I can't believe it has been so long since I posted last! It seems as though our world has been twisted and turned upside-down since May. Things have been good since we got Izzabella. She is a sweetheart and is blossoming daily, which is SO wonderful to see after everything she has been through and been witness to in her short little life. I am noticing how different raising a boy is from raising a girl! Landon was very content to be on his own (he still wanted us and to be entertained by us but it was different), while Izzabella NEEDS that feeling of knowing someone is there. It reminds me of how women always go to the bathroom in groups while men prefer to go alone. It is just funny, a little frustrating, but mostly funny to me. Landon ADORES her and is so sweet and loving toward her. He even let her play with his big puppy stuffed animal that he got for his 1st birthday, and he NEVER lets anyone play with it! He is very helpful and just such a sweetheart! We never would have planned for our children to be so far apart in age, but I love how it is working out!
And four days after we got Izzabella, we found out that I was pregnant! GO FIGURE!! It was just too crazy to believe and try to understand! We couldn't be more excited and ecstatic about this pregnancy and about this sweet little babe that God has blessed us with and is allowing me to carry. I will be 23 weeks on Saturday and am due on January 28th. So Izzabella and this baby will be just about 13 months apart! Yikes!! Things have been super crazy as a result though due to everything happening at once. I feel bad that I have been so distracted and exhausted and just not feeling well while trying to adjust and get to know Izzabella and I feel like I've hindered that process a bit due to everything, but I know God is in control and He planned to allow us to get pregnant and have Izzabella at the same time and He is working it all out.
Along with getting Izzabella and being pregnant, Travis got a job in Des Moines as a Senior Accountant for an insurance company. We are SO blessed for him to have this job as I will be able to quit daycare (actually, today was my last day of watching the little girl! Yay!) and he will only have 1 job instead of 2 and working very early hours everyday. Our only obstacle right now is getting our house sold. I'm getting pretty discouraged about it because we have had it on the market for 6 weeks or so and only a few showings and no offers!! We spent this summer updating and changing the house to make it look really nice and modern and this is just a bummer! I have been praying boldly that we would have an offer by Sept. 19th, which was Travis's original start date but he moved it back to the 26th, and nothing! I know that God has a plan for all of this but I just wish I knew what it was because we need to get moved to Des Moines since winter is coming and another baby and holidays and so on and so forth! I remind myself daily that this 'detail' of selling our house isn't one that has escaped God's attention. He provided the job and the salary for exactly what we NEEDED and so we know He has a plan for this too because He knows we can't carry 2 mortgages or 1 mortgage and rent. He knows!! And I do rest in that. I just get anxious at times since I have a little person growing inside of me that kind of needs a home, plus creates a lot more emotional responses from me! ;) And as of right now, Travis is in Des Moines finishing up his first week of work while the three of us stayed back to finish up some things. Next week we will join him in Des Moines. The only way that we are able to do that is due to the generosity and kindness of some very dear friends! I actually met Doug and Becky Taylor when I came to the Midwest in January '03. I didn't know anyone and my sister, who was in Peru during that time, knew them and loved them and they picked me up from the airport and let me stay at their home until school started. They helped me move in and I'd go over there and watch American Idol with them and Becky would make her DELICIOUS meals and they hosted a surprise b-day party for me. They really opened their family and home to me since mine was back in AZ. Anyway, Doug and Becky so graciously decided to let us stay with them as a family so we could be together while our house is on the market. We are so thankful for them, and are praying that the house really does sell soon so they aren't packing our bags for us! ;)
Since I updated last our family has grown even more! Trav's brother and his wife had a baby the beginning of June. They had a boy and named him Mason. He is growing like a weed and I have missed most of it due to again, the pregnancy, exhaustion and changes with having a 4 1/2 month old at that time. He is pretty cute though-got to see him last week and he was just giggling like crazy!! Such a sweetie! And then one of Trav's sisters and her husband had a baby just the beginning of this month. Her name is Chloe and is such a doll! She is so stinkin tiny and cute and sweet! I've gotten to snuggle with her a few times. One of the times I put her to sleep on my chest and her little ear made an imprint on me because she was snuggled in so well! I will definitely miss being in Sioux Falls with all of these sweet babes and our family!!! We also got to see my sis, her hubbie and my niece, Aniya, (they live in KY) over Labor Day weekend, which was awesome!!! My other sister's little boy, Krispen, turned one on Sept. 9th and so we made it back over to Rochester for his birthday.
So many things happened and so much fun was had! It really has been a busy summer and I'm hoping that things calm down! Ha! Oh, I forgot to mention that I also began homeschooling Landon the beginning of September. He is doing wonderfully! Today we have been going over letter sounds and figuring out what words start with what letter. I am thoroughly impressed that he figured out some of the words on his own since we are only working on the letter 'S' and sound that 'S' makes, but he knew non 'S' words even. I am really liking the curriculum we found. It is called My Father's World. I highly recommend it! We will get to observe an ant farm and watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfly! What better hands-on science and nature work could he get?!?!? Plus, it is all centered around the Bible, which is important to us and was the main draw to this particular curriculum.
So yes, I've/we've been busy and I know it will remain the same for months to come. Looking forward to what God has in store for us! Bring it on! :) Oh, no we don't know the gender of our baby because we want to be surprised at the birth...just feels right this time around! :)
