On our way!

This will be the last post for a while. Tomorrow night we will be on our way to America! Pronounced A-Mer-E-Ca! (similar to the song from West Side Story) We are so excited we just can't stand it. It is getting colder here, and the power is awful, but so much more then that we are going to see the grandparents. And if there is anything I love to do more then love on my boys, it is watch other people love on them. This shot was of Zaky helping Bill take down the suit cases. I will see/ or talk to you all soon.

His Buddy

Soon after we moved over here a couple just returning from furlough came to visit. She had just gotten married, lost her mother to cancer, and was diagnosed with endometriosis, all with in 6 months of each other. She is a lovely friend who trust in the goodness of our Lord, in spite of our circumstances, and challenges. Fastforward two and a half years. She comes to our new home for a visit. She and her husband have been trying for several months to have a child, she tells me this news with full disclosure of the large possibility of their not being able to have children. I struggled when writing her to tell her of our wonderful news that we were expecting. Praise the Lord, she wrote 2 months later telling us she was also pregnant! Soon after getting pregnant though she began bleeding. When we saw her in her 5th month she was regularly spotting, and sometimes irregularly frank bleeding. As soon as she was cleared to fly they returned to her husbands home country. I remember praying for her, and her child, almost everyday since hearing of her getting pregnant. Well not without much pain and a defective epidural she delivered an almost 10lb baby boy last April (the first infant we had seen with rolls! and non diabetic), 2 months and 1 week after our little Zaky. They have now moved 45min from us and become our even closer friends. This is Zaky and his buddy James. Praise our Lord for hearing our heart and answering our prayers.

10 Months

Our little big man is 10 months old! Weighing in at 10kg - 75cm. He is crawling, walking along the sofa, throwing things, and amazing his parents everyday with the sheer intelligence of our infant. I joke that he is already speaking Arabic, he says:
haba which means love you
bab: door
hey ya: that there
Alla: God
La: no
wa: and

And dada, baba. But still no Mama : (

We are so blessed with a healthy, happy, easily content little guy. Thank you Lord.

Update

These shots were taken as I typed the last note!

Fun Shots

The boy started crawling almost 3 weeks ago. And he has not sat still since. He is not so content crawling, he wants to stand. He is now able to move along the table and couch. He finds his new skill ever so helpful in tipping over the tables, chairs, and coffee cups. His little character is coming out and beginning to shine, and frustrate. Even as I am writing this he has crawled over to me, pulled up on my legs to standing, pulled out the plug for the computer, and is now tapping on the keys. Time to move the computer off my lap!

Another shot of his morning bed head, I get such a kick out of it.

The last shot is a vest and hat my teacher's parents bought him on their visit to Iraq. Our neighbors go to Iraq also, but for a different reason then most of your neighbors, and they bring back fun presents.

Day of Thanks

Thanksgiving has recently become this day of hectic cooking, cleaning, eating, and then moving on to the next thing. This year was not to different. We did have a nice day, beautiful weather, nice friends, and an even greater reason to be thankful this year then most. We praise our Lord for our many blessings of family, friends, and above all hope, purpose, and the privilege of worshiping such a good God.

Year of Lasts 1) this will be the last year I try to transport bean supreme 2) this will be the last year of fresh pumpkin 3) This will be the last year I don't taste the bread before putting it into the stuffing

Year of Firsts: Zaky enjoyed the mashed potatoes, the stuffing that and a strange hint of cinnamon, and other little kids his size. (He is becoming quite the social little man)