Consider it pure joy...

As our family of five settles a bit more into the transition of moving, reality sets in and we've all realized, THIS IS HARD! We're all missing our Billings "family." Madison & Breanne began school the end of last week and I don't think being the new kid is as glamourous as they thought it would be. Breanne is especially struggling. It's torture watching your kid who loved school so much go to crying and saying she doesn't want to go! I guess in parenting, this is where the rubber meets the road. What else can you do besides hold them and bring them back to Jesus. In Paul's book to James, chapter 1, Paul says, "Consider it pure joy, my brother & sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish it's work to make you mature and complete, not lacking anything!" Isn't that the goal, to be so complete that we don't lack anything in character? Yes, we won't be totally there until Jesus returns, but this process, tough as it is, will give our whole family an opportunity to become more Christ-like. Praise to Him! (Even if at this point, I just wish we were standing on the other side of this circumstance.)

No news on the house-front. Derrick will return to the cities this week to look some more. We are so blessed by the graciousness of our parents to let us call their "basement apartment" home for now. God always provides!

I'll be home for Christmas

Madison, Kyra & Mimi

Hazel, Breanne & Emma

The girls and I with Miss Dawn & Gabers

The girls and I with Miss Brandee, Brogan & Cienna

Madison & Alyssa

After a very long week of packing and emotional good-byes and see you laters, we have made our trek to Minnesota! How can we express our gratitude to all our friends in Montana who made our last weeks in Billings fantastic? Words wouldn't cut it! From our friends letting us crash their Thanksgiving Day with family, coffee with friends, gifts and meals from our neighbors & friends, a great going away party, a relaxing last evening and a place to call home while our house was being boxed up in a moving van. We are so blessed!

Mrs. Barkac had both Madison & Breanne and was hoping to have Aliya...

Madison & Mrs. Rensvold

We woke at 5 on Sunday morning and finished packing, checking the vehicles, grabbing breakfast (including a strong cup of coffee). We were on the road by 7. About 100-miles into the trip, we had a flat tire on the boat trailer. We managed to get the lug nuts off by me jumping on the end of the ratchet. Ufta! We continued on praying we didn't have to use the can of fix a flat spray until we could make it to Rapid to buy another tire. Further through the smaller mountain passes, we skated sideways and all around a particular hill that was very icy. Derrick said Breanne was giggling in the passenger seat. He said, "You better hold on!" Behind Derrick watching the truck and boat slide down the hill, I was saying lots of prayers and had white knuckles, trying to keep the van on the road. The rubble strips were about the only thing that would slow us down. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing until we got on I-90 outside of Rapid. A ground blizzard was going on and we crept through many spots of near 0 visibility.

After a 2-hour layover in Rapid to get a new tire for the boat trailer, we set off across South Dakota. The wind had picked up out of the northwest pretty briskly. Derrick realized it was blowing the lid to the freezer open. Not wanting to loose that, we had to pull over and problem-solve to get it strapped down.

Finally about midnight, we pulled into my parents in Pipestone. It was a long day, but we praise God for getting us to Minnesota safely!

On an exciting note (Tracy & Kathy) we sold our Billings home today...we're on baby step 7! Yahoo!

Tomorrow, we travel to Lakeville, where we hope to call home. Derrick & I will help unload the moving van into a storage facility and then will check out some homes we've looked at online. With any luck (okay, I don't believe in luck, just God's perfect timing) we'll get an offer in on a home by Christmas!

Until then, we're all settled into my parent's basement. Madison and Breanne registered for school today and will start on Thursday. Madison will have Derrick's second grade teacher! The ladies that helped us register could not believe how much Madison looked like Derrick.

My thoughts are with my friends at Harvest tonight as they put on the Christmas edition of Fusion. God bless Heather & Dawn!

Speaking of drama, our Madi & Breanne were in an enrichment program at Alkali Creek their last week of school and performed a play directed by the local theater company. It was fun to see them in action. Breanne said, "I won't be nervous, I told the whole school at assembly that I'm celebrating moving." You'll have to ask her to tell you her joke.

Pack a box...make a difference!

Yesterday, the girls brought in their packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child with Samaritian's Purse. As always, it was pure joy watching them worship this way. We used the money they had earned at our garage sale last spring to buy the supplies (they sold lemonade..I sold their clothes & toys). Madison says it's the best part of Christmas. Even Aliya got to pick out some babies to send to little girls across the world to open for Christmas. The team the drop off location was so kind to explain to the girls what happens when kids get their boxes and where our boxes are probably headed. It gave me goosebumps to see the HUGE pile of boxes in front of their sanctuary...almost 1400 shoe boxes! Go God!

It's not too late, you can still back a shoe box. Last drop off day is Monday, November 21. Find out more info here: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC

Thought I'd include Breanne and Aliya's glamour shot from a fundraiser they went to last weekend.

The Great Pumpkin

When God blesses you with a great big pumpkin, you'd better have a party. The Saturday before Halloween, our friends, the McGrails had a party to carve jack-o-lanterns and THE pumpkin! The seeds were even enormous, so I saved some and thought I'd try grow them in Minnesota soil...maybe we'll have a party next year!

We're busy with details of selling our home and also trying to make the most of our friendship here in Montana.

Tears and joy

With excitement and sadness, we're announcing that we are moving to Minnesota! We have been praying for an opportunity to get closer to family (in Minnesota) for 2-3 years but the door has always been closed. Beginning November 9, Derrick is starting a new job and it's going to allow us to relocate to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. We were blessed in the option to have him work from home until our house sold (which honestly, we expected to be quite a while). About a week before we even had our home on the market, the five of us began praying, thanking God in advance for selling our house. After 6 days on the market, we were able to sell our Billings home! I guess God wanted us in Minnesota sooner than later. We close on our house here on December 5.

Of course, it's a busy time and stressful with so many details to handle. It's a daily battle for Derrick & I to remind ourselves to find joy and peace in God's presence.

We were able to go to Fargo to visit Bryce a couple weekends ago and the weekend prior to that, we were in Pipestone for my cousin Ashley's wedding. Being with family and sharing the news has made us so excited to be able to cultivate more family relationships!

However, it is saddening to consider leaving relationships we have built in Montana. It's been a blessing to be involved in our church and small group, in our neighborhood and in the girls' school. Our friends here have been our family! Thank you all!!!

Life is sweeter with friends!

Aliya painted pictures with her friends...something that's more for girls than boys.

Madison & Breanne made Aliya ice-cream cupcakes.

She got 'em all!

The tip of Gabe's nose...perfectly smeared with cake & icing. Gabe loves to give Aliya hugs and then immediately asks if he can play with the train set.

Aliya being her assertive self, concerned about how her friends are eating their ice-cream cupcakes.

Everyone be silly now!

I don't think her dad's a Huskers fan...

Aleena was excited to go to "Maason", "Aeea" and Breanne's house. Little girls are so sweet together.

Sweet little Carter!

My Aliya

Three years ago, pregnant with our little Aliya, Derrick stayed up all night waiting for her to arrive, trying to figure out what to name her. Breanne became the big sister and Derrick and I became out numbered. (Well, Derrick, he's TOTALLY outnumbered!)

It's been so rewarding to watch Aliya turn 3. In the past months, she's been really turning into a "big girl." She's constantly saying, "...because that's what big girls do," and "probably...." and "it wasn't me," or "that was me." She's just learned to pedal a big girl bike. And she's even making her own friends.

This is her friend Aleena. She made the list of friends to invite to her birthday party. I've never seen a 3-year old play Barbies or Little People quite intently as she does. She has begun dressing herself very cutely in the morning and can even get the tags in the back. She dresses up, wears clip-on earrings, thinks she can operate the ipod, dances like her sisters and still loves her song, "...I love the way you hold me..."

We are so blessed with such a smart, healthy, happy, content little girl. Happy Birthday my Aliya!