Sweet February

It's been a long time since our last family update!  From the time we last blogged, we've been all over the country (like most months this year, sigh).  First off, Eric flew to Michigan for the last week of January to begin working at a hospital in the southwest corner of the state.  The kids and I stayed home.  We enjoyed some time with Grandma, story time at the library, and free passes to the Phoenix Zoo!

Here's Maggie, enjoying her favorite part....the Fisher Price play farm.

Maggie and Ben getting reacquainted with the baboons.  Overall, after three safaris the zoo was a little anticlimactic, but still an enjoyable way to pass the time.

Then Eric returned home and we immediately left for Michigan.  Our route took us through El Paso, San Angelo, OK City, and St. Louis.  It was a fun break to spend a few days with Mariah, Jonathan, and especially Sierra in San Angelo!

 Three cousins in a tub. :)

Once we arrived in Michigan, we were blessed to stay at a family's house--they are currently working at Tenwek Hospital!  We took over their place and very much enjoyed some "space of our own" for a few days.  While there, we visited the Bast family in Holland....

 ...made Valentines for an upcoming party...

 ...and watched our first real snowfall, eight inches!

 The Dykstras also drove down for a dinner visit, and Maggie and Levi became fast friends.

Then after a week in MI, it was on to Nashville.  Mimi and Bapa had prepared a Valentine's Party for all the grandkids, and we arrived just in time!

It was great to be back in Nashville.  We got to see Clayton and Teresa, recently returned from Hawaii (hard to meet up when one of us in in Kenya and the other in Hawaii...).  Autumn and Mags hit it off right away.

 And then just playing around with cousins, always a good time.

 Meanwhile, Ben is on the cusp of his 1st birthday!  Two teeth, almost walking...we'll see what the next year brings!