Bienvenue...: Latest Happenings...

Where do I begin? It has been quite awhile since I last blogged. I guess haven't felt very inspired lately. Or could it be that there isn't a whole lot to blogged about diaper changing and keeping up with everything else. :)
It's crazy that we are nearing the end of the year already. Ok so we still have 3 months, but still it'll be here before we know it. SO much has happened this year! Sometimes I feel like we've been caught in a whirlwind! In the next couple posts I'll try to catch up with pictures, etc.
In July we took a family trip to California to see where my brother, Ben, was stationed before he died. This was our first "family trip/vacation" in a long time! It was good for us though. On the way we made a couple stops to Silver Dollar City and to see family in Colorado. It was so nice being able to take J to places I went to as a child at Silver Dollar City! I think she enjoyed herself too. :) She rode her first carousel ride & LOVED it! She was also such a trooper traveling so many miles!
In California it was especially nice to see a little peek of Ben's other life (life in the Marines). I really believe that God led him to Bridgeport to help give him some peace and help him draw closer to God. One thing that really stuck out to me there was going to visit the stream where Ben told mom he used to sit for hours and read his Bible. I remember how peaceful it was there. Ben loved being out in nature and there couldn't have been a better place for him to be! This was fast moving stream, but at one part it flows into this still, quiet pool. I was reminded of Psalms 23:2 "He leadeth me by still waters". I really believe God led Ben there to give him a slower pace of life and help him with some things he was dealing with.
After Bridgeport we drove down to Twenty-nine Palms and we got together with some of the guys that were stationed with Ben. It was good getting together with them and hearing "Ben stories". :)
The California trip was good for us and helped in some ways, but it's still hard having Ben gone from us especially at such a young age. I know God does things for a reason even when we cannot yet see why. What a reunion it will be in heaven to be able to be with Ben again & to have answered questions.