I think it has taken me this long to write this blog entry because I honestly don't know where to start. We have been traveling a ton over the past two months and visited lots of friends and family. Right before Thanksgiving we got to visit Mike's brother Paul and his family in Maryland. We had a lot of fun but unfortunately we came back with the stomach flu. We recouped just in time to make it to my parents for yummy Thanksgiving lunch. Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday. I feel like I actually get to rest and focus on the ways God has been moving in our family over the year. The places God has taken us and the friends we have made were probably the highlights of 2008. After Thanksgiving we returned to Durham for a few short weeks and then we headed back to my parents for a week before Christmas. We spent Christmas day with Mike's Family. It was a lot of fun to see Avery enjoy her cousins. These pictures below are in totally opposite order....My life these days : )
This is Avery with our good friends Wendy and Riley. After Christmas we took students from NC State, Duke and UNC to Atlanta for a four day Conference. Mike and I got to experience giving the dating seminar for the first time. We had so much fun preparing and planning. We got to rethink our experience and hopefully share some insights on things that worked well and things that didn't work so well. 
These are two of Avery's cousins. What you can't see in this picture is that Avery is missing her pants (two of a kind). They had so much fun playing together. 
This is a true portrait of our little girl. Anytime you even think about taking a picture these days she starts to frown and says no pictures. She is probably wishing she could ask "you got something to say to me!" She is such a mess. Mike and I are blown away daily at how much she has grown in the past few months. She is having full blown conversations with us. 
Yes that is a deer! This was Mike's christmas present this year. The night before Christmas Eve Mike went out for his final hunt. He came back with his pride and joy : ) If you have seen him since then I am sure you have seen a picture. And yes, he loved it so much we have his head to show. If you have any decorating tips for a deer head please feel free to let me know. We decided he should mount a doe next and we can hang the matching pair over our bed.
This is a true portrait of excitement. Avery got a dollhouse for Christmas and she loved it. We had to leave it at Mama and Da's house after Christmas because we didn't have room and on the way to Atlanta she said, "did you bring my dollhouse?" I said no, but I brought some of the people and furniture. She looked and me and sighed with relief and said "oh Thank goodness!"
So who really watches Barney in our house? I can't tell if she is more excited about the video or if I am : )Well this turned out more like a book than an entry but I really wanted to catch up a little. Please pray for our family this semester as we begin a huge transitional year! With much prayer and leading we are planning on moving to Orlando this summer so that Mike can begin seminary. We are trusting the Lord to give us wisdom on how this move should look. We can't wait to carry you along with us on the journey!
