Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Latest Little Familia Update

John is drawing to a beautiful close (ta-da!) on our backyard landscaping--16 tree stumps, x number of railroad ties, and untold wheelbarrows of dirt later. John made me a fantastic little vegetable garden complete with bricked pathway, arbor, and white picket fence (awww!). Our backyard is now a much more peaceful and safe (!) place to be, definitely one of the best parts of our house. We're also talking a lot about needed home repairs (get thee behind us, squirrels!) and the upcoming school choice decision.

Baden is certainly experimenting with independence, and continues to love to learn--but at his own discretion! He seems to like social studies and science-type stuff the most. Uncle Steven (my brother-in-law) took him to local Falcon Jet, where Steven's father is el presidente, for a full tour--even sitting in the cockpit.

Will is getting more articulate and shares Baden's love of reading. He's stretched up, but is still a beefy kid! We took him to an allergist last week for some possible food allergies (namely shellfish), but he has none (thank you, Lord!). We won a gift certificate to the local Gymboree for a month, so he and Baden are having a blast going with their friend Isaiah and tumbling around in their flip class and free-play nights. (Sorry, he's managed to escape recent pics!)

Corinne is getting so bubbly, and seems to always have a wide (still toothless) grin...except when we do what she doesn't want, of course. She is an extremely picky eater. Still loves to babble and even sing. Definitely a charmer, and so cute with all those li'l curls all over that li'l noggin.

As for my family--my father- and mother-in-law are back in the States (yippee!) and house-hunting; Baden will be visiting them for a four-year-old birthday trip! Mother's Day was challenging for different members of the family as it's our first one without John's mom.

On a different note, my sister Kelli arrived last week in Smyrna, TN to work with Burmese refugees there. The cyclone has thrown an interesting note into it as they seek to contact loved ones. At the end of the summer, she'll head back to UCA for her senior year in political science. She has a particular passion for Burma and God's used her already in remarkable ways there.

My sister Keri (TA-DA!) just graduated from UCA's nursing school and now works at Arkansas Children's in the cardiovascular ICU. It was particularly meaningful to have my Grandma Mary, also a nurse, here to pin her at her convocation ceremony. My grandma decided against being a nurse in Africa in order to marry my grandpa, and this July, Keri and Steven will travel to Rwanda to check out the possibilities of beginning a clinic there!

Keri and Steven will also visit Chris and Jenn in England en route from Rwanda. Jenn is moving to teach at a new school, and Chris (TA-DA once more) will graduate from med school this summer! It will be weird addressing things to Dr. and Mrs. Hopkinson.

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