Please Pray

I'm passing along a huge prayer request. Our bestest friends, Eric and Erin are in the process of adopting a baby boy, Julien. He was born on Monday, and doing Ok until yesterday when he was moved to the NICU first and then to the Children's Hospital. There is an acid build up in his body and something metabolically is not breaking down (doctors mentioned fats or proteins). So far the acid has not caused damage to his liver, kidneys or brain. We are appealing to everyone to pray (with the blessing of Eric and Erin) for a full, speedy recovery for Julien.

Taking Matters Into My Own Hands

I'm so excited to put this up, cause I'm proud that aside from some loose tension on my sewing machine, this project has really worked out!!!
I have always been dissatisfied with diaper bags. When Emma was born we got a large chunk of money from someone, so I treated myself to an expensive bag from BabyStyle, that was one of the only ones I found that just looked liked a regular bag. It had no bottle pockets on the outside (which scream, "I'm a diaper bag!"), and it just looked like a regular messenger bag in a camo green. Inside, however, it only had 1 zipper pocket, and there were 2 pockets on the outside that held my wallet and phone. Being super organized (the Container Store makes my heart skip a beat) I have always wanted lots of pockets inside my diaper bag, but it seems that its almost impossible to find a regular looking bag with lots of pockets...that is also affordable!
When Siri was born I bought a cute bag from PacSun (I'm addicted to their bags) and used velcro to add some reinforced dividers that I made. I put in a little "room" on the bottom for those just-in-case items (extra sleeper, onsie, blanket, & diaper), and this worked really well, but it only closed with a magnetic snap, so things could get wet, and wouldn't work for 3 kids.
I had been looking on etsy.com through lots and lots of bags and came across some patterns, finally finding the perfect one from a Jen Giddens (http://www.etsy.com/shop/jengiddens). I added a top flap, made the strap adjustable, and added lots of custom pockets inside: one for diapers, one for wipes, a little nuk pocket, a short bottle pocket (cause I use the short, fat bottles), 2 pockets for my girls' Nalgene sippy cups; and the "mom pockets" are the cream ones: one for my wallet, iPhone, keys, and pens. It is also super roomy for all the times that extra things need to be in there, like service activities, snacks, etc. for Emma and Siri. I think I'm going to add a drawstring bag for the just-in-case items to put on the bottom.
This being done, I'm pretty excited for this baby to come so I can use my new diaper bag!

The New Place

Here are some pictures from our new apartment. We painted a little bit (it would be so nice to be in a house where we could paint a lot) and built some shelves, got a new leather chair, and created an entry space. The balloons are from the baby shower that our congregation here, Beit Messiah, threw for the new baby.

Pikes Place Public Market

Two weeks ago, now, we drove into Seattle to check out the Public Market with the kids. The best thing there is the fresh donuts, but we also got a bagel, which wassn't too bad - nothing is like NY - and it was much better than any bagels we got in Maryland! The market is so great, with vendors selling stuff like pottery and other things that I love, but cannot afford, and flowers and fruits and veggies. It was a tiny bit chilly on the day that we went, but we really wanted to try out our new Phil and Ted's stroller! It's super awesome, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a double stroller, its expensive, but will make you much happier in the long run!

Photos From Our Cross-Country Trip

Checking out the chicks in Moorhead, MN, with Grandpa the morning that we left.






























At the Painted Canyon overlook in the Badlands, ND.

























Scenery in eastern Montana.



















Snow in the mountains on the border of Montana and Idaho.


The Columbia River in eastern Washington.

And We've Moved Again!

It was a little over a year ago that I started this blog because we were moving to Maryland from NYC, and now we have moved again! To Washington state!
Let me back up a bit. To those of you who don't know, Matt's contract was not renewed at the congregation in Maryland and so we were faced with some decisions. It was a weird time being in Maryland from December to March, not really wanting to be in a place that wasn't home, but not knowing where to go. New York is a tad too expensive of a place to "go back to." :) We took a really long Christmas vacation to Minnesota, and started to sort things out when we returned in January. Matt and I took two trips, one to California, and one to Seattle, to check our job possibilities. Seattle turned our to be the most promising, abs after much thinking, praying,and sorting through feelings Matt decided to accept the offer of the Messianic congregation, Beit Messiah, to be their full time Rabbi. The game has changed slightly: we are a little wounded from our last assignment, but we are aware that healing will come in time, and my very wise aunt told me that this time we will choose to trust when trusting came much more naturally before.
And so we packed up our apartment, loaded it on a truck and sent it off to Washington! We left Maryland on March 31st on our journey to the west coast, stopping with close friends and family along the way. First we stayed 2 nights in Pittsburgh with Eric and Erin, where we had to take the girls to urgent care because of croup and and ear infection, then we stayed at Tom and Laurie's where Matt lead a Passover Seder at their church. (Oh, yeah, and the first part of this trip was done with out yeast-not recommended.) Then we drove to Chicago, and stayed with Jake and Heather for 2 nights, and had lots of fun playing with cousin Rachel, who is super adorable! After that we raveled on to Minneapolis to stay with my brother, Terry, and Stacy and Elijah. The girls loved playing with their cousin, and Matt lead another Seder for Terry and Stacy's small group. We then drove up to the farm (my parents' place) for one night. The girls got to play outside, and we only wished it was longer, but on the morning of April 8, Matt flew from Fargo to Seattle to meet the moving truck, and my mom and I embarked on a three day driving trip to the west coast. Those three days were very interesting! I could elaborate, and if you want me to, just ask, but to say the least, I'm glad it's over! The girls did great, but traveling with colds, with little or no naps, through 3 time zones can make one never want to see the inside of another Mazda 5 again!
And now we have been in our spacious 3 bedroom apartment in Renton (just southeast of Seattle) for 6 days. The unpacking is going well, thanks to my mom, and we are going to settle in soon! :) I will post pictures soon, when we get better internet! :)
On a final note: thanks so much to all our friends and family who hosted us along the way...sometimes we were there on work days and everyone was so accommodating, and we love you all!

We took the girls to my 18 week sonogram so that they could be there when we found out what sex this 3rd baby was going to be. (It is a boy!) To prepare them I said that the doctor would be putting jelly on my tummy and using a "thingy" to look at the baby. They had a great time, and Emma loved hearing the heartbeat. Later, that afternoon the girls were taking turns putting "peanut butter and jelly" on each others tummies. It was just so hilarious!