First stroller ride a few weeks ago.

Camping in the Princeton area end of Sept. This lady, Shawn, from Princeton Baptist put on a very thoughful and creative shower for Jacob...what a blessing. She thought of so many neat ideas for the shower. It was a special time.

more random pics

Long gown from Heidi and Josh... Cozy kids when we went camping end of Sept. in Andy's folk's Boler.

Grma A. and Sarah - two peas in a pod I say.

Sarah's post

This is a picture of the baby smiling in a towel (SA). A picture of doll (SA). Grma Kathy sewed this doll for Cara.

This is Sarah by the apples. We went to an apple farm and Sarah got to ride in the apple wagon (SA). This is on Thanksgiving Sunday.

some pics...from a while back

Grandma Lillian with Jacob. Her husband was named Jacob (Jake) Abrahams and we named Jacob after him.

Jacob is wearing a peter rabbit sleeper Grandma K. gave him. Sarah wanted this picture because of his open arms.

Feet on cheeks (SA).

Sarah is giving Jacob a hug before bedtime (SA). While we were still living at Grma and Grpa's house.

This is a family picture (Sarah). This is a picture of Jacob (Sarah).

This is Mommy by the flowers.

Summer pizza dinner at Abrahams. I am in labor...last pregnancy shot of me as well taken that night.

from Sarah

Sarah wanted to say that she has started homeschooling. For homeschool she does 'Math, learning about letters and when we get more books in about apples we will learn about apples.' (Sarah)

I am starting ballet classes today after we go to Grandma Kathy's house. (Sarah)

Sarah wanted to put a video our blog today. This is the day Jacob was born.

hello

Just seeing if I can post pics again...

This shot from Naramata May long weekend vacation with my Dad's side of the family.

Cara

maybe I am...

...in Hawaii. I got a sunburn today I noticed as I was getting Sarah ready for bed. I cannot believe it.
Crazy. I knew it was warm and we wore hats.
She got a little color on her face and a few more freckles maybe but not a burn like me...welcome to Abbotsford!

we moved yesterday

Hi. We moved yesterday and it went good...a long day. Sarah to bed at 10:30pm. Steve Schulz, Daryl K. and Dan K. came up with Dan's truck and trailer to load and Don and Thalia helped clean the last day. The day before cleaners included Dan B, Dean and Lillian S. and Heather M. from our church in Princeton.
We had a car load of seedlings on the way home. We had to leave a little pile of things in the garage and Andy needs to go back and clean up some 'farm' stuff like chicken pens and other things that are not totally accessible because of the snow.
We relaxed most of the day today. Sarah and I went to the park and enjoyed T-shirt weather and meeing old and new friends.
More details on yesterday. The trailer was unloaded by Andy's Dad and brother and himself and our stuff stored in the Abraham's place. We are living with my parents now and will have our own phone line hopefully Tues.
I also got hooked up with a "Maternity Group" - 5 doctors and a midwife that share a practice in Abbotsford and Mission. I even have an appointment this coming week. I am also on the wait list (very long lists) for 3 midwives in the area, but don't think I'll get in with them at all.
So, I'll probably have a hospital birth, but that's ok.
Ya, the weather here is like Hawaii compared to Princeton where we had 2 three inch dumps of snow in the last week - so beautiful though.
Sarah was up at 7:15 am today, so she'll be extra ready for bed tonight and she's gotten lots of physical activity too...enjoying a razor scooter on the deck as well as park time.
So, thanks for all your prayers. I think I'm in holiday/recovery mode right now. My Mom is working on removing skateboarding pictures that were modgepodged to the walls of the bedroom that will become ours (Andy and I), so we are sleeping upstairs at the moment and Sarah in the library.
Thanks everyone for your generous help with our move too.
It was a great sunny day yesterday and we took the coquihalla and it was beautiful.
Lots of emotions and adjusting to the fact we left our house and town and place of work for the last three years of course.
I am thankful...I loved the country and now we have some time in the city. We have lots to eat, shelter and clothes and love. I am thankful we are not in a war-torn country and famine is not of concern.
I think of all these things cause it seems our life has been turned upside-down and there is still much that is not certain. But as I listed above there is much to be thankful for. Reminds me of the book I read with Sarah a while back, "City Mouse, Country Mouse."
The thought passed through my mind about the idea of there being a little recovery group for people that have just recently moved from the country to the city :). My conversations here will no longer include chickens and gardening so much...but maybe a little gardening since that is what Andy will be doing.
Andy has a b-day coming up - April 10th...and Carolyn just had a b-day March 28 - happy birthday!
My grandma W. and Andy's friend Bruce are both in the Abb. hospital.
I think that is it for now.
Cara

to abbotsford

Hello. Thank you for your prayers and comments.
It seems we have a plan now. We will be going to live with my parents. Andy is hoping to work at an organic farm in the valley and do some small-scale market gardening (growing veggies) at his uncles' place.

We had a lovely last day of church here. It was potluck Sunday and they had a cake that said, "We'll miss you," on it as well.

We are having our week of 'lasts' now. We'll go to a few programs this week - Sarah and I and of course a lot of packing still. Andy got the greenhouse down last week and Sarah and I packed her toys (still accessible some of them are). We've been making regular drop offs of recycling and thrift store donations as well.

An encouraging verse I found is from Lamentations 3:55-57 NIV:"I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears to my cry for relief."You came near when I called you, and you said, "Do not fear."

right now

I'm not sleeping. I have lots on my mind. We are moving April 4, and we don't know to where and we don't know what we'll be doing yet to generate an income.Andy has been in Abbotsford since Fri. and he is looking into potential options. It is hard to know exactly how to pack or how to quiet my mind during this time.

The last 2 nights were a write-off. I was thinking about, Sat. night, making sure we were ready for our ride to take us to church Sunday and last night just about everything in the air and all that's happened since early March. I went out on the deck around 1:30 am and enjoyed a very bright starry night. Naps have not gone well either for me, as I hear Sarah and kinda need to in case she needs me.

I've been enjoying more baby's movements and Andy's felt the babe from the outside, but Sarah hasn't...although she's put in her time.

Where do I have our mail forwarded too? So many questions...I keep thinking it'll be interesting looking back on this time. Where do I call to get on a waiting list to get a new midwife?...cause I don't think we're going out Kelowna way, where my midwife is.

Last night I was so tired I felt I might die from tiredness. Ha. I went to bed immedietely after putting Sarah to bed (9 pm) and that didn't even help much cause I was thinking Andy might call so I had one ear open for the phone.

So, I feel a bit of a wreck right now and I don't do well with this sleep deprivation thing. I would appreciate prayers for being patient with Sarah when I feel so on edge from being exhausted and of course prayers for a residence and a job...wisdom for Andy and a calm mind for me.

We are getting some organizing done and Sarah and I have generated a bag each for the thrift store (plus 2 small boxes) and the dump over the last 2 days.

Things are really melting here, snow-wise. I don't know what else to say at the moment. Think it's time for a good cry.

moving somewhere in a month

So, some of you have heard, we are ending our time here at Camp Tulahead. Andy got a phone call, this past Mon., to tell him that he was being let go. To put it simply, he was told that he is not the 'best fit' for camp at this time. So, that was a shock, this news.

Since then, we've been sharing the news with people, talking about and praying about what could possibly be next and I've been trying to focus on trying to clear my mind via taking my burdens to the Lord in all this in order to sleep. I have been having some sleep issues, anyways, with my bladder anyways (up about 4-5 times a night to go to the bathroom and lots during the day too). I would have to report, the first night since the news was the worst and things have improved a lot with regards to thoughts keeping me up.

Anyway, Andy does not have to work this month. We are to be moved out of our house by April 5, 2009. It is very helpful that he does not have to work because he can search for another job and help pack.

There is much to pack...garden stuff (he began dismantling the greenhouse already) and all the stuff we have in this big house. We've been talking about the need to downsize over the past few years, if we ever move to a smaller place (very likely). We have to figure out what to do with our laying hens. I'd love it if someone would adopt them, so we don't have to kill them. Thankfully, we didn't have any chicks growing in our house yet - Andy cancelled that order yesterday. He had started leek and onion seedlings that he continues to care for becuase we don't know if we can have a garden where we might go to next.I have been doing some filing that was on my list for normal life anyways.

Today, Sarah and Andy went ice fishing. I visited for a bit and saw Sarah catch a little fish. It was so cool seeing him come up out of the hole, flipping and flapping.

We have another midwife appointment on March 10, in Kelowna, which will be my last with these midwives I'm imagining. I am not concerned about who will be my pregnancy care provider or where I will give birth. We had a nice little plan set up re: Kelowna, but even if we have to have a doctor instead of a midwive, I think that would be ok, we'd just need to have more of a 'birth plan' and be ready to communicate what we desired (re:possible interventions).I have been feeling movements of this baby which is super super cool. I hadn't felt Karina move in my last pregnancy. I started feeling this baby's movements at 17-18 weeks. I will be 19 weeks on Friday.

I checked the eggs today and also noticed some of the greenhouse plastic Andy took down was blowing away, so I collected it from the field, including one piece from the creek. We don't want to let random pieces of plastic clog up the creek - no.

Andy and I started "Horton Hears a Who" and that is fun.

We've recieved many encouraging and sympathetic emails from people - thank you for your care and prayers.

Andy recieved some cheesemaking supplies in the mail and he is starting plans for a cheese press. If you learn about how to make cheese you will understand why it costs so much. It is quite the process and it has to age sometimes for months, before it is ready (or at maximum taste).

I hung sheets OUTSIDE on the line today to dry. The snow has melted off the deck, but is still everywhere else. They almost dried.The camp driveway has a patch along the side that is showing grass and there is concrete on the bridge showing (a larger patch).

I went on a nice ski again Saturday and today, to visit the ice fishing time.

Last night I put 2 sweaters on and went out on our porch to look at the stars and talk to God and sing a little. It was a good time. We have lived in such a beautiful place where we drink in so much of God's creation.

Andy has been filling the bird feeder each day. We usually don't fill it that often because they finish the seed in one day. I think he's filling it more because he knows we'll be moving.

Andy told Sarah the news today. I don't know what he said or how she reacted because I wasn't there. She did say, he told me, that she'd like to live in Princeton. I asked what she liked about Princeton and she said, "The playground would be close by." Ah, yes, a close play ground. I know that would loose it's fancy wonderfulness for me, but maybe not for a child eh? I do never get tired of walks out here though.

I am wanting to leave our house nice and clean for camp and the next person/people who will move in. When we moved in here there was no one living in it so we had to clean it ourselves.

We have a lot of flour and meat in the big camp freezers currently and that will have to find a new cold home. Anyone have extra freezer space. It's mainly the meat that will need it.We also have a lot of canning which will be heavy to move. We've alredy been eating more canning.

Sarah and I went to Strong Start on Monday and she made a necklace holder - piece of wood with four nails to hang necklaces off of. She painted it yellow with purple spots. I had a good time talking to another Mom who seems to have a similar lifestyle to us with chickens and a garden. Her little girl, also four and the only child, is learning about baking at a young age, as well.

Oh, I also taught Sunday School on Sunday and had an absolute blast doing it. I was just filling in. I didn't know how many kids would be there, but it went good. There was seven kids, ages 2-4 years. I was thankful a couple Moms stayed because they helped a lot as we had a little bit invovled craft we made and the snack was people shaped biscuits, so kids needed butter and jam spread for them. We read 2 books (on the theme of God making everyone different and special) and also played a game that spontaneously came into my head as I asked the kids if they wanted to play a game next or to read another book. Each kid drew a picture of something they liked to do on a small card. I wrote the words of what it was on the card and collected them. We sat in a circle and when I read and showed the card, whoever also liked to do that thing stood up and jumped up and down. We played the game twice, at their request. The second time the kids each had a couple cards to show.

The craft was a magnet with a felt fabric frame and inside the frame was a fingerprint scene. They kids put their fingerprints on the paper in the middle and then turned them into flowers or whatever they wanted to.

So, Andy and Sarah have had colds and he bought some kleenex the other day that had Vicks something in it. We call it spicy kleenex and I can't stand the smell of it. It bothers Sarah's nose too. I think as you breath the fumes you are supposed to clear up in your nasal passages or something. I think we'll go back to our other kind with the lotion in it.

I have had a grateful attitude for a long time about where we live. I often find myself, while Sarah is sledding down the steep hills, standing on top of the hill (which is a great view) and just thanking God and enjoying what I see.

A lot of things don't make sense to us about this whole turn of events, but I don't want to dwell on it. Andy does feel misunderstood and like his employer never really got to know him, so that is tricky. We are hoping to get away for a few days to think and pray, so that will be a good break.