Where We've Been, Where We're Going

David
* Logged onto the SF Match site at 6 am on December 8th to see the results of the Mohs Micrographic Surgery Fellowship match.  And drumroll.....we matched...at our #1 choice....in Pittsburgh, PA!!  We just kept laughing in disbelief.  Obviously moving to the opposite corner of the country with a newborn, a toddler, and a preschooler will have its fair share of challenges.  We aren't one bit excited for the move itself but we are thrilled for the adventure of living in a new place and even more excited for what the year will hold for Dave.  He'll be studying with the world renowned surgeons Zitelli and Brodland and will see around 3,000 Mohs cases during his one year fellowship.  Amazing!

* The next few months will be a push of studying, culminating in the dermatology mock board exam on February 19th.  Dave will get to do this studying all while caring for our newborn baby, running on very little sleep. Fun, huh?  As always, I'm sure he'll find a way to make it work and do a wonderful job in the process.

* This spring, Dave will be researching possible rental houses, rental moving trucks, and most importantly beginning the intense process of studying for his real board exam which will take place in Florida next July.  There is a lot of pressure surrounding this exam, especially since he will just be beginning his fellowship and learning that information on top of board studying at the same time.  We'll all breathe a bit easier when the summer is over.

* Dave recently finished building an epic loft bed for Jack which fits over the toddler bed he built for Cade.  The boys are loving sharing a room and now the nursery is ready for our new little one.


Cami
* Had a record breaking Usborne fall selling season with over $9,000 in personal book sales.  It was an incredible amount of work but what a perfect blessing this fall.  I was able to pay for our Disneyland adventure, Dave's fellowship interviews, Christmas shopping, and a car payment or two.

* We bought a 2008 Toyota Sienna (hello....soccer mom!) in Walla Walla.  My dad did all the research, test drove the car, bought the van, drove it all the way to CA with my mom, and then flew back to WA.  We are completely overwhelmed with gratitude for all that he did to make our new car purchase possible.  Now, we have enough room in one of our vehicles for our sweet new baby.

* This pregnancy has been a sweet but challenging one.  With only about one month to go, I'm trying to savor every kick and hiccup and prepare myself for the awesome task of labor.  And poor 3rd born boy still doesn't have a name.  Hopefully we'll come to a consensus soon!

* The rest of this year will be filled with the end of our study of Revelation in BSF, selling more Usborne books, homeschooling Jack, and lots and lots of purging as we get ready to move.  Our goal is to move the bulk of our stuff up to Washington this summer and just bring the bare bones with us to Pittsburgh to avoid two cross country moves in 2016 and then 2017.  This is a great time to "trim the fat" as they say and get rid of any extraneous stuff.  It feels like a totally daunting task with a newborn and I'm prayerful that the Lord will grant me wisdom, patience, and (let's be real) a happy baby who can handle some time NOT being held so Mama can get this all done.

Jack
* Jack is big time into story telling.  He is every bit as dramatic as his Mama so this can make for some pretty hilarious tall tales.  He still has BIG feelings for a four year old and constantly says things like, "Cade will never, ever, ever give me a turn with that toy for the rest of my life."  While our first reaction is often to giggle or to get frustrated with his exaggeration, I must say that I completely understand where he is coming from.  As a chronic exaggerator myself, I know that when he says these ridiculous things, it is because he feels the situation that deeply.  Of course, he knows ultimately that the statement isn't true but it sure does FEEL like it in the moment.

* Jack has developed a nervous scrunch of his nose (like a bunny) which he does all day long.  I'm curious to see how long this new physical trait will last.

* Jack is excited for our move to Pittsburgh and can't wait to explore a new city.  He is mostly excited about it being colder there and for the season tickets to the children's museum he recently got for Christmas from his Uncle Tim, Aunt Heather, and Grammy and Grandad.


Cade
* Cade is two years, three months old.  He is just cracking into the time of "terrible twos" and can be quite a handful when he doesn't get his way.  Seeing Jack emerge from the terrible twos and threes makes this season of Cade's so much easier.  We know he will come out on the other side as a lovely, capable human.  So for now, we put our heads down and do the hard, diligent work of training his little heart.

* Cade is all kinds of silly.  He loves to make his brother laugh!  His favorite things are bubbles, riding his motorcycle outside, opening and closing the van's sliding door, hugging stuffed animals(!!), Mater (from Disney's Cars), Multi-Grain Cheerios (he eats up to four bowls in one sitting), getting treats for going potty on the toilet, and hopping up and down to music.

* Cade started this year without many words and is now extremely verbal, talking constantly and able to express himself clearly.

Baby Boy #3's due date is January 30th

Both of the older boys came significantly after their due dates so we'll see...

We are soaking up every single moment we can with our dear friends, the Nguyen Family.

Here are our oldest kids minus their youngest (Karin) and of course our new baby boy.

Jack (4), Nora (4), Ephraim (almost 3), Cade (2), Daphne (18 months)

With a Mama who is 8 months pregnant, these boys didn't get to travel to WA for Christmas

We had a quiet and lovely day with just our family of four complete with a trip to play in the snow at Forest Falls.