They grow up so fast…

Is it just me, or are all of our updates centered around our children?! I guess they are a very central part of our lives right now. Isaiah has been coughing for over a month (as have mom and dad, and several other people around here), and recently has had trouble with random vomiting…well, it hasn’t actually given him much trouble, as such, more just inconvenience, really. He doesn’t act a tad sick, but it sorta stinks (as only biscuits and gravy or sour milk twice removed can) when he ralphs in the middle of a living room full of company (followed by him running and grabbing a handful of popcorn and shoving it in his mouth), or again when he’s in a mcd’s high chair half finished with a one-pickle hamburger. We finally took him to see a doc, who listened to him wheeze, gave him a breathing treatment, then took a chest xray, and diagnosed him with a mild version of atypical pneumonia, and prescribed some antibiotics, which seem to be clearing things up. He is growing into quite the little guy. His sister, on the other hand, is trying quickly to catch up to him. She tipped the scales on tuesday (while he was at the doc, we quietly slipped her onto the baby scales) at 11 pounds, while he weighs only 21 (after a weekend of ralphing). She seems oversized to us, as we waited 3 months for Isaiah to get this size! I can guarantee there has never been a more adorable little girl with such beautiful hair! :)

                                     She gave her first smile around a week ago, and has been working on improving it! :)

 

Isaiah introduced Emma to rook last week as well…

In other news…
It has been a great start to the year, just being back at the English Centre, without IGo responsibilities, and just giving all our time there. We have a few over 40 students enrolled at IEC right now. I have a new class of 6 high school girls, May, Phai, Lak, Aea, Noot, Fa, and Kan is a 14 year old boy I do a one-on-one class with. I have both classes twice a week, and I also organize/teach on Fridays for the whole group of students at our weekly party/English group activity.

Lak, Oat, Sure                                       Meew, Jaja, Kan

a Friday night activity,                            Mhai, Tangmay, Winta
competing to build the 8th Wonder of the World

I am really enjoying this, and its nice with a family to have a consistent, more low-key schedule for a while. We have been getting a lot of high school aged students, and the interaction and energy level is increasing at the Centre, so we are very thankful for that. The coffee shop is getting more action, and we have had some great, fun times relating to our students and some opportunities to speak truth into their lives. Please continue to pray for us in this, pray that we could be diligent to sow the Word, and that God would bring growth in their hearts. I am also working on preparing myself a little better to train in new and short term teachers at IEC, as well as re-preparing my classes to teach at IGo this coming year again. This combined with the regulars of everyday life, visa work, and travel arrangements, keeps us quite busy still!
We enjoyed a nice cool winter with some nights getting as low as 50 degrees, and days with only a high of 80-85. But since January left, the heat is returning, although the last night or 2, its dropped down near 60 again.
Well, the night isn’t as young as it once was, I should be studying my inner eyelids before long. Thank-you all so much for your continued prayers and support. We are so blessed! You can pray…

• for continued health improvement for Isaiah and Kayla (shes still fighting it some)
• for our students
• especially for Oat, Kan, and Winta, the only 3 teenage guys at IEC, the rest are girls. Pray that God would help us instill in them what masculinity and leadership mean, those have been very compromised in this culture.
• for our IEC team—and especially as we are back in the states for a month, and leave the others behind
• for our traveling plans and the challenges that will go with taking 2 children on a 30 hour trip :) (we have tickets to leave here feb 28, and head back march 29)!
• Thank the Lord for guiding and keeping us under His wings!

Bless God,
Arlin, Kayla, Isaiah and Emma

Emma Grace

decided to join us for Christmas this year! :) What a beautiful little baby! We are so happy and blessed!

On Wednesday we were just at home taking it easy, trying to get some things ready for Christmas, etc. I (Arlin) decided to run to the store for some ingredients in the afternoon. I called Kayla from the store, and she was having some “hard” contractions…ah, what’s new? I took my time getting back home. I got home, and lo and behold, these were hard contractions (not “hard”) :) and there was a quite (lovingly) demanding tone to her voice when she said “hurry” as I left to take Isaiah to Kimberly and Mairi’s house. I hurried, got back home, we packed a few last minute things into our bag (that had been packed and ready, unpacked, washed, rewashed, repacked and sitting downstairs for the last 2+ months) and headed out the door just in time to get ahead of the fierce 5:00 rush hour traffic that quickly constipates our main road toward the city. We were at the hospital and in the labor room by 5:30. Back up a bit, at our last doctor visit, the doc told us she would be gone Wed. and Thu. so again (she was gone when Isaiah was born) we had a new doctor for the delivery. This new lady was a great doc though, and very encouraging. We were a bit worried because although they knew we wanted to do a natural birth if possible (Kay had a c-section with Isaiah), there is like a 90% C-section rate here in Thailand, and we were a little worried a new doctor might be quick to want to do that. Thankfully, this doc was very patient and when we got in, things progressed fast, the delivery went good, (apart from some red marks and minor swelling on my hand) and Emma was born at 8:06, about 4 1/2 hours from start to finish. What an experience! It was amazing to experience everything happening the way it should, and we are so thankful! God is good!

As for the rest of our lives before this time, we said a tough goodbye to all the IGo students, who headed back to the US, some after 4 months, some after 8. Dylan stayed an extra week with us, with high hopes of being here when the baby came, but God had other plans. We had a great time having him around that week. It was a little busy with IEC’s Christmas party, as well as our annual Christmas English and Culture Activity for the neighborhood kids. We found some time to go fishing, and I caught my personal biggest fish ever, but Dylan had no luck! :( Sorry Dylan.

We are currently on our Christmas break, we closed IEC for 2 weeks over the holidays, so this was actually a perfect week for Emma to arrive! :) Thank you all for your love and prayers, we are anticipating at least another year here with IGo, and have no plans beyond that, trusting God to lead us. You can pray:

• That we could adjust well to a new person in our home
• For wisdom and fresh passion and inspiration for leading out at IEC in a new year
• For our visa and travel arrangements, we hope to visit the US in March
• For our Thai friends, neighbors, and students, that Satan’s grasp could be broken and they could see the Truth
  

 
Christmas party at IEC                                               ECA at IGo

My mentoring group at IGo’s banquet              Dylan heading home

Feeding fish at the pond near our house       Christmas cookies!! :)

Merry Christmas and God Bless!!!

Monday,

was here and gone and still no baby. I never thought at 9 months pregnant I would feel like spring cleaning the house, washing the car and much more. Seems like I feel better and have much more energy than I have the last 8 months. Weird. I told our team yesterday at lunch “the house is clean, the car is clean and ready to go, the Christmas decorations are up, what else is this baby waiting on?” 9mo. is really a long time, so thankful im not an elephant, who has to wait much longer, 24mo.?? Although, after only having to carry Isaiah for 31wks.. I feel like I am caring this one for 24mo! All in all, I am so thankful to God for allowing me to go through this long wait and hopefully being able to bring our little girl home strong and healthy just a few days after she is born. Thank-you, so much for all of your prayers, I know the Lord heard and answered!

Getting the car ready to bring little sis’ home!

Dreaming!

Yes, Isaiah is his fathers’ son!

These two are my “pride and joy”. I thank God every day for a strong, Godly husband to lead and to care for my little family, and I thank Him for our little man who brings so much joy into our lives. And am so excited to have little sis’ join us soon. I am a very rich woman!

Another Day…

has passed, and we are still waiting. We are very thankful parents! The last few weeks have been filled with Thanksgiving activity, some great times with our English students, cleaning the house, getting things ready for our baby girl, mentoring, enjoying watching Isaiah grow up, and waiting… :) Today was a little overcast and cool this morning (around 70), and it was feeling somewhat wintery, so we decorated for Christmas. :) Due to my lack of time right now, this we mostly be a picture update. :) Tonight we are going out with our team to celebrate Mike, Mairi, and Kimberly’s completion of the CELTA course, Kimberly and Jon’s birthdays, as well as an appreciation for Jon and Doyle’s time they have given here at the Centre…they leave in about 10 days. I’ll try write some more detailed updates in the future. :) God Bless you all with a wonderful Holiday season!