Leigh's Wedding

On September 3, our family had a fun, momentous, sentimental, special, beautiful event in that my sister got married! She and I are not too far apart in age, but it still seemed surreal that my little sister was old enough to be embarking on this new season of life.

Both she and her husband live in North Carolina, but since they are both from Oklahoma, they held the wedding here at one of the state's neatest venues, The Harn Homestead.

I know every bride is beautiful, and I know she's my sister, but I have to say, Leigh was stunning that day. She had this ethereal glow about her, in part due to her gorgeous dress/hair/veil/make-up and in large part due to the fact that she was marrying the love of her life. When she came down that aisle, she took MY breath away! There is just something so sweet about watching your little sister get married.

She and J.J. are perfect for each other, and I'm excited to have gained a second brother (the first being Gib's brother).

The weekend festivities began with the rehearsal and dinner, where J.J. revealed their honeymoon destination to his bride via a little game. She opened photos and had to guess where they were taken and then put them in order of their honeymoon itinerary. His thoughtfulness in planning the honeymoon and the big reveal was so sweet, and Leigh was too cute when she realized what was ahead of her. She correctly guessed Athens, a Mediterranean cruise and the grand finale of Santorini.

On the wedding day itself, I was amazed at how calm, yet excited, my sister was. No nerves, no stress, just happiness. The guys looked dapper in their suspenders and bow ties, and even Levi had a mini-version of their outfits. It was a somewhat last-minute decision to have Levi pulled down the aisle in a wagon, and oh my goodness was it adorable!

Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures of my own that day, but you can see their photo slideshow (photos by Sarah at HolliB Photography) here! Congratulations, Leigh and J.J.!

Falling for Fall

I don't know if this weather actually means that fall is coming, but regardless, this is just one of the many reasons I love cooler weather!

Playing catch-up

"A little behind" would be quite an understatement in describing my posting frequency these days, wouldn't it?!

After The Great Move, it took several days to get us all unpacked and settled, but I'm proud to say that we are pretty much there. We have a few more things to hang on the walls and a few more bins to purchase to make our shelves more aesthetically appealing, but I'm going to call us unpacked.

At the end of August, we set out for Kansas to introduce Levi to his great-grandparents and great-aunts and great-uncles. We left early enough that our little guy got to travel in his adorable pj's, helping daddy drive. (Kidding, of course).

Our little Blazer had a great time introducing himself to his great-grandparents Park and got to experience the Park family's love of all things K-State. He joined in the theme for a day with his powercat onesie. He also had some reading time with his grandma.

Grandma Park and her sisters threw us a shower one afternoon, and Levi got to meet his great-grandpa Krouse, receive some fun toys, and then take a nap while the adults talked. (Sidenote: the Ergo is on my list of top things moms need. It's amazing.)

It was a short trip, but it's always wonderful to get to see Gib's family. We are really excited that his parents have relocated back to Manhattan, a short drive away when compared with Western Colorado!

Seven months!

Levi B.,

Seven months, and WOW are you a kid on the move! I realize that once you start crawling and walking, that sentence will take on a whole new meaning, but even still, I am amazed at your energy and determination to be in motion.

You smile and laugh all of the time now. Sometimes it's at us, sometimes it's at something as random as the ceiling. It doesn't matter to us - we just love to hear that laugh. Your smile and your laugh will melt your mama's heart in a matter of seconds. And your daddy's, too. You are our little sunshine.

You are sitting up now completely on your own and reaching for anything and everything that might remotely be in your vicinity. You have graduated to a high chair in restaurants, and while it's not your favorite thing, it sure beats sitting on the ground in your car seat, so you approve. You are also riding in the front of the grocery cart, and our shopping trips have opened a whole new world for you. A new perspective changes everything! I suppose that's a metaphor for life.

The last month has been busy, to say the least. You've had lots of fun visitors come from out of state, and out of the country, to see you. We said goodbye to your first nursery and relocated all of your belongings down the street to a new place. You have adapted effortlessly.

Last week, while waiting at a cash register for nearly twenty minutes while they tried to find a price on something we were buying, I just watched you watch people. You smiled and talked, and just sat there very patiently. A gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me. You have such a good baby." Of course, my heart soared. But I wasn't surprised, because you really are SUCH a good baby. I love the spunk that continues to emerge in your personality, and I love your curiosity when we go places. You are consistently alert, observant and intrigued by your surroundings.

Your dad and I cherish snuggle time, because these days, you are generally more interested in lunging, jumping or grabbing while on our laps. No longer content to just sit and look, you want to feel, to experience. Whether you are in your Bumbo eating, or in our arms or laps, you buck around like a wild horse. We call you our little bucking bronco. And, should we place you on your back, within seconds you have flipped over on your tummy and are looking up at us with those big blue eyes.

You have quickly mastered eating from a spoon, and you open your mouth expectantly, like a baby bird. And when fruit is on the menu, that mouth opens and closes like rapid fire. You love fruit, just like your daddy.

It hit me this month that you are now closer to being one year old than to the day you were born. You are growing up, little man! And I'm okay with that, just as long as you don't lose those cheeks for a very long time.

We love you so much!

Love,

Mom

Reaching for "your cows" on the blanket:

Morning book time:

Goodnight reading with mom:

Thailand t-shirts:

Our little hippy:

Thailand!

I realize I have yet to sit down and write about Thailand, and we've now been home for more than a month! So, here we go...

I have to begin by saying, WHAT A TRIP! We slept in nine different locations, partnered with 13 different ministries, hiked four miles to a remote mountain village, drove 38 hours through the winding mountainous roads of Northern Thailand, and saw Jesus move in power at every step of the way! We had high expectations going in, but even those were surpassed. The trip was not without its challenges, but we had an incredible team and truly gifted leaders. Our team remained unified, even in the most intense circumstances. The men on the team displayed such strength at all times. Gib showcased a dance move, "The Gib," that refugee children may still be doing. I know Team Thailand still is:

The women were a constant flow of encouragement and support, especially for this momma who left her baby back home. We'd take another trip anywhere with this group!

In the first few days, we attended a Thai church service, met the women of Hannah House, and shared our testimonies at a men's prison. One of the prisoners, a believer in his youth who had fallen away from his faith, encountered the Holy Spirit in a powerful way. He stood before his fellow prisoners to announce that God had called him back and that he was ready to obey Jesus.

Our trip into a remote Lisu village was one of the most challenging aspects of the trip, but also one of the most rewarding. Physically, it was challenging.

We hiked for several hours to get to the village:

We slept in one room on a concrete floor, and walked back from a church service in the pouring rain, with only a few flashlights to guide us.

And then we packed into the back of another truck to leave the village:

Spiritually, it was challenging. The small number of believers who live there are ostracized by the rest of the village. We could literally feel the spiritual oppression there. However, in our time there, we saw several people healed and we had the opportunity to pray for many families. We saw God move in powerful ways!

Upon returning to Chiang Mai, we visited a Buddhist temple overlooking the city. Later that evening, the women on the team had the opportunity to spend time talking with and ministering to women caught in prostitution.

We re-packed our bags and headed out again, this time to the Burmese/Thai border. We drove through 2,000 curves (no exaggeration: we saw t-shirts that boasted this fact) in the back of a pick-up to get to our first camp:

For more information on the genocide currently happening there, you can find information HERE (this link does contain images of genocide victims). In total, our team visited four refugee camps. The children in these camps stole our hearts, and we had the privilege to play with them, sing with them, pray with them, and love on them.

Along with another mom on our team, I (Lauren) came home after 10 days, while Gib stayed with the rest of the team, visiting additional refugee camps and an AIDS orphanage.

This trip has changed our lives. I wish we had space and time to recount every story! You can find more photos at http://hollib.myshowit.com/thailand2011, all taken by the talented Taylor at Taylor Jill Designs/HolliB Photograpy. Thanks to everyone who supported us financially and in prayer. Your encouragement means more than you know!

Moving day

I really should be unpacking , but I had to take a little break to write an update! Since February, Gib and I have been waiting to move into an apartment complex just down the street to be neighbors with the international students and families that we love so much. Well, today was the day! Thanks to our amazing friends and family, we moved our belongings in record time, and we are so excited to finally be here.

My parents took Levi for the weekend, and one of my best friends came yesterday to help me get our new kitchen organized - both such huge blessings. And today, twelve amazing friends loaded up our belongings, moved them, unloaded them, and helped us unpack.

As I look around, I am overwhelmed by God's kindness in giving us a great apartment, and by the kindness of our community of friends and family. Here's a snapshot of our day:

Six of the cars in the Park Moving Caravan as we set off down the street:

International visitors

How can it be August already? While working for the university, the arrival of August was a reality check that a new school year was mere weeks away, which meant things were about to get very busy. This year, August feels so very different!

In the last two weeks, we've been blessed to have three sets of international visitors visit.

The first was our friend, Jenny.

While she is, in fact, American, she's been living in Turkey for the last two years. We had the opportunity to visit her in Turkey in January 2010, but it was such a treat to have our friend back in Norman. She's a world changer!

Our second set of visitors came all the way from The Netherlands! We met Jolien when she was an exchange student here at OU almost two years ago, and she returned to Norman to visit. It was a highlight of our summer to get to see her after all of this time, and we had the added bonus of meeting her mom, Lydia!

These two Dutch women were an absolute blast to have in town. They are so much fun. When Jolien was here as a student, she and her roommate (hi, Charlotte!) rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon. Suffice it to say that the trip was an adventure (rental car catastrophe with no cell phones), but Jolien was ready to do it again with her mom. So, once again, she rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon, and of course, it was another adventure!

The fun just kept coming! Our next visitors were one of my best friends from high school and his wife. Tim and Min reside in NYC, after having lived all over the world, and this was my first time to meet Min. Somehow, I have no photos of this visit. So, I'm borrowing one of theirs from facebook!

These two lovebirds just celebrated their second wedding anniversary, and I have to say, they couldn't be more perfect for each other. I never had doubt of Tim's ability to charm a woman into marrying him, but let me just say that he not only married a BEAUTY, but she's stinkin' smart and incredibly fun. So, well done, Timothy Brooks. Well done.

We feel so blessed to have friends from every corner of the planet, and if we could just arrange these mini-reunions once a year...