Catching up with Great Friends

Anthony, Candy, and Isabelle Cravaritis were able to stop by for a quick visit while we were in Virginia. Anthony and I were on staff together at New Life Christian Church and roommates for a while before we both got married. Being able to see them and meet their sweet baby girl was huge highlight for us.

Uncle Eddie making Kasaan Feel Much Better

Crabbing with Aunt Birdie

Sick Boy

Family Vacation!

When you plan a trip to the beach all you think of is the tan, the breeze, the relaxation, the naps in the shade. Yes, we got all of that but we are parents now and you just can't plan for much anymore. With 13 people in a two bedroom beach house we crammed as much fun, games, food, and sun as you can in just a few days. Kasaan got to hang out with all his cousins on Bird's side including the newest addition, Eddie and Paula's son Mason. What an answer to prayers that kid is! Kasaan's first day on the beach he was as chill as we have ever seen him. We kept telling Kathy and mom, "This is not like Kasaan to be so cuddly."

That night he was up all night, screaming and keeping the whole house awake. The next day we took him to the ER where Bird was too sick to even come in...she slept in the car while KJ and I spent a couple hours in the hospital. It turned out that he had just the mouth part of hand, foot and mouth. He had big sores in the back of his throat and he was just miserable. Margaret was no better. She was exhausted and in tears with pain from a migraine. When we got home from the hospital I had two sick kids on my hands. Lois took great care of Bird and I did my best to care for Kasaan.

Oh wait it gets better. We left the beach on Sunday to go back to Northern Virginia from Delaware. It is normally a three hour drive but since it was my 31st birthday we were handed a different adventure. The Bay Bridge sits between the beach and home and on that Sunday morning there was a tracker trailer that went over the bridge. It was a horrible tragedy causing hours of delay. My entire birthday was spent in the car. 10 hours later we arrived at home just in time to go to bed. 10 hours int he car with a sick kid. Lilly was amazing though and she brought so much joy to all of us in the car.

The Maine thing about Acadia...

Is being with our friends. My favorite thing in Maine was not the view from Cadillac Mountain or Jordan Pond (if you get to Acadia this is a must) but hearing the little ones squeal with laughter, watching them pick blueberries, and leaping on the rocks in the lake. Our neighbors are studying at GCTS from Korea and they are always looking to experience "American traditions". We have grown close to them and they have seen us at our worst as new parents, both of us in tears with no clue what to do next. I'm so thankful for their friendship, God's timing is always amazing, Yoori and I both needed a friend and he provided the perfect fit.

"Dad, I'll show you how to do this one!" This was such a fun trip for me. As a little girl my family went camping almost every summer. This was only Gregg's second camping trip and you would of thought he had grown up camping too. He made great fires morning and night and scouted the forest for fallen wood. The meals were amazing and our neighbors made one of our favorite Korean meals bulgogi. We realized Gregg's tent from his single days doesn't seem as big with his whole family now. He' s a quick learner (or it could of been our fat Rand McNally road map he found in the car as a fire starter). We had great fires morning and night and they were as Max always says, "hotter than blue blazes."

Kasaan's First Chicken Fight!

It was really a David and Goliath story from the beginning that ended up being a disqualification on both children for not knowing the rules. Bird and I took a weekend trip up to Tilton, NH sometime in the last two month I really don't even know when it was but it was just the best. Our dear friends Julie and Alex live there and they invited us up for the weekend. We ate greasy pizza they took us to a great place or blueberry pancakes and then the whole Cutler family came up for a BBQ. Friends, relaxation, and water a great recipe for the Jennings.

We stayed at a mansion that sits on the Tilton Academy property. The old house combined with the beautiful gardens and small town feel was so nice.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I'm really living this dream. God has blessed me with such a beautiful wife and the world's happiest, smiliest, baby. But it is hard to tell this kid is still a baby. His personality has come into full bloom and he is all energy and all smiles.