This vacation has been a special time for us as we have had the opportunity to catch up with family and even meet little cousins for the first time.




Above: Fun at mom-moms and pop-pops house. This weird plastic toy expands many times it's size.





Above: Last week, we spent time with our teammate Brenda's family in PA. Now we know where Brenda got her sense of humor. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and one of Brenda's favorite desserts (sorry you couldn't be there Brenda.)





Above: Later in the week, we celebrated cousin RJ's sixth birthday! It is so great to see Elianna bonding with cousin Annabeth and Benjamin with RJ.



Above: The joys of being a grandfather. Allen's dad enjoying some quality time with Kira.





Above: Later, we were off to Washington D.C. to visit Allen's brother Sam, his wife Tania and son Matthew.



Above L: Ben having some fun at the dinner table. Above R: Cousin Matthew getting Kira's attention.



Above: Kira just being cute with uncle Sam.



Above: I have a running joke with my Hungarian friends that there are no squirrels in Hungary. Squirrels are scarce there, and I am used to seeing them all over the place in the US. So here are more photos for my friends in Hungary showing how easy it is to see a squirrel.





Above: Allen and Kira resting before a trip to the Natural Museum of History in D.C.





Above: Friends Karen and Matt spending some time with us yesterday. We also got to see snow for the first time this winter (though it didn't last very long).

We are so thankful for this time of vacation to spend with family and friends. We have also been able to do some ground work on Ben's schooling when we return to the US for furlough in the fall. We will be returning to Hungary next week and look forward to seeing what God does in 2007 in the region we are serving in. Stay tuned!