A Trip to America!

The rumors are true... we are going to California for Christmas!  We leave Christchurch December 9 and fly out of San Fran on January 4, so we have almost a whole month.  I'm especially looking forward to a chance for James, Will and I to spend quality time with my family, as a new family ourselves.  It will be so great for my family to have some time to get to know James better-- we've only been able to spend a total of 3 weeks with my family in our 3 years of marriage so far, and that means they really just haven't had a chance to spend any time with him, or get used to who I am as a married woman.  :)  It will also be so great to have a context for my parents and brother and sister and I to get reacquainted with each other after the huge life transitions all three of us siblings have gone through: for me, marriage and mommyhood; for KT, finishing college, living on her own and becoming a pastor; for Clayton, halfway through his junior year of highschool and having his first girlfriend... yeah, we've all changed significantly in the past three years.  AND I'm really excited for everybody, including Grandma & Grandpa Christenson, to be able to spend lots of time getting to know Will, who gets sweeter and more adorable every day!  

Another huge relief: We just found out today that we have housing here in New Zealand from January through March and probably April too!  It's the same house we stayed in to wait for Will's birth last year-- a big beautiful house in Christchurch, walking distance from a mall, with really cheap rent.  Perfect.  God is so good and so faithful, and we are so thankful!