the culmination

casey and i have been married for five years. for five years, a passion for missions, other cultures and a desire to get involved on a daily basis has pursued our hearts, sometimes with direction, and sometimes with just longing. after several closed doors and much much prayer, God has truly opened up his best for us. we are now officially staff of lahash international, a grassroots organization based out of portland that works with east african partners.

a bit of the story. dan, the director of lahash, went to jbu with us in arkansas (the connection). dan grew up in kenya as a missionary kid, and after college returned "home" and established several relationships on that trip. out of that birthed lahash - partnership with east africans in order to raise awareness for those they serve and provide opportunity for others to get involved. casey knew of opportunities to volunteer with lahash, but it was right before asher was born, and our attentions were focused elsewhere. after several months of parenting, casey pursued the opportunity to volunteer (the timing), which evolved into several conversations about more significant involvement, which leads us to where we are today. as we look at lahash and their mission and desires, and align those with our mission and desires,we see significant similarities, as well as ways for us to help and grow each other. wala!

in the eloquent words of my husband, "It is exciting to see that God is actualizing years of desire and prayer. It is humbling to see the hand of our Father working so intimately and specifically in our family. To see how He fits things together in His time and for His glory. We now get to focus our energy into one direction. It's funny how having your energy 'confined' can be freeing at the same time. We are excited for this new stage and for how God will challenge and mature us and those we get to be in relationship with."

so, thanks. thanks to all who have literally journeyed with us through this process. who have offered widsom and encouragement. who have witnessed our desires and held them dear. who have celebrated with us. we are grateful.

* if you want to hear more of the story, or are interested in future involvement, feel free to email me your address.

drum roll please!!

asher officially stepped into the world of toddlers on wednesday when he decided to start walking. auntie annie witnessed his first steps, even before daddy came home. unfortunately, a bad cold and then an unfortunate ear infection has put a damper on his desire to be mobile (hence the lacking in pictures or videos). however, he is IN LOVE with his new truck from nannie and papa and pushes it around constantly. i love to be in another room and hear him riccoche off the walls as he moves to the part of the house i am in. thank you so much, mom and dad! during the nice days, it has absolutely saved our afternoons.

so, until we capture the steps on video, here is asher pushing his new favorite toy. yea for sunshine today and loads of vitamin D for a sick boy!

favorites

i love the end of the day when it is bath time and then snuggle time before bed. there is something so sweet and fulfilling about our family being all together, taking the simple moments to enjoy just being. although i don't know if many people will find this video very interesting (aside from the grandparents), i could watch it over and over. beware... asher is in the tub. do not watch if you are offended by a slight show of nakedness.

the many faces of asher

the "what, these clothes just appeared in my bed" face.







the "this is yummy, however, i could have done without the tomato seeds on my face" face. (for the full effect, click to enlarge.)








the "tv watchin'" face (he comes by it rightly.).










the classic face. i cannot get enough of this one!

and caleb makes five!

that's right, folks. as of 3:30 this morning, caleb john-louis white joined the pack of boys on the white side (including caleb, there are five boy kiddos between my brothers and i). congratulations, garret and mandy. welcome, caleb. we love you already.