Here We Go.....

We celebrated Jude's first birthday a little over a week ago. Things have been insanely busy for our family so I'm a little late getting these pictures up, but here are just a few from the birthday party. Jude had a great time hanging out with friends and romping around in the backyard:) A big thanks to Nancy and Tom for giving us a wonderful place to party, since we are living out of a suitcase right now!

We moved out of our apartment in Indy at the end of May, and spent a week in Chicago training with International Teams. The training was great and we learned so much every day, and met some really great people. We were back in Indy for a few days for Jude's party and 1-year checkup. He got a few shots and was declared healthy:) He bumped up to the 25th percentile for weight and still in the 75th for height. We got a list of shots he'll need while we're away so we're good to go. We've been in Nashville almost a week now and its been nice hanging out with my family and spending time with some of my girlfriends. It's really warm here so we've taken Jude to the pool a few times and had lots of meals on the back deck and made some good use of the hammock. Jude loved the water (a big shift, if anyone remembers what a somber affair his bathtime was until recently!) and he also loved playing with the boat Memaw and G-daddy brought back from Ukraine.




We went to Alabama today to see my Grandma. That was a little tougher than I thought it would be. She's not doing well and the changes in her stand out more when I don't see her regularly. It was definitely an emotional visit, and it was hard to make sense of a lot of what she was saying. But when we said our goodbyes and a nurse wheeled her off, she shouted over her shoulder "Love you, baby!" and hearing that made it so worth it. There have been several tough goodbyes lately, and even though it's just a year, its still never easy. Sometimes I just want to freeze everything just as it is, so we can pick right back up where we'll leave off with everyone. Thank goodness for things like email and blogs and Skype (which if you don't have Skype, PLEASE download it so we can chat once we kiss our phones goodbye!). We leave for South America on Wednesday!! We'll be in Peru until Friday, then its on to Bolivia. We'll be staying in a guesthouse in Cochabamba until we find an apartment, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to post next, but I promise to post pictures and an update just as soon as I can!
Please pray for a safe and smooth trip if you think of us over the next few days! We love you all and will miss you all like crazy! xoxoxo