Various Updates...

1) Announcing our first winner of a Jacobs Journal Giveaway!! (I have to say, I actually got nervous as Mark was drawing the name...I have no idea why. :)

Such a perfect friend to receive these books. Love you, Candice! And, I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you read a while.

Also...the surprise gift reveal is coming soon. Honestly, I'm trying to decide between two things that I love. Maybe I'll give you the choice, Candice!

2) Tonight was a little "friendly competition" at our house, that I wanted to document. To make our spelling word review a little more interesting, I announced a spell-off between Daddy and Kendyll after dinner. The whole family was so excited, and Kendyll was talking big trash to her daddy (who is not known for his spelling ability). It was cute to watch Kendyll get her "serious face" on as she wrote her words as neatly as I've ever seen. (There was also a competition for neatness.) Even Mark tried his best. Although Kendyll smoked him in that area.

It ended in a tie, so we did one bonus word, which they BOTH missed: mischievous. Mommy was a little tricky with that one.

So I asked Kendyll "What should we do since it was a tie?" Her response, with a totally serious face: "Just say I won." The girl is competitive!

My favorite part was that Carlie decided to color green and red cards to hold up as we checked each word. Green said "G" for good. Red said "R" for wrong. I thought this was so funny seeing that it was a spelling competition. :)

Here is Carlie checking Mark's work. She really concentrated, even though she didn't know any of the words she was "checking".

Then, we noticed she was doing this:

Notice every single one has an "X" next to it. This absolutely cracked Carlie up (notice the face below)...and if you've ever heard Carlie really cackle, it's priceless. And, infectious. We were all laughing along with her.

It was so much fun, and Kendyll wants to battle her dad weekly now. Of course, that might change as soon as she loses. :) But, hey, it may make spelling practice easier! She now has even greater motivation to do well!

3) This week was a big one for Abby Kate. She really loves letters. And for whatever reason, she has always really loved the letter O. And the letter H. And the letter A. But, especially the letter O. EVERY week, since the first week of preschool, she has asked if it is "letter O week" yet. And, this was finally the week! So, her sweet teacher, Mrs. Amy, had the idea to have an O party, to celebrate the arrival of AK's favorite letter.

For her party, they had Krispy Kreme O donuts, made O's out of bendaroos and had a table covered with all kinds and colors of O's.

I can't even tell you how excited Abby Kate was about this party. She woke up absolutely giddy, and has stayed that way all week. We've of course been doing O crafts all week at home too, and she will probably be very sad when it's time for P.

This kind of thing sums up our third child. She has some very quirky likes and dislikes, and I absolutely love that about her. She is constantly entertaining, and I don't want to forget the random things that make her smile.

4) We officially sent Cailee off to Oxford today. We went to the airport to give our last hugs and kisses. We are so excited to see what amazing experiences this semester holds for our baby sister and aunt. Cassie took cute pictures, but somehow I only got this one with my phone:

We love you Cailee, and we are praying daily for you! We'll miss you so much, but we're glad we'll see you on Skype!

5) On a much more serious note, our hearts are heavy tonight as we continue to receive more news about Haiti, especially about the children sponsored through Compassion and World Vision there. Compassion sponsors over 65,000 children in Haiti and they already report many of their families have lost everything, their child development centers have been destroyed, and they anticipate many deaths among these families as well.

(Picture from National Geographic)

It's absolutely heartbreaking.

(Picture from National Geographic)

Today, my grandmother sent me an email about a specific orphanage, Sonlight Children's Home. They lost one of their 30 children to this disaster, and their entire orphanage is in shambles. The children and their caretakers slept outside last night. This is exactly the kind of thing we will be able to assist in someday soon with His Chase.

We can't wait to be up and rolling so that we can reach out to orphans all over the world when we find a need just like this one.

Thank you to all of you who have been so encouraging about our new road ahead. Please keep praying as it develops. And, keep praying for these Haitian families!