World Vision

Every few months I look forward to receiving the World Vision magazine in the mail. I read through it pretty much right when I take it from the mailbox. World Vision is an amazing ministry, and reading about their presence among the poor and hurting literally brings tears to my eyes. This afternoon as I was reading the new edition (written mainly about earthquake recovery in Haiti), I asked Oliver if he wanted to look at the pictures with me. He's pretty inquisitive, and lately has been asking more questions about God. So he hopped up on the chair with me, and wanted to look at each picture. I explained what they represented..people cooking food for the hungry, crews building new houses, kids washing their hands to prevent Cholera, and clinics to meet medical needs.

I've been praying that Oliver's heart will continue to be soft towards the Lord, and that when the time is right, he'll accept Jesus. Along with that, I've also prayed that I would be intentional about opening dialog about God with him. As we continued to thumb through the magazine, I asked if he wanted to pray for the people of Haiti, namely all the hurting children. To which he promptly said "yes." He prayed,

"God please be with all the kids in... (pause to ask me because he forgot the name of the country)Haiti. Help them to get new homes quickly and have all the food and water they need."

Such a simple prayer, yet so powerful coming from the mouth of a 4 year old. Yep, tears in my eyes once again as I am reminded of the power of prayer. If you are reading this, please take a minute and pray for the people of Haiti.

Daisy vs. Lydia

Our poor sweet Daisy has had her share of stress the past 5 years. She was our first "baby" and we joke that each time we have a baby, she moves down another notch. She really is a fantastic dog, but I admit, there are times she's on my last nerve. The kids try to give her commands, to which she totally ignores. Now, here's little Miss Lydia, getting ready to be one more bossy kid in Daisy's life. We love ya, Daisy. Really we do. Sorry for all we put you through.

Unruh Family Week

The middle of March we had a week full of family! The week began with Max and April having their sweet baby girl, Tessa Whitney Unruh (born March 16). Eric, Julie, and their girls came from Phoenix to visit. Jay, Kelli, and kiddos came too, so we were all together. It was a memorable time, and the kids played so well together. We celebrated Gran's b-day, played at the farm, went to the zoo, and celebrated Meredith's birthday a little early with a gymnastics party. Looking forward to when we are all together again.

Meredith's 3rd Birthday

Birthdays are bittersweet for this mama. I look so forward to celebrating, and am thankful for the blessing of another year, but I'm a little sad too. My kids are growing up so fast. Meredith turned three last weekend, and we had a great time celebrating. My brother and his family came for the weekend. It's always a good time with them. We started the morning with donuts. Since Meredith is always the first one out of bed in the morning, we went to Dillons to pick out her special birthday donuts before everyone else was up and around.




She helped make her princess cupcakes.



We spent the morning hiking trails and looking for wildlife at the Great Plains Nature center, then had a picnic near the center.



A delicious birthday dinner at Grammy and Pa's house.



Then, a tractor ride compliments of Pa.



I love this little girl. She brings joy and eccentricity to our family. She keeps us on our toes...in a good way. Happy Birthday, Meredith!