This week we celebrated Becca’s 15th birthday. We started the celebrating about two weeks ago with Becca’s birthday countdown calendar. This year’s calendar had a Dickens theme. Each day had questions about Dickens with the answers and surprises inside the doors. Becca’s birthday movie was The Sound of Music, the first time for our family to watch it together. Other treats included gifts, fresh squeezed orange juice, and snacks.

On Becca’s birthday Isaiah shaped her eggs in a special way. In the morning we took pictures, and Becca decorated her cake – with peanut butter frosting. In the afternoon I did a birthday salon for Becca on the back porch. In the evening, we all dressed up for Becca’s birthday dinner of tacos and chips (I made chips from corn tortillas). After dinner we headed downstairs to do a Jane Austen era dance. Everyone enjoyed it, minus two of our boys. After the dancing we returned upstairs for cake, gifts, and a slideshow of Becca’s past 15 years.

Gift-giving is always fun. Becca’s siblings were quite excited about giving their gifts to her. It’s so fun to watch their joy in giving. Becca’s special gift this year was receiving her great great grandma Hanyen’s high school ring. My great grandma gave it to me when I was a young teenage. Two other gifts were Jane Austen books that I received 24 years ago from my grandparents.

It’s a delight to watch Becca grow as a young lady. This year she is in high school and is doing well with the academic challenges it is presenting. She loves her family and Cambodia and others. She’s grown in her desires to be a help and in finding creative ways to help her siblings. Recently she’s started a Young Ladies Society with her sisters. Becca loves to read and write. Some of her favorite authors are Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. We very thankful for our dear daughter and can’t imagine life without her. We love you Becca!

Last week we celebrated Micah’s 4th birthday. He had a fun time with his birthday countdown calendar geting little gifts, making his cake, watching Toby Tyler, and eating special snacks. The night before Micah’s birthday, Isaiah helped me decorate his door (Josh was away at Pastors Bible School).

Micah had a fun day celebrating his birthday. It started with seeing his door and phone calls. After breakfast he was read books, and then Isaiah gave him one of his gifts to play with. During this time I was working on frosting his monkey cake. Most of the day different siblings played with Micah. Ezra gave Micah his gift after lunch, and then the boys went outside to play in the dirt. Micah requested a spaghetti dinner for supper, with salad and garlic bread. Then we had cake, did gifts, and ended with a slideshow of pictures from Micah’s 4 years.

Micah is a very fun little boy with loads of energy. He loves playing with his brother, Ezra. Every morning they wake up and are busy building things. He like doing school and loves reading books and being read to. He loves playing outside. We love our Micah and are so thankful for him!

Last Friday we gathered to celebrate 30 years of Crowleys in Cambodia. Our EMU team is so thankful to God for bringing the Crowleys here 30 years ago and through them, bringing each of our families to serve here as well. We love the Crowleys our EMU Cambodian Family. We are blessed.

Our time together included lunch; a time of thanksgiving, prayer, and singing; and dessert. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the faithfulness of JD & Kim as they continue to serve God.

November and December are big celebration months for us with two birthdays in November, Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, and all the extra celebrations with friends and church that go with that. This week we started Micah’s birthday countdown calendar. Let the fun begin!