Happy Easter!

He's alive, He's alive
He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide

I am so thankful for Easter! 

Anyway, here are the token pictures of Norah and the special day. I tried to get her to smile before church. I like these facial expressions in the next few pictures. 

Selfie!!

1. Nice smile

2. I'm trying to be cute

3. Now I'm really making a face!

Too bad she wouldn't leave a bow or headband in her hair...Oh well, next year.

A little bit of Norah

So the months are continuing on...Spring is here and we have even had a few days in the 80's! Which was a bit crazy feeling. Here is a few of Norah. Because she is our favorite little girl at the moment.

At the park behind our house! It is so nice to walk out the back gate and be there!

Norah and Calvin, a year and a half old.

She got so big and little kid like! No longer a baby! 

At my mom's house, watching her mow the field. Maybe someday she will mow it. 

Below, she is checking out the llama. Thinking about how she can feed him probably. 

Pigtails for the first time!! Too bad she doesn't leave them in...someday.

She is now 1 year and a half.  Such a fun little girl, loves to say Daddy, even if I am asking her to say Mommy. She eats almost anything. Has a good nap during the day and sleeps pretty good at night. 

Norah loves animals and points out dogs everywhere we go. Her smile and laughter brighten our day.

Can't wait to meet our next child...whenever that may be.

Spring Happenings

We waited and waited for this form to come in the mail. And it finally did! (About a month ago, I'm a bit behind in my blogging.) Approval from the USA to bring an orphan into the states! So, a month ago, I can say all our paperwork got to Kyrgyzstan. Praise Jesus! Now we just wait for a child. It may take a few months, six months, a year or more. God is in control of the timing!

Norah is no longer small. She got in the swing, enjoying it one last time. Haha!

Spring time is such a beautiful time. God really knew what He was doing, creating a time when everything blooms and grows and develops after a dark, dreary, wet winter.

A few weeks ago, Brian and I skipped everything, dropped Norah off at my mom's house and went for a hike. We did choose the best day to hike unfortunately. It was so wet and rainy!!

Monty got pretty wet too, but he enjoyed himself!

Little North Santiam River

Black Butte 2016

Another winter, another fun weekend at Black Butte. Instead of gifts to my sister and her family, we go to stay at a house in Black Butte Resort instead.

A view of Black Butte

Gwyndolyn while sledding.

Swim time! Norah was a bit unsure about the water at first, but then got to like it quite a bit!

Jeremiah and Norah and Noah

Waiting to go sledding!

We found a great hill on top of the pass and enjoyed a few hours of sledding.

Norah wasn't too excited by the snow. She actually didn't even want me to put her down in it. Too different I suppose. 

Ben and his girlfriend, Sadie worked on a great snowman! and yes, it is green.

It was a fun weekend, complete with pool fun, awesome food, the Super Bowl, hot tubs, SNOW and games and puzzles.  Thanks family!

The Great Shootout

Wendy, Norah and I snuck away from the big city to enjoy one of the most popular western towns in history: Tombstone, AZ. The home of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the shootout at the OK Corral. 

 The town is very much a tourist town (which the lady in Bisbee made sure to tell us they were different). You could ride a horse and carriage through town, or walk the row of saloons/ shops. 

We were a tad late in the day so we didn't get to watch a reenactment of the OK Corral. However seeing it is pretty cool also. 

 Norah is lookin for any yeller bellied vermit who wants to shoot it out. 

Quite possibly the most bizarre street musician in AZ. Playing jaw bone of a cow. 

 He was super friendly and Norah actually was quite entranced. 

Tombstone was a beautiful place that has used it's fame from the 92' movie to keep itself going. We really enjoyed our short day trip to this western style town. 

Day two in the desert

Brian's sister, Sarah and her boyfriend Andy, flew in from Miami Friday night to spend the weekend with us too. It was fun to see both of them and on Saturday we headed to Sabino Canyon.

We rode a little trolley up into the canyon, along a creek, then got off and walked down. It was a fun ride! And perfect weather, not too hot, but warm enough for short sleeves.

Our group! Aran, Matt, Wendy, Norah, Sarah, Andy and Brian.

It's beautiful in its own way...Not quite in the lush green, with huge trees, Oregon way, but in the dry, I'm a desert with cacti everywhere way...

The guide kept saying this is the "biggest beach in Arizona" Well, Norah enjoyed it for a few minutes.

These cacti are by far my favorite thing in this desert. The Saguaro Cactus. Takes 50 years to get its first arm, lives to about 150 years. In between, becomes a home for many different animals and birds. This one was particularly cool looking. Oh and when they get this big, they can weigh about 10 tons! Wow!

Travelling to Tuscon

Grandma and Grandpa treated us to a trip to Tuscon, Arizona for a few days. They have a little home there that they like to visit in the winter time, take some time away from Juneau and the cold/wet to be dry and warmer. So, we joined them for a weekend. Lucky for us we did get some nice weather, it can be chilly in Tuscon in the winter, but it got up in the 70's during our time there.

Norah enjoyed the garden/yard area. Wearing Grandma Aran's hat and playing in the rocks with a garden shovel.

Saturday we headed into the desert to the High Desert Museum. It was an awesome place with tons of plants (cactus) and animals, so it felt like a zoo too!

A Joshua Tree, for those who have heard about them, but never seen them. 

There was a cute little otter swimming around that Norah just loved!

Strange creature, not one we see often. A Coati.

Bobcate

Ground squirrel. Fat and pudgy. 

A vulture!

The drive back to Tuscon, see all the Saguaro cacti? They are awesome! More about them later.

Sunset in the desert.