A Chip Off The Old Block

Today Judah told Steve that he wanted to go to the coffee shop. That's our boy! We couldn't be more proud! :)

Saying Goodbye

Our 3 years in Reno have been AMAZING! (as Judah would say) A big reason why is because God has placed such great friends in our lives. Many people stand out in our minds but we've had so much fun with three couples in particular (we've been friends for nearly the entire 3 years). We are very sad to say goodbye to our "South Gang" friends. They've watched Judah grow from a baby to a walkin', talkin', animated little boy and we've had some really great times with them. We'll miss getting to watch their new babies grow (Mikaela and Hanna are both expecting!). We had one last get together with the gang a couple weeks ago and we took a group photo to remember everyone by. We'll miss each of you so much! Thanks for the wonderful memories. LtoR: Steve, Teri, Heath, Mikaela, Judah, Dillon, Hanna, Michael, Christa

Lake Pyramid

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. The big move from Reno to Illinois happens in just over 3 weeks and my days seem to be filled with packing and move preparation. Hope you enjoy the video of our day at Lake Pyramid (a big lake in the middle of nowhere where you can see pelicans and dry, arrid mountains all around you--all on a Paiute Indian Reservation just north of Reno).

Hazy Skies Over Reno

They say there are 800+ wildfires burning in different parts of Northern California right now. Yesterday we began to smell the smoke and see the smoky haze in Reno. Today it's even worse. In fact, you can't even see more than a faint outline of most of the Sierra Nevada mountain range on the west side of Reno the smoke is so bad. They're encouraging people to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid breathing the smoky air and it probably won't get any better until Thursday or later. Please pray for rain in the areas affected by the fires, for the firefighters and for the people and animals directly affected by the fires and thick smoke in California. It looks to be another record-breaking year of fires in CA/NV. (photo is of smoke from a fire near Watsonville, CA about 90 miles south of San Francisco)

Judah's Latest Adventures

Judah has had a full month of "firsts". He's gone to his daddy's first Triathlon where he jumped in a bounce house and went camping for the first time. He's gone to the movie theater for his first theater experience (he did great!) and watched Kung Fu Panda. He's seen emus up close and personal. He's gone to his first swim lessons. He's also tried on his dad's shirt all by himself and gone to see a professional criterium bike race in Truckee, CA. He's been a very busy little man.

No Fear...

Some friends threw a pool party for their daughter's 5th birthday yesterday. It was Judah's first time swimming. Steve got in with him and let him kick and splash, threw Judah up in the air and caught him, etc. They were having a great time together. Judah just didn't want to get out of the water. After a while, the cupcakes were served so Judah took a break from swimming for a snack (one of his fave things in life!). Shortly after cupcakes, Judah decided he was ready to swim again so he jumped right in--without mommy or daddy!!! Since I was fully clothed, I called Steve, who jumped right in to save Judah. It was a scary moment for us and we are so thankful that Judah was alright. In fact, he didn't even seem to be phased by the whole thing. He still showed no signs of fear of the water after he was under and couldn't get back up for several seconds. We already had Judah signed up for swim lessons, which start next week, but we're extra glad now to be able to start teaching him some basic swimming skills. Thank you, God, for keeping my baby safe in your arms and thank you, Steve, for moving so fast on the pool deck!

The Chip

Steve took Judah for a bike ride the other day so I could get some things done at home. While out, they stopped at Subway for some dinner and Carvel for some ice cream. They brought what was left of the subs home so I could have some dinner too. As I was getting the subs out of the bag, Steve said, "There's a chip in there somewhere." I said, "A chip?" "Yah, Judah saved you a chip. Judah wouldn't let me eat the last Sun Chip because he said it was mommy's chip." So, my sweet and thoughtful little son saved the very last Sun Chip because he wanted me to have it. Is that cute or what?!