Things are moving into place

Well, we made the move from the temporary condo, to the new townhouse. We are loving the townhouse and feeling like we live in a home, not a vacation resort..lol. Our townhouse is a couple blocks from the water and is almost new. It's a 3br/3ba 2-story townhouse with a garage. We are loving having a garage and all the storage. We had prepared ourselves for condo living, so anything better than that is a huge bonus!! Kirsten says "stairs are over-rated" She hates when it's her time to vac them!
In January, our family, church members and friends came to meet me and the moving truck and packed us all up. One family (the Jenkinators..tee hee) even helped me drive the truck all the way back to FL. Friends like this are priceless. Not only did the clean, and pack, and come and stay with us, they took time out of their crazy lives to drive us back down here, unpack and set everything up. I love you "Jenkinators"!
Now that we are settled, day-to-day life is getting much easier. We are back on track with our school work and are set to be done in early April. The kids are working very hard and are learning more and more everyday. Chris is still loving his job and has been traveling alot! He was gone over 14 days this month. He is learning alot though and really falling into his job well. Everyone at work seems to really like him and he has made some friends. We have found a wonderful church and are feeling like this is where God wants us right now. After many visits and many different churches...this one seems to fit the most. They have wonderful classes for all of us, Chris is doing a Courageous class, Awanas for the kids, and they are very Missions-minded. They have over 12 trips planned for the next year. Its very exciting. The church is called St Andrew Baptist Church and is located in the St. Andrew Bay area of Panama City.

We have started to do more and more with the homeschoolers in our area. We have went to some of their homes, went on field trips, and had a nice Valentine's party at a park!

Bailey's health is continuing to improve. Since January, we have been trying a Gluten-free diet with him and he looks better than usual. We have had him off of the pedia-predisone since then also. We weaned him off slowly and we are hoping he can stay off of it. He has been on it since he was 3 or 4. It is soooo bad for you. Please pray that he will continue to heal. We are very excited for the sun, sand and salt of the spring/summer. This usually heals him even more. We have found one dermatoloigist in Tallahassee, but we are hoping that we won't need to go see her very often. Please be in prayer about us finding doctors in general. I am in need of a good OB-GYN, we need a chiropractor, a dentist for all of us, a family dr, pediatricians and an orthodontist for Kirsten's braces. whew!!! The thoughts of that is completely staggering to me. The pediatrician alone is enough to make me freak out. Most dr.s just cringe at the sight of Bailey. They want to mess with his meds, his treaments in general. For now, we have our own way of doing things and he is getting better, I just don't want someone to mess with it. LOL.

Bailey cooking up some treats!!!

Well, we are hopeful that now that Spring is almost here, family and friends will return for some visits. The kids are excited to show the grandparents their new rooms and their bicycle skills. I can't wait for "visitors" to come for a visit as well...it gets a bit lonely here. In March, we will be celbrating Kirsten's 11th birthday and in July, Bailey's 9th. It seems NO WAY possible that they are this old. They are so so big now!

Clint and Linli are still in China...working on getting Linli a visa so they can return to the US this fall to finish up school and so she can work on her Masters. I can't wait to see their faces. Their wedding is set for May 20th in China. My parents will be traveling there to be present for the ceremony. Considering the price tag, the Hyder's will not be attending. The price for flight alone would be near $7000. We will be helping my parents with a reception at the end of summer/fall for them held here in the states. We are very excited about that as well. Kirsten is starting looking for a dress to wear and I have been hitting up pinterest for lots of ideas. We have also continued our studies of Mandarin so that we can speak more to her family when they visit. So, until next time! zài jiàn....that's Goodbye in Chinese!

Getting Settled!

Hey guys!!! Hope you are ready for Christmas, it's just around the corner. All of our packages are wrapped and ready except for a few in TN. We are settling in here in FL and enjoying the sunny weather. Its been 60s and 70s almost everyday! Lots of new things to get used to, but it's going pretty smooth. We sold our house this week and we have found a wonderful townhouse over near North Lagoon area and we are less than a minute from the water. Our anticipated move in date is Jan. 10th...hopefully a little before. God is soooo good and sold it just in the right time. We are sooo excited about getting out of this resort. Parking garages, elevators, and lots of tourists are nice, but not at your house...lol. We are ready for the townhouse!

Chris' job is going well too. He has already went on his first business trip and has several more planned. He is learning alot and having fun doing it. (that's the most important thing) He works with alot of nice people, and has a wonderful view from his office. It faces the bay, which is only about 10 steps away. He saw dolphins playing one afternoon and text me to rub it in. I reminded him I was at home and could walk down to the beach anytime I wanted...lol. :)

Unfortunately, we have been doing lots and lots of school to stay on track for an early summer. The water is fairly chilly, so we just go down for walks, to read, or to play in the sand for awhile. Its really good to be down there for Bailey as much as possible. He has only gotten in 2 or 3 times though. Like I said, it's pretty chilly. He will dip his legs and then run cover up. The question everyone wants to know, "is he getting better?" Well, it's not that simple. Dr's have told us it will take his body long amounts of time to fully heal, but does he "feel" better, the answer is YES. No crying at night and aching in his sleep. His places look fairly the same which is amazing. Since we have moved here, the "new Dr." did not want to continue his light treatments. So he is missing those. This summer it shouldn't be an issue, but right now, I feel like they were helping him some. All of his medicines are the same for now, but we are hoping we can cut some out this summer. Especially the prednisolone. It is very bad for you and he has been on it a long, long time. As far as infections, he has been great. No infections or signs of any for awhile now. Say a prayer that this will stay that way. Once he gets one, it takes forever to fight it. We found that out in Sept. while we were here and he got in a pool. Needless to say, he has not touched the pool. :)

Hopefully, as the weather gets warmer, we will be able to dip him and stay out so much more and not have to worry about school so much. We should wrap up our year in April if we stay on track.

So, as far as churches go, we have found one that I think will be a keeper! www.sabc.org

St. Andrews Baptist Church in Panama City is only a 10 minute drive across the bridge, but is well worth it. They have welcomed us in with open arms and the kids love their great kids programs. Every Wednesday night is family dinner in the fellowship hall, followed by a short devo. Everyone knows, I LOVE DINNERS at church! Even though we miss our church in TN so bad.....we are really liking this new church. The kids have started AWANA and are really liking it. They have made lots of friends and so have we. :)

Well, like I said, it's almost Christmas. I hope that each and every one of you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas this year. Remember the "reason" for the season and keep it in your heart as you travel from party to party! Love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, today is not really Thanksgiving, but it is to us! We are celebrating with our family before we leave for Florida. We have spent this week with friends and family and today, we get to celebrate! We will even have Clint and Linli (via Skype) with us tonight to talk to all of the family. Some of the family (like aunts, cousins, and grandparents) haven't seen him or talked to him since he left, so this will be extra special. Hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving next week. I will be eating a Veggie Burger at Sharky's most likely!

Fast-Forward!

Ok, so let's be honest...I didn't quite keep my promise. LOL....It's been over a month and there is lots to tell. Chris flew down and stayed with the kids and me for our last week. He had a interview at the job center (known to people at home as the employment office). Long story short, the lady loved him and gave him 3 good jobs to apply for. She also set him up an interview the next day and that company fell in love with him. After 3 more interviews and a test, he has been hired! It is an upper management job as a Special Projects Application Specialist. YAY!
Now for the super scary part. He starts Nov. 28th and we still haven't sold our house. We will be staying (more than likely unless we get a contract on it) in a furnished condo again until it sells and then we will move all our stuff. Whew! God has really got the wheels turning and this are quickly falling into place. We will be leaving soon, so we are trying to tie up all the loose ends before we leave. Please be in prayer and please be understanding if I am a total lunatic. I love you all and will see or talk to you soon!