A Fall Hike

Yesterday, we were able to do something I have been wanting to do since we moved back to Central Asia, hike in the hills and mountains all around! We enjoyed a beautiful day with friends.

Lissie posted some pics here

After her camera battery died, I pulled mine out and got a few more shots.

 We stopped here for lunch. We all enjoyed the food, the fellowship, and the water play! The water was very cold but refreshing.

 Will REALLY wanted to walk right into the water! Alicia (left) helped with Will and Peyton (right) spent a lot of time following Katie and making sure she didn't fall into the water.

 Our friends brought hot dogs to roast.

 Michael and his buddy Josh.

 Lissie and Alicia relaxing on a massive rock.

Happy Boy

Here are some pics from Will's birthday party. First, cake!

YUM

The balloons were a hit!

I have a lot of pics like this with his mouth wide open!

Opening gifts with a little help

He loves this little car- mostly he pushes it around the house

with Papa and Bibi

 On a totally unrelated note, I gave Anna the job of cooking dinner for us on Tuesday nights. This week, she wanted to make a Central Asian soup, which she loves. She also wanted to make homemade noodles, which she has seen local ladies make. I looked up the recipe for egg noodles on line, and we just had the soup. Delicious!!

Will turns one!

It is hard to beleive it has already been a year since our little Will was born (actually, he wasn't so little at 9 lb 12oz).  It has been an eventful year, and we are so glad Will shared it with us! We had a birthday party last week while my parents were here and Will had a great time eating cake and playing balloons. The rest of us were highly entertained by watching his antics. That little guy is animated!  Here are a few pics I snapped today.... and later will post some pics from his party.

Will today- one year old!

Michael at one year old- 8 years ago

Will and the kitties.... to give you a glimpse into his personality.

YES!

The kitties are amazingly tolerant!

We call Will "BamBam." He loves to bang, throw, climb, laugh, and explore. He also loves to smile! And we all love him. We love you Will and are so thankful God gave you life. What a delight to be your parents.

Guests and School Days

 We have had a full few weeks with my parents visiting and then our home school helper, Lissie, arriving. Lissie's parents brought her and we fully enjoyed having them with us for a few days. They are wonderful people and you can see pictures from their visit and learn about their family at their blog Unto Him We Live
You can also follow Lissie's blog Impassioned Purity

We started school yesterday and the kids (and Lissie!) are doing great!

 In the midst of all our guests, Michael broke his wrist! We are having trouble channeling all his energy these days since some activities are banned....

Pray for Lissie as she adjusts to being here. And pray that I would be wise in how I use the time that she is freeing up. Language lessons....... here I come!
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Our baby Will turns one this week! We had a party last week with Papa and Bibi. Pics to come

Road Trip

We went on a road trip to visit another city for a few days this week with my parents. Here are some pics from the trip

These are ruins of the old city that we visited.... occupied in around 200 AD