Snapshots: First Month

November tenth marked one month in our new Washington home. Like I've mentioned before, things are surprisingly smooth and we are settling into good rhythms at work and at home, individually and as a family. Here is a quick snapshot of our first month:

First, we had to say some very painful good-byes. Over a dozen friends pitched in on October 10th to help us load up the U-haul. The drive out of Salem was filled with lots of tears.

Then, came this welcome sign! Josh nearly drove his car off the road as he pulled into the church office for the first time.

Poor Mercy Girl had been sick for two weeks and the virus only seemed to worsen. With no Primary Care doctor established in our new city, we ended up taking two trips to the Children's Urgent Care.

The beautiful view on the bridge connecting where we live to the island where the church is located. Not a bad commute, eh?

A week into our new life in a new place, I was feeling the blues in a big way. To beat the blues, or at least distract ourselves from them, we decided to take a day trip to Seattle and visit some of our favorite places. Green Lake is like Heaven on earth in my book. It was Mercy's very first time in my favorite city. And look, the sun was out!

After a beautiful, long walk we made our way to the pier for fish and chips at Ivar's.

Mercy was really digging the chowder. This girl can put food away. Just like her Mama.

Right down the street from our place is a huge farm stand open every single day! Besides corn, apples, potatoes and squash, it was filled with caramel apples, pumpkins, apple cider... all the fall goodies. It re-opens today with Christmas trees, holly and mistletoe, wreaths and the like.

'Tis the season!

This family photo was captured on Josh's Installation Sunday. A meaningful, sacred service to sort of pass the mantle of leadership, authority and responsibility to Josh as the new Lead Pastor. It had a very palpable, very spiritual Rite of Passage feel and it is something we will always remember. This photo was taken after the service, reception, lunch, nap, dinner, tour of our city and dessert... We are horrible at taking family photos on special days (like on Mercy's first birthday, her dedication, etc.), so while isn't the best at least it's in the books!

Another Monday, another sunny day in Seattle! We spent this trip on Queen Anne Hill near Seattle Pacific University. We enjoyed pumpkin bagels from Noah's, vanilla lattes from Cafe Ladro, and a lovely stroll all around the quaint, cozy neighborhood.

Happy Halloween! Mercy was the most adorable Zebra. We took a trip to the Harbor where thousands of families gathered to trick-or-treat from local, small businesses.

Our forest-like backyard; home to toads, owls and deer. The guy pictured above was literally peering through our sliding glass doors one afternoon, kind of wondering who the new kids in town were, like he'd been here before and was just checking things out.

Though Mercy is the happiest baby toddler around, she is also one of the busiest, constantly in motion. This makes it hard to capture her smile in pictures. Got one here, sort of. I also love her curls in this photo.

In our first month, we celebrated Mercy's first Referralversary and her 15-month birthday. 

Time is flying by. We are especially enjoying this time with Mercy before her bro or sis arrives this spring. Please also note her cute, Felicity the Fox T-shirt in honor of her new church (courtesy of B. Childrenswear).

Even with all the good times and friendly folks, we still miss our friends and family. Mercy studies this picture of her best friends, Nyah and Haakon Williams, every single day. We get it, Boo! We miss them, too!

Just for kicks, this is the face Mercy makes when you ask her to how blow out a candle or cool down hot food. Adorable.

We are now well into our second month in Washington (and into the second trimester as well). We're excited to experience all this month holds. I'll be back to share it with you in mid-December!