11 months

WOW!! Exactly 11 months ago our small family arrived here at Baylor. Click here to see some pictures and read about the journey. It's a real trip down memory lane!
I never thought I'd feel so at home down here. It is hot (we set a new record today: 106 degrees!), but it is good. I recently wrote an update to my aunt:

"Yes, the 'mushkin' is really growing these days. Today we got her a push toy, in hopes to encourage her to walk. She had only been playing with it for a few minutes and sure enough, she pulled herself right up to her feet and started walking with it - CRAZY!!! So, life is wild around here. Paul and I went out to dinner last night. We actually got a wonderful babysitter to come over, play with Ilana, feed her dinner, bathe her and put her to bed. It was a first for us, and it was wonderful!!! We're definitely going to be doing that again! We realized last night that these are probably the best days of our lives. Ilana is (almost) always happy. I have freely chosen to stay home, and I'm loving it. We have a super cool dog. We're living right on campus - which is fun almost all the time. We love our church. We actually have some great friends here. Paul's loving what he's studying and he's loving his work with the outdoor adventure program. Life is GREAT!! This first year has had many challenges, but those challenges have been overshadowed by enormous amounts of joy, peace and grace. We're excited about this next year - to watch Ilana grow, to study and learn more, and for relationships to grow. We know that there will always be gaps in where we'd like to be and where we are, but all in all, we're doing great. We're already starting to get anxious about the 'next step.' This whole school year Paul and I will really be focused on 'where do we go next?' But, we're trying to live in the moment, see what our options are, and hopefully the Lord will answer the rest of the questions. We're really excited to see where we might go next. But for now, we're just trying to make it through the day and enjoy it as much as we can."

So, to celebrate our time here, I thought it would be appropriate to post some pictures of...you guessed it - ILANA!! She is super cute these days. I took her to Cameron Park and just enjoyed watching her explore and begin the road to walking. Cra-zy!
So, here's to a wonderful 11 months, Waco! Thanks for the ride. We're halfway there!

So, besides her diaper showing, this is an absolute favorite. I love that face!
She would do this all day if I'd let her.
She loves it!
But she'll still crawl when Mommy's back has had enough.
JELLIES!! She wears these shoes almost every day. Thanks, Lizzie!
Her name does mean "tree" in Hebrew after all...
Unfortunately my favorite from the day won't load. So, stay tuned and I'll try to get it loaded soon.
-H