Snowy February

In Klaipeda this winter, we've experienced one of the coldest and for sure the snowiest that we've had in our seven years. During times like this, its important to get out and do your best to enjoy the time even if its a bit bleak and very dreary. We do get an occasional sunlit day and this winter we've been busy taking advantage of some of the limited options of things to do on a cold snowy day.

One weekend we took a trip to the Sea Museum which is on the Curonian Spit - across an inlet of the Baltic Sea from our city of Klaipeda. Our plan was to go to the dolphin show, but we missed the only ferry that would get us there in time, so went to the museum instead.

Kim & Ieva waiting for the next ferry to come

Andrew & Ieva outside the entrance to the Sea Museum - it used to be a castle fortress - very cool!

We couldn't believe we had never been here in our 7 years of living in Klaipeda! Seals, penguins, dolphins & lots of interesting fish -- very fun!

We tried again the next weekend to hit the Dolphin show with our friends, the Boschs: Chris, Lydia, Josiah and Levi, and this time were successful! Levi took a turn at pushing Ieva down the snowy kilometer-long road from the ferry landing to the Dolphinarium.

We finally made it to the show and the boys and Ieva loved it. (and we were also pretty impressed!)

Ieva's also been trying to get to know her little brother. While she can't see him, she can talk to him and give him hugs...sort of.

We're all looking forward to him joining our family this June!

On Valentines morning, we celebrated with raspberry heart pacakes - yum!

On another Saturday Ieva and Kim got outside (while Andrew was at LCC playing in a volleyball tournament) and enjoyed a snowy sculpture park with a little sunshine.the wooden play structure was even more fun covered in snow!

You can see our apartment building way down at the end of the road behind Ieva.

That evening Ieva got lost in a bowling ball forest as our church held a bowling and dessert event & she got to bowl for the first time!

Practicing with Dad

Our biggest news of 2009

We figured it's about time we officially announce on our blog that

we're expecting!!

Our estimated due date is June 10th.

After experiencing two 1st-trimester miscarriages (in January & in May 2008), we were excited but nervous when we discovered I was pregnant in October. Relief set in at our 12-week doctor's appointment when we saw (via ultrasound) a healthy fetus! Each subsequent appointment has been equally as exciting.

This past Tuesday on the 13th, my OBGYN referred us to an ultrasound specialist for our 18-week appointment. There, she did an in-depth ultrasound, measuring the sizes of the major organs, the bones and was able to tell us the gender of the baby.

We're having a BOY!!!

So, for those of you with boys, please give us your advice! We've gotten used to having a girl & feel much more confident in that arena. Now we have to learn what to do with boys...and buy all new clothes...and think of names! We're thankful we have the next 5 months to work through everything!

When we told Ieva, her initial reaction was "but I wanted it to be a GIRL!!!" But when we told her that God made the baby a boy and there wasn't anything we could do about it, she said "okay. I guess I'll be okay with a baby brother..." And now some of her dolls and toys have become boys (earlier, ALL OF THEM were girls!) so we think she's coming to terms with the idea.

Since our insurance only covers us here, we plan to go to Vilnius (the capital) and deliver the baby at the same medical center where Ieva was born. Then we hope to come back to the States in early-mid July for a visit. If you have leftover baby boy clothes that you want to get rid of, save them for us! We've got loads of pink & purple, but now need to stock up on the blues, greens & yellows.

Please join us in praying for the continued growth and health of our unborn son!

We moved!!

In mid-December, we recieved an email from our landlady informing us that her family would be moving back to Klaipeda from the city they've been living in. She asked how soon we'd be able to move out, as they would need to move in. At the initial news, we were devastated! We've lived in that apartment for nearly 6 years & have loved it. We were hoping to stay there until we left Lithuania. But, we had no choice. We prayed that God would provide us with a place in the same part of the city & started researching apartment rentals.

Packing up Ieva's 1st home

As we were packing the kitchen, Ieva brought her toothbrush out to make sure we didn't leave it!

Ieva's last time playing in the snow on our balcony (we all LOVED our balcony & will miss having one.)

Her last bath in the bottom of the shower! Our new home has a real bathtub!

Her last time laying on her crib mattress (after daddy took the crib apart). She'll have a big bed in her new room!

We found a place listed online that looked really good, and it turned out to be in the same building where one of our LCC colleagues lived who spoke very highly of the apartment owner. We came to see the apartment & loved it even more! It turns out that the landlord was looking for long-term renters (committing to more than 1 year) and that his daugher is an LCC student! He wanted more for rent than we could afford, but was willing to lower his price for us, making it possible for us to move there! The apartment is literally only one city block away from our old place and we absolutely love it!

It's nearly twice as big as our old place and has some much-appreciated ammenities like a bathtub, a dishwasher, a spare bedroom & a 2nd bathroom! Last Wednesday we had a moving party and had an overwhellmingly wonderful group of around 15 people who helped us move, watched Ieva, and cooked food for all the movers! We are so thankful for our community here!

Moving into our new living room

Our new kitchen

Sarah, Lydia & Josiah getting Ieva's new room set up.

The members of the moving crew that stayed til the end!

(Andrew, Chris, Lydia, Jeff, Chris, Levi, Paige, Andrew, Alene, Charlotte, Sarah & Sandy)

We're now settling in & are daily praising God for the gift He's given us in this new home! It's better than we ever could have expected (isn't that so like Him to do that for us?) and we are extraordinarily thankful!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

For the 2nd year in a row, we spent a relaxing Christmas here in Klaipeda together as a family and with the closest thing we have to an extended family - our friends. The evening of Christmas Eve we had our Canadian friends Chris & Lydia Bosch and their two boys Josiah & Levi over for Chicken Pad Thai. Chris' brother Nelson was in town visiting and we all had a great time together. After they left, we opened our stocking presents. For some reason when Ieva was playing with the boys she pulled out her bathing suit & put it on over her tights & shirt! We let her keep it on while she opened presents. Silly kid!!!

On Christmas morning, we got up & opened presents in our PJs. Ieva got LOADS from friends & colleagues here at LCC and from family who had mailed gifts! Thanks to so many of you for making her feel so special even though she's so far away!

On Christmas afternoon we went to our other Canadian friends, Andrew & Alene Kaethler's home to join the Boschs and our friend & Student Life colleague Chris Hatton for Christmas dinner & a fun evening together.

Lydia & Paige, Josiah & Levi

Ieva & Charlotte - all our kids love books!

The big kids at Christmas

It was on Christmas day last year when Alene told us she was pregnant - and now it's Paige's first Christmas!

And this Christmas I get to be the pregnant one!

The Christmas Girls always match!

This is becoming a tradition! We spent Christmas day at the Kaethler's last year too. Look how much the girls have changed since then...but they still love each other like sisters!

Christmas Day 2007

Overall, we had a wonderful Christmas & are extraordinarily thankful for the "family" that God has blessed us with here in Lithuania!

Christmas Programs Galore!

This week, Ieva's been involved in two more Christmas programs! One at our church & one at her preschool.
Church was Sunday evening & just like last year, she was an angel. Last year her friend Charlotte, only 1 at the time, was baby Jesus in the Christmas program, but this year Charlotte was big enough to be an angel with Ieva (and her baby sister Paige was the new baby Jesus). Our program was a very low-key affair, as everyone there was involved either by wearing a costume or reading a piece of the script. Geri (LCC's English Department Chair) did a very nice job of writing & organizing it!

Ieva's preschool (called Darzelis in Lithuanian) program was on Tuesday & it was a cultural experience for all 3 of us! Here in Lithuania, kids dress up in costume for a Christmas program. The theme for Ieva's class was wild animals, but you'll see from the photos that aside from the 3 wolves, there was a clown, spiderman, a mushroom & a couple other unidentifiable costumes. Ieva was a ladybug & loved being in her costume! She didn't love participating with her class in the program, however. There were only about 15 parents there in the audience, but after about 5 minutes of being up front, Ieva's lip started quivering, she started wiping her eyes & within a minute was running to jump on her daddy's lap. I got her to go back out to the floor to sing & dance with her classmates, as long as I stayed with her. When Santa showed up & give out presents, she seemed pretty excited (she had been talking about him coming for weeks!), but when he read her name & tried to give her her present, she freaked again & refused to approach him to even take her present! Oh, Ieva...our little stage-fright girl!

All in all, both programs were great fun & Ieva's had fun having multiple opportunities to be in costume. Now I'll stop typing & show you the photos from both events.

An Angel at the International Christian Fellowship program:

Ieva & Josiah

Ieva & her good friend Charlotte

The Wise Guys

with her friends Eric & David

And then a Ladybug at her Preschool Christmas program:

with her babysitter Renata who came to see her program!