Hey there Peanut –

Please forgive my lack of writing to you these past 6 or 7 weeks. It has been an especially crazy summer! You’ll understand later, but the bottom line is I had to submit my early career grant proposal (which I’ve worked on for 4 years now) along with five different manuscripts while teaching a very intensive summer class. In addition, I had to fly to Chicago for Knowles Foundation research and teaching meeting at which I had to give a presentation, and I have been helping two graduate students get the findings from two different research studies ready for submission to two different conferences.

We’ve still had fantastic summer adventures in between these work-related things, but I just didn’t have my Sunday evenings to blog to you like I like.

So, let’s see if I can try to get caught up a bit.

Let’s start with the most exciting and most recent event – We went to Ada, MI (near Grand Rapids) to be a part of your cousin Niklas’s baptism in the Grand River!!


It was such a very special day and event. Pastor Dave did such an incredible job talking to Niklas and the rest of us about how we are all part of an ecology that God gave to Niklas and his parents to help take care of and love baby Niklas as he grows. While Niklas was being baptized you said to me “Maya’s turn. Maya be baptized.” Very sweet.


We were there with Oma and Opa from Minnesota, Auntie Amy and Elisabeth from Seattle and of couse, Mark, Bi and Niklas. The whole Luehmann clan was there except for Uncle Hakon. In addition, we had the wonderful privilege of being with Auntie Bi’s Mom and Dad, Mara and Francisco who came ALL the way from Brazil!! There were a number of other friends of Mark and Bi’s as well. What a wonderful celebration!!

Here are a couple more pictures of your beautiful baby cousin:





When we arrived in Ada at 1:30am the night before, the car broke down in the hotel parking lot. Long story short, but it was very difficult to find anyone open on the weekends to service the car, and even those people did not have access to the parts. SOOOO, even in the midst of craziness like that, God blesses us richly. We were “stuck” in a place where we were surrounded by family in a warm and loving home. Not such a bad deal, eh? Unfortunately, I had to rent a car and drive back to Rochester because I had to teach Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but you and Daddy stayed in Michigan and waited for the car to be fixed. You got a 3 more days to play with your cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles and even Buster the dog! You went to the fair…

You went swimming…

You climbed rocks and caught turtles…


You had a fantastic time!! And the car was fixed just in time – You and Daddy left Michigan at the same time as Auntie Amy and Elisabeth left for the airport and just a bit after Oma and Opa left for the ferry. What a blessing indeed.

You came home safe and sound to me about 6:30pm on Wednesday. It was SO GREAT to see you! You were clearly as happy to see me as I you. We snuggled and giggled and hugged each other. That night (last night actually) you asked me to rock you to sleep in my arms… you hugged me with both arms while I rocked you until you fell asleep… A memory I will always treasure. Thanks Peanut.


I love you Peanut Butter.