Thursday, April 4, 2013

Spring Is A'Comin'!

 Upon finding out we were traveling to Florida, several of our fellow mid-westerners asked us to bring some sunshine and warm weather back with us. Looks like, all kidding aside, we did! Okay, okay, I know we can't take the credit but the timing worked out pretty well. When we left it was in the 30's and we were comfortable sequestered within our winter coats and now the sun is shining daily, the birds are hopping about everywhere and we are slowly shedding layers!

Zakkai literally shed a layer of winter gear. Somewhere along our travels to Florida, he lost his winter coat! We didn't realize it until Monday when he wanted to go out and play and we couldn't find the coat anywhere. We've searched lo and hi, to no avail. So, I am doubly glad that spring is coming!


Now for our last day in Florida. We actually had a very quiet morning, just getting ready, doing laundry and packing up (especially my mom and stepdad and sis and her family who left Thurs afternoon.) I just missed an adorable picture above where the baby was checking out her cousins and they were being so sweet with her!


But Little E is getting very savvy with her moves and she quickly and artfully moved herself away before I could snap a pic. She found her booster seat and her daddy and she was happy:)


But these two were definitely worth another picture!


Our last full day, it finally warmed up enough for us to go swimming! It felt really good going into the water and staying under but it was still a teeny bit chilly coming out. The boys played in the pool for an hour and a half straight! They had so much fun.


I played with them for awhile and then I braved the slight chill and ran for my towel and sun-covered deck chair and there I lay, desperately trying to soak up some rays while keeping an eye on my boys:)


Then my sister, bro-in-law and niece showed up and I talked my Sis into enjoying the sun with me! Eliana went in the pool a few times with Ben but mostly wanted to dangle her feet in by me and splash:)


Sisters!!


We were very sad when our family left shortly after. We wandered out onto the lanai and sat in the sun.


A comfy place to be!



Little sun-bathing beauty:) We (and by we, I mean I) soaked up some more sun while gearing up enough energy to go get some freshly-squeezed Florida O.J. to bring home with us. Unfortunately, my dreams of coming home with a nice healthy tan were unrecognized; instead a few of my freckles made their annual appearance.

Beggars can't be choosers:)

We had a good time and it was hard to tear ourselves away from the sun and our grandparents and their loving home!

Since returning, I've had a bit of a stomach bug and am now going into a cold. Boo. I held strong through Ben being sick but it has been a very busy and long week.  Ben finally got over his sickness after several days but jumped immediately into a brutal week of finishing his dissertation editing. He is about to turn in a final draft tonight or in the morning! It is over 600 pages long; 54 of which are bibliography which he's been working on this week. Can you even begin to imagine how much research he has done over the past 4 years? 54, single spaced pages, people. Of books he's read. In many different languages. Dead and alive. Spanning over a century.

I'm truly amazed.

Once he turns this in, they will officially publish his defense date, which is May 3rd!!! We are SO incredibly excited to really, finally and truly see a light at the end of this tunnel! Thanking God for seeing us through this long, arduous and often, lonely, journey and awaiting anxiously His plans for our future!


Can I get an Amen?!

2 comments:

Aunt t said...

AAmen amen amen!
What is a defense date on the May 3? Wonder where God is going to send y'all?
I so pray that it will be near us. More family needs to come South.:)

Emily and Frank said...

54 pages??!! Insane!
I'm glad the date is set and I'll be praying for you all as Ben preps for it!

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