Cousins!

It is a rare thing to have all of the Cole cousins in one place, as the different members of Stephanie's side of our family live across the US (and of course, us in Korea). BUT for one week only - it happened!  Here are all of the "big kids" - a day of playing at the park together!

corn hole and watermelon

There's nothing quite like lazy summer days and picnics in the park.  So glad that our summer can be filled with them!

These are cherished moments.

Yeah, Daddy!

June is always a special month because it is Jarrod's birthday and Father's day really close together.  We are LOVING having Daddy around to play with all of the time - (and let me do fun things like sleep in and take a nap, go to the bathroom and shower in privacy, go shopping!).. and we were super excited to celebrate Jarrod this weekend.

Happy Birthday, Jarrod!  Enjoy this LAST year in your 20s! :)

Daddy Rocks!  We love him so much.

He is abounding in patience, gives gentle correction, and is the best playmate ever.

We thank God that he is in our lives!

Settled in..

This summer is different from the previous two because instead of staying with (very generous) family members, we are renting a fully furnished duplex from friends for a large portion of our time in Virginia.  This takes the stress off of staying in someone else's space for 2 months, allows us to invite others over easier, and keep the kids on some semblance of schedule.   

Can I just say, the view from our back yard is AWESOME?  The house backs up to a farm, and when we go outside, we can see (and hear) sheep and a horse.  What a change from our house in Korea!  

One of our first stops after getting settled was to visit Jarrod's paternal grandparents, Pop-pop and Mom-mom.  We were delighted to introduce Emmalyn and re-introduce Marc to them, especially now that he can say their names :)

Pop-pop is going to turn 91 at the end of the month, and Mom-mom turned 90 just a few months ago.  We are so glad to share these special moments with them.

So much to do, so many people to see!

We have been busy, busy these last few days!..

On Saturday evening we had a "welcome home" potluck get-together with a core group of high school friends + spouses and many kids.  It was great seeing familiar faces again.

Just before eating, we gathered together to pray.. and Nathan said, "Let's sing our prayer" and when he began "God is Great...", the room broke into four-part harmony.  Ah Yes, I am back in the Valley.  It was a sweet sound that brought be back to high school days at EMHS.  It is good to be back.

Our kids had a great time playing... alongside each other :)  Maybe next year they will play together.

AND we had home-made ice cream!  So good!

THEN, today was my nephew, Shaun Peter Steyaert's 1st Birthday celebration.  We enjoyed a cookout with my extended family and lots of my sister's family friends at their house.

 Happy Birthday, Shaun!

Grandaddy's House

As we battle Jet Lag (the kids wake up at 2am ready to eat and play!), it is so nice to be at Grandaddy and Grandmomma Cole's house - with a big backyard, playground, and RIVER to keep (at least) Marc awake in the day time.

He wakes up SO HAPPY once he realizes that it is another day he gets to play with all the toys and go outside!

 Emmalyn, on the other hand, would rather be sleeping.

...but she comes around :) she is such a mild-natured baby!

 Who wouldn't want to go outside and play in THIS:

Yay for Summertime!