WELCOME HOME CHRIS!

Savannah was kind enough to share her blankie with Nicki! She is such a nut...that's one of the many reasons I love hanging out with her!


Our very dear friend, Chris, has been in Iraq for 15 months on his second tour with the Army. Every day we prayed for Chris (and his wife, Nicki) during breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime. Brayden learned to properly pronounce Iraq--he started by saying Iwak--over the course of Chris' tour. Needless to say, we were SO EXCITED to meet up with them in Harrisburg for a long, leisurely lunch when he returned home. Brayden (loving everything camo, Army, etc. & having seen pix of Chris from Iraq) asked if Chris would have on his camo gear and be carrying his gun--HAHAHA!!

We had a great time with them. Chris had an album of pictures and stories to share. It was so refreshing to get an honest, non-media-biased view from one who has been there. The kids loved hanging out with them too--and vice-versa! Nicki kept calling Chris a "baby hog" because he wasn't sharing Sophia...unbeknowst to any of us that day is the wonderful news that they will be having a baby of their own! CONGRATS!! We're looking forward to visiting them in Texas (hopefully) soon. Well here's some pix of us outside Olive Garden. Yes, it was VERY windy and cold!

7 Months

Our sweet Sophia turned 7 months old...and we celebrated by driving through a whiteout (see below)! Sophia just gets sweeter with time! She is so full of personality. Our favorite trait is her amazing smile (as you can see in her "swing shot").

She is still toothless (which is rare in the Yount gang--her sibs had teeth by four months and a mouthful at one year) but we're not complaining! Daryl likes them staying gummy...he says they look so grown-up when the teeth come. I like the fact that I'm not getting biten :)

It was my first whiteout experience. Totally wild! We could barely see to the end of our hood, let alone anything else. What is typically a 3 1/2 hour drive took us nearly EIGHT hours! I'm just thankful that we have kids who enjoy travelling and do it well. And I'm thankful for friends who were praying and calling often to see how we were fairing in the snow. Next time, though, we'll gladly stay home!

Brace Yourself!

Today starts a new frontier for me...I had my braces applied to my top teeth yesterday morning. The bottom ones will follow in about 8 weeks. Okay, I have a whole new respect for everyone who has ever gone through this!! Wow. And Ow! My top teeth are actually straight but must be adjusted to correct the bottom ones properly. And I'm very grateful for a high pain tolerance 'cause I can't imagine this for the faint of heart. Oh, and I get to have my one bad tooth (the one that is the reason for all of this) pulled. Yay and double yay. But after 20+ years, I will have proper bottom teeth all in a row and no more bleeding gums!! Now that gets a true YAY!!

P.S. Just remind me of that if ever you hear me complain in the next 12 months :)

Home safe and sound...with pictures!

We all returned home safely over the weekend. Daryl arrived home late Friday night, while we returned home Saturday evening. Our flights went incredibly well--and after learning of the many, many people praying for us it came as no surprise to me! God's hand of protection and calm was over us in such a real way. Thank you to all who prayed!! And I'm so thankful to the Lord that He impressed upon so many hearts (at all hours of the day and night) to pray for us. Again I am humbled...

We had a GREAT time in Arkansas!!!! I can not say that enough. I'm not even sure I can do it justice by writing about our week with the Johnson family. For anyone who is distanced from their family in any way, you can understand. I loved being with my sister. Just experiencing every day life with her and her family was great (and quite funny at times, I must admit!) The kids loved being with their cousins. Brayden had a blast with Leighton being boys and doing boy things. And he also got quite a kick out of his Tia (AKA Aunt Shelli) as always. And Savannah loved being doted on by Hannah, Elle, and Tia. Sophia got more lovin' in that week than most of her 6.5 months of life in total! It was simply great...have I mentioned that?

Some highlights:
1) Spending an afternoon at the Arkansas Air National Guard base with Mr. Wally where Brayden and Leighton got to sit in the cockpit of an A-10 fighter plane! It was so amazing to watch the planes and crews get ready for flight and take-off/land one their runs. We also saw a Blackhawk take off...the boys eyes about bugged out of their heads!

2) Playing UNO Attack with Shelli, Hannah, and Elle. We laughed so hard that at times I thought I might have an accident!

3) Seeing a bald eagle in flight over my sister's house. The scenery in general was AMAZING!

4) Leight-dawg had a basketball game on Saturday morning that we got to attend before flying home. He had 4 baskets and is quite the budding basketball player...I especially loved the "double pump from the chest with some love" that he threw our way during the game. It was so funny!!!!

5) Spending an afternoon doing crafts at the table with all the kids. Our neices are SO creative...they amaze me.

6) Having the most beautiful snowfall on Thursday afternoon for all of us to enjoy...and Arkansas rarely gets snow! The weather was back into the upper 50's and low 60's the next day.

7) Seeing my sister live her everyday life...loving those around her in such a way that they know Jesus even if they don't yet KNOW him. She inspires me to forgive and love and share and LIVE! I can't thank her enough for being her and I'll never be able to thank God enough for her. She challenges me to walk my talk in ways that few others can. She's truly genuine. She introduced me to Casting Crowns awhile back (but it took me this long to catch on!)and had me in tears with this song...a new favorite of mine that I will gladly share.

8) Having the chance to "just be" with the Johnson family--hanging at the house, listening to stories, laughing our heads off. My sister let the kids stay home from school for a couple of the days we were there (she talked with the teachers about it) and wow what a blessing to be with them for that time!

I could list hundreds of moments, but I'll stop now for fear that this post will go into infinity! The only lowlight was Savannah got sick and we ended up in the ER getting her medicine and a chest x-ray to rule out walking pnemonia. The medicine worked quickly and the x-ray was clear and we were on our way home...to God be the glory!

All in all, I'm actually experiencing some "depression" since coming home...I wish we loved closer to one another. I miss her and Jay and the kids incredibly more now that we've spent time together. It always works that way. But I'm thankful for the time we do get to spend together nonetheless! I never imagined that Shelli and I would have the relationship that we do considering our family saga, but I am humbled every time we talk or get together at the amazing work of God in our relationship and in our lives. I value our relationship so highly. And I value Jay, Hannah, Elle, and Leighton so much because I know all too well that I may never have known them as I do now...and I would have missed out on SO many blessings in my life without them.

Did I mention that we had a GREAT time?!?!