Cole celebrated his 2nd birthday last week. We took him to Major Magic's, which is like Chuck E. Cheese's, but less crowded. He loved digging into his cake, wanted to ride a token-operated car over and over, and helped me play some skee-ball. He's getting more independent every day, and is starting to realize that he can glare at you if he doesn't get his way. We're working on that one.

Good friends of ours had a fire at their apartment building on Saturday and they lost almost everything they had. Luckily, Aaron and Melanie had renter's insurance, but it must still be devastating to suddenly only possess the clothes you went to work in. She was able to salvage some wedding china stored under a bed, a computer, and some of her mother's jewelry. The last items were very important to her, as her mother passed away suddenly in December. It's been a tough year for them, but they know that God still has His hand on them and will provide their every need.

I'm hoping to post some more pictures from our vacation to Missouri this week. They should be ready on Wednesday, so I plan on adding some more, including our stop at the St. Louis arch.