Home away from home

We're mostly settled in our Tucson home. It is quite a blessing from God. The neighborhood is quaint and quiet. The house is comfortable. Also, our landlady has been most helpful, friendly and gracious.

On Friday, we managed to fill the back of my dad's pick-up truck with everything but the kitchen sink. It's amazing how much stuff a family of 6 can gather up and still have plenty left behind!

We spent the day on Friday unpacking, organizing, shopping, and child-proofing. We think our landlady is an interior designer and she has our home beautifully decorated with things like pillows with little tassles, ceramic statues and all glass lamps. Needless to say, many of the lovely decorations are a recipe for disaster for a 2 year old. So, I am hoping I can remember how to return this to a classy vacation rental when we leave!

We had a great time celebrating Josiah and Elizabeth's birthday yesterday. Josiah chose a theme that he and Elizabeth would both enjoy....The Incredibles. You'll see our "Incredikids" in the picture to the side. The kid's cousins, Amber and Cheyenne joined in on the fun too. We enjoyed dinner with my family, followed by an adventurous round of miniature golf and a few kiddie rides. As you can see from the picture, Daniel didn't especially appreciate his choice of ride once he got on (the kiddie-coaster). We ended the evening with cake and ice cream.

Today, we are celebrating Father's Day and Elizabeth's (actual) birthday. I tried to let C.R. sleep in, but the window in our room faces east and the curtains are pretty thin. So, he was content with some quiet time and time to set up the computer in the house while I took care of the kids. We got Elizabeth a water table for her birthday. All the kids had a blast in it today. Of course, the water play turned into a water fight...a great way to enjoy the day.

We are due at UMC tomorrow morning at 8. You can begin to pray that Abby will tolerate her chemo well. She will have chemo for the first week followed by a few days rest and then her stem cells. You can also pray that our other children will be able to handle the "hospital routine" the best they can. They will spend some days with us and some days with family. Please pray for strength and patience for everyone who will be caring for them. Finally, begin praying even now that God will show us how we may be a blessing to others in the hospital and bring glory to His name.