Robert Loves Kendalyn

2013 is here and has sealed all our memories and experiences for 2012. We have so much to thank the Lord for as we look back on an incredible year filled with footprints of His love and faithfulness. One of those “footprints” was our trip to Canada to see my family over the Christmas holidays!

Sauntina did so well with the flights both there and back (her first time to fly!) and we managed to escape most fiascos…save one. While Robert was holding her in the aisle talking to another passenger, those two seconds were all Sauntina needed to reach over and innocently yank the hair of a poor, startled lady!

We were able to visit a few families and friends, participate in a Christmas concert, Robert played offertory for church one Sunday, and we played LOTS of Settlers of Catan!

Mama & Dad, as a Christmas gift, gave us a trip to the Rocky Mountains! How I have missed this breath-taking creation! The Lord gave us such beautiful crisp, clear weather and we were able to capture just a glimpse of the beauty we saw that day!

Happy New Year!!!

Thank you, Jesus, for Your gift to us so many years ago, and for making it possible to anticipate eternity and live with hope because of Your sacrifice. Christmas is about the Cross, our sin, and Your love!

“Give Thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him,

sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works,

Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord”

~ 1 Chronicles 16:8-10 ~

Merry Christmas from the Staddon Family!!!

My little brother Jonathan is celebrating his 20th birthday! Kendalyn and I aren’t able to be with him this year, but we want to say how much we really appreciate him. He has grown into a very responsible young man of character who honors the Lord and loves others. We know that God will bless Him with good success in the years ahead as He continues to meditate on God’s Word and follow His ways!

Here are some good pictures of him (courtesy of Lenspiration)  from our recent trip to Canada:

Robert and I love having guests at our home and we have been blessed with a few these past few weeks! Last week, Kelly & Dillon graced our home for a few days before they took off their big winder holiday adventure. Sauntina kept looking up…up…up at these tall guys. This was a new experience for her!

This past weekend, we enjoyed Scot, Amy, and their adorable little son, Will. Scot & Amy and Robert & I were married on the same day last year and they had their son two days after we had Sauntina! What a relaxing way to enjoy an evening…watching two 7-month-olds learn how to grasp toys, stare at the other baby in the room, watch them try to crawl, roll over, and talk happily as they chew on their toys. I’m so glad they came down from Saskatchewan to Chicago to visit their brother, Marty!

Another family we have enjoyed visiting off and on this year is the McDowell family. Nathaniel, Darra, and their daughter Rebekah have been so much fun as we’ve enjoyed games, good conversation, and walks outside (when weather permitted!). Darra and Nathaniel are happily expecting Baby #2 and I can’t wait to meet the little one in February/March!

What would you have tomorrow if you were only given the things
that you were thankful for today?

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time (and hopefully one of many during the entire year!) to reflect on all that you have been given and the endless list of things to be thankful for.

Robert, Daniel, Esther, James, Sauntina and I drove down to West Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with the Staddon Family and their aunts, uncles, and cousins. Family is such a precious gift!

A delicious Thanksgiving meal, stories, games, and deep meaningful conversations made this weekend memorable and another special memory to tuck away to enjoy in the future. Donald and his siblings made name tags for place settings at the table…they were Her Majesty Ships! Poor Daniel was sick on Thanksgiving Day, so his ship had the quarantine flag flying for the day.

Earlier in the month, Robert, Sauntina, Katherine, Tanya, and I enjoyed the inspiring performance of Handel’s Messiah at the Moody Bible Institute! The soloists’ voices were incredible and Sauntina did so well at her very first concert (she slept for half of it, but enjoyed the part she did hear!).

Today Robert and the IBLP web team launched a new website for iblp.org!

Some sweet new features:

• Responsive, mobile-friendly design
• Improved navigation
• New Life Questions database
• Updated news & reports blog
• Cool catalog viewer
• Learn more about the geeky stuff behind the scenes at abundantdesigns.com

Enjoy visiting www.iblp.org!

After a fantastic visit with my family, we began the long drive back to Chicago, stopping to tour Glacier National Park, and visit a few families along the way!

Thank you, Thomas Paine, for the pictures!