This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending a retreat for married couples hosted by our church. There were lots of great things about the retreat, not the least of which was the great big breakfast buffet (Eric coined the phrase "bottomless bacon") and the brand new, cushy king sized bed. We really enjoyed the speaker, as well. Dave Harvey is a pastor within our family of churches, and a funny, heartwarming, straight-shooting preacher. The sessions were refreshingly simple and applicable to practically any relationship, not just marriage. You can download and listen to the messages here. (If you choose just one, I really recommend the first one!)

We went out for lunch with some friends after the retreat ended but had to make an early departure. Eric's brother Dana, sister in law Nedra, and their three kids were staying at our house with the girls, and called us home early to check out a sweet owie that Eva had attained. We typically don't end up going in to the ER or Urgent Care unless it is a pretty big deal. When we got home, we casually peeked under Eva's three Care Bear band-aids expecting to say, "oh that's nothin!'" However, we barely had one band-aid removed before we knew she was getting stitches. Here's the finished product, 24 hours later (pardon the nose hair, please):

Comparably dramatic, while we were away, Hope learned to dress up. Rather, Eva convinced Hope to allow Eva to dress her up. Since then, Hope has been bringing me any and every piece of gaudy apparel we own. She says, "Ahn," which is Hopespeak for "on, please." Eva's influence is sticking, no doubt.