Where to start...

A few weeks ago I posted this photo on Facebook...or was it only last week? Needless to say, we have a lot going on around this house.

The camping trip has happened, it was PERFECT! I'll write a post about that soon. It deserves its own space.

S'mores!!

We found out in early June that Daniel was accepted for a position in Seattle working for the Department of State. He has been looking for a job in the Seattle area for a few years now and finally found one. I cannot say it is the timing we would have chosen however my timing is rarely the same as God's timing.

Currently we are waiting for an "official" offer for Daniel's job as he was given an offer contingent on his security clearance being approved. He currently has a security clearance however his new employer (Department of State) is required to run their own. Since we don't have an official start date, we put the pieces together and assume the start date will be sometime in September. School in our new district starts on September 8th for Kindergarteners (Kindergarteners get an extra week of summer which is great for us this year!!) so we will move the end of August. This will give Anellah a few days to adjust to a new place before she starts school. We have an INCREDIBLE support network here in California. Leaving is exciting but very bittersweet.

Backyard picnic with some of our fabulous California friends

We are looking forward to continuing to observe how God fits all the pieces of this move together with everything else already on our plate. We have friends who are going to buy our house which will take the majority of the stress out of that process! The day before I contacted the couple regarding buying the house, they were in escrow for another house but pulled out. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Sewer lateral being replaced, a requirement if selling your house here

Baby girl is due the end of this month, she won't be having a perfect nursery and rather than buying special new things for her we are actually getting RID of baby items from when Capper was born. But she will be loved and she will know she is special. Capper and Anellah are beyond excited to meet her and talk about her every day. If you ask them what her name is, it is Elizabeth. Daniel and I have yet to confirm.

Both are excited about sister's carseat being added to the van so they are close enough to each other to hold hands

Daniel has been completing his master's degree and will be completely finished with his last class on August 6th. I forgot to include this one in the chalkboard picture. :)

Maybe Daniel will have more time for naps now

So in the midst of all these life changes, we also found out two days ago that Anellah needs to have another surgery. It will just be a quick procedure related to the cranial surgery she had a few years ago. One of the titanium screws that was used is sticking out and causing irritation. We've waited a year in the hope that it would resolve by itself but it has not therefore must be removed. We are tentatively scheduled for that surgery on July 15th.

I'm sure just by reading this post you have plenty of ideas on how to pray for us but if you'd like some specifics I will list some areas we would appreciate prayers here:

-That the kids would continue to be champs and deal well with all of these transitions. They've already started to watch their toys disappear and we are talking daily about moving.
-That the logistics related to Anellah's surgery would work themselves out easily (pre-authorizations, pre-surgery appointments, the surgery itself, follow up appointments)
-That I would be able to orchestrate changing Anellah's medical care somewhat seamlessly. Thankfully we will be close enough to Seattle Childrens' Hospital to have her seen by specialists there and most of her providers here know someone at that facility but we need to find an exceptional pediatrician who can hold all the pieces of her care together and who will coordinate with all the specialists. Moving from her current pediatrician will be very hard!
-That medical coverage will be transferred easily. Anellah's primary insurance is Medicaid, this will continue in Washington State, however, there is at least a one-month lag time. I need to somehow have enough of all of her medications to be able to get through at least one month (likely two months since getting set up with a new pharmacy takes some time when prescriptions and durable medical equipment are complex).
-That everything will go smoothly with Baby Girl's birth and that she will be healthy.
-That we will find a place to live. Construction on our home in Washington has not started yet, we are STILL in the permitting process.
-That packing our house will go smoothly and we will be able to fit everything into a moving truck!