This year has been one of many changes. We are currently still up in Ferndale, hopefully not for long. We are trying to sell our house so we can move down to the Portland area.
Steve has been working long hours out of town the last couple of months. We are thankful for the work after a very slow year at work and worries over potential layoffs. He has been offered a position at the Portland office with the same company. He has been with this company for over 10 years and although we were concerned that his time with David Evans and Associates was coming to an end we are happy to know that he has the opportunity to stay on with the same company. God has blessed us with this new opportunity in not only a new town but in a new state. He started working down there in September and usually goes down for 10 days at a time with with 4 days off and a few 13 day exceptions. He is getting pretty tired of living in hotels and will be glad when we are all together as a family again. He is currently preparing for the Oregon land surveying test so he will be licensed in both Washington and Oregon. We figures if he is going to be stuck in a hotel he might as well do some studying.
I am plugging along as best I can with Steve gone much of the time. Being home with 3 kids alone can be very challenging but for the most part I am up for the challenge. If it sounds like I am crazy, I probably am! :) Our house is up for sale right now and the biggest challenge is trying to keep it clean enough to show with 3 kids following along behind me making messes. I am right there with Steve looking forward to being together as a family again. Earlier this year I was working as a checker at our local grocery store because of Steve's cut hours. It was a great experience although it was very difficult to leave my family to go to work. It helped me to be so much more thankful for time with family and for being able to stay home with the kids. I had to quit when Steve started working down in Oregon and I was very glad to be staying home fulltime once again.
Steve has been working long hours out of town the last couple of months. We are thankful for the work after a very slow year at work and worries over potential layoffs. He has been offered a position at the Portland office with the same company. He has been with this company for over 10 years and although we were concerned that his time with David Evans and Associates was coming to an end we are happy to know that he has the opportunity to stay on with the same company. God has blessed us with this new opportunity in not only a new town but in a new state. He started working down there in September and usually goes down for 10 days at a time with with 4 days off and a few 13 day exceptions. He is getting pretty tired of living in hotels and will be glad when we are all together as a family again. He is currently preparing for the Oregon land surveying test so he will be licensed in both Washington and Oregon. We figures if he is going to be stuck in a hotel he might as well do some studying.
I am plugging along as best I can with Steve gone much of the time. Being home with 3 kids alone can be very challenging but for the most part I am up for the challenge. If it sounds like I am crazy, I probably am! :) Our house is up for sale right now and the biggest challenge is trying to keep it clean enough to show with 3 kids following along behind me making messes. I am right there with Steve looking forward to being together as a family again. Earlier this year I was working as a checker at our local grocery store because of Steve's cut hours. It was a great experience although it was very difficult to leave my family to go to work. It helped me to be so much more thankful for time with family and for being able to stay home with the kids. I had to quit when Steve started working down in Oregon and I was very glad to be staying home fulltime once again.
Collin is in third grade this year and just turned 9. He is happy to have the same teacher as last year and is doing very well in school. The big thing for Collin this year was getting glasses. He was actually thrilled to find out he needed glasses and couldn't wait to get them. He loves to draw and more often than not you will find him making books. His favorites is a series that he calls Stick Figure Wars. I think he is on chapter 18! He loves being a big brother to Allison and helps me out quite a bit with her.
Brian is a big kindergartner this year and turned 6 on Thanksgiving. He loves school and is reading books already. He even goes to a first grade class for math. He is doing exceptionally well in school and at his parent teacher conference his teacher kept telling me how smart he is. We couldn't be more proud of him. His favorite thing to do is to play with his legos. You will either find him building with legos or showing me all the different sets online. He is a lego maniac! He is definitely all boy and very active but is also my cuddlebug. Just like Collin he adores his little sister.
Allison turned 2 the day after Thanksgiving and has really been showing her independence. If she doesn't like something she will stomp her little foot and it is all I can do not to laugh. She definitely keeps us all smiling. She loves to play in her kitchen and bring us whatever she has made for us to sample. She is attached to her blanket and carries it around wherever she goes. She tries hard to keep up with the boys and being the younger sister of 2 boys is not only tough but a little daredevil as well. She will not even think twice about jumping off of things and recently fell backwards down some stairs at the McDonald's playarea and much to the surprise of another parent hopped right up and kept going. She keeps us all entertained and has been such a blessing to us.
Although this has been a year of challenges we are so thankful for so many things. We are excited for what is to come in the following year and to see what God has in store for us in Oregon. We hope that this Christmas season finds you well and counting the blessings that God has given you.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
P.S.
Here are some pics highlighting our year. If you would like to read about some of them and keep up with us throughout the year please visit our blog here.
