The Snow Fort

Today while Elias and I were doing laundry...

Seth and Isaiah made a snow fort. Seth could stand up inside of the fort and I'm pretty sure it will be standing for a long time. I'd still rather be doing laundry.

Before and After

Elias before his first "big boy" haircut.

Elias after his first "big boy" haircut. We call him "little Seth"

Hike to Haystack

Had a great family time this morning hiking up Haystack Hill, which is very close to home, quite steep and gave a great view of the Valley. Elias slept in the jogging stroller all the way up while Isaiah climbed with Seth and I. We had snacks at the top and I worried about Isaiah falling off the cliff while Seth pointed out all the sights from the lookout point. Best of all, we had the chance to just be together, enjoy the sunshine and grow closer as a family!Can you guess where Isaiah learns to make faces like that?

It's been a long time in coming

A brief update on the last couple of months:

December 2008 was a super busy month for our family. We packed up the house and moved in with my parents the week before Christmas. It just so happened that the week before Christmas it snowed and snowed and snowed...and yes, we moved.

Taking a break from packing, cleaning and unpacking, we enjoyed a quiet, snowy Christmas day with my parents. All three of my siblings were gathered in Viet Nam for Christmas and while we missed having them here, it was great that they were able to have so many adventures together!

The day after Christmas Seth and I headed to the Canadian border to get his Visa for studying at Regent College in Vancouver. Orientation was the first week of January and classes started the following week! He absolutely loves school, is challenged every day by what he is learning and is amazed at the opportunity and responsibility that he has to sit at the feet of great teachers for a couple years...great teachers who point him to The Great Teacher in every conversation. It's a huge blessing for me to see Seth work hard, study, read, and absolutely LOVE what he is doing.

Elias finally learned to crawl in January and when he did, it was an overnight realization for him that he was now very mobile. In just a week he has become unstoppable and is cruising around the furniture, mentally ready to walk, waiting for his body to get the last bit of balance he needs to take off running! He'll be 1 in a month, something I can't believe is true.

Isaiah continues to excel as the smartest kid in his preschool class. Of course he is the only kid in his preschool class since we do "school" at home during Elias' naps. Isaiah loves to learn: writing, drawing, coloring, matching, cutting out shapes, he does it all! With the warmer weather lately, he's enjoyed going for walks and playing at the park. He's anxious to get his new bike outside soon, although his track in the basement serves as a great way to get some extra energy out when it's rainy!

We just got wireless internet at my parents house, so my hope is to update the blog more regularily. As Isaiah would say...We'll see!