Haiti-Preparation

I am going to Haiti!

Sanctuary praying over our Haiti Team

A team from my church is going to be making a trip to Port au Prince to work with Child Hope International at the Maison de Lumiere Orphanage. I have been praying about it since I first heard about the trip in January and felt that God was leading me to go. Once we had our team assembled, we began meeting every couple of weeks to prepare for our trip. There were many details to be attended to: airfare and travel accommodations for 13 team members, deciding what supplies to collect and bring, discussing what kinds of projects we might be interested in doing while we are there, fundraising, making sure everyone gets the appropriate vaccinations and prescriptions before we go, and lots of prayer.

This week we got together and held our packing party. We are each bringing one suitcase of our own belongings and one bag full of supplies to be donated to the orphanage. We had to meet weight and size limitations so we brought everything over to one house and got everything packed, tagged and documented.

Ann loading up a very large bag

Dawnelle and Pam distributing supplies to the many bags

Once packed, the bags were tagged and inventoried

More tagging

Here is a picture of our team, all packed and ready to go. Would you be praying for us as we go? We leave on Friday. We will be posting updates at http://www.esperehaiti.blogspot.com/

Sanctuary 2011 Haiti Team

Ava Riding her Bike!

On Mother’s Day, we took the kids to the park in the afternoon to ride their bikes. Ava got a new bike for her birthday and we wanted her to try it out. She is very coordinated and we knew she’d be able to do it, but she kept telling us that she would ride without training wheels when she was 7. We convinced her to at least try it, and once she did she was a natural! She seriously got it the first time she tried. She is an excellent balancer, but she needs to work on steering. She would take off and ride right into the planters! I’m so proud of my big girl!

Getting a little help from Dad

Dad running alongside for moral support

Doing great!

Riding all by herself!

And she's off!

Ava and her Daddy

Drew can ride his bike too :)

Mother's Day 2011

I have the best family! They totally spoiled me on Mother’s Day.


It started off with breakfast in bed. Dan, Drew and Ava made me a breakfast burrito—my favorite!—and brought me my coffee on a tray with a rose picked from our garden and their cards and gifts. Ava made me a puzzle at school and Drew gave me….We went to church where they prayed for our Haiti team, which leaves next Friday! The kids also got roses to give to their moms and made cards. Drew’s said “Happy Mother’s Day” on the outside and on the inside it said “I like you Mom.” I thought it was so cute!

After church we went to the park and played and then went to Lickety Split. The kids had Awana so then Dan and I had a few quiet hours at home and he went and picked up Indian food for dinner. Yum! I’m so glad I get to be a Mommy!

Me and my beautiful kids

Ava's 5th Birthday!

My baby is 5 years old!


When she woke up, she got to pick whatever she wanted for breakfast—she picked a sunshine breakfast (scrambled eggs with toast cut into triangles to look like the sun). Then she got to open presents from our family, including a new big girl bike! After she got to play with her presents for a while, it was time to go to Drew’s baseball game. She is such a sweetheart, she didn’t mind sharing her day with her brother at all. In fact, while we were at the game she asked for a slurpee. I normally say no, but I said, since it’s your birthday, you can have one. She thought about it for a minute and then said, “but I’m going to have cake and ice cream at my party, so that will be too much sugar.” I am impressed by her growing responsibility—only 5 and making healthy eating choices.

Ava woke up to birthday decorations!

Sunshine breakfast for my sunshine girl

Opening Presents

A big girl bike!

This year Ava’s birthday fell on a Saturday, so we got to have her party on her actual birthday. She wanted to have a Barbie party with a piñata. So, we invited some friends from school and church over to celebrate. We had necklaces, bracelets and rings for the girls to wear, as well as little tiaras, hair glitter and shimmery eye shadow and lip gloss. Then we had a Barbie fashion show! We also played a couple of games before going outside to do the piñata! Everyone had a turn to hit the piñata blindfolded, then without the blindfold, then finally Drew finished it off for us. After the girls collected their goodies, it was time to go back inside for Barbie cake and ice cream, and then more presents!

Party Food



Party Girls



Ava walking the Barbie Fashion Show Runway

Keilani walking the runway

Playing "Barbie Says"

Pinata Time!

Molly takes a swing

Ava wanted to help Daddy work the pinata

Drew finishes it off for us

Barbie Cake

Ava blowing out the candles

The girls eating their cake and ice cream

One of Ava’s favorite gifts was her very own camera from Grandma and Grandpa. She has been wanting one for a while now. She enjoys helping cousin Adam when he comes to take pictures, and she even uses my phone to take pictures of things around the house. She even told me that she wants to quit gymnastics so she can take photography lessons! So, she was very excited when she opened her present from them and it was her own pink camera with a pink case!

Ava opening presents

Of course, there were some Barbie things

Ava and Mommy

Ava's new pink camera!

Another favorite gift-this sweet potato plant from Grandma Honey

Drew hanging out with Grandpa Steve

Easter 2011

Happy Easter!


This year, things were so busy leading up to Easter, that we didn’t have time to dye eggs until the day before. But I’m glad we found time, because it’s always so fun to do with the kids. We used bright colors and glitter eggs and the kids enjoyed using the magic crayon to write their names or draw pictures on the eggs before we dyed them.

On Easter Morning, we went through our Resurrection Eggs and told the story of Easter. Then we opened our Easter baskets and looked for eggs in the house. We also had some yummy homemade blueberry scones for breakfast, before going to church early to help set-up. We had a really nice morning and heard a great message about the Prodigal Son from our pastor. After church we had an Easter Egg Hunt. The kids really enjoy doing this at church every year and went home with lots of goodies!

Resurrection Eggs

Ava with her Easter basket

Drew with his Easter basket

Finding some eggs that the bunny left

Ava and Keilani at the church egg hunt

Drew, Jacob, Ty and Tommy at the church egg hunt

Ava finding eggs

Drew finding eggs

Eben and Drew with their loot

We celebrated Easter with our good friends, the Quayles again this year. It’s so nice to have friends that are like family! Each family made a contribution to dinner and we had a really nice spread! The kids loved playing together in the backyard and got to do another egg hunt. The adults enjoyed spending time together and we got to play too—we played cornhole! It was such a nice, relaxing holiday. I hope your Easter was just as blessed!

The Quayle Family

Our Family

Drew and Ava ready for Egg Hunt #3

All the kids ready to look for eggs

Checking out their baskets

Our yummy Easter spread

Ava, Keilani and Molly

Drew and Jacob