11 months/Family update

The one-month countdown to Evan's first birthday has officially begun! Evan turns 11 months today.

This has been a great month for "firsts": Evan learned to stand up on his own, to give a high five, to sway and nod his head to music, to put his toys back into his toy basket, and to feed himself a whole meal by picking up the food with his hands (all table food too! of course, cut into small pieces). He also had his first haircut and went to his first birthday party (actually, two birthday parties for his friends Lucas and Jeremy who both turned 1).

We're hoping he'll be able to walk by his first birthday so he won't have to crawl around on the ground every time we go out and get his hands/clothes all dirty. He is such an active boy and is never content staying in his stroller; he HAS to get out and CRAWL! He crawls at lightning speed too. Whenever I go to the bathroom or the kitchen, he is there behind me 2 seconds later. Momma has a hard time keeping up with him. I wonder if all boys are this active!?!

This semester Derek has been keeping busy with Hebrew exegeticals, preaching and theology classes, teaching Sunday school and translating at church. He is preaching at church on Good Friday, in Chinese for the first time! I'm proud of him. He is also a great daddy who watches Evan while I go to class twice a week.

As for me... after going through the craziness of taking three classes in the fall, I am only taking one class (soteriology) this semester. But that's enough with a growing, active boy who is spending less time napping and needing more attention these days. I have also joined a Bible study for seminary wives and am enjoying the fellowship with other moms of young kids. I only have one class left that I will take in July, so I'll be graduating with my M.A. in Biblical Studies in August of this year! Woohoo!

Thank you for all your prayers for our family, especially for direction after graduation. Over WEC week (DTS' annual missions conference), we met with some missionaries and are in the process of talking with them regarding a possible opportunity after graduation. We will write more about this as we progress in our planning, but please keep praying for us as we seek God's guidance. We thank God for your love and prayers!

With the beautiful spring tulips at the Dallas Arboretum.
Thanks to a kind friend who let us borrow her family pass!