We're coming!: An invitation and family update

Hi everyone! The longer we've been in PNG the worse I've been about blogging, forgive me! Our photography-gifted friends who used to watch the quints weekly started teaching school or relocated for the year. I haven't have nearly so many adorable photos to post . . . but now we're heading back to the USA, so our activity, photos, and blog posts will likely be increasing shortly! 

Open house June 30th: 

Since we're starting in the Dallas area, we want to invite those of you who live in the area to an open house the evening of June 30th. If you plan to come, please private message me on Facebook Messenger and I'll send you the address and time! We will also be speaking at the International Linguistics Center in Dallas and Faith Bible Church in DeSoto, so let me know if you want more details about those. 

We'll update those of you in California, Arizona and Michigan closer to the time about our visits there. 

Thank you!

So many of you cared for these kiddos as babies, donated clothes and other gifts, made us meals, and prayed for us! The Lord has absolutely overwhelmed us with His kindness these past four years in Papua New Guinea. Raising quintuplet toddlers is extremely challenging, but we are so thankful none of these 27-week-5-day preemies ever needed to be medevaced or admitted to a hospital! They didn't even spend a night in our clinic! Amazing.

Our travels:

We leave here June 13, four years to the day since we arrived in PNG. We'll travel through Cairns and Sydney, Australia, taking a few days of vacation and visiting friends, then fly from Sydney to LAX and on to DFW! Pray for us, please!! We'll try to update ASAP. 

How the kids are doing:

Isaac is very sad to leave his PNG friends behind, but he's excited to see friends and family stateside! He's also excited about all the conveniences of the First World and all the fun things we'll get to see and do as we travel around. Please pray for him to have patience with all the younger siblings. He's absolutely crazy about them (he even picked the number 5 for his basketball jersey in honor of them!), but they can be a great source of stress to a 14-year-old who wants some personal space/time/quiet! 

The quints are flat-out excited, gleefully counting the days as their paper chain gets steadily shorter. Only four links left!

David and Gracie have claimed Gavin as their travel buddy for the 13-hour trans-Pacific flight. Will and Marcie - the two strongest personalities, yikes! - have claimed me, the adult with the strongest personality. :) Seth is excited to sit with Isaac. (He told his physical therapist, when she asked him to name some super heroes, "My big brother Isaac is a super hero!") 

The kids are over-the-moon about the TV and games in the backs of the airline seats: Having their own personal entertainment center is blowing their minds! 

All of us are super excited to spend a few days doing the fun things in Cairns we got to do with Grandpadad and Grandma last summer. The kids are disappointed their grandparents won't be joining us there, but it's for too short a time, plus we need people who are NOT jet-lagged to greet us on the other side of the ocean! 

Please pray for patience for Gavin and me as we're with all our kids so intensively and for so long this summer. Although they've grown and matured a great deal, it's still like trying to drink from the fire hose when they're all present and active. :) They are individuals who have very distinct, important thoughts and feelings to share, and any time five excited five-and-a-half-year-olds and a talkative teenager get together, it's a bit chaotic and noisy! Add transition and adjustment to the thrilling newness of the First World, and it could definitely get quite intense! The quints are getting better and better at controlling themselves, but we've still got a ways to go. :) I don't think anyone expects perfection - and if they do, they'd better stay away lest we destroy that expectation! After God, our first priority must be our family and what's best for our kiddos, so don't be surprised if while in public we have to abruptly remove someone who's melting down. It might seem rude, but I'm sure you all understand!

Lovingly and excitedly,
Carrie for us all

P.S. I never had another furlough "stress dream" after that blog post! You must have been praying!

Last week, with our beloved after-school babysitter/helper Dilu

Dilu asked for a photo with the quints. We're going to miss her terribly, and vice versa!

The pre-furlough, unstressed version of us as a couple. :)