Merry Christmas!

We've had a very busy Fall season, thus the lack of posting on here. I'll try to get back to that, but we'll see. As a part of this season of giving, I want to add two things that I'm thankful for that God has given us this year. First, given that the inspection and appraisal go well, H1 and I will be closing on our new home on February 10th! We found out just a couple days ago that our offer was accepted, and that completely took us by surprise. We made an offer on a house that we really liked, but we offered a significant amount less, expecting the owners to counter our offer. They didn't. They accepted the whole offer, including payment of closing costs. After four years of renting in this area, it looks like our little family will finally have a home!





The second event of thankfulness is more monumental. I'm happy to announce that our family is growing! We are expecting the arrival of H4 in July! This has been a difficult first trimester for me. All the worst possibly symptoms of pregnancy hit me full force from the 4th week and continue unabated. I'm really looking forward to the hopeful decline of some of these issues within the next few weeks. We've been in to the doctor several times so far, including the ultrasound. Our little H4 seems to be doing very well and so far my general levels of bloodwork are stable. They are concerned about my thyroid, since the pregnancy and birth of H3 caused quite a few issues for me. For now though, we are giving thanks to God for this little miracle, whom we had been praying for!

In the beginning of December, H3 and I made a trip to Florida to visit a dear college friend, Kristina, and her husband. We had a wonderful time catching up and getting the house ready for the birth of her little one. She gave birth a week after we left to a beautiful little girl. My friend and her husband work at a Christian boys ranch, called Teen Challenge. H3 and I spent a lot of mornings walking around the property. The days were in the 60s and 70s while we were there, perfect for our walks. I'm so thankful that God paved the way for us to make that trip.






The Christmas season finds us in Ohio, visiting my family. It's quite chilly up here, but beautiful as always. My parents are having a wonderful time watching H3 with all her little antics. If I could ask for prayer for 2 things before I close out, one would be for our precious baby, and the other would be for my mother. Her health has not been good, and right now she is waiting for surgery on her right shoulder. She also needs a left knee replacement and reconstructive surgery on her right foot. Multiple falls over the past couple years are responsible for these complications. She's been having difficulty getting around. The shoulder surgery is scheduled for February 15th at this point, given that all the pre-op stuff goes well. This looks to be a long year coming up for her, and prayers for her recovery as she goes through these will be much appreciated. Thank you.

In the midst of everything this season, don't forget the reason for celebration, of His Gift to us! Blessings and Merry Christmas to you!

~H2