Quick update

Hi all, I just wanted to give you a quick update. It have been very hot here (90s) and Luke does not like the heat. So we decided to go camping close by where we could use the AC in the trailer and I could commute to work. Daniel is not with us, as he flew to Missouri to drive back to Washington with his friend Josh. Yesterday evening we went to my friend Craig and Eileens house and they leave very close to a lake. We had a great time picnicing and enjoyed playing on the jetskis and inner tubing. We were blessed to meet a couple Jay and his wife Lee who have been following Luke's story.

I know there are so many of you out there who have been following Luke's progress via the blog and I hope that someday I will get a chance to meet each of you and to be able to say thank you for the encouragement you have been to our family to keep pressing on and pray for Luke's complete healing.

A priceless smile

Here is a picture of Luke Smiling. I was playing with his legs and he laughed a bit of a snort. We were excited to see such happiness on his face. Before the accident Luke was a very happy little boy.























Here we are on the beach in Newport OR just a few days before returning home.

We are home again!

We arrived home this afternoon after being gone for 39 days and over 3500 miles. WOW! So much has happened on this trip. When we started the trip both Isaiah and Ezekiel had training wheels on their bikes and now both ride fine without training wheels. Daniel learned to surf. I taught Sue, Daniel, Amy and Natalie how to play pinochle. Maybe I taught them a bit too well as I did not win very many games. At the beginning of the trip Luke would smile occasionally, and now he smiles daily. The other day I was playing with Luke's legs and he began to smile and then it turned into a big smile. At one point, we think he laughed, although it was more of a snort then a laugh. Needless to say we are very excited at this development.

We feel sooooo blessed to be able to take this vacation and had a wonderful time. I will post some more pictures in a day or two.

Thank you to everyone that has been praying for Luke and our family. Luke made it through the trip and stayed heathly. There were a few moments of anxiety, but all in all an awesome trip.

One of my favorite moments on the trip was getting a chance to be a part of the children's ministry in Mexico and to participate in their water baptisms. On the Sunday morning that we went to church in Mexico it was a blessing to see the children in the classrooms we had painted. At the end of the service Pastor Juan had us come up front along with a missionary couple and a children's pastor from another city. Pastor Juan asked the people to come forward and thank us for ministering to them. It was humbling and a blessing to have so many people express their thanks to us. I know for our entire family this was definitely one of the highlights.

Take care and we love you all

We are in Sunny Newport OR

We arrived in sunny Newport OR yesterday afternoon. Needless to say it seems very cool, okay cold to us. We adjusted to the hotter CA weather and now are wearing coats and sweatshirts, as it is in the low 60s. It may be cool, okay to us it is cold, but it is beautiful. It is bright sunny weather and we are looking forward to a week of nothing. Just like last year we are looking forward to no schedule and just doing whatever we want. Sue is at the beach with Natalie and Luke. Daniel is swimming in the pool with Isaiah and Ezekiel. Amy is reading at the trailer and Lily is resting. I am here at the club house blogging and looking for a cheap ticket for Daniel to fly to St Louis to visit a family friend Josh.

Needless to say with this laid back schedule, we may or may not blog the next few days :)

Take care and have a wonderful 4th of July as you celebrate the freedoms that you enjoy living in this great country. And to those of you outside the US, blessings on each one of you.