Deep in the heart of Texas :)

We had such a great time with friends and family on our short trip to Texas! Things were very busy with Brian at NYC the first week and then relatives coming to visit, but it was so good to just relax and be with family. Our first visitor was my dear friend from college, Lynette, and her beautiful daughter, Morgan!
We spent our few days together talking, shopping, playing at the park, and lots more talking, of course. It was so fun to watch our kids play together and become fast friends!

riding the train at the park!

Brian also got to reconnect with friends at NYC (Nazarene Youth Congress)...

another wonderful friend from college, Josh!

He and Acy, our good friend from East Timor, represented the Asia-Pacific region.

A surprise reunion with Uncle LeBron :)

always fun times with other NYI leaders from around the world :)

AND he got to hang out with our friends from Asia-Pacific!

He had a great time, but he was very happy to meet up with us again in Texas.... and then the relatives started coming. :) We were so blessed to see Brian's parents, his brother, Justin, my sister, Jessica, and her boyfriend, Andy! So, what did we do with them? Well, Noah spent most of the trip being held by adoring family members....



And Justin almost never stopped moving... He was so ecstatic to have a yard to play in, new things to explore, and endless new friends to play with...

He learned how cool and fun Uncle Justin is...

And he got to build a bird feeder for Grandma Jill with Papa Dwayne!

He had a blast with Aunt Jessie....

playing games....

reading books...

and throwing rocks in the river!

Justin and Noah also got to meet Jonah, the adorable son of my childhood friend, Marcy... As I look back through the pictures of them together, there are none of them looking at the camera... they just had too much fun playing!
We love being with family... thanks so much for coming down to Texas to see us, but now it's your turn to come to Japan! :)

Catching up

Yes, it's been a busy last couple months in the Woolery household... We had a wonderful Easter celebration with our church family, survived our church secretary being gone for a month of vacation, Justin finished his first year of pre-school (and is already asking to go back... he keeps saying, "Mom, summer vacation is finished now"), Ladies Bible Study is on a break for the summer, we taught a 6-week marriage enrichment class together, celebrated Noah's first birthday, and tonight Brian will get back from spending a week in Northern Japan assisting with tsunami relief.
So, what's next? Well, this weekend, we will do laundry and pack!!! That's right, vacation starts on Monday! Well, kind of.... we will be flying to our passport country on Monday. Then on Tuesday Brian will fly from Texas to Kentucky for 5 days at Nazarene Youth Congress. Since he was already crossing the ocean, the boys and I decided to tag along and spend a couple weeks with family. So, we will only be in Texas for about 2 1/2 weeks, but we are very much looking forward to relaxing, hanging out with family, free babysitting by the grandparents, and eating lots of Mexican food and Mom's cooking... without gaining any weight. ;)
Of course, we won't be able to really see anybody outside the south Texas area, but we'll be back in 2013 for deputation, and we hope to reconnect with many friends across the country at that time. Please continue to keep us in your prayers... we are in great need of a vacation right now, so pray that our bodies, spirits, and minds will be refreshed in the Texas sun as our boys get to know their extended family just a little more.
It's hard to believe we left the states for Guam eight years ago this month... I still feel like I just graduated from college a year ago. ;) Yet I am constantly in awe of how God has led us, blessed us more than we could ever dream, and continues to change us as we learn more every day how to follow Him and show others His love. And since we'll be on vacation, I WILL MAKE Brian write about his trip to Sendai... he has been the only foreigner in a group of Japanese pastors, so he's thrilled at the conversation practice he's had this last week (by the way, he's excelling in his conversational skills, but he would never tell you), and I think he's falling in love with Japanese bath houses, but I'll have him tell you.... :)
See you on the other side of the ocean!

Happy 1st Birthday, Noah!!!

That's right! I can't believe it's already been one year since Noah was born. To celebrate his special day, we invited a few friends over for birthday cake. Here are some pictures from the day...

We decided a Noah's Ark theme would be fun... so Noah got to wear this cool giraffe outfit.
It's party time!!! :)

It's wonderful having friends who are incredibly talented, creative, and eager to help! My amazing friend, Loralee, designed the invitations and favors for the party. I was in shock when she first came up with this design - SO incredible! :)

Another artistic friend, Shannon, made the cakes for the party... her cakes are wonderful because they always look amazing AND are delicious. The filling on this larger cake was a rainbow of icing - yum!

And on Noah's smash cake, Shannon copied the design from the invitation!

We added a few simple decorations....
And a few things sitting around to keep little hands busy.

Since we were just doing cake, we had a variety of fun drinks available...

And when our friends left, they took home this party favor. I saved Noah's baby food jars and filled them with M&M's and skittles... Loralee designed the label, of course. :)

Everyone was very excited about the cake...

especially Noah!

Then it was time for presents...
Noah had many helpers!

He is learning to love reading... just like his brother. :)

one of the most exciting presents... American snacks!!! ;)


Justin was very excited help Noah open his presents... and play with them. ;)

Happy Birthday, Noah! We love you and are so blessed to have you in our family!!!