Happy New Year.

Hello to one and all. This blog will be a mash up of many things, just like my life seems to be right now. First of all, for those of you who have been praying for little Abby, an update: little Abby had to have another surgery to remove more inflammation from her chest cavity, but the surgery went very well, and she is resting much more comfortably now.

Second, it's time for 40 Days for Life! All around the country, pro-life groups are gearing up for a 40 day fasting and praying vigil to end the scourge of abortion in our nation. This year, after three years of comparative inaction, I joined our local planning committee (so if you don't hear from me often, it's because I'm busier than the queen ant's personal secretary). I'm in charge of contacting churches and finding people who want to be involved. In fact, I think I'll do a little recruiting now. If you've ever felt that you'd like to be involved in saving people from abortion, 40 Days for Life is an easy way to do that. We fast, we pray, and we talk to people about how damaging abortion is for people and for communities. Find a location near you; go to http://www.40daysforlife.com/. They have a list of the communities holding spring vigils. While you're there, sign up for the devotional email which will help direct your prayers to the heart of abortion issues.

There, now I can blog the rest with a clear conscience. (I'm actually waiting for some information without which I cannot proceed, so I could probably blog with a clear conscience anyway.) It's time for Niki news! I think the last time I posted some real Niki news, I said that she would be crawling sometime soon. That was just before Seth came home, which is a month ago today. Niki is now crawling like a pro. She covers more territory than I do any given day.

Almost as soon as she started crawling, she started pulling herself up on things too. She's pretty stable on her feet now.

Just after New Years, we took Niki on her first plane trip to visit Grandpa (Seth's grandpa, for those keeping count) and all the aunts, uncles, and cousins in Iowa. She was a very good baby and slept through most of the plane ride with just a little help from a bottle of water.

She was thoroughly impressed with Grandpa's house, especially all the "gogs." Grandpa's "gogs" are more Niki's size and temperament, and she got along with them pretty well, much to her delight.

She was thoroughly entranced by all the cousins and aunts too, of course, and vice versa.

Indeed, we are pleased to report that everyone in Iowa seems to be doing pretty well, in light of everything.

In between our football games (it was playoff season after all) and political discussions, Seth and I made time to visit a couple of old haunts. Grandpa took us to the Blue Bunny ice cream parlor, where we bought Niki a t-shirt (sorry, no pictures of the shirt yet), but she seemed to prefer the napkins to the ice cream.
And we made time to visit the old alma mater. This is Niki and Seth in the foyer of the Dordt chapel, and yes she is wearing a Dordt sweatshirt. She's had that sweatshirt since before she was born. I think she'll make an enthusiastic Dordt wart. What do you think?

Before we left, we took a picture of the three of us by "Seth's tree," a tree that Seth planted when he was about five years old. Seth and I have a honeymoon picture by this tree, and we were hoping to continue the tradition of recording family events beneath it. Unfortunately, Niki was more interested in the tree than in tradition and family events. If you look closely, you can see Seth and me trying to direct her attention to the camera, but she was not having it. Of course, the wind was coming from the direction of the camera, and in true Iowa tradition, it was really cold. Well, with that, I think I can get back to the present. May your new year be blessed with love and opportunities.