Hello any readers who have not given up on me yet,

Lots has happened since the last post! We are waiting to hear back about an amazing house for rent in Queen Anne, which is a very cool neighbourhood just north of downtown Seattle. The house is great and so is the price, and it seems just about perfect for us. I will refrain from saying anything more about it for now, as I'm trying not to get too attached to the idea of living there until we find out whether or not they're going to rent it to us. :)

Jonathan and I both have new jobs. I'm working fairly random hours for an insurance company testing a computer program (exciting, eh?). The owners are this really great couple that apparently used to go to our church but are now part of a church plant in another area. The nice thing is that I can do pretty much everything from home. Jonathan is doing some computer type stuff for a start up company, and he also has fairly random hours at the moment. He'll probably be working a lot of hours in the next week or two, which will be rather stressful but will hopefully provide the money we need to get into our own place (and we need a lot of money!). The lady whose apartment we are living in comes back next week, so we are in a bit of a rush. Plus we're just ready to be settled into our own place.

In a couple of weeks (Wed 13th, to be exact) I'm flying back to Salt Lake to get the last bits and pieces packed up at the house and loading up a Uhaul. Jonathan will fly in on Friday evening to hop in the truck and drive it back to Seattle with me. Stella's California grandma will brave the Seattle weather and stay with the wee one until we return. (I'm sure Stella won't even notice we're gone.) I'm really looking forward to seeing my sister and brother again. I miss them a bunch. I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. I'm afraid it will be rather emotional for me to leave the house this time. It will probably be the last time I see it (good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise...). We really need it to sell soon, since we're going to be paying rent here in Seattle next month.

We woke up this morning to a lovely white world of snow. I didn't leave the house at all except for a walk to the grocery store to buy milk/get Stella to fall asleep in the buggy. :) We're supposed to get even more snow tomorrow, and Stella and I have grand plans to cavort in it (like the hog and the frog in the bog). I think we may just call another snow day and not go anywhere again. It's nice to do that every once in a while.

Stella continues to grow up at an astounding rate. She is starting to speak in complete sentences and using "I" and "my" instead of referring to herself in the third person. She can count to 9, though if she isn't concentrating she skips 3 and 4. (She has finally accepted that 3 and 4 actually come after 2 and aren't just something we made up to tease her.) She "counts" everything. She really soaks everything up, just like a sponge as everybody says. There is so much that I just don't think she is taking in that pops up later when least expected. She remembers so much, and sings songs back to me, reads me some of her favourite books, and has even learned to pray for meals ("Fink oo God, for-a food, a-MEN!!"). This evening at dinner she was singing a little song and I asked her, "what are you singing about?" She responded, "'Bout Jesus!!" She is seriously super holy, folks.

With all of the learning and growing has come a super strong will. Okay, so she has been pretty strong-willed from the beginning, but that kind of thing is much more pronounced in a walking talking toddler than a baby. :) She still can scream like nobody's business, and is learning to employ that scream in a more crafty and manipulative manner (she knows it makes steam come out of my ears whenever she does it). She runs away screaming pretty much anytime I start a sentence with "Let's....." She is super independent, and also screams whenever you try to help her when she has not specifically requested it. She can now put on and take off her shoes and her pants without assistance, and she uses her little potty at home a lot now which makes her very proud.

There's Stella's report card. I don't have much to report for myself. I am still chipping away at some knitting projects, and I've now begun some leg warmers for Stella. They are going to be especially awesome because her best little buddy (Annika) is going to have matching ones knit by her mum! Awesomeness. Stella will be so stylin'. I'll be sure to post pictures of those when they are finished.

That's all! Check out Daddy's blog for Stella's TOP 5 List!