It may be cold outside....

...but the oven is warm! Yes, the baby and I are now 16 weeks along. I apologize to my readers (all 10 of you) for not writing for a while, but a lot has been going on. In the last two months, our furniture arrived from Texas, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I flew home for three weeks, all whilst suffering from morning sickness.

Mom has just come out of her second surgery and is in recovery. Dad says she is doing pretty good. She has had a lumpectomy and the removal of her lymph nodes on her left breast. We are hopeful, in that the cancer hasn't spread. Her liver and bones are clear. This has been a seriously challenging time for our family, but God has been increasingly good. It amazes me how much he loves us! In all interactions with nurses, care takers, friends and family, and even strangers we have seen the love of Christ evidenced. I thank you all for your prayers. They have been working. But, please keep praying. We aren't out of the woods, yet and tough treatments are to come.

On to Alaska news: We had a great thanksgiving, in spite of being far from family. Four different families invited us to share the holiday with them. We only made it to two stops, though. We ate the turkey and all the good fixings. I made my famous sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, Grandmother Becky's yummy dressing, and a pork loin. Jeff said everything was delicious. Since my return from Texas, we have been to the doctor and heard the heart beat again. The baby's heart was beating at a sound 150 beats/minute. The baby has also started to move around...especially at night. Nothing painful or uncomfortable, but definetly moving.

I also cross country skied for the first time yesterday. It was awesome! Here in Alaska there are open fields they call Muskag. In the spring and summer months they are fields of mushy, marshy grass that is kind of a rust colored hue. It is very difficult to traverse these areas in the warmer months, but in the winter they are filled with miles and miles of soft snow...perfect for skiing trails! Yesterday afternoon the Firth kids came down (6 of them at least) with skis and boots for me and Jeff. They had been making trails all day and were very excited about sharing. I only fell down a few times (always into very soft banks of snow and on my back or tush), and got the hang of it pretty quickly. It was as if I was skiing through a majestic painting. The sun was beginning its slow descent while flinging beautiful streaks of color across the gray sky, and the spruce trees were gathered in groups like big families out on the field. What a sight to see!