There's a reason

I'm convinced that our slower than normal blog is a testament to lives of crazy, hectic joy!  Things here continue to be amazing, and we are every day grateful for our blessings and the wonder of the gospel and our family.

Let's update:

1. We enjoyed a nice trip to see Mom and Dad.  Liz spent a week and I headed for a long weekend at the end and drove back with them.  The trip itself was exhausting, and at times a little annoying as we wandered through DC, dealt with the new pooper, and generally ate more than anyone should.  Yummy.  The great part of the trip was seeing Mom, Dad and Marquie in the same house again and experiencing with them their new home, the area, and everything in their new life.  Marquie even got an afternoon off school so she could visit the caverns with us.  We also had a chance to catch up with Sarah and Andy Mueller, old friends of ours who joined us at the zoo.  For those that are not familiar, Sarah is Sarah Johnson Mueller (of the Rand and Orianna Johnsons—say it in a snooty voice, it's so fun!  Try it with your own name, and you'll smile.  Guaranteed.) and the saint that passed my mission address to Liz.  The Lord has a hand in all things.
2. Liz is the new Cub Scout Den Leader in our ward.  She loves it.  I hate it.  We have the meetings here, and she dominates my cooking space, while displacing dinner and expecting me to take care of the ever-restless two year old while cooking dinner around her.  I manage, and she has the time of her life with the boys.  They teach her a lot, and she them.  It's a good relationship!
3. School for me is absolutely taxing.  I'm in the throes of preparing my first concert, and there's a lot of hype surrounding it that I definitely did not create.  It makes me nervous, but I'm excited for it overall.  I think the success of the concert will have a heavy bearing on my employment for the next few years.  Perhaps I'm wrong, but that would be a rare occasion indeed.
4. We got approval for South Africa.  Now we're exploring the many possibilities for raising the money to get ourselves there.  It would be nice if we weren't on such a tight schedule, but we're working on a finite time frame, and that's how it is.  Any prayers you have to spare would be greatly appreciated.  I know, none of you have actual issues in your lives, so you can spread your faith thin on my professional dilemmas.
5. Photos?  You ask so much.  I'll try to come up with some.

Who else has an update?