Gwenyth turned 3!

 This last Monday (14th)  we got to celebrate Gwen's life for another year.  What an amazing blessing her life has been.  Here are some pictures for you to get a glimpse of her day.  Wish you all could have joined the celebrations with us! :)

Amber made Gwen's hair look so lovely!!!

Gwen was making funny noises coming down to show dad her hair

She had a pink butterfly party.  So I made butterfly cakes, we had little glittery butterflies all over the house (and still do I might add).  Laura was helping me get it all organized.  I wasn't sure what the weather might do (here in Melbourne it changes a million times a day) so I was ready for the party to be inside the house if need be.

The weather was WONDERFUL praise God.  So we were able to hang out in the yard.

 A friend from church Marie-Clare, volunteered to do face painting!  What an awesome gift that was!  It was a HUGE hit.  Naturally Gwenny got a butterfly.

 

How cute is this face!?

Si was a snake!

 Addy got a rainbow.

 

A friend, Asha, had a princess crown.

Katelyn with a rooster (a very creative one!  Way to go Marie-Clare!)

Josh was Bumblebee the transformer

Grace, a snow leapord

Piper, a cat

Sorin, a monkey

Zoe, had flowers on each cheek.

 My beautiful little girlies! 

Si and Asha eating cake together.  I thought this was a cute moment.  I love that they just ate it off the ground like that!  Well with plates. :)

Blowing those 3 candles out!  With some help from dad.

Our little birthday girl.

Hey guys!

What a blessing this month has been for us. God has been so faithful to answer our prayers concerning the school semester. This semester has proven to be more manageable (or maybe we are just handling it better) and we are able to happily function as a family and be involved in ministry. The first semester tested us with our patience and faithfulness to study His Word. We are SO thankful for the prayers that so many of you uttered for us during that time. We know that it was Vital to our relationship with others and with our Father.

God has used this time in Australia to train and strengthen us for the many challenges that lie ahead.
Thank you so much for hanging in there during this year of schooling.
We are nearing a two week break. YIPEE! :)
The kids have been enjoying some warmer weather! And so has mom!!! They are able to play outside along with 7 other kids here on campus ! What a special time it has been for them!
Houghton continues to excel in his classes. He is so disciplined in his study habits and it has paid off which has been such a blessing. He is excited about the skills he has learned and we are SO ANXIOUS to apply them in a real life situation in Vanuatu!
Here are just some pictures of the past couple weeks.

The International Banquet at our church that concluded the missions emphasis month.Enjoying some food and friends!!!!

Si and Jacob

Stef, Addy, Alana, and Gwen

Si checking out his Wii skills! We totally have to get one of these! SO FUN!

This was taken on the drive home from visiting with our friends (in the previous pics) that live about 1 hour away. The kids always play hard.Their mean pirate faces

Sorry this picture didn't come out very clear, one of the ministries Houghton is involved in is teaching Sunday School.

Saw these amazing rainbows on the way home from church. They were some of the most vibrant rainbows we have seen, short only to those we saw in Vanuatu. There is something about being in this part of the world maybe? They say the sun is stronger so maybe that has something to do with it.

A cuddle on the bed