"oh-kay!"

I say this more often than I realize, as I've learned in the past few weeks after listening to my toddler repeat after me. :) It's usually used at the end of an activity, or when we're transitioning into something different, or when we're just getting started and there's a lot left to be done. In the case of this blog post, the latter is the most appropriate sentiment.

We arrived back in Ixtlan on Wednesday after a week in Illinois for Seth's baptism, where we managed to acquire fevers, aches, sniffles, and maybe some teeth. The last room in our house was tiled while we were gone, so we were welcomed home (once again) by a thin layer of dust covering absolutely everything and pretty much nothing in its place. We've made some progress on that in the last few days. Two of Marshall & Jan's grandchildren, Elizabeth and Elliott, are here for a month, and it was a huge blessing to have Elizabeth's help for a couple mornings this week as we tried to get unpacked and settled in again. There was a lot of cleaning and laundry to do, but she jumped in with both feet and helped me get it all done.

Here are a few catch-up pictures.

He was SO ready to be out of that seat by the time we reached the hotel the first night on our drive north. 

Waiting to cross the border - thankfully we didn't have to wait long!

At 6 1/2 months, he pulls himself up wherever he can... unfortunately this also includes the side of the bathtub. Slippery surfaces and unsteady baby feet don't go well together. 

Ivory is getting to know Grey and Brooks quite well... here they are enjoying their pizza. 

The "Herrmann cooks" making pancakes, which were enjoyed by all!

So for about 7.36 seconds they were sitting right next to each other so cute on the seats; by the time Grant pulled out the camera they weren't doing that anymore. But, this more accurately depicts the trip anyway. It went ok. I'm kind of tired of kids and airplanes. But for once they weren't the only kids on the plane. It's always nice to hear a kid screaming and realize... it's NOT YOUR OWN!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh kayyyyy. I feel more caught up now. This next week has the potential to be somewhat uneventful, but the weekend should be pretty busy - we're trying to plan a couples' Bible study and I've also been promising a few of the sixth grade girls that I'd have them over to make cookies. So hopefully we can squeeze that all in before guests arrive on the 19th!