We love April!

The weather is getting nice, Joel is still on the road speaking but not too much, I am feeling great in the 2nd trimester and little Joel is having a blast learning to say things and running around outside! Yes, life is great at the Penton home. Joel's favorite words are "This?" "Da Da" "Duck" "Car" and occasionally "Mom" He loves to go outside and run into the street, fall on his face on the driveway, or eat sidewalk chalk. Joel takes him outside much more often than I do because it makes me tired, so sometimes little Joel will walk over to the door and grab the handle (he cannot open doors just yet) and say "Da Da?" He also says "Da Da!" every time he sees a white car drive by (the "Moose" is our large white van that Joel drives). Here is a recent video taken in Cincy of the Joels: The Joels on the bench swing
We had an awesome Easter with the Groskopf family this past weekend. Cousin Sydney had a great time playing with Joel as she showed him how to bang up Gamma's kitchen floor with pots and pans. (I stood by not thinking it was a problem.. ohwell!) She also tried to show him how to go to the potty like a big kid (she's 2 1/2) but he didn't understand that one as well. Joel and I enjoyed spending quality time with the family and of course the awesome food! However, one of the best aspects of the weekend for me was my daily nap time! I have always needed a LOT of sleep and pregnancy is no exception.. I was really hoping that this time around would be just like my pregnancy with Joel and I wouldn't need any naps after week 12 or so. Not so much.. I can make it until around 4pm and then I just need to lay down.. not every day, but almost. Other than that the pregnancy is going great! I am 17 weeks along and we will get to find out the gender in 3 short weeks. I have been feeling little kicks here and there for about a week or so now and I heard the heartbeat in the 150's this morning.
The ministry is constantly changing, we are always looking for new and exciting ways to update Joel and Ryan's presentation. We have 6 more weeks of traveling and then things slow down for the Summer. We are encouraged by the strides we have made this school year and hope there are more and more improvements and thousands more students to reach for the Gospel!