Breaking the Silence

I can't believe its been nearly 4 months since my last posting!! I can't say that I regret my hiatus, because the last 4 months have been packed full with a lot of important fun. But... kids are back in school, and its time for me to get back to my neglected blog. There is no real way to fully report all that we've done the last while, and if I were to try to catch everything up in entirety, I know I'd end up so overwhelmed that I'd probably just give up on the blog altogether. So... I'll give reports of what we're doing now, and as I have a spare moment I'll throw in some "catch-up" posts. It will be out of order, but eventually, I'll get it all in. As you know from my last entry, we went to the States in June for a much needed home-visit. It was FANTASTIC!!! We played, played, played and loved, loved, loved catching up with so much of our family and a few friends (we hope our next Stateside visit will correspond better with friends' schedules so we can see more of you). Because of JW's dad's 75th birthday, we got to see ALL of JW's siblings, and since my youngest sister conveniently timed her wedding, I got to see ALL of my siblings!! What a rare treat! In addition to all the family time, the highlights of the trip included climbing Independence Monument, EW's 5th birthday, RW's 1st birthday, lots of hiking and rock climbing, a quick trip to Utah for Independence day, and an even quicker aniversary trip to Ouray for JW and I. (See the photos below.)

White Family Clan (missing just a few)

What a good-looking group!

Huff family siblings (also good looking, of course)

That little blue speck at the top is us!! REALLY!!

This was SO fun!!

EW's #5 -- a "garden tea party" on the White House lawn

RW's #1 -- A belated (but still yummy) celebration in Crawford, CO.

RW, CW, and MW hiking to the Micah Mine

The proverbial "T-Shirt" family photo! Happy 4th of July!

MW hiking Mt. Sneffels (sadly got snowed/hailed out of the peak climb)

JW scouting rock climbing routes in Ouray, CO.

THANK YOU to all who hosted us, and played with us,

and helped us still feel loved and welcome in the US!!!

We love you all!