Down South

I think I managed to get this all in one post that you can read from top to bottom in the correct order. Here's hoping. Thanks in advance for taking the time to appreciate the crazy amount of time it took me to put this post together.

Max fell in love before we even left our neighbourhood. I'll give you a hint ... she's cute, Latin, and really smart! And she lived inside the DVD player propped up on the console for the long days in the truck (and sometimes when we were stuck in stupid rainy traffic).
Six little monkeys on an orange couch. (Couldn't get all the red out of their eyes so I just changed the whole thing to sepia.) We stopped to see the Gordons for supper and were treated to a performance by "Pots, Pans, & Rubber Bands" before heading across town to our hotel. Cara, Marty, Max, Elijah, Clay, Malcolm
We were all very happy to get out of the truck in Abbotsford.
Thursday was a busy day. Here Marty meets Great Gramma Hiebert.
And Max takes his traditional cruise down the hallway on Great Grampa's walker
Marty met the love of his life that day, Miss Taeya. They've waited for this moment all their lives. (Born one day apart!) Kelly has some great pictures on her blog. We had a lovely visit after a walk around the lake. A little rainy but it was fun. Mill Lake and surrounding park have changed so much since I last spent time there.
We finished the day with a visit with the Weibelzahls . Max approved of their toys, especially the African drum. He was especially well behaved for being up so late past his bedtime. We enjoyed sharing life with them for a few hours. Uncle Reidly...
Friday we went into the big city. I couldn't find my camera so had to steal these pictures from Holly. Max & Aliya had a fantastic time playing together in her room. (After Max stopped slamming the door in her face!) I was so happy to see Holly's parents there as well! They had only met Max once so they had lots of tickling and snuggling with the boys to catch up on.We had a short visit at Melea's too. Stephen had to go to work and Noah was asleep for a while after we got there but it was nice to catch up with them. I forgot to ask if she got any good pictures of the boys together. They were much better playmates than they were in July. Phew! They won't have to avoid each other for the rest of their lives. Had a delish dinner with Maggie in their lovely new home. Oh, and THANKS, RUSS & CARMEN AND ESPECIALLY DAN for joining us for an early breakfast.

On Saturday we went to the Rempels for brunch. Always a most enjoyable and relaxing time there. Paul and Ash went to Princess Auto (woo hoo!) while my boys and I visited with Charis and our dear friend and her child of promise. I'm so thankful for God's faithfulness in your life and look forward to sharing this journey with you, even from afar. I'm sorry I missed your SR party tonight, but we had to come home eventually!

I love this picture of Max with Auntie Debbie.
Then it was Sunday. Oh, we got so many hugs at church! That afternoon we had a Zalinko get-together at Lara's. The boys had ever so much fun playing with all kinds of things. I lounged with the ladies while Marty had a snooze.

Frieda's gang ...
Marty, Joshua, Max, Colton
That evening we enjoyed Elizabeth's yummy-as-always roast beef dinner with the Chapmans, too. So much laughter!

Good times with Miss Laura's hoodie strings and zipper. Both boys were instantly captivated!
Max/04Marty/06
Getting some lovin' from Grandma Sandy (& Len too), showing off the jacket made by Grandma Gerbie.
Tuesday morning began with a date with two Barker beauties at Ikea. Then it was off to see Kristin and Marin. As Kristin said on her blog, the children all behaved well except for a few times when we had to rescue Marty from Marin and Marin from Max. It was so neat to seem them all at such different stages.

Dinner and reconnecting with the Piechniks and Phillips was a blessing and encouragement to our hearts.

It was great to see Lizzie and her boys for a few hours on Wednesday. We first met walking in our Murrayville neighbourhood when the big boys were just a few months old. Living so close made it easy to get together often. The babies got to meet each other and the mommies had a great visit.
Marty & Seth - Nov/06Max & Jade - Dec/04 (Jade wasn't really into taking an updated picture so this will have to do.)
Oh what fun we had with Niki and her kids! Max & Kaleb played really well together, watched some Blue's Clues, even ate a little lunch. Makenna is such a hunny! Just as cute as the pictures her Mama faithfully shares with us. Max had a blast with their food toys. Thanks for the tip, Niki. We found the kit at Superstore and it's tucked away under the bed until Christmas.
Our final visit was at our favourite potato farm in Cloverdale. We are so loved. Our boys will never know how many "Grandmas & Grandpas" love and pray for them.

Returning homeThe lovely winter scene didn't last very long. Tomorrow's forecast is for "rain, followed by showers". Sheesh.