thanks, em!!!

starting her young

we had our first outing while my mom was here. it was to tk maxx, of course! you can see that steve is thrilled=) we even went out to eat afterward. i regret to report that i did not take any photos of our first trip to ikea on the way home from the airport. oh well, we'll just have to go back!!

third culture kids

we were recently invited to attend a thanksgiving lunch with some other american missionaries in the uk. i was excited to tell the girls:
me: "we're going to celebrate thanksgiving with a bunch of americans!"
gwyneth: "i don't like americans."
me: "gwyneth, WE'RE americans."
gwyneth: "oh."

and more amelia joy...

amelia joy

tired but happy mummy

proud daddy

our little family

 

for just a few more days...

on saturday we took the girls to a park and today steve took us all out to breakfast. it's hard to believe that we won't be a family of four much longer! i am so thankful for our little family-it's hard to believe it could be any better. that is grace upon grace!

harvest sunday

we had a great day yesterday for our harvest sunday. we had lunch at the church followed by an afternoon service. we also made some new friends who came as our guest speaker and family.  it's the closest thing to thanksgiving that we have here.  for the 2nd year in a row, we were able to get some gourds from our local florist.  most people around here aren't very familiar with them and even ask "what do you do with them?" but everyone seems to like them and for us they are a little bit of home.

almost here!

Don't worry, this photo was taken when the sun was shining in JULY.
Lord willing, our new little baby will be here in less than a week. while this hasn't been the easiest pregnancy and there are many things that i hope will quickly fade from my memory, there are a few things i hope i never forget:
the relief of hearing her heartbeat after a scary trip to the hospital not knowing what was going on.
the surprise and joy in the girls' eyes when they felt her move for the first time.
the wonder we all felt when the girls came to see the midwife with me and heard the heartbeat.
these last few weeks of just the four of us.  

friday science

we had a pretty good week of school. knowing that our baby is coming soon helps me stay motivated to keep at it for now. for today's science experiment we pounded leaves to make prints. some leaves worked better than others but everyone liked pounding with the hammer!

on the farm

we've made some friends recently who live on a little farm just up the hill. the girls loved seeing the animals and they both even took turns holding the kitten! i was too shocked to take a photo. we didn't have the best weather but it was a fun time.

mudpies to magnets

we officially started back to school last week. we go to story time at the library most mondays so we have school tuesday, wednesday and thursday with both girls and fridays with the nicholsons. this year, we would like to work on some science experiments with the children instead of just crafts on fridays. this past friday we experimented with liquids and solids (cornstarch + water and flour + water) in other school news, maggie is learning to read and has her 2nd football (soccer) lesson today.

a new tradition

it seems that abbie and i have begun a new tradition for our church-baby showers! they are not as popular over here as in the states but our ladies bible study has really gotten in to them! and last night was my turn. i had a few suspicions but overall i was surprised. i didn't have my camera so i just have the photo below of the presents. if i get any more photos, i'll try to post them. it was fun to have the girls come for part of it and see firsthand how the Lord is providing for us.

having a baby in another country far from family, friends and familiar medical care has had its challenges. thanks to a new friend who encouraged me with this verse:
"He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young."
Isaiah 40.11

making new friends

we spent a day in cricieth a few weeks ago. it is an incredibly beautiful coastal town and even had a castle. of course, we didn't manage to get any photos of the scenery! the dads had met at a conference so it was nice for the mums and children to meet. we are very thankful for Christian fellowship. the day started out on the cool side so i didn't think to take swim wear. the girls didn't seem to mind. on a cultural note, gwyneth continues to call "angharad" "king herod!" i guess we are still getting used to the welsh=)

mornings come too early these days...

so i just tried this recipe tonight and we love them!  i used dried cranberries and mini chocolate chips for my add- ins.  i hope we have some left for breakfast=)

friday night-pizza night!

just a few photos from last week's pizza night. we made potato pizza and pepperoni pizza. and milkshakes and a movie for dessert!

cousin heather has arrived!

and a trip to the airport isn't complete without a trip to ikea!

heather came bearing gifts...finally gwyneth has a doll to be friends with kit!

thanks for all of the great presents!

8 years

and it just keeps getting better!!
(photo by maggie)

it looks like...

we'll have another cute little girl in our house, come october!