Ah, how I have longed to see my family again, play with my niece and nephew, catch up on all the news face to face, and see the beautiful Rocky Mountains standing strong and firm on the horizon. The sunsets were breathtaking…something I have missed in Chicago. The Lord gives so many blessings in both places and we were able to enjoy both countries this year! The story continues with the captions for the pictures below!
My little brother turns 23 today! Happy Birthday, little bro, and many, many more to come! Thank you for all you’ve done for our little family, your incredible generosity, fun conversations, and evenings (and early mornings) spent enjoying Axis and Allies! We love you!
For some pictures of my wonderful brother, go to www.happybirthdayjevenn.com!
Our trip to my homeland, Alberta, Canada, was terrific! It’s been one and a half years since I’ve been home in the country among the sheep and chickens, hay bales, sleeping in the tiny bedroom with Aleita, and cooking roasts from our own beef and fresh vegetables from our garden. It was such a treat to go back home again and introduce the Staddon family to the wonders and beauty of the Alberta prairies.
Mama Kowalchuk threw a wonderful birthday party for Kendalyn before we left Canada! (The baby that Kendalyn is holding in the picture below is her little nephew Able.) 
On Kendalyn’s actual birthday we were travelling through South Dakota and enjoyed a special time with the Schurmann family.
Kendalyn’s special name comes from a combination of her Dad’s name, Kendall, and her Mom’s name, Marilynn. The name “Kendall” comes from the Kent river valley in the west of England and means “bright river valley.” The Welsh meaning of the name “Lynn" is “by a lake.” People settled in the Kent river valley because of the refreshing, life-giving river that ran through it. In a similar way, Kendalyn brings life and refreshment to everyone she meets.
I took the picture above with my Droid while we were in Alberta last week. When I see it, I think of Kendalyn, my “Alberta Beauty.”
Yes! The day has finally arrived!!! We are heading to Canada to see my beloved sheep farm, mountains, and family! The car is packed, snacks are stored, clothing and jackets for crisp autumn weather awaits use, and Sauntina is excited about her first trip to north!
Giddy-up and let's go!
Kendalyn and Sauntina both really enjoy their morning singing time together each day. We love our beautiful Children’s Illustrated Hymn Book from In the Gap!
“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise” (Matthew 21:16).
We have had some lovely family pictures with Sauntina, but she often gets so focused on the camera that it is nearly impossible to coaxed a smile from her! As a result…we have no family pictures of her smiling.
This afternoon following church, we braved the weather threatening to pour the much-needed rain, worked quickly before Sauntina realized that she needed a nap quite badly, and with Uncle Daniel making her laugh and Aunt Esther (and Sarah!) taking pictures, we ended up with quite an array of expressions from our little girl! The first is the “good” picture and the rest explain the adventure of achieving our goal!
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And our favorite from the day:
“Daddy, are we done yet?”
I’m SO happy to announce the arrival of my beautiful nephew, Able Joseph Kowalchuk, born this morning, July 31st! Congratulations, Kerzdenn & Jessica! Kathlyn is a big sister now!
Each day, we wake up to our little blessing making her little noises, alerting us that it is time to rise and shine! Although some of the mornings are rather early (especially after a late night), one look at her precious face and you can’t help but smile back!
These two are my all time favorites!
Here’s a few photos of Sauntina as she begins “talking” to us and laughing in delight!
