... and these people!

Mom and grandbabies ............a little heavy, Nate? :)

my beautiful niece ................ enjoying Grandpa time

I love...

these people!

Books, books and more books!

Emma loves to 'read'. She gravitates towards books, and often I find her pulling books off the shelf, even my medical texts that weigh more than she does! I'm not sure about those pictures, though!

Sammi, on the other hand, is more of a 'dog' person...

play for kids?

Our new favorite place? The children's museum, although I'm not sure who had more fun!

What are you doing, dad?!?!? Francis putting on a play :)

Shopping

Should I be afraid, or eager to capitalize on this? I'm picturing two teenaged girls... any suggestions, mom?

Faces only a mother could love...

Sadness, spanish and a great spouse

My little sister got married yesterday. She was a beautiful, stunning bride! Her face was radiant, the groom was handsome, with a beautiful, classy service. And that's what I saw on the pictures :) Due to the immigration progress, we are currently unable to cross the border. After months of hoping and praying, contacting congressmen, and even running to the mailbox to see if the paperwork came (7pm wedding, mail comes by 1pm, 5 hour drive), we were unable to attend. My heart was a little broken. While the temptation to wallow in self-pity was HUGE, and constantly presenting itself as an option, we decided to continue as normal. All day, the question weighed on me -do I wallow or rejoice? How can I rejoice in all things and see the eternal perspective when I don't feel like it? What do I believe about God and his goodness? What do I know to be true, and where is Satan attacking my joy? My belief that God is sovereign. My belief that God is good. That He ordains all things, even that we weren't able to go. That He brought Erika and Guido together, and their marriage is based on HIM, not us :) That my circumstances do not dictate my joy or contentment. That Paul was a great man. That obedience sometimes costs. That God always intends everything for our good. That His plan is greater than my desires, and he's will replace my sorrow with something FAR greater. It was a great day, as far as spiritual battles go :)
So, we tried to continue with plans. We had a great spanish lesson -filled with lots of laughs, and then, to continue the celebration, we went out for dinner, and toasted Guido and Erika. We came home and looked at our wedding pics, and then played Settlers. My husband is phenomenal, making me laugh on a day when all I wanted to do was cry. On top of it, I heard from immigration, saying I needed another vaccine (one that I'm opposed to), that is going to cost a lot of money, and that if I was 3 months older, or had filed one week earlier, I'd be exempt from. Timing is everything, and mine sucks :) So, I thought I'd compile a list of things that I'm thankful for.
*a spouse that makes me laugh
*a relationship that grows deeper and better
*being in Grand Rapids
*a ministry that has blessed us richly, and is a good fit
*neighbours who have become our 'other family'
*a family that is God fearing and supportive of our work
*a wonderful church family
*two healthy, giggling daughters
*God's faithfulness in the past, promises for the future
*a great immigration lawyer
*an immigration doctor that is a believer, and is taking extra time to contact people regarding our case, volunteering his services, and sacrificially serves a community that is disadvantaged in grand rapids
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!