A Short Calm Between Storms

This might surprise you, but moving across country seemed like a bigger deal than moving internationally.  Thankfully Thomas had a brilliant idea, and we were able to pack up our things and store them for a few weeks in another location.  Since we were able to box things up and send them off somewhere, I was able to stay sane! (no comments on that)

(all these pictures are from my phone, so they might be a little grainy if you try to make them big)

A family photo outside our townhouse just before leaving

My mom, the kids and I drove up to NC while Thomas took the long drive up to OR from MS.

Isaiah was a big help!

Thomas definitely had the bigger ride!

We enjoyed lots of play time during our week-long stay in NC.  The kids had fun playing in Great Grandpa's yard.

Nadia discovered the great joy of rolling around in the grass.

We were able to visit with Great Grandma, too, who's always ready for some sweet kisses.





And there was ice cream...




My cousin Robin is one my kids' favorite people!

Cookie time!

Nadia's determination and energy earned her the nickname "Little Mary" from Great Grandpa.  You have no idea....

She loves water

...and more ice cream

Mom, Nadia and I shared this cup of ice cream for 3 days!  It was really yummy

I was glad to worship at Beacon again; and Isaiah got to chat with Grandpa B!





My cousin really is amazing with my kids.  They love her!

More love for Robin!

Robin, Mom, Nadia and I had a girls' afternoon out.  Thankfully there was a shaded play area where Nadia discovered she's big enough for a big kid slide!

Saying goodbye to Great Grandpa

Grandpa usually spends a lot of time with Isaiah on adventures out and about town.  Nadia got to have some special time with him, too, though.  She would let him share his breakfast with her.  I've never seen her be as still as when Grandpa would hold her and gently scratch her back.  Seriously, if she's awake, she's moving, unless she's right there.




And then we flew from Raleigh to Portland.  We made sure all the important passengers were safe.

Buzz is confident enough in his manliness to ride in a pink floral car seat

Thomas was waiting for us in Portland at the airport!  We were all extremely happy to see him and begin our newest adventure.  More pictures later...

Sweet and Salty

{Lots and lots has been going on.  I haven't blogged about birthdays and special events, which I know I'll regret later because I won't remember details, but for now, I'm taking a quick moment before Nadia wakes up and while Isaiah has some iPad time to write from my heart about a special group of people.}

I know there are people out there who don't love the sweet/salty combination, but really, how can you turn down a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup?  I mean, it's sweet with chocolate and salty with peanut butter.  And I remember when I worked at a car dealership before moving to MS.  For every employee's birthday we would have a cake.  My direct boss taught me the wonderful treat of eating my cake and the saltiest of potato chips at the same time.  Yum!

But here lately, sweet and salty are mixing in my life, and it's not as tasty as chocolate and peanut butter or cake and chips.

Sweet?  We're moving to the pacific northwest.  I love that part of the country.  I like the adventure of a big move (though not the packing details!).  There are plusses for living in the cooler climate.   A huge Russian population lives in the area where we'll be.

Salty?  Well, not to be overly dramatic or stretch an analogy, but that salt is coming from my eyes.  Not only are we saying goodbyes to family and dear friends, but there's a whole other group of people that have pieces of our hearts.

Today Isaiah had his last occupational therapy appointment.  A week from today he'll have his last physical therapy appointment and say goodbye to the last round of doctors who have cared for him over the past 6 years.  When I think about leaving these people who have loved our son and given him what he needs, some of them often fighting for his care, I find myself in a puddle of salt.

How can I say thank you to the surgeons who have repaired Isaiah's body?  How can I express my heart to the therapists who have taught Isaiah how to do things for himself and taught me how to take of my son and listened to my fears and loved Isaiah in ways that I wouldn't have expected "just a therapist" to love him?

I know that God has just the right therapists and doctors prepared for Isaiah in OR, but I really want to pack every one of them up from here and take them with me.  I thank God for these medical professionals.  I'm thankful that even if I don't see them again here, many of them will be worshipping God with me in heaven one day!

In Case You Haven't Heard...

We've had a few changes in our lives, and I'm pretty sure that most of our friends and family have heard the news, but just in case you're interested and you haven't heard the news, here it is:

We're not pregnant, if that's what you're thinking.  Here's what it really is:

After many long talks to God and each other and seeking counsel, Thomas and I have decided that we need to have Isaiah in the States more than in Russia in order for him to have the care that he needs.  We will continue ministry in Russia, living there during the summer.  That's the short of it, but if you want more details, you can keep reading a little bit...

Isaiah receives amazing physical therapy here in MS.  We have searched and searched in St. Petersburg, Russia, a city of 5 million people, and we have not been able to find anything close to the therapy that Isaiah gets here.  Every time we would be in Russia for more than 3 months, we would see his physical development stagnate and even regress in some areas.  His braces would not fit well, his body would start twisting in new directions, his legs would get tighter, etc.  I was simply not equipped to take care of those needs without the help of therapists and orthotists and surgeons.

Isaiah and Nadia are our first mission field.  God has given them directly to us, and we want to care for them body and soul as we follow the calling that God has given us.  God has given us a really good option to meet the physical and developmental needs of our son and still be involved in the ministry in Russia, and we are very excited!

Our mission agency InterAct Ministries offered Thomas some additional responsibilities involving fundraising, recruitment, and videography.  I say "additional" because he will continue to be the director of the work for InterAct in Russia.  As a family we will be moving to the Portland, OR area for Thomas to be able to work from the home office in Boring, OR (yes, that's right) for 9 months every year.  We will then travel to Russia for 3 months during the summer to continue different ministries there.

The move to OR is scheduled for Fall 2012 after our return from Russia this summer.

We are very thankful that we have not had to say "goodbye" to Russia.  We still love the country and her people.

This new aspect of our ministry will still require us to raise our support for salary and travel and all that good jazz.  Thankfully our current supporters have been, well, supportive, in our decision.  We are always looking for other people to partner with us in prayer and in financial giving.  If you would like to learn more about how to do that, please visit Hope To Russia, the site that Thomas has been working on to keep all our ministry developments in one place.

And that's why I've changed the blog name, again.

Why Didn't Somebody Tell Me?

Hey, did you know that we're over a week into November?!  What happened to October?  I guess all my friends' posts about Halloween or Reformation Day should have been a clue to me that something was ending, but well, somehow I missed everything.

Anyway, October was particularly busy.  I'll post an update on what's being going on lately, but I have to get some sleep first.  We've turned into night owls lately, and that doesn't exactly work well with a 2 year old!

Good night!

Beautiful Fall Day

Every day Isaiah and I enjoy spending some time in our park.  I was so excited to see the trees beginning to wear their new colors recently.  The weather can change in a moment in St. P, so I was thankful that we had good weather to do a little Fall Photo Shoot to capture the beauty that we get to enjoy and then share it with you all.

I'm not sure why, but Isaiah really enjoys getting out of the stroller and sitting on these benches throughout the park.

Of course I don't do these trees justice in pictures.  In person the sunshine makes the golden leaves glow.

Red leaves are rare in St. P for some reason, so this tree is my favorite.

And it makes the perfect backdrop for my Little Man.

And he likes to pose...

Happy Fall my friends!

More Adjusting

Well, some prayers have begun to be answered:  We are not in almost constant darkness any more!  In fact, yesterday as I was coming back from a quick walk to the store, I almost got a headache from squinting because the sun was reflecting off all the melting snow on the sidewalk.  Believe me, I'm NOT complaining!

In fact, this week we're supposed to have at least one day in the low 50's!  I'm thinking about breaking out a spring dress or something to celebrate.

Oh, and speaking of spring dresses, I got a sewing machine!  There really is a connection there, I promise.  I'm hoping to make some new clothes for Isaiah.  While I was looking for material for him, I saw and bought some beautiful material for me--it was too pretty to pass up.  So, hopefully this week, I'll begin working on something for one of us.  If anyone has any suggestions about making a pattern for little boys, please feel free to pass on your suggestions.  I won't have a pattern for about six weeks (my mom is sending me a really cute one she found!), but I don't think that I can wait that long!