Long Time No Write **Scroll Down for New Posts**

**I'm post-dating my posts so I can keep up with the event dates...please scroll down if you want to see the most recent post. I'll update this post when I finish catching up, and will begin with normal dates. I'm sorry for any confusion. **

Thanks to sweet Ruth Lee (thanks, Friend!), and others who have commented about no blog updates here lately, I'm going to try to save my blog from going the way of my last failed blog attempt (if you don't know about my last blog, believe me, you aren't missing anything!).

We've had a busy but wonderful summer, and I certainly have some catching up to do to document our comings and goings. Even though we are short a laptop here at the Pate house, I'll do my best to catch up!

I'm going to try to date my posts according to the event, so some of the new posts are beneath this one, starting with June 2nd.

If you are reading this, thanks for wanting to know what we've been up to!

Ava Ruth Green

Today, my sister Sarah had her fifth child, Ava Ruth Green at 7:20am. She was 6 pounds 9 ounces. We were thrilled! We were unable to visit her in the hospital because we didn't want to share our germs (possible stomach virus). But that didn't mean we couldn't celebrate! Anna put out the placemats she made last year for me and Kris, made some new makeshift ones out of paper napkins for herself and brothers, and made a special table decoration commemorating Ava's birth. This was her idea!


"Ava's birth"


Daniel's checking out the table

Sarah and Andrew, we are so thrilled to have a new niece and cousin, and we love Ava so much already.

Good-bye, well-loved crib

For the first time ever since we've lived in this house, we took down our crib. It was momentous. The kids were ever-present, watching and "helping" as much as Kris gave them opportunity. It was a sweet time for me of remembering all the precious baby years God has given us. Daniel seemed to know just what to do with his toddler bed, and it didn't take long to get him to understand that we expected him to stay in it.

Vacation: Return trip and Carlsbad Caverns

We left La Jolla headed for El Paso, and the next day we visited Carlsbad Caverns.


Nearing the cavern entrance


Heading down into the opening. It was a big hole, that's for sure!


Stalactites and stalagmites in the cavern

It was beautiful and so interesting inside, but I wasn't successful taking any good pictures. The cool, dark air was refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. The kids enjoyed it thoroughly, and even little Daniel tramped down tirelessly. We enjoyed asking the kids questions like, "Can we hide from God down here?" You can't go down into the depths of the earth to hide from Him. "No, He is everywhere," they would say.


Taking a rest from all that walking!

After our tour of Carlsbad Caverns, we headed for Lubbock where we spent the night and then met our dear friends and former neighbors John and Jennifer and they treated us to a yummy breakfast. Thanks so much, J&J! We miss you!

Here we are waiting to eat (Thomas wasn't feeling well)

Then we were home-bound! After almost two weeks, we were excited about getting back to our own turf. Here are a few shots from the last couple of days in the car:


Thomas with his "treat of the day"




Pipe cleaner fun!


You can do a lot of things with pipe cleaners!


Anna used them to make hangers for her small toys she collected on the trip and to decorate her space.

That's it for our trip! When I returned home, my ESL student Sora said she had prayed for us, and how I am grateful! I can only imagine the plethora of things that can go wrong for a family of six traveling so many miles! God answered her prayers with safe travel and a restful time for all of us. We are so undeserving of His gifts, but we are thankful. Many thanks to many of you, Friends, for praying for our family! Isn't God good to regard our prayers and even want to answer?

Matthew 7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!