ZuZu is HOME!!

We were more than excited to welcome Zuzu back home to the states! I still can't believe that we are sitting on this side of this long 2 year journey! Here is the post when we said goodbye to Zuzu for a while in 2010. The kids have grown so much since then!


We went to the airport to pick her up. The kids were so excited to see our favorite missionary!


Such a precious moment! In my memory forever. :)


Mom and Dad were overjoyed to have Suz home, too.








Our Aunt, Uncle and cousin's family came over to visit and brought Suz a fun cookie cake. :)


The girls modeling the 'Africa' clothes Zuzu bought for them. :)


Zuzu is definitely Ainsley's favorite playmate!


She got her first smart phone! Fun times! It's SO great to have her 'home' for a while!
Welcome home Sis! I love you, am so proud of you and have missed you so!


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Bowling Fun!

We took the kids bowling for the first time and had so much fun!




















I also went bowling recently with the awesome group of ladies! Such a fun girl's night!



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Two Things We Love!

The Helm family and the beach!!


We had such a fun weekend taking our annual Galveston beach day trip with our best friends! This family is such a blessing to each of us!!


Look at these cute kids! They were so excited to be in the sand and ocean!


Boogie boards have become our favorite thing to do at the beach!















We ended the day at Joe's Crab shack. It really was a perfect summer day with great friends!

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Pine Cove Base Camp Week

Our church hosted a Pine Cove Base Camp where they brought their awesome staff and all activities to Houston and we opened up our campus to have a summer camp in the city for over 100 elementary kids. It was an amazing week and totally exceeded our expectations!


We were so excited that Austin was old enough to go! Definitely a highlight of his summer!


While Austin was at camp each day, the girls started swim lessons.


One afternoon Daddy took all of his girls out for a date to lunch and Build a Bear!:)


We had 3 PC staffers stay at our house for the week and we loved it! Talk about top notch guys!


This is a pic of the kiddos on Thursday evening. We were in the car for less than 5 minutes and we noticed how quiet it was and turned around to see them ALL out! You know it's been a good week when they are that worn out from all the fun!


Our cool little dude on hie way to camp the last day. :)


This was Austin's counselor for the week. He just got through giving Austin his CQ (character qualities he saw in Austin through the week.) Overall, the week was a huge success! So proud of our church and PC for wanting to reach families in our city!


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4th of July

We had a great 4th of July weekend! We went to the lake house in Granbury and had a fun time as always. It's such a relaxing and enjoyable place for the whole family. :)


Our 3 cuties sporting their red, white and blue.


About to start the small fireworks.











All their 'friends' on the porch so that they can watch the fireworks.


Our own fire works show!





Another wonderful summer weekend!

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13th Anniversary

June was a very busy month this summer. From VBS to Ainsley's birthday and all the swim meets and practices in between, we stayed very active. Somehow we found time to go out to lunch to celebrate 13 years together as a married couple.



I look at this beautiful picture of us 13 summers ago and think how young and well rested we look, and how madly in love we were with each other so excited to begin our journey together.


In 13 years, we have moved into 10 different houses (or apartments), we have lived in 5 different cities and served at 6 different churches, I finished college (the first 2 years of our marriage) and Andrew has completed Seminary and written his first book, we have had 3 beautiful babies and several unborn babies lost, and many more blessings than disappointments along this road of life together. The Lord has been so good to us and we might not look as young (or beautiful) as we were 13 years ago, but we are stronger as a couple now more than ever. I am so proud of my man. He is an incredible father, spiritual leader of our family, my best friend and pastor. I love him and know I am so blessed! Happy 13 years, sweetie!

"Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." Hosea 6:1-3

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