Catchin' Up

Well hello! It's been a long time since I've updated the blog! We've been a little busy...

Joel, Lyla, and I all made it safely to AZ. Lyla and I flew in and she travelled like a dream as usual--she charmed everyone we sat next to, of course. :) My dad and Joel pulled into town about 2 days later with the moving truck. As far as we know, all our stuff made it intact! They had a great drive with no problems. We thank the Lord that we are finally here! It has been busy and a lot of fun getting settled into my parents' house and visiting with them and my brother & sis-in-law and now three nieces! My newest niece Naomi Rose is absolutely adorable--she was born July 10th, weighing a whopping 9lbs 5oz and was 21 3/4 inches long--whew, big girl! And my sis-in-law, Abby, did the whole delivery completely naturally--what a strong woman. I am in awe of her. Amazingly, I don't have any pics of Naomi yet--duh! I've been too busy holding her and snuggling her to take any pics. But I will post some very soon! She's an absolute doll in my unbiased opinion. :)

Joel leaves for his Panama adventure on Saturday. Just him and his dad are taking this trip together for 10 days, and I'm sure the country of Panama and all the activities they have planned will truly be an adventure. Sometimes I worry a little, so please keep them in prayer, if it crosses your mind!

Meanwhile, back here in AZ my mom and I will be on the hunt for a new home for Joel, Lyla, and I. I'm really excited to officially start the house hunting! The houses prices down here are unbeatable.

And contrary to what we expected, the weather has not been bad at all! It is the monsoon season, so every afternoon, around 3:30, the sky clouds up and sometimes it rains a few drops, or sometimes it rains hard, and breaks the heat nicely. And there truly is something to be said for "dry heat". It makes the summer time heat so much more bearable! It's actually very pleasant in the morning and afternoon/evening. We've really been enjoying all the desert wildlife too. It's really exciting to be embarking on a new chapter in our lives. Thank you to all of you who have been keeping us in prayer--we greatly appreciate it, and we know those prayers are being heard--we can feel it! And thank you to ALL of you who came to our going away party and helped us load up the truck (and unload on the AZ end)! I haven't found the CD with the pics of the party yet, but hopefully I will soon (I'm constantly dig, dig, digging) and I'll post those. Anyway, here's a bunch of pics from before and after the move...enjoy!

A visit from Diana and adorable Zahra

Cutie pie and her Auntie Bryana

A visit with some of Lyla's second cousins Makenna and Avery--Lyla LOVES them!

Below are pics from the wedding that Joel was best man in. He stood up for his close friend Craig and now wife, Tracy. (Craig stood up in our wedding too)

Being complete goofballs like usual

Our friends Mark & Karn were at the wedding reception--the babes were a little tired :)

Lyla with the bride & groom separately--she really liked Tracy's dog!

Ready for AZ--Happy trails to you!

Lyla's had a busy past few weeks--she fell asleep on Grandma and Papa's rug, toy in hand

Chillin with the cuzzies!

Summer time...

...and the livin is easy. Enjoying our last summer days here in Minnesota.

Big Girl!

We had a visit from my friend Susan and her three kiddos. Such cuties!

Vivianna, Susan, Louella, and Lyla

And Grayson! Eight weeks old. :)

Water Fun

Lyla and I met up with some friends and went to a park where there are some water fountains for kids to play in. Lyla LOVED it! She was reaching for the water and talking and even trying to walk toward the water--so fun. :)

Lyla is sitting between my friend's twins, Ella & Elizabeth--they are too cute! As you can see, Lyla was pretty tired by this point and wasn't the happiest camper. But I do love that sad face--makes me laugh every time! Is that bad? :)

The Catfish

Can you guess who caught it? That's right, my sweet husband and relentless fisherman, Joel.

He caught it on the Mississippi and estimated it to weigh about 50 pounds.

Check out that gaping mouth.

And two more cute pics from the bike ride. :)

A bike ride with some of our favorite peeps...

Nelson "riding" the big bike with a little help from John :)

Lyla's flower from Nelson...awww

What a cutie!

And here's Lyla Jane walking with her walker! She continues to be our miracle. :)

Non-stop

Our life has been non-stop lately, and here's why... Last Saturday and Sunday we got most all of our stuff moved into Joel's parents' house. Sunday night we sold Joel's truck. On Monday we got the house cleaned and Tuesday morning we closed! It's a done deal! On Tuesday afternoon, Lyla and I drove to Marshfield to see my friend Katie. We spent the night and then had dinner with my grandma on Wednesday afternoon, then drove home. Yesterday (Thursday) I prepared for the big garage sale we're having today and tomorrow. When will the madness end? Not til we're in AZ I guess. :) Here's some pics from our visit with my dear friend Katie. Lyla loved the dog as you can see!

Katie's brother Charlie (Lyla liked his whiskers)

Grandma :)

Goodbye little Willow Street house...

we will miss you. :(

This is the only "before" picture I could find

And here are the "afters"

Joel's dad did most of the painting--he's a hard worker and we're so thankful for his help!

We will miss our beautiful, green yard

and the garage

But, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Good News

My dad's surgery went well and it turns out that the spot on his lung was NOT cancer! Thank the Lord! It was just a fungus that many people in AZ contract from inhaling dust, especially those people who are outside a lot (my dad golfs like every day). They call it "Valley Fever" and it's not a big deal at all--I don't think he will even need to be treated for it--well, especially since it's been removed! His recovery time should be two weeks. I talked to him last night and he sounded good. My mom was taking care of him in ICU as he recovered (and the staff were taking care of him too, of course!). It's been a rough past couple days for my parents...my mom and her friend were driving in Tucson on Thursday to do some shopping and they got into a car accident. Someone cut off my mom and they collided pretty good. All four of the airbags in my parents' Buick Rendesvous deployed and they are pretty sure it is totalled. Happily, after a trip to the ER it turns out that my mom and her friend and the two passengers in the other vehicle are all okay, except for some serious bruises, knee and back pain. We are so thankful that it wasn't any worse. Also, the driver of the other vehicle took full responsibility for the accident, so insurance will cover everything.

Amidst all the craziness that has been occurring in our life lately, this verse has been a great comfort to us--

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

We know that God is on control. Amen.

Splashin'

She loves her pool!

Ducky Tub

Lyla got a ducky tub...

All clean!

Well, we are packing, packing and making progress. We plan on having most everything moved to Joel's parent's house by the end of the weekend. Whew! It's a lot of work!

Also, my dad's surgery is on Friday--please keep him (and my mom who will be caring for him) in prayer. Thanks!

Oh Canada!

Joel had a great week up north fishing with my dad's annual fishing group. Lots of fish, fun, food, and fellowship. Sorry, got a bit cheesy.

Three of my faves--my brother, dad, and husband...all sporting fu manchus :)

Nice walleye!

Their cabin

The whole crew (except Joel who took the picture)--check out their freshly caught walleye fish fry...yum.

A Fun Visit

Yesterday Lyla and I went on a short road trip to visit some friends whom we haven't seen in way too long! Lyla got to play with sweet little Zahra (9 months old now, but was only 3 months old the last time we saw her) and I got to visit with my friend Diana. Lyla really took to Diana, as you can see, and had lots of fun playing with Zahra's toys! We were there during Zahra's nap time so Lyla got to play with lots of them, and Diana and Lyla had some time to get acquainted. Let me tell you, Zahra has to be one of the cutest, sweetest little girls I have ever met. The first thing she did when I held her was give me a kiss and a hug. It was SO sweet! I wanted to take her home with us! Diana made a delicious lunch and it was just fun to chat and catch up. Also, you should know that there would be no Lyla if it weren't for Diana--she's the one who introduced Joel and I. She just had a feeling that Joel and I would hit it off and live happily ever after... and she was right!

Two cute little piggy-tailed sweeties

What a nice visit!

And in other news, my dad is scheduled to have a wedge resection on June 11th. This means they will go in and surgically remove the spot in his lung, test it to see if it's cancerous while he's still under anesthesia, and if it's malignant they'll remove the lower lobe of that lung, but if it's benign, they'll just close him up. We would love your prayers for him! Thanks!

Also, we are closing on our house on June 15th. All I can think is--oh my! We have a lot of packing to do in a short time. Then we will move in with Joel's parents for a few weeks and head out to AZ on July 13th. It's all moving along so fast! Very exciting!