We're back...and starting a new adventure!

It is hard to believe it has been more than two months since we wrote an official blog entry.  Update: We took our hard drive into a data recovery place and paid some big bucks.  They were able to recover about 80% of our data.  Most of the pictures that were unable to be recovered (probably 18%), were of our wedding and wedding receptions and we were so sad at the thought of losing them.  After hearing about our loss of pictures, Jed's Uncle Harvey remembered that he had some pictures of ours on his computer from a slide show we did at our Washington, D.C. wedding reception in May of 2009.  When Uncle Harvey copied the pictures of the slide show onto his computer, he "accidentally" copied ALL of our wedding pictures to his computer.  SO, he was able to give us all of those files.  What a miracle!  The process we went through of surrendering six years of digital images, not sure if we would get them back, was a difficult process.  God refined our character big time!

I think the best way to summarize all the things that have happened in our lives since our last blog post, 2 months ago, is in a bulleted list.  

• 7-9-11: Celebrated Hosea's 1st birthday with family and friends in the backyard of our cousin and aunt's home.  It was such a fun time.  Hosea got a soccer ball from his cousin Cam, which he has already learned to dribble...like father, like son.  

Birthday party Popsicles

Hosea's gift from Mama & Daddy - a scooter-type bike & helmet

• 7-10-11: Went to a Bela Fleck concert at Wolf Trap with Cousin Deb & Cousin Cam - so fun!  

Mom + snacks + being outside with Cousin Hosea = Happy Cameron

Hosea is overwhelmed by how amazing the music is

• 7-11-11: Hosea turns one!  We love this little guy more and more each day.

Hosea is clapping because he loves being one!

• 7-15-11: Celebrated Cousin Kari's birthday in Maryland with a BBQ and sailing...probably the most gorgeous day of summer we experienced on the East Coast!

Happy Birthday, Kari!

Family snuggles in the hammock

Jed & Cousin Scott getting the boat ready to sail

• 7-17-11: Jed takes me on an amazing 31st birthday date (few days early, as my b-day is 7-20) - we ate some delicious Asian cuisine and played skee ball and shuffle board. 

Birthday love!

• 7-20-11: Bethany turns 31!  She is served breakfast in bed by Daddy and Hosea and celebrates over a delicious family dinner with Cousin Deb & Cam.
• 7-28-11: Trip to the Reston Zoo with Deb & Cam - the kids loved it and the parents got quite a kick out of the safari ride.

Zebras and bison and CAMELS...oh my!

• 8-3-11: Nationals Game with Deb & Cam - We got rained on for a portion of the game, but the kids had a blast.  The stadium is really nice and we had amazing seats in left field, where the boys could wander around, eat snacks, clap, and dance to the organ music.

Ready to head into the park

Only in Washington, D.C. would you find "President Races" around the field.  Hosea is a little afraid of Teddy.

Enjoying our empty section in the outfield

• 8-7-11: Trip to Sky Meadows State Park - I have mentored/discipled two girls from The Falls Church over the past 6+ months.  We had a little outing and picnic together, which was really fun.

At the top

•  8-8-11: Hosea is learning to feed himself.  He likes to say, "I do."  He's a little messy, but he's doing a good job for being less than 13 months old.

Our messy boy won't stop moving, so it is hard to capture a clear picture

• 8-8-11: Hosea is OBSESSED with water - drinking it and playing in it (pool, bathtub, sprinkler, toilet, dog dishes).  I had no idea that squirting my son with a hose with give him so much enjoyment.

This little boy is the cutest EVER!

Happiness

Snuggles with Mama...getting dried off

• 8-12-11: Theater in the Woods production at Wolf Trap with Deb & Cam - Wolf Trap is such an amazing outdoor venue and is very kid friendly.

View from the back of the outdoor theater

• 8-13-11: Day Trip to Westmoreland State Park and George Washington's birthplace

Future president???  Learning from Mr. Washington

Gorgeous hike at Westmoreland State Park

Enjoying the beautiful view and trying to keep the baby asleep in the Ergo carrier

• 8-15-11:  Cousin fun!  After Hosea and Cam get sprayed by the hose in the yard, they enjoy a warm bath.  These boys LOVE each other so much.

Bath time is the best!

• 8-16 - 8-21-11: Our cousins from MN visit - Jeremy & Sarah Hedlund and their three daughters and Jess & Ben Kubicek and their two sons visit.  We enjoy meals together, a game night, and time sightseeing D.C.

Leaving the Jefferson Memorial and headed for the Washington Monument

Our son is so patriotic

Good meal after a day of sightseeing

Big family dinner and game night

• 8-21-11: First experience of Kenyan cuisine with our dear friend, JoEl - JoEl is one of our most special friends from Falls Church.  We feel so thankful to have gotten to spend time with him and this day was extra special, as he took us to Swahili Village, the only restaurant he knows of in the area that serves authentic Kenyan food.  We ate goat for the first time.  The food was delicious!

Clean plate club - the food was so yummy!

• 8-24-11: Trip to Baltimore Aquarium with the Lorah family - we never got a chance to get up to Philly to visit our dear friends, the Lorah's.  So, we met halfway in Baltimore to celebrate their daughter's b-day at the aquarium.

Group shot after visiting the aquarium

• 8-25 - 8-28-11: Trip to Rhode Island beach to spend time with our friends, the Beckwith's.  We were so thankful to be invited to spend a few days with the Beckwith's (who traveled from Vermont) at a beach cabin in Rhode Island.  Our trip got cut a bit short because of Hurricane Irene, but we still had such a sweet time.

This baby loves the beach...probably because WATER is there. 

We LOVE the Beckwith family!

Dinner at Mystic Pizza..."THE" Mystic Pizza

• 9-1-11: Baltimore Orioles Game with Cousin Deb, Cousin Cam, and the Ensor family - the Ensor's were able to hook us up with some stadium suite tickets.  We had such a fun time!

Thank you, Ensor family!  We had such a fun time at the game!

The kiddos LOVED playing inside the suite.

• 9-5-11: Trip to the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial with our friend, JoEl 

A rainy day, but we had a good time together

MLK Jr. - what an amazing leader!

• 9-7-11: Our last family dinner at 103 S. Cherry St. in Falls Church, VA - family dinners have been one of our favorite parts of the last year.

Always amazing food and great time with family

• 9-8 & 9-9-11: Packing all our belongings to leave Falls Church, VA

Packing up

• 9-10-11: Leave Falls Church, VA and headed for our new home....FRESNO, CA!  

We have begun a very round about and long road trip to Fresno, CA.  Jed and I will be sharing a pastoral position at a church there beginning in December.  Since leaving Virginia on 9-10, we have been to Durham, NC, Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, MO.  We arrived at my parents' house in Hartland, WI on Friday, September 16.  Today, September 20th, we leave for a three week trip to Ireland and Portugal.  We arrive back in Wisconsin on October 11th.  We will then road trip to Seattle, where all our belongings are.  We'll spend several weeks there relaxing at Jed's mom's vacation home, before heading to Fresno.  We will update more later, but wanted to give an overview of the last two months and let you know what you can expect in future blogs.  Team vS is beginning another adventure!