LEGOland

 About a month ago we were invited with a home school group from our church in Orlando to go to LEGOland, Florida!  This was something that our kids had been wanting to do since it opened a couple years ago.  LEGOland gives a huge discount to home school/school groups and so we decided to go for it!  We stayed with some very dear-to-our-entire-family friends...our former pastor and his family.  Paul and our former pastor hit the beach with his oldest daughter but the rest of us headed out to Lakeland to enjoy the sunshine at LEGOland!  It goes without saying, but we had a blast!  It is the perfect park for those children 10 and under, in my humble opinion!  Pictured above is half of the group with whom we went.

 PJ pictured above in a LEGO shark's mouth!  LOOK OUT, Shark attack!

 Pictured above is Calvin with a LEGO guard in the kingdom section.  And below is Adele valiantly galloping on her horse, most assuredly winning the jousting tournament!

Elizabeth got a bit of the short end of the stick having gone with her three older siblings.  There were plenty of rides for her to ride, but not when Mommy had to manage other children and wait in lines that weren't suitable for her.  She did get to go on a few rides...and had a good time, overall.  I think her favorite part of the day was her nice long nap in a friend's cozy stroller!

First Family Beach Day 2013

 We hit the beach last Thursday. The kids could hardly wait to get their suits on and play in the sand and try out the water (it's still a little cold for the younger three and me!) and enjoy some quality time with Uncle James.

 Paul and I had a grand time watching this little whipper-snapper...she LOVES the beach.  She played for hours and enjoyed every minute.  Her mouth was pretty much opened like in the above picture because of all the new things she was doing!

 PJ found an old skate egg shell while he was boogie boarding.

 More fun with a bucket and a shovel...

 Uncle James found a sea star while he was boogie-boarding.

 Dada and Elizabeth taking a stroll on the beach.

Adele and Calvin digging a hole to play in.
It was a beautiful day to hit the beach.  We're excited for it to be beach season here in Florida!!!

on spiritual warfare

Nearly every Sunday I come home from church and pretty immediately I struggle with anger, impatience, despair and discontentment.  This has been going on for some time.  If I had to guess, I would guess years.  I am ashamed to write that, but that is the reality.  Every Sunday is a struggle.  Now, there have been Sundays when I come home in a good mood and refreshed but that is definitely not the norm.  I was talking with a friend some time ago and I am not sure exactly how long ago but she was sharing a similar struggle and she said so clearly, that it was spiritual warfare.  This was the first time I realized that my struggle was also a spiritual one, one in which the enemy of our souls was battling every single Sunday to bring me down and to defeat me.  Ashamedly, I have caved way too many times.

Today, dear reader, was no different to the dozens of times I've had this experience.  Sunday comes, and I truly look forward to worship and I truly enjoy worship and am refreshed and feel like nothing can get me down and then 10 minutes home all Hades breaks loose. Today, all Hades broke loose and then there was clarity.  After my "meltdown" (selfish and indulgent and full of self-pity) I took a walk around our neighborhood.  It has been raining here for the past two days, quite hard, but there was a break in the weather and so I put on my sneakers and went out to burn off some steam.  On the walk, my heart was full of evil thoughts.  Thoughts that I won't even dare to write here.  Doubts and disappointments loomed large in my mind and my heart was hard.  I was doubting the Lord's goodness to me and His kindness...and I was most definitely taking His patience for granted.  I am thankful we serve a Lord who is slow to anger and abounding in love and kindness.  

I came home, went straight to my room, shut the door and laid down in my bed.  A few minutes later, Paul came in, gently, and asked if he could share something with me.  I agreed.  And he proceeded to share the sermon he listened to this morning (he stayed home with the girls since they all had some sickness in the past 24-48 hours).  It was a John Piper sermon on missions and some thoughts the Lord brought to his mind after listening.  The chisel was set and the Word and Spirit were ministering together to cut away the fat from around this cold, calloused heart.  I was humbled and struggling to let down my guard but eventually, I did by the Spirit's kindness, I let down my guard and heard.  Paul was saying these struggles are because of the calling.  He named it spiritual warfare, a torment of Satan to try to discourage us and beat us down with his lies.  We aren't called to America.  We are called to Thailand.  We are called to a place in Thailand that is hard.  All of Thailand is hard and to add to that hardness is the unknown of what to expect down south.  The spiritual forces at work in our lives are very real.  We have an enemy and he does not want to see us get to Thailand. If he can stop us here and now, he will and he will do all that he can to stop us from going forward.  That means, he will fill my mind with doubts about the good God that I serve and the calling that my good God has put on our life, that means he will tempt me to anger and impatience, to harsh speech and unkindness.  He will tempt me to think, as I did today, "there's no way you can serve Christ...look at you, you're a mess! Who are you fooling?"  Yeah, I really had these thoughts. I really had these temptations and regretfully, I listened to every one of them until I came home and Paul greeted me gently and with truth.  I haven't been spending much time in Ephesians 6 lately, but I think that this is where I need to be for a while...taking up the whole armor of God so that I can stand firm against the evil one.  It's funny how so much clarity comes when the Lord shows you His truth and right now I feel so foolish that I haven't realized this sooner...that I didn't really hear the Lord in that conversation with my friend awhile back, but all this struggle is to bring me closer to Him, to a deeper dependence on Him and that is where I hope to rest.  I feel ashamed that I bowed my knee to the enemy Sunday after Sunday and unfortunately just after bowing my knee to my Savior who bled and died for me!  O what a wretched man that I am.  So thankful that Christ is bigger than this and He is showing me victory can only come through Him and depending wholly upon Him!

Ephesians 6: 10-20
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this  present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak."

*Please pray for our family as we do battle temptations and oftentimes we give into them.  Pray Ephesians 6 with us and for us and may we see the Lord strengthen our walk in Him and may we see victory over sin in our lives but also in the lives of many Thai people.

Horsing Around

 Adele and I had the joy of going to a small family-run horse farm two weeks ago to learn about horses and have a mini riding lesson.  The anticipation was so high for this event that though the skies were breaking free from their moorings, we weathered the storm, wind and rain and mud and muck and all.  Ms. Genna (the woman pictured above) has two horses and a pony.  We learned a whole lot about horses.  Ms. Genna gave each of the kids a packet of coloring pages that have also been very educational for my kids.

 Above, Adele brushing out Malfoy, the pony.  And below, Adele is cleaning out the hoofs...she said it was her favorite part!

 Above, Adele excited to take Malfoy for a ride.  Below, "no hands, Mommy!"  She was so happy!

And, she even got to lead Malfoy back.  Notice the water in the background...it was a VERY wet day.  But, we had such a wonderful time. In fact, we had such a good time, I took the boys back on Saturday for a turn with the horses.  That post will be coming soon.

A video of Adele riding.

on cancer and other afflictions

I had the delight of chatting with my friend, Yu, recently on Facebook's instant message.  Yu has worked with our team since the early years and she has been a faithful servant of the Lord.  I asked her how our other Thai sister, Tang, is doing.  Tang was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in late November.  She did some radiation treatments in December and two weeks ago she was to start her third round of chemo treatments.  Those treatments were never started.  They have said she is too weak to go through with another round and are giving her natural medications to help ease the pain.  We also found out recently that she has bone marrow cancer.  To say that all of this was a shock is a huge understatement.  Tang isn't even 30 years old and she and her husband, Pramot, just had their first baby in early November, her name is Peace.  It's hard when people you love are on the other side of the world, hurting.  It's hard whether I am in Thailand and our American family is hurting or whether I am here and our Thai family is hurting.  It's times like this that you wish you lived A LOT closer!  So, in answer to my question, Yu said that Tang is getting weaker and weaker.  Of course tears rolled down my cheeks thinking about this sister and the pain, both physical and emotional, that she is walking through right now.

I am sure some might think what I am about to say is crazy, but I look at this scene of hardship, affliction and grief and see a child deeply loved by her Savior.  In a day when the Joel Osteens and Joyce Myers of this world are shouting "have more faith and you will be healed!" it's refreshing to be reminded of what the Scriptures teach, that Jesus never promised a rose garden, in fact, quit the opposite.  In our Americanized, Western worldview we have been taught that a pain free life is the one worth living, that's when you're truly blessed.  But, if we compare that to Scripture, it doesn't hold much water.  Over and over again in the Psalms the Psalmist cries out, "why do the wicked prosper?"  Why are they wealthy and healthy while the righteous are poor and needy?  And, if you read those Psalms, you will also notice that each time the Psalmist asks this question, he always comes around to the fact through the Spirit's leading that they will not prosper forever, that God's righteous judgment and wrath will come upon the wicked.  Be sure of it.  So, I see this trial that Tang and Pramot are walking through as a testament to their love and devotion to Christ and more importantly His love and devotion to them.  He loves them so much that He has allowed them to walk through the furnace, to be purified and brought to a greater dependence on their Savior.  The wonderful hope for them is that their Savior knows exactly how they are being tempted as He has walked the same road of affliction.  He can comfort them and grant them strength.  And make no mistake, whether the Lord sees fit to heal Tang's body of this vicious disease that is causing her physically to waste away or whether He sees fit to welcome her into His glorious presence, He is good.  That's the bottom line.  Do you doubt His goodness? Do you doubt that God works all these afflictions out for His glory and for your ultimate good?  If you do, spend some time with your Lord, in the Scriptures, calling out to Him to show you His goodness and to help your unbelief.  He is good, all the time, good or bad, He is good. Trust Him and rest in Him alone.

Pictured from left to right is Pramot, Peace, and Tang. Please keep this sweet family in your prayers.

While the cat's away the mice will play

 Paul left Monday afternoon for Atlanta for a leadership seminar with Mission to the World. He took our van, so we have been home.  We've definitely had our challenges this week, but all in all, it's been good.  I got a puzzle with several different works of Van Gogh...and now we are intimately acquainted with the minute details of some of his pieces!  PJ is a puzzler extraordinaire! He actually ended up finishing it with the last pieces belonging to Starry, Starry Night, it was hard!

 We had a spaghetti face in the house...had to get some pictures of this messy girl!

 We took a walk one afternoon, but stopped for a picture in front of

the blooming dogwood tree (can't really tell).

 We checked the mail daily. =)

 Walking, running, biking, pushing Elizabeth...on our straight and flat road, although I will say we do have a few hills around here in North Florida!

 Posing.

 The final pieces...and some eager kids to get the job done!

 Above, the finished, glued product!  We're going to surprise Daddy!

Yes, we even made some Valentine's...perhaps you may get one in the mail?!

It's been a fun week, but we are sure looking forward to Daddy's return tonight.

Calvin turns 7

Yowzers, seven, already!  Calvin requested that we celebrate his birthday at Grampy and Grammy's house with his Henry cousins.  So, that is what we did.  We had to postpone his party once because he was sick (along with his brother and sister). We ended up celebrating on his actual birthday, January 31st.  He was super happy.  And just as contented as always.  Paul and I always remark at how nothing seems to phase Calvin. He's very laid back.  As you can see below we got him a big LEGO set, Helm's Deep, to be exact, but we didn't bring the big box out right away. Paul wrapped up a small pocket knife for him and he acted as if that is all we got Calvin.  He was genuinely delighted and never asked about another gift!  Of course, we pulled it out and he was THRILLED!  

                                          

 He requested cupcakes for his cake...and he wanted rings on them and he wanted the icing yellow, orange and blue.  I did my best.  We found these Angry Bird rings on yellow frosted cupcakes, and I also found some blue frosted ones.  =)

 Above is Calvin with Adele to the left and Erin beside her and PJ and Sean on the right.  Ian was home sick...we missed him!  We had a meal of roast beef, mac and cheese (his favorite), mashed potatoes, oriental slaw and fruit salad.

 Erin made Calvin this really cool box to put all his treasures in!  He LOVES this gift.  He keeps all his birthday gifts in it!

 Grammy and Grampy gave Calvin these action figures from The Hobbit.  Again, pleased as pie!

 Nanny and Pappy gave Calvin a LEGO watch, sunglasses (see below) and a LEGO t-shirt...it's hard to get the t-shirt off of him!

 Well, I had to put this picture in of Elizabeth admiring the new toys.  Isn't she cute?!

 Seanie made a light saber for Calvin.  Again, a very creative gift and Calvin was thrilled.

 Loving the shades...with the tag!

 Excited about Helm's Deep above and below, the finished product combined with a castle that Paul and the boys made over Christmas...so it is quite a set up!

It goes without saying, but I am proud of my little man.  I still call him my baby boy, because he still is my baby boy!  As I mentioned earlier, Calvin is so laid back and I pray that the Lord will use that in Calvin's life to bring much glory to Christ.

fighting on your knees

 I am not sure what the actual number is of folks who pray faithfully for us, meaning daily, weekly or monthly, but I think that number, hopefully, is pretty high!  It is humbling to be on the other side of all that prayer and wonder why people we hardly know spend time praying for us, but we are extremely thankful that they (you?) do.  We are trying really hard to be faithful about sending out prayer emails, MTW Thailand is also faithful about sending out monthly prayer emails thanks to Mary Randolph who keeps us accountable!  And, I think it's safe to say that we truly hope that when you commit to praying for us your prayers are not just merely, "Lord, bless the Henry family."  We love the Lord's blessings, and He does hear that prayer, but we really would love for you to be specific in your requests (which is why we send prayer emails) and also to pray for the Thai people to come to see their sin and repent and turn to the Savior.  One of my favorite prayers recorded in Scripture is none other than our Lord's prayer in John 17, the High Priestly Prayer. And, my favorite verse is verse 3, "Now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."  This "knowing" is a very intimate knowledge.  So, here we see Jesus praying for His followers to have eternal life and spelling out what eternal life is...knowing God and His Son, Christ. An intimate relationship, likened to that relationship between a husband and wife.  Perhaps you pray this for yourself, for your family members, for the missionaries, for the lost of the world. Perhaps you never thought of it before.  Salvation is not fire insurance from hell, it's knowing Christ.  So, when you pray for us, please pray that we would know our Savior, pray that those we are seeking to share the Gospel with those who would see their need of Him and the sin in their life and repent and return to the Lord and know Him as well. Pray that we, as missionaries, would be faithful to disciple those who do repent and throw themselves on Christ.   Pray for our children to know our Savior and grow in Him as well.  Pray for courage, boldness, humility and wisdom as we go about our days, often in a hostile spiritual climate, and for the Lord to be glorified in our speech, walk and thought.

The one Constant

*disclaimer, when I wrote this post back in November, we had just returned home from a 10 day trip, while staying in an amazing log cabin out in the woods, isolated from all the modern day conveniences...so I was having a bit of a rough day readjusting to "normal-for-us" life.

Okay, so I just introduced this post with a disclaimer...that disclaimer is shared so that if you don't REALLY want to hear my heart today, perhaps you should move on to the next blog you read...or pick one over there on the right on my blogroll and read one of those instead!  We returned home last night around 9:30 from 10 wonderfully spent days in the Upstate of South Carolina.  As I mentioned, we were staying in an 1800s era cabin...however, it does have running water, lights and a flush toilet...and even a shower!  It was gorgeous and simple and I loved every minute of being there.  It was heated by a fire place with a blower and so most mornings were cool until one of us got the fire going. This post isn't about our time there, though.  It's about today.  The heaping piles of laundry (because when you're from Florida, you wear loads of layers to keep from freezing to death), the realization that all that home schooling that was going to be done didn't happen, the fact that I have psych tests to be finished by the end of the week for Mission to the World (timing is not the best with that!), groceries need to be got, and oh yeah, the lingering taste in my mouth of the stability of that country life compared to the ever transient upheavals of what is our life.  That last one there...that is the one that I have been struggling with today.  We met with so many new friends on this trip.  It truly was an immense encouragement to us to fellowship with both old and new friends.  It was beautiful to see our children not want to leave newly met friends and to remind them of how wonderful it is that no matter where we go, if there are Christians there, we are family because of Christ.  And, today, as I struggle with contentment in the transitory nature of our life, I have prayed often for the Lord to remind me of His goodness, how He has cared for and provided our every need and that though those stable country lives are beautiful and bountiful and full of good things, that is not our calling.  It's not bad, it's just not our calling.  I so wanted to pick up the phone this afternoon and call my dear friend, Rhianna, who knows this struggle all too well.  To hear her words of wisdom and to know that she understands.  I just wanted someone who understands.  Instead, I cried out to my Lord in my weakness.  He heard, He is faithful, He listens. He tenderly reminds me of the calling He has given me.  He tenderly assures me of His love for me and that things and houses and superb education don't mean a hill of beans to Him, that I am His and He is mine.  The Bible tells us that Jesus knows our weakness, he knows that we are but dust and it also assures us that He knows how we feel and that He was tempted by everything we are tempted by, except He did not sin.  So, I am comforted in that as well.  Jesus knew his time on earth was somewhat limited.  He also traveled a lot and slept in many different homes and didn't have a place to call home.  He was transient.  He understands, too.  Thankfully, He understands too.  The one great thing about this crazy life we lead is that it ever keeps our eyes on Christ, that we are merely sojourners here, passing through until we get to our eternal home. I think of those of us who are often moving from place to place because of the calling Christ has given us we are forced to hold loosely to the stability of growing roots in a house or city affords and abide in the One in Whom our roots are truly to be rooted.

RIP Toothless

Well, he almost lasted six months. That's not bad for pets around here.  Toothless, the over-loved reptile of the year died on Tuesday.  PJ received Toothless for his birthday.  Toothless was a Western Hog-nosed Snake...you can see why in the pictures.  PJ loved this little guy because he was harmless but looked fierce...like a rattlesnake.  I grew up in a family of snake haters. I am not talking about just your normal fear of snakes, I am talking about "the only good snake is a dead snake" kind of family...and so Toothless was a labor of love for me.  When all your child can do is eat, sleep, dream and talk about snakes you get the picture, quickly, that he wouldn't mind having one.  So, how could I say no to my precious boy when he wanted a snake for his birthday?  I couldn't. It was pure fear and selfishness on my part. And, so I allowed this reptile to enter our lives.  We all learned to love Toothless...even Elizabeth enjoyed seeing him slither around.  I eventually got used to him...and when the temps dropped here in Florida I even suggested that we bring Toothless in out of the cold so he wouldn't freeze to death.  THIS WAS HUGE PROGRESS!!!  But, I still had never held him.  There is only so far a mama can go!
So, back to Tuesday.  We were sitting in our home office and I was on the computer.  Before I got online, I looked in Toothless's cage and didn't see him. I thought this was strange, but often I don't see him because he's camouflaged really well with the sand.  A few minutes later, PJ entered the room and I asked him about it. He took the lid off the enclosure and quickly put it back on. I turned around and tears where welling in his eyes..."Toothless is dead, Mommy!!!"  Oh, what heartache.  I cried.  I can't believe I cried.  Truly, I was crying for my boy who just lost his first true pet.  We had a proper burial. We placed Toothless in a pickle jar (complete with the pickle juice to thwart his body decaying) and buried him out by Bear.  Bear was Grace's dog who died a couple years ago.
Well, in case you're wondering, we have already replaced Toothless. Not with a pet store snake, oh no, Paul and PJ went to Grampy's yesterday and they found themselves a Black Racer. This snake is probably about 3 feet long...much bigger...and I don't like him as much.  They've named him Black Arrow.  He is living outside on the front porch!  He seems to like PJ alright...and PJ loves it.  All day today I've watched him walk around the property with his new friend dangling around his neck like a necklace...only not.  I'm not sure I can go much bigger with these snakes, but what was that I said earlier? Oh yeah, it's a labor of love.

 Toothless, eating a lizard...very cool to watch, albeit not for the weak stomach!

the long hiatus is over, hopefully!

Hi friends, there are a couple new posts below this one.  Sorry for the long rest.  Back in November I tried to write a blog but when I was uploading videos I got a message saying that my storage had been used up and I needed to buy more. Well, I didn't have time at that time to delve deeper into the problem but figured that I would have to start a new blog or the storage thing was a scam.  I don't know what happened but today I had time and tried to upload pics and as you  will see they downloaded just fine.  So, this is the reason for the long writing hiatus!  I guess I could have been writing but I know there are certain folks who like seeing the kids...so, there, that is my excuse!!!
Happy New Year 2013 to you all.  May we long for the Lord's return and pray for His grace to endure and His salvation to come to the ends of the earth!

of brothels and church planting

We get asked a lot about sex trafficking in Thailand. Questions like, is it that rampant? And mostly, are we doing anything to help curb the industry?  These are hard questions.   But, I think the simple answer is yes, sex trafficking is rampant in Thailand and yes, I believe what we have done and will do aid in the cessation of sex trafficking in Thailand.  Do I personally know girls being trafficked? Well, I probably do know the girls, but I haven't been told about it.  I am guessing that there are plenty of girls I have met who have been sexually exploited or who are being set up for a life of prostitution.  I hope that if you're reading this that you don't have the idea that these girls have chosen this life and so whatever comes to them is their own fault.  I have heard a lot of people say that about prostitutes even here in our own country.  There is often little empathy or love for these women and men who are slaves in this vicious world of sex for sale.  It is slavery.  Whether you think of it as such or not, it is, even if it seems like it's something they have chosen to do...it's still slavery because almost always there is a pimp involved and if a pimp is involved, you can bet that girl is in bondage.

So, what are we doing about it as missionaries in a country where sex trafficking/prostitution and the sex industry is celebrated and brings in millions of dollars every year?  Well, the simple answer to that is church planting.  We may not be in the red light districts saving boys and girls out of sex slavery every night of the week (there are several organizations that are doing this very thing) but our hope and prayer for Thailand is that as the the Spirit descends and changes and transforms hearts that those hearts transformed will lead to a culture transformed and as the culture transforms the idea of paying for sex with ANY one would be abolished and these women and men, girls and boys would be set free from sexual slavery.  We firmly believe in the power of the gospel.  Please join with us in praying for the hearts of the Thai people...that they would no longer sell their daughters and sons into this slavish industry.  And, don't stop there, please look below at the videos on sex trafficking, not only in Thailand but around the world.  It is an ever-increasing trend, please be a voice for those silenced and educate yourself on what is really going on in our country as well. As one of the men mention on The Pink Room trailer...this issue is one in which societies do not value people.  Our American Western society is just as guilty as this as a nation is South East Asia. When we look at people as those who have value, simply becuase they are made in the image of God, it changes how we treat them.  This, of course, if boiled down, comes back to Jesus' words in  the gospels "to love your neighbor as yourself."  Who is our neighbor, one asked the Lord, and he then shared the story of the Good Samaritan.  If we love people, truly love people, we will see the value they have...regardless of their socio-economic level or any other factor.
Annie Lobert, I Am Second
Annie Lobert was a prostitute in Las Vegas until the Lord got a hold of her heart.  She is now an advocate for those who are in slavery.  The content is not appropriate for children, please watch with discretion.
Nefarious, Merchant of Souls trailer
The Nefarious video is a documentary done by Exodus Cry, a ministry to get the word out about exploitation.  This is just the trailer. If you want to watch the video you will have to search around online for it.  The content is graphic, please view with discretion.
The Pink Room
Another documentary highlighting the life of young girls in Cambodia being sexually exploited.  Again, discretion is advised.
Please watch and pray...please watch and pray!

I just recently reread one of my favorite books by Francis Schaeffer entitled, The Mark of the Christian.  You know what the mark of the Christian is, my friend?  It is just what I wrote above....love.  This doesn't mean a blind kind of love in which there are no standards, no but a love that flows from Christ.  As Christians, (little Christs) we are to emulate His love.  So, I humbly ask you to watch, pray and love your neighbor as yourself.  Gain some empathy for those who have a very different life from yours, knowing that but by God's grace ALONE that could be you. May we all see our need for His grace daily and thankful for His mercy extended towards us.

Christmas in PA

 We traveled to the northern lands for a short week to be with my family just before Christmas.  We had fun visiting family, playing in the snow a wee bit (there wasn't much but we got the most out of what was available!) and celebrating Christmas with the Carrier/Rinehart side of the family.  Pictured above is Paul with Adele and Calvin and their snowman.

Above, my nephew, Matthew, and niece, Kylee with Elizabeth, Calvin, PJ and Adele.

5th Birthdays are SO special, but especially when shared with cousins!

Adele with her cousins, Vinnie (to the left) and Erin on the right.

In deep conversation, no doubt!

We made hats...I love this pose of these sweet girls.

Time to open gifts!

Babies Elizabeth and Meredith enjoyed the festivities as well...Grammy was our baby bouncer!

Surprise!  Adele had no idea we were having a surprise Tea Party for her birthday...she really didn't know what to do with herself!

Above are some the treats we had, along with the flowers and tea set, thanks to Aunt Becky who let us borrow hers....complete with musical lids that played Just a Spoonful of Sugar and I forget what the tea pot played now!  The girls LOVED it!

Later, we celebrated with the men and boyfolk...and here she is blowing out the candles on the 5 layer cake she requested...I was just happy it didn't fall over!

Her new doll...Jasmine (she named her) who likes to ride horses!  It was a most special day...for a most special little girl!  I love you Adella-Bella!