Delayed

I'm feeling bad about not writing for over 2 weeks. I've been busy watching the Olympics and thinking about our upcoming trip to Phoenix for my brother's wedding. Lame reasons . . . oh and I've been so tired that I've been napping almost daily, too!
So Daniel is getting married on Saturday. I'm excited to see the family and hang out for a few days . . . I'm not excited that the forecast in Phoenix says "Sizzling Hot." I'm a little concerned about flying with Briella, but I'm sure it will be easier than flying with 3 kids (sorry Mindy!). Daniel and Johanna are excited to be married, especially after a summer apart :) I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding. I'll post pictures when we return and I catch up on laundry!!
I am currently 13 weeks along and feeling pretty good, usually. It is hard to imagine having two kids, but Briella will be a lot older and able to do more on her own when the baby comes, so that will be great.
Anyway. No pics, no big news, hope you are all doing well and ready to head back to school! It is odd that a schedule that ruled my life until last year has almost no impact on our lives right now . . . how things change :)

11 months and practicing

Briella has recently taken an interest in books. Well, she used to love chewing on them, but has slowly learned that this is not the purpose of books. Now she actually pages through them and will sit and listen to a book and look at the pictures. She does enjoy hitting the pages, especially the board books. I think she is practicing her reading skills so that when she is a big sister she can read to the baby . . . yes, some time around March 4 we are expecting a baby!! I'm feeling well and we are looking forward to another child.
Briella hit 11 months this week! We can hardly beleive we are nearing the one year mark . . . She loves to walk along things and hold your hands to walk, but isn't ready to be on her own yet.

As I continue reading through the Bible, I am enjoying the Psalms very much. They are very personal writings and very practical. When I taught we would read a Psalm or a Proverb for lunch devotions and I always found that kids could learn something from each one. I am excited to be over half way through the year and still on track to finish in December.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

We went on our first camping trip with Briella in Sleeping Bear Dunes. We went with friends from church and enjoyed beautiful weather. The dunes are about 3 hours north, along Lake Michigan.
Here we are on top of the dune--the wind is blowing sand, so Briella is looking the other way :)
A beautiful view of a lake that we enjoyed . . .
meanwhile, Briella was enjoying a nap in the van.
She is a little unsure about the cool water and sinking sand under her feet . . . she did crawl in it later and then dipped her mouth in for a taste before we noticed her plan!
Hanging out on the blanket was more fun than the water. You can kind of see her top teeth in this picture.