We enjoyed our Spring Break 2 weeks ago, and having a few more family outings. Wednesday was Naomi’s birthday and we spent the day at Disneyland! They have the policy that you can get in for free on your birthday, and then Matthew was given a free pass by a friend who works there 
We really enjoyed the day -Matthew went on a number of the big rides and enjoyed taking Noah to Autopia (where you can ‘drive’ a car), a Finding Nemo submarine and getting his (Noah’s!) picture taken with Mickey Mouse! We finished the day by watching the Disneyland street parade and Noah was very excited about seeing Winnie the Pooh and other characters
During the week we also visited the Escondido Farmers’ Market (and sampled various fruits and bread) and then we had an early dinner and watched Finding Nemo with Noah (his first time) which he loved. We also went to the Wild Animal Park and walked through a hothouse filled with giant butterflies, which was an experience! They landed everywhere and we had to make sure that we weren’t taking any out with us!
On Sunday we went for a walk to Elfin Forest (where there have been recent sightings of mountain lions!) and as we were going up the trail we met several people who told us to beware of the giant rattlesnake further up! Matthew and Noah were rather excited (Naomi, less so!) and we saw the last 2 feet of it slither into the bushes, complete with black and white rattle on the end. At this point, Noah made up a snake dance and Naomi was wishing we were back in the UK!
Our church held a brunch between the 2 services on Easter Sunday and we had a lovely time of fellowship. Matthew preached in the evening service and will be preaching at the church plant in San Diego on the last Sunday morning in April.
Matthew has 5 weeks left before he graduates (3 weeks of class time and 2 weeks of exams), which is not long at all! He is on track to graduate and is really enjoying his last semester. We have had some contact recently with churches regarding possibilities for the future and are very aware of the need for the Lord to guide us as a family – please pray for us!
Naomi is planning a Park Day trip to the Wild Animal Park this week and is getting ready for the triple ‘early birthday party’ for Noah and 2 friends which will be held on May 2nd. We have sold all the furniture that we can, and just have the essentials left. We now have a lot of room in our apartment and Noah loves driving his car round and round without bumping into things
Isaac is now 6 months and loves to eat! He is a happy baby and enjoys interacting with Noah. He has started ‘creeping’ and Naomi often finds him at the opposite end of the cot to where he started, or that he’s rolled over and turned 180 degrees (all without her seeing, of course!)
This coming Saturday is our church’s annual ‘Ladies’ Spring Tea’ which Naomi is planning on going to. It is an evangelistic event and and the speaker is a pastor’s wife from a local church. Last Saturday the ladies hosted a joint baby shower for Isaac and a girl called Chloe who was born 5 days after Isaac. That was a great time of fellowship and several of the ladies shared verses of encouragement for us mums! Some of the ladies are involved in a scripture quilt ministry – they cross stitch squares with a verse and picture and then these are made into a quilt to hang on the wall. They are usually presented at the baby shower and are a lovely way to remember the ladies at GBC
Click here for Disneyland photos
