Ecuador, Here We Come!

It's hard to believe that we will soon be leaving for our vision trip to Ecuador!

We have so many mixed emotions about this trip. On one hand we are sad to leave Gabe and Eden behind but on the other hand we are thrilled to be at this step in our quest for the mission field.

Although we know it will be hard to leave the twins, we know God is with us. We are so thankful for the opportunity to meet the other missionary families and to see their ministry first hand. This 12 day trip will provide a ton of insight into life as a missionary in Ecuador.

We are asking all of our family and friends to pray for us during this trip. We are including several specific prayer requests below.
* Pray for safe travels. We are leaving July 30th at 1:00pm and will return by 10:00pm on Wednesday, August 10th.
*Pray for those watching the twins while we are away. Daryl's parents are keeping them 7/30-8/4 and Leah's parents are keeping them 8/4-8/10.
*Pray for the Foldens and Calvas, missionaries in Ecuador.
*Pray for the children in the boy's and girl's homes we will be visiting. Daryl will be teaching a devotional and Leah will be doing a craft and snack.
*Pray that God will reveal His will for our lives during this trip. We know He has called us to full time missions and now we are searching for where He wants us to go.
*Pray for the courage to step-out in faith.
*Pray for God to use us to make a difference in all we come in contact with.
*On a side note, pray that our house sells. We have recently listed it with a new realtor who is showing the house today and has an open house scheduled for July 31st.

We are so thankful to have the support of our family and friends. We appreciate everyone of you more than you know. Thank you so much for prayerfully partnering with us on this trip.

18 months old. Where did the time go?

I can't believe Gabe and Eden are already 18 months old. Although they are twins, they are so different from each other and truly unique.

Gabriel Hunter

Height: 34 1/2 inches 93rd%tile
Weight: 32lbs 99th%tile
Favorite food: Cheese and MILK!
Favorite book: "Good Night Sleepyhead"
Favorite toy: Any car or ball
Favorite song: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or Patty Cake

What Gabe has learned: Gabe can identify his ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and hair. His vocabulary is increasing since getting tubes in his ears. He loves to say ball, car, bye and bark like a dog. Gabe is learning his animal sounds and likes to visit the farm animals on the golf cart. Gabe is most happy on a riddie, playing outside, or in the swimming pool. He loves to dance, twirl and clap to all music; he has figured out how to turn on the radio in his room. Gabe knows how to eat with a fork and he has the best belly laugh. Gabe is still a good snuggler and is very laid back.

Eden Michelle

Height: 31 1/2 inches 93rd%tile
Weight: 25lbs 1oz 62nd%tile
Favorite Food: Broccoli or Green Beans and all types of meat
Favorite Book: "Five Little Ladybugs"
Favorite Toy: Anything musical
Favorite Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

What Eden has learned: Eden can identify her ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hair, knees, hands, toes, and belly. She says a lot of words and enjoys saying everyone's name. Her newest vocabulary includes flower, doggie, bubble, car, hi, and horsey. Eden likes to twirl, babble in a sing-song way, and finger read her books. She knows how to put her toys away, eat with a fork, and she always makes sure that Gabe has his cup and snack. Eden is a smart little girl that picks up on new things quickly. She likes to make animal sounds, visit the farm animals on the golf cart, swing and slide, and play outside. She loves to be in the water whether it is in the bath-tub or pool.

Vacation at High Rock Lake

July 6-10th we went to High Rock Lake for vacation. We along with my mom, step-dad, brother, sister-in-law and their 4 children stayed at the Burnette lake house for the week. The house was perfect for our trip and it had plenty of room for us to spread out. Our lazy days were spent on the boat, jet skis, and swimming off a tiny island in the middle of the lake. We only left the house once for ice cream and we cooked in every night. I cherish these moments with my family because I know there will come a day when trips like this will be few and far between.

Gabe had to wear ear plugs because he just had surgery for tubes in his ears. According to the doctor's office, lake water is gross and ear plugs are a must. Gabe didn't mess with the plugs at all!
Daryl and Eden driving the boat.

Gabe on the carousel at Sonic.

Eden and Poppa

Levi, age 5

Graycie, age 6 and 363 days. Graycie lost her other front tooth on this trip so she had quite a time adjusting to no front teeth.

Lila Ruth, age 14 months. Sweet Lila cut teeth on this trip so she had a runny nose

Abram, age 2

Meme and Eden

Mommy and Eden

Airplane Tickets are Purchased

I am so excited to be at this step in our mission trip process. Purchasing these tickets really makes this trip feel real. Now we are only 3 1/2 weeks away from our vision trip to Ecuador. After vacation, I'm sure we will be busy getting ready for our trip. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.

A Busy July 4th Weekend

Daryl's brother, Jake, recently get engaged to Lauren. They came in town for the weekend for an engagement party. They will be getting married this fall.

Gabe and Eden's first boat ride. Gabe looks really nervous but after a few minutes he loved riding the boat. They even helped their Poppy drive!

Mommy's little fire-cracker!

Gabe looks like he's posing for the camera.

Fun times with friends. On Monday, July 4th, Ben and Erin brought Kenan over to our house to swim. They had a great time playing together.