Abounding

My heart is abounding with joy right now. We are on a weekend trip to one of our favorite places in the world...Springfield, Mo. I am so thankful to the Lord for the timing of this trip. It has been long overdue (Silas was just 4 months old the last time we came) and I have been craving some time with good, old friends.

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Our trip down yesterday went pretty well. Everyone did great until the last 10 minutes before we pulled into Lebanon. We stopped there to see dear friends and have dinner before heading on to Springfield. Shane and I drove past our townhouse, where we lived when we were first married. And about that time all the children had a meltdown. But we made it to my friend Lindsey's house, had dinner and everyone felt much better.

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All three children loved getting to watch videos on the drive...

Silas got a map for Christmas that tells one special thing about each state. So he was excited to see the "Gateway Arch" as we drove through St. Louis. We thought it was hilarious that he knew what to look for in Missouri! Here he is waving as we drove by...
Playing with friend Ellie on our dinner stop...
And I have to admit this was my favorite part of the day...


All three were out as soon as we drove out of Lebanon. So sweet to see them snuggled in their seats.

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I also need to report that Silas has been on three outings this week and stayed accident-free! I am so proud that even with this trip, he stayed dry this morning while we were out and about seeing friends at the hospital where I used to work.

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I can't say enough what a gift this trip is. It always feels like coming home.