21 Weeks

I cannot believe how big I'm getting and how quickly. Makes me a bit nervous for the summer months and how big Baby Bob will be. :) I'm definitely feeling much better overall but I'm still having to take my medicine regularly... I tried to go off it this week and had two bad days so I took it today and feel great. So much so that I went for another run which I needed. I love running and listening to worship music and after the day I had at school... I needed a chance to let out some energy and refocus.

Dizzy Izzy at Disney

reality settles in

Today was bittersweet for me. We spent all day with friends which is always a fun thing to do. Today had a different spin though... the first outing with friends was saying good-bye to one of our students. He heads out to the UK for Operation Mobilization and then to Bible College. It's very exciting to see him follow this path but it's still a bummer to say goodbye. This is our second goodbye to youth in just two months with several more ahead this summer. This will be a difficult year to say goodbye to students. I feel many of these are the ones we've connected with the most over the past few years, they're the leaders... and well they're all just awesome students.

Then we had Adelina/Nick over for dinner to celebrate Adelina's birthday tomorrow. It's always great fun to be with them but we talked a bit about them moving back this summer and after the saying good-bye to David this morning it was like reality just hit... Nick and Adelina are definitely leaving. They will definitely be missed. And it just made me sad. Our first year here we said goodbye to some great friends that we had made, last year wasn't too bad, and now this year is quite similar, if not worse (as we've known these people much longer) to the 1st summer. It's the way of Hong Kong but that doesn't make it easier. I'm just trying to remember that God brings all sorts of people into our lives and for all different reasons and that we need to take advantage of those relationships, build them as strong as you can, and be the best example of Christ that I can be.

I feel bad for Izzy too, though I don't really know how much she'll really understand but 2 of her best buds leave this summer. One is heading off to college and the other is Kayla. I'm really curious to see what will happen, if she'll realize what's going on, will she keep asking for her, etc... It breaks my heart sometimes that she'll grow up in a transient culture but I pray that she will do as I wrote above.... learn to love others and give her all no matter how long a person will be in her life.

And just because this post sounds a bit depressing... there's nothing like an Izzy smile to make my day. :)

Breakdown and recovery

Well Wednesday was just one of those days. I was telling a friend that I think it's because I've been in HK too much lately. LOL In the past years, I've been blessed with a trip to visit family about Jan/Feb and then a family holiday to Thailand at Easter. This year, I started working and have not had those breaks. Sound like a good excuse? LOL

Tuesday I had a discouraging Dr appt. Nothing wrong with the baby but I've gained quite a bit of weight and the nurse insisted on telling me how overweight I was and what I should do about that. I know that I've gained some weight as it's obvious in the bulging stomach and some other places :) but I don't feel/see the other added pounds... or maybe I'm just blind to it as I was with Izzy which is a scary thought in itself. But alas... Baby Bob is healthy and kicking away and I'm watching what I eat and making more of an effort to exercise.

But Wednesday... just went downhill. I was just down I guess and a conversation just made me lose it. I was feeling sorry for myself, frustrated at some things, etc... and so I called Mike and vented and cried. It honestly felt good and I think i just needed to get some things off my chest because almost immediately after hanging up the phone... sanity returned. I realized how selfish I had been, was convicted on something that God has asked me to do and eventually excited about life. I think sometimes I know that my feelings are selfish and I shouldn't be feeling that way so I never talk about it and then instead of being able to let go of everything, it just builds.

I also decided to get back into my running routine as that (or exercise in general) has always been good for my sanity. But since I've been unable to run for 3 months and for the sake of the baby's health, I decided to go back to the Couch to 5K running plan. I was quite surprised in my ability to run, the speed at which I could run, and the endurance that I had. I ran much longer than Couch to 5K suggested which I was really encouraged by. It felt SO GOOD to get back out there and get moving and I was all geared up for last night but...

my streak ended after a mini-bus ride home from meeting with a friend. I felt just horrible and had to ask Joan to put Izzy to sleep as I could barely move without running to the loo. But I'm feeling okay today and made it on the train without fainting so all is good. LOL

Speaking of my friend... we met yesterday to plan for our Mom's group and I can't tell you how excited I am for the weeks ahead. We planned out activities for the rest of April and May... things anywhere from doing the Walk Away the Lbs DVD, to making a small scrapbook album, to a trip to the park, a Mother's Day tea, a special speaker... oh I just can't wait. Now I just pray the other Moms will be just as excited. We counted about 5 more moms who are interested in joining us so that's very exciting too.

So lots going on but how boring life would be without it. Hope you have a blessed day!

Guardian of the Keymaster

Morpheus Mike playing the Wii

Isn't this so cool!!! I LOVE it. David is a very talented artist and has been working hard to prepare banners for 'reload' our new youth ministry beginning May 2. It's theme comes from the Matrix trilogy and each adult has their own character. I'll have to download and post Mike's pic. It's awesome. So apparently I'm one of the Twins with my friend Jocelyn. I could not remember these guys from the movie so I had to google them. :) 

Back from Camp

We came back to our place for a BBQ this morning. It's SO nice to have a place big enough to host things like this. Here we are just relaxing.

Izzy and Hunter... so cute eh?

Our group on the hike

We had a great weekend at camp but it's nice to be home and sleeping in my own bed. There's much to share but I'm not feeling so well tonight but I wanted to share a few fun pics.

Happy ramblings...

Well after a scary day yesterday... today was amazing. At least as far as I was feeling. :) When I got home from work, Izzy and I took about 1 1/2 hr walk, then we painted, read and I even had the energy to exercise after I put her to bed. It felt wonderful!!!! My pregnancy workout video came and while it's not exactly what I was hoping for... I do like it and will enjoy using it. I did however order Tae Bo's Postnatal workout with Shellie because I know I'll love that too.

I forgot to mention that on Sunday, I finally started feeling Baby Bob. It happens so quick that I often don't realize that's what it was until afterwards but that's okay.... I know my days will come. I'm anxious for Izzy to be able to feel Bob though... I think she'll get a big kick out of that. :) One of my students told me today that she thinks I'm having a boy. They were so cute when they realized I was pregnant... they all came running up front and just stared at my tummy.. of course telling me how fat I was getting.

I'm so lucky that I only have 3 teaching days this week! Wohoo... another festival on friday! Our youthgroup retreat is this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. We'll finish with a BBQ and possibly swimming at our place on Sunday since the camp is just minutes away from our place.

But alas... I'm just rambling and should get to bed. Have a great day!

Dizzy spells

Well I had quite the start to my morning. Mike took me into Sai Kung to catch the bus because I thought I was running late and i was all excited because I would actually have some time to spare and wouldn't have to run to school after the mtr. I hopped on the bus about 5/6 minutes earlier than normal, someone felt pity on the pregnant lady and gave me their seat on the 1st train. The second train is only 2 stops so I don't even bother to try and find a seat... guess I should have today. I literally came seconds from passing out. When the train stopped, I was pretty much leaning on the guy in front of me (who by the way was not too happy), I had lost all hearing and was quickly losing sight. Thankfully I rushed off and was able to just sit on the floor. I'm sure I got funny looks as tons of people passed me but I survived and didn't pass out. I still must have looked awfully pale or something because a man at the top of the escalator was trying to tell me something (like maybe the bathroom is this way or help or I don't know) but he didn't speak any English and well I certainly don't speak any Cantonese so I just shrugged and kept walking. I've got a terrible headache now but other than that I'm doing fine. It sure did scare me though... especially since I wasn't at all expecting it. I wasn't hot or uncomfortable at all... no idea where it came from.

But anyway.... yesterday we finally got Izzy registered for school. It kills me to do this but I know she'll love being around kids and if we plan on staying in HK.. it's what we gotta do. It's a local Christian school which we thought was cool. She'll be taught in Cantonese only and her second year she'll begin learning Mandarin. Crazy but I'm so excited for her and a bit jealous. I wish we could have some formal language study. The Principal was very sweet and encouraging about having an English speaker in this setting and I think it made her happy that we wanted to put Izzy in this situation.

Tonight we have small group and I'm looking forward to that... and maybe a nap to get rid of this headache but we'll see. ;) I'm going to try a new way of getting home ad hoping it won't take me forever.

for the love of exercise... haha

So I've been slightly depressed with the weight gain and body changes Baby Bob has brought on. I know this is normal but I've worked so hard to get into shape after having Izzy that knowing I'm going to have to do it all over again is no fun. I've even been slghtly depressed that because I was so sick at first, I was not able to run or exercise period and now it's hard to get back into the routine. And knowing that starting a running routine after weeks and weeks of not plus an enlarged stomach reminds me that it will not be easy and that I'll pretty much have to go back to scratch... that's really depressing when I an average run was at least 8 miles a day. :( But alas...

I've been looking into some pregnancy workout DVDs (yes... I know I'm weird but I really do enjoy working out to videos) and at first all I could find here were yoga/pilates videos... not exactly what I was looking for at this point. So I got on Amazon.com and found more of what I'm looking for and am patiently waiting it's arrival. I actually cannot even remember the name but it was reviewed well so I hope it's what it says. Which gives me a better attitude and hope that it's still not too late. LOL And then I got an email from Billy Blanks and when I checked out his website... lo and behold there is a post-natal DVD!!!! I can't tell you how excited I was... I LOVE tae bo. They also have a new series of videos out that I told Mike I'd like for my birthday. :) I just finished reading some reviews on the postnatal video and one lady said she was even able to use it during pregnancy so I'm thinking I may go ahead and purchase this one as well.

On top of finding all those videos, Mike and I were talking and since this will be my last baby (unless God has other plans) I asked him if I could hire a personal trainer (well of course depending on price) for even just one session. There's a fitness center in Sai Kung that promotes itself as personal training/etc so I'm going to look into that. I didn't have problems losing weight after Izzy but I still had those flabby arms and thighs that I thought maybe a few sessions with a trainer would give me some wisdom on how to build the muscle properly.

So it gets me excited because I love to exercise and I love being in shape... and it's nice to know I already have a plan rather than trying to figure something out when the time comes like I did after Izzy.

But anyway.... it's just something that I've been thinking about and getting excited about.

Praise the Lord, Hallelujah

Izzy learned a new song today and I think she likes it....




We had a wonderful day today... celebrating our risen King, having a nice lunch out, taking a short rest and then having friends over for a BBQ. (The only negative about today was that I forgot to take any pictures so tom we'll all get dressed up again and take a nice Easter photo. Haha) This is only the beginning to a great week. I'm still off until friday so Mike is taking the week off as well and we have plans for Disney and some hiking. We just pray the weather clears up a bit.

May your Easter be filled with the Hope that Jesus brings!

I want to ABIDE in YOU, Jesus

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

I celebrated my birthday just before moving to HK and my MIL gave me this great book called, "Breath Prayers for Mothers." Inside she wrote, "Brief prayers are very important. They can help you keep a calm heart during hectic days. Motherhood is wonderful but can also be very tiring." I had only been a mom for 2 months so I was still living on excitement, adrenaline, and lack of sleep (LOL) but it didn't take long to realize how accurate her words were. I don't know how many times, sitting in the bathroom for a moment of sanity or just quickly in the midst of the day, I've reached for this book and found the perfect verse/prayer... to express my heart to God. Currently the one that is remaining with me is: 'I want to abide in YOU, Jesus.' There's been a lot of things going on where it's been easy for me to pity myself or get down or just want to give up but this verse/breath prayer just constantly reminds me that I need to continually die to self and put God first.

Especially during this Easter season. It's so easy to just say, "Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross to save me' and to get stagnant in your spiritual walk to where Easter is just another holiday (even though you know it should be special.) But I pray that we can make time to reflect on what really happened, why it happened, and how that affects our lives. Mike is doing a special youth service right now that I wish I could be at (it's a public holiday so Joan has the day off) but I've been praying that it makes an impact on our students to understand the amazingness (I know.. not a word) of our God and the sacrifice He made for us. I feel sometimes that now that I'm a parent, God's sacrifice of His son is more real to me and just hits me in a different way.

Okay... we have a fun day planned tomorrow so I need to clean up and I want to read a bit before heading to bed. Have a blessed Good friday.

A day out with Mom

Izzy refused to let me take any pictures on our day out but I managed to get her to look at the camera once for one of those... take the pic with my arm stretched out. It's not the most flattering of pics, but I like it. :)
Here's Izzy checking out the monkeys.
We dyed our eggs on Wed. Izzy was more interested in putting the stickers on but that's okay. We still had fun.

These two pictures are Izzy and her flowers. We went to the nursery on Mon night and we all picked out some flowers to plant. Izzy from the moment we got there chose these. It was weird to see her stick with one plant each time we asked her what she wanted but I'm glad she likes them. She has carried them everywhere. They sit with her on the couch, she brings them to the dinner table, she even keeps them with her in bed. We keep telling her that we will plant them this weekend... I hope she's not too disappointed. :)



Well yesterday started out rough... I planned to buy some used DVD's off and ebay type site here in HK but I was just going to meet the lady at an mtr stop that's on the island (a good bit away from where we are). So I decided to make a day out of it... picking up the movies, meeting my mom group at the Botanical Gardens/Zoo, stopping at Bumps to Babes, and just enjoying the day. Well at 9:50, I got a text saying the lady couldn't meet me but it was too late, I was already in Hung Hom. Then I got a phone call from the only mom who decided to meet today saying she wasn't going to be able to come. Poor Izzy was bummed that Kiki wasn't coming but she was still focused on seeing gorillas so I couldn't let her down. We headed out and stopped at Bumps to Babes first in an attempt to find some reasonably priced maternity clothes. Izzy had fun riding around the store on a scooter while I unsuccessfully looked at clothes. (I cannot believe the prices here! Nothing is less than about forty dollars. But alas...) We did manage to find some swim diapers and of course that made Izzy's day. :) We used the last swim diaper on Wed and I told her that she was going to have to learn how to use the potty if she wanted to swim and well that just wasn't an option in her mind. No she is not potty trained but I'm not stressing over it either. She understands everything but is just not willing so when the day comes.. I'm just convinced (or just praying) that it will be super easy. Then we headed off to what HK calls a zoo... it's quite pathetic in my mind but at least it's got some animals to look at. Sadly though, all the animals were sleeping. Izzy was bummed and started screaming at the monkeys to 'wake up and come down here.' It was cute but our afternoon at the zoo only lasted about 30 minutes as Isabella just got bored. So I called Mike to share our disappointing zoo visit and he suggested heading to the Peak and having Burger King for lunch. I much prefer BK over McD's any day but the only ones in HK are at the Peak (too far away for a regular trip) and the other at the airport. So anyway... I thought it would be fun and thought Izzy would enjoy the tram ride. We got to the peak, saw some live bunnies, ate some BK and then just headed back down. The day was hazy, cloudy, rainy... just ugly so there was no view and there's not much but shops up at the peak. But anyway... we had a good time. We then took the tram back down and went to Toys r Us where I got some toys for the egg hunt and Izzy played on the outdoor toys.

At dinner that evening, Joan and I were talking about small groups (benefits/challenges, ect) and then somehow we got to talking about her time while she was in the Philippines waiting for her visa. She shared with me that while she was home she was able to continuously share her faith with her sister and neighbor and before returning to HK, they both accepted Christ! How awesome! But what's funny is that her visa took a long time to get approved and we all were wondering what was going on and getting a bit frustrated but it was so cool to say... 'well that's why you couldn't come any sooner. God was working and using you. He had to wait until they were ready to accept Christ.' So it was worth waiting for that visa!!!

I think that just totally made my day. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast having the day to spend with Izzy and doing some different things but hearing how God was/is at work is so very exciting!

It's Official....

I gave birth to a fish... not a little girl. :) Granted it is about 73 degrees outside... but it has just started to warm up in the past 2 weeks after a series of freezing forty/50ish temps (which is very cold for HK). There's no way most people would even think about swimming. Most people are still wearing pants and long sleeves and coats. But last friday a few girls were just getting their feet wet in the pool as we were headed into town and of course Izzy just begged to swim so I told her that next week we could put our feet in. Well today was pretty nice out and she asked again so we walked over to the pool, put our feet in and almost instantly she started begging for her swimsuit. I tried to get her to go in enough to get her belly wet (thinking that if she did that she would think twice) but no... it just made her want to swim more. So I gave in. She got her swimsuit on and had a blast for about an hour. Mike and I were just amazed that she was not cold at all. But I guess it doesn't matter what the temp is for a fish... as long as they're in water. And she just loved it. Mike and Joan on the other hand spent the day cleaning up our yard and it looks amazing. I'll have to see if I can find some before pictures to show you what they've been doing but it looks great and in about a half-hour we're going to the nursery to pick out some flowers to replace what has been taken down. I never imagined in a million years we'd be doing yard work in HK. Just one more thing to be thanking God for His blessings.

1st BBQ

We had an awesome day today! Church was great... the youth led worship and did a fabulous job. I was really quite proud of how well they did and the group that led today was a totally new group (aside from a few singers.) We had Stuart Briscoe with us this morning and he spoke on what the 'church' is. He's a great speaker and I enjoyed him a lot. I felt like I had the chance to talk to some of the younger girls before Sunday school started which is something that doesn't happen very often so I was thankful for that too. After church Jill, ryan, and Hunter came over for pizza and just to relax. It was awesome to just sit on our rooftop and chat... it was a gorgeous day out too. Just as they left the college group came over after their hike to hang out and BBQ. It was really fun to have them over to. This is a new ministry and I was excited to meet some of new people. Plus, I just really enjoy having guests over and since they offered to do all the cooking and cleaning up... well who wouldn't pass that up. :)

Izzy enjoyed having all her 'friends' over. She was really awesome today considering an early morning and no nap. She warmed right up to all the college girls and enjoyed her first chance to BBQ. She loves these mini-hotdogs so we let her BBQ some at the end. She's always fun to pick up after the children's service or Sunday school because she'll tell me what song they sang, etc.. but today when I asked her what song they sang she said, " Jesus Loves Me" and then proceeded to sing it. i was quite impressed with her memory of all the words. Then she was telling me: "Jesus this and Jesus that." It was cute as always.

Now... I'm ready to hit the hay. Tomorrow is supposed to be the last nice day for about a week so I have great plans. I'm just thankful that I didn't get called into work like my fellow teacher did. :)

Have a blessed Sunday!

15wks 5days

Moms are not lying when they say that each pregnancy is different. Most of my pregnancy with Izzy was easy. I was blessed in that I didn't really suffer morning sickness, I didn't have much back/leg pain, ect... However, Baby Bob has not let me forget about him (no we don't know what it is but since we're using Bob it's just easier to say he). I've never felt so miserable on such a consistent basis. It has only been just over a week that I haven't spent a good bit of the day in the bathroom. At my last appt, I begged the Dr for some medicine, explained that I couldn't leave my classroom to puke, and that I was nervous about the health of the baby because I could not keep anything down and he gave in. He only gave me two weeks worth of meds, I've managed to stretch it and I figure that now I've been given it, it won't be hard to get more if I need it. Though I think I'm starting to get better on my own, the meds have really, really helped. In fact, I haven't puked since last Sunday and I've only had one day were I was really not feeling well. So let me just tell you how much my life has improved. I'm finally excited about this pregnancy, I'm starting to enjoy my job a bit more, I've got the energy to play outside with Izzy, etc... you get the idea. Life is good.

So I finally got around to take a picture of my growing belly. I cannot believe how big and how quickly I'm getting big. My clothes already do not fit and I'm begging for maternity clothes. And I'm blown away too because I've only really been eating well the past week. But alas... here I am in all my glory. Haha

I haven't felt the baby move yet, we don't have any names, we have no preference as to what gender we have and we really don't have any guesses. I honestly haven't thought much of anything about this baby because I've just been trying to survive each day. I feel a bit guilty about that but I'm sure as I continue to get healthy, I'll get more and more excited.

But I just want to thank everyone for their prayers because they have been felt. Thank you so much!

Spring Izzy

I just heard the sweetest words come out of Izzy's mouth without any prompting. She said, 'Let's pray for lunch. Dear Jesus, thank you for this lunch, thank you for this party, help momma feel better and daddy too. Thank you for lunch... be with momma. Amen.' I wanted so badly to get it on video but I also didn't want to miss a word she said.

Today started roughly (though simply because I was tired and didn't want to go to work) but ended up amazing. There's a pretty bad flu going around HK right now... several little children have died from it so it being HK and the whole SArS thing in the past... they're very careful about things so they cancelled school for all primary students and teachers until after Easter break!!! Wohoo! That means an extra week and 2 days off for me! Though I didn't know this until I trekked the 1.15minutes to school to turn around and do the same to go home. I thought about different things I could do but HK is not alive at 8am so I just came home. We've had a fun day playing outside. The weather is just gorgeous and if you know Izzy, she LOVES being outside. We had tea parties, golfed, read, she even mopped the stones and pretended to ride a horse. I'm constantly amazed at the creativity of this kid. :)

I tried desperately to find a trip for us since I have this extra time off but with Easter, Mike can't easily get off and all flights to the East Coast were totally booked. It was a bit disappointing but if the weather stays as is, we'll have lots of fun playing outside and doing some things that are more enjoyable when it's cooler out... like Botanical Gardens, Stanley, Disney of course, and some hiking. Mike will take a few days off after Easter to have some family time so we're looking forward to that.

We just pray that no one in our house catches even a smidge of this sickness going around.

But anyway... I just really wanted to show this picture of Izzy. Because of how sick I've been I haven't taken any pictures until last week and she's just grown and changed so much.

Looky here......

I can't tell you how exciting it was to actually see Baby Bob and to know thing are okay! We got to see the heartbeat which was awesome. Mike and I feel the technology was so much better as the picture was so clear and we could easily identify things but maybe it's also because this is baby #2 and we're a bit more familiar with what to look for. :) But anyway.... they said my due date is Aug 30th. Please continue to pray for my sickness. I had two non-vomiting days this weekend though I felt nauseous all day those two days but it returned today. I have a field trip tomorrow with 2 1hr bus rides so please think of me as I'm really nervous about those!


Izzy's calling my name so I gotta run just had to share with the Grandparents.

Prayer request

Well I've been wanting to share these two photos but I don't have the energy to write much today except to ask for your prayers. The vomiting (there's just no way to put it other than that... lol) has returned full force the past few days. It seems as though my balance issues are adding to the problem. After any mode of transportation, I have to run to the loo and today was the absolute worst when I got home from school. It just wouldn't stop. I've very discouraged and NOT looking forward to the next 6+ months as I'm afraid this isn't going to go away until I've had testing and physical therapy again. So if you wouldn't mind praying for me... I see the Dr next week and I'm hoping that maybe they can give me something more than what our family Dr did because that's not working.

Sorry to be such a downer.... hope you all have a great day!!!

More randomness

The roof top view.

Isabella is obsessed with Mulan these days so we were lying in bed watching it and she starts rubbing my belly. I ask her what she's doing and she says, 'I'm making baby Bob feel better.' She's just too cute.

So finally it warmed up a bit today so I decided to take Izzy out to go for a hike... she was so excited to wear Dee Dee and Laurel's hiking shoes but I don't think she knew what a hike was. I think she confused it with bike because she insisted on taking Snow White out for a ride. But that was okay. We rode over to our clubhouse and she wanted to go into the playroom because they have one of those big exercise balls and she likes to roll on it. That was her highlight for today. She can be so easy to please/entertain at times.

I had our Mom's group over yesterday for lunch and I attempted my 1st try at minestrone soup. I think I used to many noodles though as it was more just like pasta... not much broth but it was still really good. I had a nice dinner planned for Mike but I got sick after the moms left so I don't even think he ate dinner. He was awfully sweet and bought me roses, a magazine and a cake with real icing!

Tomorrow we are having our small group over for a BBQ and Sunday another family will join us for dinner. I can't tell you how much I've been praising God for this house. It's more of a blessing than I ever realized.

Well I had pictures of Izzy but blogger has stopped working so I'll have to try again later.

Have a great day!

A little this... a little that... mostly about izzy

Every night Izzy asks me to stay with her for two minutes when we're done singing and praying and now that she has a nice big bed, I don't mind staying 2 min if that makes her feel better. So I started asking her some questions about her day, one of them being 'What was her favorite thing she did that day?' Well her answers have been simply adorable the past two nights. She usually remembers something fun that she did like go to the playroom or playing with Angela but last night she said, 'eating' and tonight she said, 'using the potty.' I just love this girl and only can pray that the new baby will have just as much personality that she does.

I have been absolutely LOVING our new home. It is such a blessing from God in so many ways. The best thing so far is the amount of people we've been able to have over. I love having guests and trying new recipes, etc but our other flats have limited us in number and I've just never wanted to cook because the kitchen wasn't user friendly but this place... the kitchen is bigger than ours in MN was and last friday we have 20+ people over and it did not feel as though there were that many. Mike and I were joking with some friends on Sunday night about how we're afraid what's coming next because God has blessed us in so many ways over the past few weeks but I believe this house will expand our ministry. i feel it will give us opportunity to build new relationships, new ministry opportunities, etc. I see Thanksgiving/Christmas Dinners, Mom's group lunches, youthgroup sleepovers, BBQ's, swim parties, etc... I'm just so excited at the doors this house will open up to us that it makes me sad to have to go back to work next week.

I think I've cooked more here in the past week and a half than I ever did at our other flats. I've even tried new recipes again! It feels wonderful.

Today Izzy and I explored a new area. They have these English bookfairs on occasion outside of the park n shop that we used to shop at and I got an email saying they were having a warehouse sale this week so we ventured out to see what they had. I was nervous about how many people would be there (I once went to a Toys r Us warehouse sale and I could barely move with all the people) but it turned out to be just Izzy and I which was awesome. I could look around and Izzy could read and play without harm. She was so excited to go and as soon as we walked in the door she spotted a Dora book, ran and picked it up an then proceeded to sit down and read. It was too cute... just like yesterday when we lied down to nap... we took 15 minutes to read quietly first and she sat down with her two books and just looked through them. I've never seen her sit so quietly.

She has said/done some very cute things lately but of course I cannot remember them all though tonight when I put her to bed, we kneeled down to pray and when we were done she said, 'Mommy we need to read our devotions.' We read the children's version of 'my utmost for His highest' and that's what she was asking for. Also today she picked up the phone and when I asked who it was she said, 'Mamma it's MY friends. They're coming over.'

Okay... I'm just rambling because I'm trying to remember all the things that have gone on and not making a whole lot of sense to the outside world but anyway...

I hope to find my camera tom so I can finally take some new pics of our home.