Tenerife Update...

Some of you may be wondering where we are at in the process of moving to Tenerife. We are still moving forward in the process, and are growing more and more excited to begin working alongside of he Belches and Albrechts in the Canary Islands. We had the joy of sharing a lunch with the Albrechts on Monday as they were in Indiana for a conference. Talking and praying with them was refreshing to us, and energized our hope to be in Tenerife by the years end.

Nathan officially finished seminary last week! So, this is a huge hurdle to be over. Next comes ordination in May, our final TEAM training in June, a six week visit to supporting churches in Spokane in September/October, and hopefully departure for Tenerife in November. (Somewhere mixed in there is Nathan's brothers wedding, a missions trip to LA, a visit to family in TN and FL, and who knows what else!)

We are so thankful that all timelines are in God's hands. We have a "plan" but we know that it will be God that gets us there. It's easy to get discouraged if we focus on our nation and world's dwindling economies, but we know God is a big God, and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

Please be praying with us as we:
-continue raising financial and prayer support
-transition our ministry here at MBC
-shepherd and love our children in the midst of our busy schedule
-seek visas which is a tricky business
-figure out how and when to get rid of all of our "stuff"

For fun, if you'd like to get a flavor of Tenerife culture, check out this video on "Lucha Canaria" a traditional form of Canarian wrestling...

Eliana's Hair...

...takes on many different shapes and styles:

Her wet and somewhat curly look.

Her free style, fluffy look.

Her single piggy.

Her double piggies.

Women Drivers...

I just had to post this!

Three Years and One Month

Elijah turned 3 last Sunday! It's hard to believe he's becoming a little man already. This year we threw him a full-on party since he really understood the concept and was excited. We were blessed to have many of his friends and surrogate family there. He was just beaming the whole day.



Eliana turned 1 month yesterday. She's still such a little girl, but she's definitely growing. She is now 19" and 8lbs even. So, she's getting to be the size of a full-term baby (and she's still got two weeks before she's at her due date!) She's very sleepy still, and maybe spends 1-2 hours a day awake. I can't wait for her to be more alert and interactive.



I unfortunately am quite sick. It hit me all of a sudden. I went in to the doctor last night and learned I have bronchitis, strep, and an ear infection. They gave me a shot of antibiotic in the leg that hurt like crazy. It actually made my leg go numb so I stalled out the car twice driving home. I'm just praying that Eliana doesn't get sick!

Elijah went to the allergist last week. We learned he is allergic to: grass, trees, mold, dust mites, corn stalks, cats, oranges, and corn. Now, corn may not seem like a very big deal compared to milk, soy, wheat, or nuts. But, try to find one cereal, bread, or yummy food that doesn't have corn starch, corn meal, or corn syrup in it! The allergist made a big deal about us removing it from his diet for 6 months, but then today at his 3 year appointment, his pediatrician said, "oh, just keep feeding him like normal." Humph... anyone else out there have a corn allergy?


As for Levi, he has double ear infections and he's getting three teeth. He's not the happiest camper ever...


We got to enjoy the outdoors for a few minutes since the temperature rose into the sweltering 30's. Levi LOVED playing on the slide. I can tell this spring we'll have lots of fun at the park!

Puddle Hopper Big Brothers...

Ok, so here is my new most favorite picture. Tomorrow is Elijah's birthday, so I'm sure we'll have birthday pics galore :-) We are so thankful for our family and are thankful for all that God has done in the last four years.

Dancing Wonder...

Levi is officially walking... and DANCING. Here's a video of him strutting his stuff at the library.

First Day at Church

Today Eliana went to church for the first time. I just thought she looked cute in this little outfit my friend Brittany lent us and had to post the picture!