Settling in.....

We are in our own home, and I am sitting at our desk, looking at the beautiful view of  rolling hills out of our window. There are snow capped mountains in other directions.... After a lot of looking, we found a very nice, brand new house in the middle of the neighborhood we were searching in. The kids are happy that we are close to our last home, and all of their friends there.

Here's some pics of our view:

This has been a challenging transition for me. It is hard to keep moving and starting over and I have struggled to simply surrender that to the Lord and trust Him and His purposes in having us here. I still haven't found the rhythm of communion with my Savior that I desire. Partially because what I want may not happen until I see him face to face. But, I know more is possible here to.

 And here is my youngest precious. I am so thankful for my kids and this littlest one has been such a delight to all of us. And I have to say that there is nothing like being the most important person in your baby's eyes. I can't believe he is almost 9 months! He is going to be toddling around this new house soon.

Milestones

We have been busy! Our sweet Anna turned 10 in January just before our BIG MOVE! She enjoyed celebrating with family and Grammy Glo fixed all her special requests. Uncle Jason made these balloon hats and such to celebrate. It is hard to believe how fast our girl is growing up. We love you Anna. You are so full of life and interest in everything. We love watching you grow up and pray you will love the Lord with all your heart, mind and strength!
Our Katie also lost her first tooth a few days before the BIG MOVE. She has actually lost a second tooth since. We learned that it is the custom here to throw a lost tooth onto the roof!

We have been very stretched during this BIG MOVE and it has been a bumpy road. Sickness, less than ideal circumstances, the challenge of adjusting for both older kids and a baby have been combined with laughter, answers to prayer, and lots of thankfulness for help from brothers and sisters both here and in the States. I have been so thankful that no matter what or where, the Lord is with us and I am surrounded by my precious family. What is there to complain about?!?

We are enjoying a few days in a neighboring country in order to get our visas in order. Back at home, internet is weaker and I haven't even been able to get on our blog much less post anything. So, though I want to keep posting, will just have to see what we are able to do!

A Big Day!

Katie went to the audiologist with her Daddy, Papa, and brother Michael. It was a big day... Katie was getting her hearing aid! She was born with a birth defect which compromises her hearing in her right ear. The hearing aid she needs is called bone conductive, it enables the sound wave to go through the bone to her inner ear, bypassing her ear canal. She is very happy to have it and we are thankful that a gov. agency provided it for free.

Dedicated to God

Here's our little precious at 3 months old, though in less than 2 weeks, he will already reach the 4 month mark! For Christmas this year, my family traveled to see us which meant all of the extended family was together. We decided it was the perfect opportunity to dedicate Will to God. Here are some pictures of that sweet and meaningful time together.

Thankful....

Scott and I got married 12 years ago the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So, whenever this time of year rolls around, it is easy to think of what to be thankful for! God has given me a wonderful husband.
Our wedding was before the digital age, and our snapshots aren't great. This one was even damaged by water but you can still see how happy the couple is!

Getting Bigger

I am experimenting with our new camera that very kind friends gave us!

Our baby continues to grow and was off the charts for his length this week when we visited the doctor. He started giggling this week which delights everyone!

A Bittersweet Goodbye

We spent a wonderful year with wonderful friends, and it was hard to leave, hard to say good-bye. We had a very special last Sunday with these precious people, and here are a few of the pictures snapped that day. Our gifted photographer got lots of good shots, a few of which I am posting here. (You will see who was passed around and gets featured here!) These are in very random order.