7 months and 30 something

my sweet little amelia joy is 7 months old today and to celebrate, she got her first tooth this week. she's so excited she can't sleep=)
and a special happy birthday to my dear friend mels. she's classy, she's cosmopolitan, she loves the Lord. and we just love her!

comings and goings

we are very glad to have joe, abbie and the kids back in abergele.  it seems like john and amelia are already partners in crime!  i love how they are looking at each other in this photo!

a few photos from their fun day with andrew and lily

when daddy and uncle andrew are in charge...

have you ever heard of telford's auqeduct? the girls got to walk on part of it last saturday. at some point, the men realized that the girls could fit through the bars. they very wisely did not walk all the way across=)

thanks, em!!!

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.

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=)

quick visit from our resident photographers

Yusdi and Jessica were in our neck of the woods recently and came for our sunday morning service and lunch (abbie's incredible chicken enchiladas and fresh salsa!)  jessica has posted a few of her fabulous photos on her blog.  enjoy!

happy birthday gwyneth grace!

we are so thankful for our little gwyn. she is our clown. our cuddler. our stubborn one. she thinks the world of maggie but is so very different than her. she adores her daddy. and the Lord has taught me much of His grace and mercy through her. we love you, gwyn!

and a special happy birthday to gwyneth's "twin" (one year later). it is on days like today that the possiblity of play dates and friend birthday parties seem just out of reach and over the ocean. we miss you ezra!

snowcream!

i watched the kids on monday morning and thought i'd give this a try. overall we liked it-especially after we added chocolate flavored syrup (don't think "hershey's") and squirty cream (don't think "cool whip"). gwyneth was the only one who wouldn't touch it or taste it.

and it's still snowing!!

it snowed again last night and it seems as though the whole country is frozen to a halt. we have enjoyed the snow but i'll have to say that i would be glad for it to go.

school update

school has been going pretty well. on fridays we try to get together with the nicholsons to have a special snack and craft. it is supposed to correspond with the letter we are working on but that doesn't always work out. "b" for bears and "a" for apples, for instance.

our Lord's day in wrexham

steve preached on sunday morning at a church about 45 minutes from here. we spent the afternoon with the minister and his wife and cute little daughter. maggie loved feeding the ducks and we loved the fellowship!

ladies outing

we visited gwydir castle & gardens and had a cream tea down in llanrwst yesterday. the Lord gave us beautiful weather and great fellowship! it's hard to believe that we've been here for over 8 months. in some ways i feel like we've been here forever. in other ways i feel so unsure of everything and everyone. very thankful for the friendships that are beginning to form.

a new friend

adapting to the culture...

coming and going

well, lisa has come and gone and we had a great time with her! it was kind of hard to see her go but we're thankful that she could come and get a taste of our day to day lives. justin and andrew arrived yesterday and have been a lot of fun already. gwyneth has taken to andrew pretty quickly and of course maggie is enjoying all of the attention.

llandudno

we experienced the train for the first time when we all went to llandudno on it. it was a fun and relaxing way to travel! we enjoyed some shopping and walking along the promenade. daniel did have to fight a sea gull for his sandwich but other than that, we had a great time!

plenty of mac time!