Just a small stack of blue tubs

What you see here is a picture of all of our possessions! I have spent the past 2 months purging, purging, purging! We have managed to wean down our belongings to just the items that would be more expensive to replace than to ship via cargo plane. I am taking my pots and pans, my sewing machine and large tub of fabric (which may not seem like a necessity... but it is for me!), and lots and lots of books! I have been collecting children's books for years in anticipation of having kids. I am thrilled with my vast collection... and can't wait to organize them all on bookshelves in Anna's new room. Eric has also has tons of books, study guides & resources and electronic toys of course (boys!).

It feels very free to have so little to my name... but also very weird to see my life packed into a small stack of blue tubs. Oh well............... VAMOS A PANAMA!!!!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

The the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

God Bless your family during this joyous celebration of Christ's birth!

Love, The Tharaldsons

A Very Busy Weekend! Whew!

This past weekend was one of the busiest we have ever had! It all started on Friday morning, when I spent hours finishing the packing and organizing for our big move. In the afternoon, Grammy and Devon arrived! Grammy babysat Anna while Eric, Devon and I went to Downtown Disney and a very fun birthday dinner at the Rainforest Cafe! (Happy Birthday to Me!)

Then we walked around and enjoyed the fun holiday lights and the awesome Legos store! Eric got very excited when he saw Darth Vader made completely out of Legos... in fact, his exact statement was: "If I wasn't married, I'd buy this and put it at the foot of my bed." (I'm not really sure what to make of that comment...)

To my chagrin, we spent the rest of the evening at home watching "Shrek the Third"... I'm not a Shrek fan, sorry.

On Saturday, Eric took Devon to the Bible Bookstore to pick out his own Bible! When they got home, Devon walked through the front door and said "I have a Bible, now I need a highlighter".... sooooo cute!

Later that day, we headed out to our favorite destination... the Aquarium of the Pacific.

While taking this photo, Aunt Lindsey is thinking: "I'm never going in the ocean again."

Watching "Monsters of the Deep" 3D

Being such a good girl all day!


On Sunday, the excitement continued as Anna was dedicated at church! Yay!


The family and friends gathered for lunch following the dedication!


After lunch, we headed back to our apartment and loaded up all our tubs and boxes! We packed the cars and headed to Temecula... leaving Eric behind to get the apartment fixed up. We miss you!

And later that night at Grammy's house, Anna took her first Big Girl bath in the tub!


Whew! I need a nap!

HAIR!

...........THEN (7 weeks old) ................NOW (5 1/2 months) ....

Hillarious!

Two Teeth and a Sippy Cup

The exciting news of the week... Anna has 2 teeth! They came this past week, although I had no idea... she grabbed my finger and put it into her mouth and I felt a sharp tooth! She hasn't been acting fussy or extra drooly or anything! Then, yesterday morning, I got a peek and saw that the other tooth had broken the surface! She is soooo cute now with two tiny white teeth!

We also gave her a sippy cup yesterday for the first time! As soon as she saw it, she grabbed each handle with her hands and pulled it straight to her mouth and began sucking! Oh I am such a proud mama! She doesn't understand to tilt it up, so we will continue to practice! Still no solid foods yet... we attempted the cereal thing, and after a week gave up. I will try again next week... and maybe some will actually make it into her tummy.

In other news, we have pretty much packed up our little place. We are packing 16 rubbermaid tubs filled with items that we plan to ship via cargo plane to Panama. Everything else has found a new home with friends or at the GoodWill. We have begun to sell our furniture as well... and I plan to thoroughly enjoy my couch today, as we have someone coming to pick it up tonight! Our car will be the last thing sold probably sometime next month. It has been very nostalgic packing up... we moved into this place the day we got back from our honeymoon, we brought Scarlet home here, and we brought our first baby home here. But we are both glad to move on... and I can't wait to have more space to spread out... in the new house, Anna will have her own room/playroom, and Eric will have his own office. I long for the day when the kitchen table is just for eating!

Answers!

God is so good! Thank you for your prayers, the Lord truly was faithful to us on this trip! We managed to rent 2 homes, almost next door to each other, and have a lot of good fellowship!