Back from Camp!

Chris, Clark, and I just returned home from youth camp at Ross Point in Post Falls, Idaho! We joined about 130 students and leaders for an incredible week! My mom was here to drive up with Clark and me and help us get our cabin set up. Little man slept the whole way (about 5 hours)! Hallelujah! He did pretty great the whole week but we are glad to be home. 5 students made decisions and many many more were challenged to make some changes in every day life. My small group girls named their rec team "Clark's Angels" and he was honored! They ended the week of camp with a day at Silverwood theme park and water park. Needless to say the whole experience was a blast! 

Some pictures from camp:

A few other things have happened since the last post, so let me fill you in! First of all I must say how much we enjoyed visiting with our church family from Prestonwood as they served the PNW on choir tour. It was so great to reconnect with the students and adults that have been greatly missed. We even took some of our current youth from Alderwood out to watch the show and meet them. 

After much consideration, I decided to cut my hair. For those of you that are closer to us, you know it hasn't been done in about 5 years! Baby Clark was having way to much fun pulling it and spitting up in it. She chopped off 13inches and now I have a new "mom do" which I am loving! I'm sure you noticed from the previous pictures at camp that all of Chris' hair is now gone as well.

In my last post I mentioned that Clark has begun to smile. Little did we know that the tiny grin (which we thought was the best thing ever) has turned in to a humongous full face smile! Melt my heart! 

Our current prayer needs:

Chris: preparing to leave for 12 days in Albania with the second of two teams serving there this summer. This is an annual trip that we both love. Please be in prayer for safe travel, the students the team will encounter, and Chris as he is away from Clark and me for the longest amount of time we have been apart to date. 

Haley: I will be returning to the doctor to be checked post baby to ensure the healing process is progressing as it should. This will be August 1st. I will be traveling to Texas with Clark while Chris is in Albania so for safe travel and a well behaved baby on the plane!

Clark: little man has his 2 month (seriously?! Already?!) doctor apt coming up. He seems to be growing at a healthy rate but it is always good to hear that from the doctor! He will also be receiving vaccines. 

I will leave you with some baby cuteness:

Clark is 1 month old!

Clark Andrew Taylor is 1 month old!!

We can hardly believe it has been a month since baby Clark was born! These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotion, sleepless nights, learning, poopy diapers, and sheer joy. It has been so fun watching him change and develop! Since bringing him home Clark has learned to hold up his head... 

Suck his precious tiny thumb...

And give us the occasional smile...

On June 29th we had the pleasure of dedicating our son to The Lord. It was such a blessing to have some of our family members here to be a part of that day! Our prayer for Clark comes from Psalm 1 (that he will choose the path of the righteous man).

It's hard to believe how much Clark has changed in just a few short weeks! Chris and I have him on a pretty good schedule already and he is sleeping very well for his age! Thank you BabyWise!! It has been a challenge but we are adjusting well to life with our new addition! 

Here are a few other pictures of life lately... 

In other news, we bought a new car! Clark needed a safer ride than my old beat up Jetta and he was a real trooper for the five hours it took at the dealership! We love our new 2014 Chevy Sonic! 

And Clark thinks it's a pretty smooth ride too..

We also found the time to build and plant a small veggie garden! We got a late start so we have a mix of spring and fall goodies. So far they are growing well and we hope to be benifiting from our labor soon. Next round we will fill it up! This is the trial run... 

Some prayer needs: 

For Chris- Our youth summer camp will begin 1 week from Monday so please be in prayer for safe travels, changed lives, and energy for Chris and his team as they are preparing for this event. 

For Haley- I have my check up with the Dr in a few weeks and am hoping to be cleared to begin working out again! It is no fun carrying around a little extra weight when your not allowed to do anything about it! 

For Clark- Continued healthy growth and development and that he would do well at camp (the five hour drive and the week away from his soothing gadgets)!

We are So thankful for all of the prayers and support as we continue to seek The Lord in our daily lives and in ministry. 

I will leave you with a few of Clark's Newborn pictures by Veronica Coleman: