14 1/2 weeks and definately starting to show! I'm excited to be in the 2nd trimester!

Great is Thy Faithful

Towards the end of September the Lord told us to decline the property management job that we had been in training for. After we told the owners of the property that we would not be taking the position the Lord began giving us words, confirmations and dreams about going to North Carolina. During this time the Lord told us to give our van away to a friend, so we did. A few days later we were given a 2002 Mazda Protege. God is so good! The gas mileage has been a blessing on this trip.

On October 12th we left and when we got to NC a couple days later we were led to a big worship gathering in downtown Charlotte. It was great getting to worship the Lord with some of the body of believers in Charlotte. The next day the Lord led us to Morningstar Ministries, in Fort Mill, SC, and revealed ways we can be praying for this ministry. Then we were led to the beach in Jacksonville, Florida where Samuel had a great day playing in the sand and splashing in the water. He has been so good traveling. And brings a smile to so many peoples faces.

That night, the Lord told us to go to Texas. We knew we didn't have enough gas or money to make it to Texas, but we wanted to be obedient so we started driving that way. Along the way, I got to share the gospel with a cashier at a gas station and talked about the Lords faithfulness to provide for us.

Our next stop was Defuniak Springs, Florida where we heard about a service that would be held at the Defuniak House of Prayer. That night we went to the service and were refreshed and encouraged by the body of Christ. The guest speaker prophesied over Cody and confirmed many prophecies that have been spoken to him in the past. I experienced the Lords presence in a powerful way that I haven't before. And know my relationship with the Lord will never be the same after that night. After the service people offered a place for us to stay, took us out to dinner and we were given money from 3 different people that totaled $130. God has been so faithful to provide for us when we need it.

This brought us to Missouri City, Texas where the Lord brought us the opportunity to share the gospel with 8 young adults. They all came from Christian homes, but none of them were serving the Lord. They all seemed receptive to the gospel and Cody got to pray with them. One young man had a cyst on his wrist and was going to have surgery on it that week. While Cody was praying for him, he pulled his hand away and said, "I have never felt anything like that before." His cyst started to go down! Praise Jesus, He loves to heal us! After that the Lord led us to a Spanish Pentecostal Church in Galveston, TX where we had a great time of worship. Even though I could only understand a few words during the service I enjoyed the passionate worship and preaching.

The Lord continued to direct us west and while in Tonopah, Arizona, the Lord had us meet Nick. Nick is one of the most humble, compassionate men I have ever met. He was so generous and wanted to help us on our journey in anyway he possibly could. He gave us food and $10, wishing he had more to give. He loved the Lord and wept at the mention of His name. His tears were not tears of sadness, but of joy for the salvation he has received in Jesus. Seeing the way that Nick lives, made me want to love people and serve them in anyway that I can. When I watched the way he talked with others and gave what he had to give, it made me think of Jesus.

As we were driving, we felt the Lord leading us to see Cody's family in California. Grandpa Black (Laurie's dad) graduated to heaven the evening of October 19th. Please pray for her and her family, as they are missing her son and now her father.

We arrived in Placerville yesterday and got to surprise Laurie at her work. We aren't sure how long the Lord will have us here, but it is a blessing to get to spend time with family and rest after a couple weeks on the road. Thank you Jesus for your goodness and faithfulness.

Back in the 'Burg

This is the picture our friend entered in the photography contest for Testify magazine.

This is our new van the Lord provided for us. Can you guess what the side says??

We are back in Missouri! Cody, Samuel and I arrived about 2 weeks ago. We have enjoyed spending time with friends and family we haven't seen in about 6 months.

For those who don't know we gave our Ford escort away before we left Missouri in December. We believed the Lord would provide a vehicle for us when we needed one and He did! Before we parted from our friends that we had been traveling with the past 5 months they saidthe Lord wanted them to give us their van! The same day they told us this, they received a call from a friend who said they felt led to buy their family a car! How awesome is our God!

A few days ago while Cody was in prayer one morning in the van, he began to smell coffee in the Spirit. There was no coffee to be found. Soon after he was given a vision of the coffee shop down town. The Lord told us to go there, so we did. When we pulled into a parking space there was a woman knocking on the window of our van. Cody got out and found out that she had been sitting at the coffee shop reading her bible. She wanted to enter a magazine photography contest and felt like seeing our van was a sign that she should still enter it since that day was the deadline and she had no pictures yet. We hung out with her and her kids all day. She took us out to lunch, snapped photos, and we had the privilege of ministering to her. Talk about a divine appointment!!

Samuel is 18 months now!! I can't believe he's already 1 1/2! Cody recently taught him to say "ouch" when he gets a boo-boo. He will say it and lift up his pant legs to show the scrapes on his knees. If I say "moo" or "ruff ruff" he can imitate me. And if he's playing with a car he will go "vroom vroom." He can point to his nose if we ask him where his nose is. He's also really good at waving and will wave at people driving by when we go for a walk. If he wants to go outside he will bring me his shoes and sit on my lap, so we can put them on. He is also doing really well at following directions. I will ask him to give me something and he can do it. He also likes to help me load and unload the dishwasher and put clothes in the dryer. We went to a friends house last night for a bible study and our friend gave Samuel a bike that was too small for their son. Samuel loves riding his new bike and being outside.