Vacation

KJ in pool
Originally uploaded by pick1230.

It's the end of the summer, and school is about ready to start. It has been a very different summer, but a good one. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to relax in Gulf Shores with Laura's family. It was fun to see KJ at the beach for the first time.

Elmo & KJ

Elmo & KJ
Originally uploaded by pick1230.

Laura and Kennedy got to go see Elmo today over in Peoria. For those of you who don't know, Kennedy is CRAZY about Elmo. She watches his videos, plays with her Elmo doll, and always asks for "Meh-mo" as she calls him. A lot of the kids were afraid of the big red guy for some reason, and I thought KJ would be the same way, kind of like how kids love Santa Claus until they see him. Kennedy would have nothing of the sort. She did not want to wait in some silly line to go see him. It took all Laura had to keep her from butting in line. Finally she got to see him, and just turned and grinned at him. Laura was barely able to take a picture of Kennedy looking at the camera because she was gazing into his big eyes atop his red head and oddly unproportioned nose.

Summer

Garage Sale
Originally uploaded by pick1230.

Along with summer comes garage sales. We had ours a little while ago, and I just wanted to use that segway to show a great picture a friend took of KJ at our garage sale.

Wilderness Trek 2006

Me on Summit
Originally uploaded by pick1230.

Wow!! I know this isn't about Kennedy, but I couldn't help but write about my trip to Salida, CO. Myself, along with Alisha Berry and Kevin Thomas, took 8 teens from Central Illinois to Salida, CO for Wilderness Trek. We met up with a group of 11 from the North Boulevard Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN. I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to share our time on the mountain with a group we didn't know, but I am confident that God had a great plan in mind. Our two groups became one within the first night at low camp.

The first day was supposed to be about rappelling, but God had a different plan...called hail. It hailed soooo hard and we all got very wet. Not exactly a great way to start the week. I thought most of the kids would be upset, but their attitudes were great. After that, God really started to work on our hearts. Despite being from different youth groups, we shared our struggles and messes in our spiritual lives. We prayed for each other, and kept dry from all of the rain we encountered. We spent 3 hrs. by ourselves to pray, read, sing...whatever. Then we made out summit attempt on Mt. Shavano (14, 229 ft.) We started at 5:30 AM, and made the unbelievable journey. All 24 of us made it to the top. Despite knee injuries, fainting, and throwing up, we ALL made it, and it was beautiful. The view was great, but seeing how God blessed all of us was the beautiful part. Alone, I never would have made it.

On the last night, we had our final devo. After a week of tearing down barriers and walls, we spent over 3 hours building each other up. We almost left (for an 18 hr. drive) but decided to stay. I'm so glad we did. That devo took the trip from great to an unbelievable spiritual experience.

I know this was longer than normal, but oh well.

By the way...it was great to not have to dig a hole this morning :)

Happy Birthday

1st b-day-1
Originally uploaded by pick1230.

OK, so I'm a little late. I've gotten a TON of grief from too many people about not updating my blog. Well, I've done it now, and Kennedy has been 1 for a couple of weeks. Here is a picture of her, and you can see about 30 more once you click on this one.

We had a great time with friends and family celebrating her birthday. Laura mad a delicious Elmo cake, and My parents were able to come over from Omaha. I hope to put her 1 year photos up here soon. I will be gone for another week to Colorado, so don't be betting on a quick upload.

Also, I ask that you continue to pray for my aunt and uncle who were in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. You can check my cousin's blog to get the most recent update.

Mommy look-a-like

Laura's mom was cleaning out her attic and gave Laura all of her old stuff. Well, amongst all of her stuff was this picture. We couldn't believe the similarity between Laura and Kennedy. We thought we would pass these pictures along. Let us know what you think.

First Goose Egg

Not sleepy
Originally uploaded by pick1230.

Kennedy has proven to be pretty tough. She takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. On Easter night, she took a pretty good fall and hit the corner of our coffee table. It popped out pretty quick, and she only cried for about a minute and then she was back to normal. I think we were more shaken up be it. The first photo is from just minutes before, and the second is about 2 minutes after.

This came right after a great trip to Searcy seeing family. Kennedy go to see a lot of family, and also got to meet more family. It was great to see everyone. To see more pictures from the weekend, click here.