So many things...

Birthday one...
...two...
...three... (actually Daddy's cake, but on 7/11, her birthday)
Picture of the last day Emily was 5.

Did I mention we were on vacation?

Em's got one more birthday with a couple of her little friends here in CO, but the kid has already had 3 and tries to milk every opportunity saying, "I'm 6...It was my birthday." I told her my birthday was this year, too, (January) so I should have privileges, too. Anyway, Jason's birthday is next weekend, so it's his turn to milk the privileges.

So, this will be a random post, but what's new, right? I wanted to do a little housekeeping and then share a letter Jason sent out to our family and friends.

• Jason's foot is doing great! No surgery necessary. He's healing like a champ.
• Noah's records still haven't been received by Dr. Infectious Disease, so I am going to physically go get them myself. I could use a trip to the hospital anyway...
• Em's doing great and enjoying lots of time with all her grandparents this summer, as well as cousins and aunts and uncles. She's really into Laura Ingalls Wilder's story and the history of that time. We took her to De Smet for her 6th birthday, the homestead of Pa and Ma and she dressed as a prairie girl. I'll share pictures of that adventure later. She also loves Sacajawea and Native American Indian history. My friend gave her an "American Girl" doll magazine so Em's been talking about buying one for two months now. I told her that was a very expensive toy and that if she wanted it she would have to earn it and buy the doll herself. So, she has been saving for 'Kaya' the Native American doll. Her story is about 100 years before Laura, but Em is really interested in their culture and, quite frankly, just thinks Sacajawea from 'Night at the Museum' is beautiful. So...anyway.
• And me, well, I have a constant feeling of wanting to puke, but not being physically nauseous. It's emotional. I miss Noah a lot and continue to live grief one day at a time. There's a fine balance of shouldering grief...if I allow it to consume me, I lose my balance. As with anything, I suppose. Yes, there are days that are just fine, but it's more of my struggle with living on earth when more and more, every day, as I think about how God is SO much bigger and awesome and amazing than my mind can comprehend, I want to live this life with an impact, leave a lasting impression, not for myself, but for the glory of God, for eternal purposes. I do life here and I enjoy it...my family and friends and meeting new people, but I realize each day that more of my heart longs for a place I can't see. I guess I am just understanding on a small scale what Jesus' friends must have felt, like Paul writes about, when they walked with him and then he left for real living. I'll write more on this later.

Anyway, Jason and Em and I are headed on another adventure. Below are some details...

Hello Graves friends and family,

Adrienne, Emily and I have the opportunity to do something that has been on our hearts for a very long time – go on a missions trip as a family and share God's love with the needy in a foreign country. We are leading a trip for our church to Mexico from July 27th – Aug 2nd. Since 'Extreme Home Makeover' is Emily's favorite TV show, she is very excited for the opportunity to go and build a house for a Mexican family in need. We will be dedicating it in memory of Noah and hope to call it "Noah's House" – or "Peace House" - this may be the start of something much bigger – who knows?

We have almost 30 people going, and as the group is busy raising funds to cover their travel expenses, I have challenged myself to raise the funds necessary for the actual house build. The cost of the house is $4000, and God put it on my heart that we have enough friends who would want to support this project.

Please pray for our safety. Pray that our group gains the support that we require. Pray that God prepares the hearts of those to whom we will minister. Pray that God strengthens us and fills our hearts with compassion and love, humility and selflessness. We want the Holy Spirit to lead us all on this trip as a family, team, and as individuals.

If you choose to support this project financially and are able to donate toward the materials to build a needy family a home, we would be very grateful as every little bit helps. While the trip is still several weeks out, we need donations to be completed by July 20th so we can buy the materials in advance. You can donate online at www.redrockschurch.com and click online giving in the top right hand corner – please enter "Mexico House Build" in the special considerations box on the first screen.

Adrienne will definitely be posting pictures and updates on her blog at www.noahsteven.blogspot.com.

Thanks for all the support, in every area of our lives!
Love always,
Jason, Adrienne and Emily

I'll be sharing our adventures from Mexico here on the blog. I hope you'll all join us in praying for everyone involved, namely that God's will would be done in spite of our human efforts. Later.