Packing, Moving, Changing

No, not us.

You might think that since I've been absent from my blog for so long, we must have a good excuse, right?  Like...moving?  No, no good excuse...just the busyness of normal life, keeping up with my girls, helping my husband, and keeping on with home schooling, house work, ministry opportunities, etc.  But, there has been plenty of change going on in other parts of our family!

For one  (a BIG one), my mom and dad are moving!  They had an offer on their house out of the blue this spring, but weren't sure what would happen with Dad's health.  I am so thankful to say that Dad is doing better--much better!  He has been on this dopamine-based drug since late March now and though it didn't have the immediate effect they wanted, he does seem to be getting better week by week.  By that I mean he is more responsive, he is getting up out of bed and keeping a more normal schedule, he seems more interested in life and the things that are going on around him, he occasionally initiates conversation with my mom or asks a question, and generally is just more involved and engaged.  Praise the Lord!  We are so thankful to see some glimmers of his personality come out again.  I was on the phone with him for a few minutes the other night and he sounded almost totally normal to me.  So very thankful to see this progress!

When it looked like my dad was doing better, my mom started to consider seriously the idea of moving.  Then, two hailstorms in a single weekend convinced my mom that she was ready to be done caring for the lawn and yard work, and that moving to a smaller, simpler, maintenance-free place was a great idea.  And, within a few days of selling their house they were able to buy a condo that met all of those conditions!  It is only a few blocks away from their current home and will be an "easy" move in that sense.  But, the work of packing and moving is always somewhat stressful, especially when downsizing, so we are praying extra hard for Mom and Dad these days!

As well, my brother Mark and his family, who had spent the last year here in Louisville, have now moved back to Minnesota.  (In fact, hopefully they've arrived by now...they were driving today!).  They made this decision over the past few months after Mark felt that being a full-time student was not for him.  They are seeking the Lord for the next step for their lives, and trusting His good plans.  We will miss them dearly!  It's been such a joy to see all five girls (their two girls are placed just older and just younger than Clara Anne) interact and have so much fun together.  And it's been such a blessing for us to have family in town, after being overseas for so long.  So, we are thankful for the season that we had and praying God's rich blessings on them as they transition in the next weeks and months.

As for us, we're not going anywhere until this baby is born!  :)  Actually, that's not entirely true--we will be speaking at a camp for girls during the second week of June, right outside Louisville.  But otherwise, we will be here for the summer.  John is feverishly trying to finish up the work due for his modular classes which will begin next Monday.  He has had an amazingly busy semester, but has done very well and has felt that his classes have been very valuable.  His big news is that he is officially a new adjunct professor for Liberty University!  They have an extensive online program and so he will be able to teach from home, which is just wonderful--using his gifts and experience, all from the convenience of his home office!  The only wild card is that they cannot predict exactly what they will need him to teach.  We are hoping for two classes in the fall to  help our finances!

I am feeling well with baby getting bigger and bigger.  She is quite active and makes me laugh sometimes with her dance moves, hiccups, and jabs here and there.  She's been head down now for a number of weeks and hopefully will stay that way!  I have about 8 weeks to go--due date is July 25.  I've been seeing a chiropractor to help keep my spine healthy and prepare my body for labor; that's been very helpful.  We're getting excited to meet our little girl!  The walk-in closet that will be her bedroom is all ready for her (except for diapers) and until that little bassinet is occupied, I'm enjoying sleeping through the night.  :)

Well, lots more I could say but I'll finish just by saying, "Thanks for reading!"  I hope to be posting more soon!