March, April, and May...

Since I last posted, we drove to Oklahoma to visit Billy's lovely extended family for five days (and drove back in one day--not for the faint of heart!). The trip was even better than we expected and gave us quality time with all of his grandparents, every aunt and uncle, and half of his twelve cousins. Our kids had a blast playing on the farm, going fishing, exploring Enid's children's museum, staying in a motel, getting to know their family, digging in the dirt, and throwing balls for the farm dogs. We're already looking forward to the next time we will go again.

Right after we returned, my sister (and her in utero son) came for a visit for six wonderful days. I really appreciated having time to reconnect with her. She is an auntie extraordinaire and the kids soaked up more family time in March by playing, playing, playing with Auntie Shawna.

April brought changes. Or really, acceptance of changes. And also acceptance that some things are not changing. Though we had hoped and planned to move back to the Northwest, we are now planning--and coming to peace with--staying in the Valley indefinitely. I could not tell you why God is keeping us here, but I do feel that He is behind this. We are both so thankful for Billy's excellent job which he enjoys; it's really a perfect career for him. And fortunately for me and Billy, our kids are blissfully content to be "home" wherever mom and dad are, even if that's among the cactus.

Since we'll be here for a while, this month we are starting the search for a home of our own. We've lived in the same rental house for over three years and it's been a good place for us to have little kids but now that our family is growing up, we're looking forward to having a space that is better suited to our needs. The home buying process can be intimidating. Hopefully it won't take too long or get too complicated (hey, I can hope...).

Easter morning:

May also brought our first broken bone. John fractured his right thumb after a skillfully placed kick from his darling sister. That was urgent care trip number one. Four days later, I found myself there again with David. An empty olive can in the recycling bin gave him a very deep "L" shaped cut on his right pinkie. The doctor concentrated very intently to place five stitches in such a tiny finger. Both boys were so tough and incredibly tolerant of the pain (and blood in D's case). That was the same week that David and Hava both had the flu (which was the fourth or fifth time the flu has visited our house this season!). I'm praying that we are through with medical emergencies and that pesky flu for at least a few weeks.

In between urgent care visits, we went to see Seussical, a fantastic musical that featured my talented eight-year-old cousin, Sophie. David had a babysitter (hooray!) and we enjoyed the event with the "big kids," who were in Dr. Seuss heaven. What a fun show!

We have entered the Lego phase of life--for all three kids--oh my.

Next month, we are looking forward to a visit from Papa and Mimi and plenty of swimming when the hot weather is in full swing. And, maybe, we'll buy a house. That would be wonderful!