Baby Jackson, Mum, Seattle and Visas

It's been awhile and definitely time for another update!

Our highlight in the month of January, was the birth of a nephew and cousin, Jackson Nicholas son of Alex and Megan! Very exciting and thankful that everything went well!

And he's gaining those pounds! 4 weeks old here!

It was very special that Mum could arrive just a day after his birth and spend some time with them. Mum could also be present for the baptism and was even privileged to hold Jackson. We were able to watch via LiveStream from the comfort of our lounge!

From Ontario Mum made her way to Lynden and we had the privilege of spending a week with her here! It was wonderful to see her again and for us all to be re-acquainted!

Oma and Taleesha!

A few family photos!

Sunday evening with a few friends!

As Mum was visiting during mid-winter break, we went bowling in Abbotsford with friends!

And look who we met there!

Mum catching up with acquaintances!

We also did downtown Lynden and lunch at Lynden Bakery!

And a week flew by and  in no time, it was time to leave again! Even though it was short and sweet, it was wonderful to have that time together.

One weekend, the four of us took the RV and headed to Seattle. We camped overnight at a rest stop in Everett.

The following day we did the Underground Tour. A very interesting and recommended tour!

After the tour, we walked around the Pike's Market and added to the Gum Wall.

And then dinner at Applebees before heading home.

Steve took the two girls skiing! They both love it and caught on very quick. This was Shantel's second time.

And mid February we needed to head to Canada and visit the US consulate to have our visa interview. We left US Thursday night and had our appointment Friday 8am. We walked out of there at 10am. And because we were now stuck in Canada without passports, we camped in the RV at Anthea's for a forced holiday! We made good use of our time. Shantel found a pair of reading glasses! Steve did marking and reports, and the girls even visited the John Calvin school for a day. They both loved it!

Shantel had PE.

Taleesha had buddy reading.

On Tuesday, the passports were ready for pickup and we very thankfully headed back home!

Cornerstone Christian had their science fair and Shantel's class focused on different countries of the world. Of course, she picked Australia!

That's it for this post! I hope you enjoy reading it and catching up on about three months worth of our lives!!!

The next post will be our surprise visit to Australia. So watch this space!!!

Thanks for looking!

Christmas, Snow, New Year, Aussie visitor and Profession of Faith

High time for an update!!

We need to backtrack all the way to Christmas! After church on Christmas Day, we had dinner at deMooys. Good food and good company once again!

Two days later, on Sunday, we had snow! It was very localized because Lynden just had rain, and here in Sumas we had snow! The kids loved it!

One of Anthea's friends from Australia, Jess, visited us for a few days. Here they are along with Jaclyn and Kristin, playing games between church.

And of course, sticking to tradition, a batch of olliebollen on the last day of the year!

In the evening, we had church at 7:30pm and then headed to friends for a gourmet dinner! Wonderful way to pass the time! Before we knew it was 12pm and 2016!!!

Sumas has a small library open just two days a week. They do however cater for kids with story reading, toys and this time the two girls got to play with brand new blocks out on the floor for the first time. The librarian asked the girls numerous times if they were having fun and whether it was a great toy to have. The girls answered in the affirmative every time, in fact, they were having so much fun, I could hardly get them away from there!

Just after the new year, school started up again. A few couples went to Mexico for a 9 day holiday, and we took care of Cassie and Jordan.
On Sunday after dinner, we played shuffle board. Here's Jordan was right into the game!

We had a gezellig morning with Mrs Kampman from Darling Downs in Australia (who's been visiting for last few weeks), and Ranelle and Liana.

Taleesha with Isaac

Last Sunday, 17th of January, was a very special occasion. Jaclyn along with 6 other young people, did profession of faith. With thankful hearts, we could rejoice in the Lord's Goodness in directing their hearts and lives to this point. May they all continue to grow in faith and maturity in the Lord. 

It was a full church and a joyous day. For us it was emotional too. Not having any family around was different. Fortunately good friends and the church family filled the gap!
And in the afternoon, we could celebrate the sacrament of Holy Supper!

Jaclyn and Kristen

After the service, we had a coffee social in the gym, followed by a lunch for family and invited guests. It was a big crowd. We had a wonderful assortment of soups and buns, and fellowship! 

This past Monday was Martin Luther King day meaning a holiday and a day off school. We spent the afternoon at Walnut Grove Recreation Centre and kids had a great time jumping off diving boards, going down a long slide and just playing with friends who joined us there. 

Afterwards, we visited Anthea who served us a yummy dinner. Some very tired girls had a wonderful sleep that night!

We are all well and have been having both rainy and sunny days. Basketball games keep happening and always fun to watch! We also look forward to some exciting events in the coming weeks. We are eagerly waiting for baby news from Hamilton Ontario and Mum hopes to visit for a week during mid-winter break. So lots happening!

That's it for now! Thank you for stopping past!