Home Sweet Home #9

We have continued our trend of our ever changing lives and have moved to home #9 since we've been married.  We have been here a few weeks and are starting to feel "settled".   We are loving our new duplex.  Quite the step up from our previous apartment and paying less than if we would have stayed!

The boys enjoying snack time in our new backyard

In our first weeks here a lot has happened.  We have already plugged into a new church that has quickly taken us in.  Already they have been helping us out a lot and showing us the ropes here in Mount Vernon.

The pastor introduced us to an amazing group called Skagit Gleaners. This group collects produce from grocery stores in the area that would otherwise be thrown away, sorts through to pick out the stuff that is still good, and gives it away to their members.    To join you pay a nominal monthly fee and agree to give 4 volunteer hours a month.  We can collect produce up to 3 days a week and so far the limits have been 25-35lbs!  Thanks to this group it looks like we are going to be well fed and saving a lot on our grocery bills.

Mikala and the boys

We have had a huge answer to prayer during this whole move.  Mission Nannies came through again and provided us with Mikala who will be helping us with the kids the next few months. This comes just in time since Jenna will be starting at the birth clinic before long.

Here we go again!

So in keeping with our tradition of never staying in one place for more than a year and a half, we're moving again! 

Places we have lived since we were married:
Camp Hill, PA - 3 months (I lived there for a year prior)
India House @ ECHO, FL - 6 months
Block House @ ECHO, FL - 6 Months
Host Family San Jose, Costa Rica - 4 months
Our own apartment San Jose, Costa Rica - 4 months
Santa Cruz, Bolivia - 6 months
Pailon, Bolivia - 1.5 years
Kenmore, WA - 1.5 years
Mt Vernon, WA - ?

We were looking forward to being in one home for a few years for the first time ever but it is not going to pan out that way.  Although we are not looking forward to the process of moving, we are looking forward to getting out of this moldy apartment.  I don't think we will have to worry about mushrooms growing out of the wall in our next place! 

Still mushrooms even after the "repair". 

The reason for the move?  Jenna was accepted to a birthing center as a student to start getting some hands on experience.  The center is about an hour north from here (not a good commute for a baby catching job) and since I have a job that moves with me, away we go!  The fact that mold grows everywhere in our apartment, the large increase in rent, and the fact we can get a MUCH nicer place in Mt Vernon for the cost of this place made the decision easy.

Nice Nanny Needed

We have a unique opportunity for you to help us in this time of preparation for work in Bolivia. As you know, I just finished my first quarter as a full time student in my midwifery program. We have a wonderful nanny who has worked with us for a season through a great organization called Mission Nannies. However, she will soon be wrapping up her time with us.

With that said we are looking for a new nanny to help with the kids! Gabriel just turned 1 and Noah is 2.5 yrs old. Ideally we would love to have someone come and live with us with a minimum commitment of 6 months. We would give them room, board, utilities and wifi in exchange for helping with the kids. The nanny would have their own room and would share a bathroom with our 2 year old. There is a possibility of a stipend but would require raising support through Mission Nannies. Flexibility is a must as I will be on-call starting in April and my schedule will be very unpredictable. Please let us know if you, or someone you know, might be interested in serving us in this way. 

We are just trusting God to provide the right person for our family during this time.

 Who could resist such cuties? 

Christmas 2007-2012

 2012 - Kenmore, WA

 2011 - Kenmore, WA

2010- Pailon, Bolivia

 2009 - Santa Cruz, Bolivia

 2008 - ECHO, North Fort Myers, FL

 2007 - Camp Hill, PA

Christmas Tree Hunt

Here are a few photos from our first family u-cut tree adventure.  Finding the first place was closed turned out to be a blessing because we found this amazing place!

2012 Nactus Award Nominee!

So call me a creature geek but I'm excited!  I have been trying to get in to the Nactus Awards for a while now and this year I had one of my photos nominated.  The competition will be tough but I am just excited to have made it in.  The following photos was nominated in Category 8: Scientific Record:

This is a photo of a Hatchet Faced Tree Frog (Sphaenorhynchus lacteus) I found while on a river trip in Bolivia.  I heard a frog call I never heard before and tracked it to this guy after wading through mud up to my waist.  Turns out braving the mosquitoes and mud was worth it.

If you would like to vote for the nominated photos before Nov. 26, go to http://www.exo-terra.com/en/photography/nactus_award.php  You will have to vote for one from each of the 8 categories.

What? A year passed?

Has it really been that long since we have blogged?  If you haven't guessed yet, neither of us are avid bloggers.  I think it is time for an update...

 Since our last post we have been settling into the Seattle area we have been doing our best to make new connections since we did not know anyone in the area when we moved here.  We found a great church and have been getting to know the people there.

I am still a Tobacco Quit Coach.  I have currently coached over 2,000 people in their journey to quit smoking or other tobacco products.  It is not exactly a job I ever envisioned doing, but it is great having a job that helps people make positive changes in their lives.  I also recently started working from home which gives me more time with the family.  I also now work 10 hour shift that gives me a 3 day weekend!

Jenna is currently working through her first semester of Midwifery school.  It is a lot of work for her but she is loving studying her passion.  Right now it is mostly classwork but before long she will be running around helping catch babies!

 Jenna's Midwifery Class

The boys are doing great.  Noah is learning new words daily and Gabriel is becoming more mobile, nearly walking at times.  Noah is quickly picking up his father's love of animals and enjoys playing with his dad's collection of weird pets.

We are staying in touch with the work in Bolivia and are eagerly awaiting the day when we can return.  I was able to return to Bolivia this fall to stay connected with the relationships we built during our 2 years there, to see how the ministry is progressing, and look at land for the future training center.  It felt really good to be back and re-confirmed our vision to return to Bolivia.  It felt like going home.

Future land for the training center? Perhaps...

We also have a new addition to our family.  Lindsey joined our family this fall as a volunteer live-in nanny.  She has been a huge blessing by helping take care of the kids while I work and Jenna works on her studies.

Jenna and I were able to get away for a few days up on Orcas Island (thanks to Lindsey watching the kids) for our 5 year anniversary.  It was a sorely needed very restful getaway.  Those 5 years came and went rather fast were sure filled with a lot of adventures!

So there is a quick overview of where we are at.  We will try to post more frequent updates again but we'll see how that goes. We did just send out a new update letter so if you have not received it please let us know so we can get you on our e-mail or snail mail list.