Enjoying Summer

We're having a fantastic time! We've caught up with some friends (still some to go), and enjoyed being with our families. Daniel is growing up so much, so quickly! He's sitting by himself, eating solids, and seems to like telling us 'jokes'. He's been swimming in the pool, and might be introduced to the beach this weekend. I think he'll be lonely and bored when we get back to Canada, with so many baby-sitters!

Hello from 2 hemispheres

Well, Daniel & I (Mareesa) are back in beautiful sunny Queensland, whilst Nathan is powering on in chilly Vancouver. He's almost finished! 2 more exams to go, and then he's flying out and will join us on Tuesday morning (Oz time). He's working extremely hard, and will definitely be in need of a holiday.
Here is a video of Daniel rolling over in his bed, his latest 'trick'. He'll be 5 months next week. Daniel's coping fairly well with the heat and strangers (basically everyone), and enjoys making video calls to Dad pretty much every day (sometimes twice a day!).
Catching up with family and friends has begun, but there's more to come!
That's all for now, I'm off to find somewhere cooler to sit.

3 weeks and counting

I'm extremely excited about heading back to Brisbane for a visit! :)

I've been emptying suitcases, finding my summer clothes, writing list of things to do, people to see, as well as items to try and bring back with me. I really looking forward to seeing family, and meeting my new nephew Ashton.

Yesterday we got Daniel's Canadian passport in the mail, so we're "officially" all set. He's just passed the 16 pound (7.3kg) mark, so he'll have doubled his weight by 4 months. This week we've been really trying to give him a consistent bed-time routine, as he was sometimes not going down for his proper night's sleep til 10.30pm (because that's when we went to bed). It's working out okay so far. Despite getting 10-11 hrs sleep at night, he is still being quite cranky during the daytime. Let me tell you, this little boy can sure scream! As long as he doesn't do it on the plane.....

my new favourite picture of Daniel

He has a full-mouth grin! I think he's going to be someone who loves life =)

Daniel update

Here is cheeky Daniel :) Actually he is often a smiling, talkative baby. Getting a smile on camera though is another matter. 3 months already! We gave him a "buzz" cut (evened out his hair) to get rid of his mohawk, and it looks good. Still got blue/grey eyes too. 15 pound, 63cm long. Looking forward to showing him off back in Brisbane - we leave in 1 month and 1 day's time!
In other news, our house settled this week :) We look forward to paying all our bills!

Flights booked

Just booked our tickets to Australia!

Daniel & I arrive end of NOV
Nathan arrives mid DEC

We all leave for Vancouver 7 JAN

We're relieved to have it all booked :)

Contract 'unconditional'

As of Friday, the sale of our Petrie home is unconditional, and will be finalised in October. We praise God for His provision to stay in Canada. We are learning to depend on Him for our needs, even the little ones.
We are all a little sick at the moment with colds. The leaves are turning, and it is drizzly today :( Fall is here! I'm looking forward to buying some plane tickets to come and visit Oz over Christmas, and introduce Daniel (10 wks, approx 14 pounds) to a 'real' summer ;)

So how big IS Daniel? And other things...

Nathan and I had guesses as to how heavy Daniel was before he was weighed in yesterday - it was out last check-up at the midwives' office. We both guessed too light! So have a quick guess, and read on!

Today Daniel is 7 wks old!

He is 62cm long (24.5 ") and 11 pound 13.5 oz (5.372 kg). That's roughly 250g per week (considering he lost weight before he gained it).

He is smiling much more (tricky to get on camera though), Nathan has particular talent in that area - I think the beard helps!

We are sleeping okay, but definitely considering moving Daniel to the other room. He is a noisy sleeper, particularly from 5am onwards. I just woke up from a 2.5 hour nap of which I'm very thankful. Nathan is painting a fence for a friend and making the most of the sunshine. It has been a little cooler lately but is not supposed to rain for the next week. The university is bustling with people again as it is their Orientation week, with classes starting next week. Nathan has been going over his Hebrew again, relearning all those hundreds of words!

Today when I was browsing the UBC bookstore I read an interesting parenting book based on the idea that babies have 90 sleep cycles. That is, they generally sleep in multiple of 90 minutes, and will be ready to sleep after 90 minutes of awake time. So I'm trying that theory out, and so far it proves true. I missed the 90 minute mark by 5-10 minutes when I was putting him to sleep, and all I had was a somewhat cranky baby who couldn't sleep. I had to wait til another 75 mins or so passed, soothe him for 15 mins, and he went to sleep right on the next 90 minute mark. This is how I managed a 2.5 hour nap this afternoon (and he, incidentally, is still asleep!) I guess I should go and do something useful like make dinner before he wakes up :)

House under contract

This week our house in Petrie is going under contract. Considering the slowness of the property market recently, we are very thankful to God for providing us with a buyer.

Dibben's visit

Mum & Dad flew out early this morning, after 10/11 days with us. Here are some photos from (1) Grouse Mt, Lumberjack show; (2) Oyama, in the Okanagan; (3) an orchard at Vernon; (4) the picturesque Duffy Lake NE of Whistler; (5) Rocky Mt candy store, Whistler; (6) Olympic 'podium' at Whistler, info booth about Vancouver winter olympics in 2010.

We're on our own once more!

Daniel was dedicated at church on Sunday 17th.

Daniel Joshua Cunneen

Our son was born 8.30pm July 16. He's a good baby, and very cute!

Still waiting

All is well, we are just 'waiting around' for the baby to arrive at the moment. Nathan is working on a paper on the Gospel of John as well as working.

On Tuesday we went for a day trip to a national park NW of Vancouver. We walked around a beautiful lake which had a beach (probably the best beach we have seen so far, but nothing like Aussie beaches), played Carcassonne and ate. We then went shopping for sneakers in the July sales and got back to Vancouver just in time for small group.

We happened to be lent not one but TWO cars this week! But the baby is probably another week or two away so it's nice just to be able to drive rather than bus places.

Summer has arrived!

Okay, so Vancouver does have 'summer'. It just took a loooong time to get here. But this weekend has been gorgeous - I'm sitting under a shady maple tree on the grass near our place (to get a wireless signal). It's 4pm, 26 degrees in the sun with a lovely cool breeze. The only negative is that with the advent of warm weather, my feet and hands have decided to balloon with fluid (making it a little hard to type).
Last night we had a BBQ, and stayed outside until 10pm without a jumper! (Another milestone hehe). The late sunsets are nice. Nathan is studying for his New Testament final which he is doing tomorrow. I've been catching up on some Facebook messages that needed replying to, napping, and that's pretty much it. We caught the last 30 mins of the European Soccer Championship on the way home from church (was being broadcast at a local pub, so we stopped into for some air con, a coke and some good quality soccer on the big screen).
Anyway, July is B-Day month - anytime is a good time for the baby to come. I'm just going to relax, read, possibly bake, and do some crossies while I'm waiting!
We bought a stroller on Friday night, and had fun wheeling it back on the buses - got a few looks because there was no baby hehe. We got a shpping centre gift card from my school community, plus we had some cash from a baby shower earlier in the year, and were able to get a great all-terrain BOB Revolution stroller (since we walk everywhere!) God is really good to us! My bag is basically packed, the baby clothes are washed, the crib is set up. We've been lent a cellphone in case we need it. And Nathan bargained us a good internet deal so we should have that running this week too.
So we are all good! Must dash - the never-ending trips to the bathroom continue!

Blessings

We've been very blessed by people's generosity towards us lately. Although we're thankful for God's provision, t's almost embarassing.

Friday afternoon my work had a surprise baby shower for me - all the staff, students and some parents came along. I was totally clueless! We now have a whole library of baby/kids books, more clothes, and a gift voucher which we plant to use on a stroller.

I got to wear a fancy ribbon bonnet made from a paper plate and the ribbons from my presents. The kids were an appreciative audience with lots of sincere "oohs" and "aahs" as I unwrapped presents. And of course there was party food for after! I'll try and put a silly photo up soon of me in my bonnet.

Last week of work, not long now! Nathan should be doing his final exam for New Testament in the next week or so. I'm looking forward to a break, that's for sure. This week the nights are pretty full with awards ceremony, graduation dinner, small group etc. We are looking forward to inviting a few people over too to enjoy our new bbq.

Health-wise I'm doing great, visiting the midwives once a week from now on. Just over 3 weeks to my estimated due date.

All moved in

We are in the new townhouse, all boxes unpacked (not hard when there isn't many!). The crib is up and we've been to childbirth classes too. Only 11 days til work is finished for me, but this week will be really busy getting assessment written, done, marked and recorded. Now going to the midwife every week as only 4 weeks to go! The weather is warming up nicely and we've had a few days of sun (although the breeze from the North is still cold).

Moving this Sunday

The packing has started, with boxes piling up in our tiny living room! We've enjoyed warm weather this week - it's basically the same as Brisbane from what we've heard. Tomorrow we are borrowing a car as I have another midwife's appointment, and we are heading out early to Real Canadian Superstore (like Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket) to stock up on cheaper groceries and some supplies for our new place. Today Nathan bought a second hand bedroom suite so it's good to know we have something to sleep on!
Less than 50 sleeps til my due date (anticipation is growing along with my belly ;) ), and also counting down to seeing Nathan's mum and my parents in late July and August.

Warm weather and new apartment

Well the weather is warming up - today it reached 18 degrees C near the water, but with the humidity it felt more like 25 degrees - absolutely beautiful! Tomorrow is the start of a long weekend for Victoria Day. Thankfully I (Mareesa) got to spend some time outdoors for PE. I had to wear a hat because yesterday I got sunburnt. We don't even own any sunscreen yet because we didn't think we'd ever need it! Tomorrow afternoon we are looking forward to a bbq with Regent people, and basically spending time outdoors. Nathan has been working casually as a cleaner in our apartment block which has been good, as well as studying for his New Testament Midterm exam (next Thursday).

We have a new place to live, and are moving on June 1st. We are moving into university family accommodation less than a kilometer away, but the new place is a 2 bed townhouse (double the current size of our 1 bed apartment). God has been providing us with furniture for the new place as it is unfurnished. We are really excited about the move, and are looking forward to having a place for the baby, and space to entertain.

Only 60 days to go til Mareesa's due date, less than two months! Yes we are definitely counting down =) Can't wait to meet our little bub!

Spring is here!

Tomorrow is May, and spring is here! Weather is usually 10 degrees maybe more during the afternoon, and the sun is up until 7.30 pm. Nathan is doing some cleaning work at our apartment block for the next week or so which is keeping him very busy, and he is trying to do his audio course at night.
No new news about our house, except that we are working at getting the brickwork and a door-frame fixed ASAP.
We are currently looking for a new place to live come the end of May. We have a few leads and are asking around at the moment. We are looking forward to a bigger place!
On Sunday we had a baby shower/bbq which was heaps of fun, hosted by our friends Danielle and Tyler. It was guys and girls, and we had some fun with a role-playing game of getting to the hospital (girls playing the guys and vice versa).
I'm still healthy, getting bigger of course. Some afternoons I'm feeling pretty tired, so I may be back to having afternoon naps before too long. 11 weeks to go!

Nearly end of the year!

Nathan finishes next Thursday - his first year at Regent completed already! He handed in his paper on Exodus and Liberation today, and has 3 exams next week. After that, he will concentrate on finishing his New Testament audio course as well as probably looking for a summer job.

I won some free classes at a gym, and did my first one today. There wasn't a lot of choice of classes, so I ended up doing a class called "Group Power" which uses weights to work on the different muscle groups. So my arms are sore! I did feel a little weird starting a class at 6 months pregnant, but oh well, better now than 8 months I guess! I just used the lowest weights possible, and the instructor modified some exercises for me to compensate for my extra 'baggage' and the change in my muscles and balance.

The weather has been getting a little warmer (when the sun is out). Today I took my gym class outside and I didn't need a jumper! Yay! I was in direct sunlight and sheltered from breezes, but it was so nice. Nathan jumped at the chance to do some study outside in the sun. It's 7.30pm and the sun is starting to set. The cherry blossom trees are all in bloom and are gorgeous. So we hope spring really is here to stay.

We're still trying to organise our house back home at the moment, but we need to wait on some quotes/reports before we make any more decisions. We've really been seeing God provide for us financially, and we are so thankful for his care and for the peace he has given us.

Happy April Fools

Today is April Fools day and the day I start back to work. 12.5 weeks to go til school is finished for summer break (leaving me about 3 weeks til my due date). Nathan has 3 weeks left til his finals are done, then will continue on with his audio course and one spring course til June. We had 'freak' snow/hail on the weekend (as in it took everyone by surprise), but hopefully there will be sunny days and slightly warmer weather this week. I have been lent some nice maternity clothes which is great, so I will have something to wear to work when it does warm up a little. Speaking of work, I really should go! We are still trying to get our laptop back from getting fixed under warranty, it seems to be taking a long time.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!
On Easter Sunday we went down to the beach for 5 baptisms - they were lucky to not get hypothermia, but what a wonderful way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! I'm sure it will be a memorable morning for those ladies :)
We've been out quite a bit this weekend sharing meals with friends, it has been a lot of fun! Easter Monday is not quite a public holiday, with classes still scheduled, however some places are closed.
We've had a mixed week leading up to Easter - the contract on our house was cancelled due to the building inspection, so that has caused us a bit of worry. We are looking into that at the moment and are thankful Nathan's parents are able to do some running around for us back home.
On Thursday night our laptop 'died', which leaves us without a computer or phone at home. So we're sorry if we seem a little rude in the next week or so! We are trying to check email everyday, and the laptop is under warranty, however we still will have lost quite a few files. Nathan said it has helped him to get lots of Hebrew done though, as it is something that he can do without a computer!

Another birthday

Well, Friday was my birthday and an interesting day it was! I got a lovely call from my sister Beth on Thursday morning (Friday AM her time), which unfortunately got disconnected after about 15 seconds... :( And I got to talk to my mum that night.

Friday was last day of school before holidays, and my school sang to me which was nice! 3.10pm and Nathan and I were driving to Burlington, WA for the last weekend of our Exodus and Liberation class. I got such a beautiful surprise when we got there, because Leisel had brought coloured streamers and balloons which she and Courtney decorated my chair with. The class sang to me, and Thera had brought cake and candles. A surprise party! :) I really appreciated the thoughtfulness because I am missing my family a lot at the moment.

We stayed an extra night and went shopping most of Sunday, stocking up on great Target clothes bargains.
Many thanks to Grovely Young Adults for the birthday video (click here to see it), it was great to 'see' you all!! Was that Kathy that I saw in the background?

So now two lovely weeks of vacation to look forward to!

Goodbye to our House in Petrie

Well, after a lot of thought, calculations, prayer and advice, we decided to put our house in Petrie on the market. We've decided that we are staying in Vancouver for Nathan to finish his Masters at Regent College, and the rising interest rates in Australia were causing us some concerns. The house was put on the market one week ago, and we have just signed a contract! We praise God for providing our lovely house, however we also thank Him that we could use that investment as a way to invest in studying God's word. The sale will be unconditional come the end of March, with settlement in early May.

Mareesa is finalising report card comments and marks this week, and will be glad when the stress is over. Nathan is progressing well on this term's assignments, and has just written an interesting paper on "The Metaphysics of the Trinity: Bridging the gap between faith and reason". Maybe he'll summarise it and put it on the blog one day! Our weekend series on Exodus and Liberation continues to provide food for thought, and we have our last segment on the 14th/15th of March. Nathan needs to write a 15-20 page paper on a topic of his choice from Exodus by the end of term for that one.

Last week we applied for a position as residential deans at a Christian residence on campus, however we won't hear back until the end of April regarding shortlisting and a second interview. Should we be successful, it would provide discount accommodation and benefits right near Regent, and a small salary which would be very helpful with Mareesa finishing work in June.

20 week ultrasound

Here is a pic from our ultrasound this morning! It is a profile of the baby's head and chest. You can see its left ear, nose, and an eye socket. The bubbles above are the umbilical cord. There may be an arm stretched up beside the head (at the bottom). We had a second picture which we had to get explained, but it looks a little scary as it is the baby's skull (bird's eye view).
We didn't find out the baby's sex - although we were still deciding in the hospital room! I'm not sure if I will regret it, but it is too late now (unless we pay $100 to have another scan).
It's almost Spring break for Mareesa (2 weeks off), with report cards looming. Nathan is keeping very busy having to learn Hebrew at 1000% of the rate of last semester. This weekend we are off to Washington State again for the 2nd installment of our Exodus and Liberation class.
Here is another pic taken last week :)

A Farnham experience...

Last night we went to the birthday party of a fellow Aussie Regent student. There were some Aussie songs playing throughout the night, some of which needed explanation (eg Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport). We were in one room, and then we heard a few people starting to belt out "Your the Voice" by Johnny Farnham, and both felt a kind of 'we need to be in there' urge. So we rushed in and joined the 6 other Aussies singing out at the top of our lungs. No-one else (besides a South African) seemed to even know who Johnny was, let alone the song. But it was a bit of a bonding moment. We knew we probably wouldn't have done the same thing if we were back home, but I think you do stranger things when you are far away and need a sense of connection. :)
Here are some links if you are feeling nostalgic, or want to know who John Farnham is:

'80s original

Live at the Arias 2003

Want to vote on our baby names?

I can't promise we'll agree with you...but if you would like to vote on some of the names we are/have been thinking of, click on this link and give the thumbs up or thumbs down!

Snow Day

Last night/today it snowed about 4 inches/10 cm...beautiful! We finished school at 2pm because the roads were starting to get a little bad. I teacher aide on Tuesdays, and the receptionist didn't come in because of the snow, so I spent about 50 mins on the phone ringing all the parents. The middle school art class when outside and built an 8 foot snowman - huge! It was a real treat, because normally the rain comes and washes the snow away straight after it snows. The kids were loving it. A lot of the students/teachers are secretly or not so secretly hoping to hear that school is cancelled due to snow tomorrow hehe...but rain is forecast, so not likely.

Australia Day Activities

Yesterday afternoon we had vegemite sandwiches, fairy bread, real scones and Tim Tams. We were quite full actually. Nathan was well enough to come out as he is gradually feeling better. We went from that afternoon tea straight to a welcome home to Canada party  for our Australian pastor and his wife, even taught the Canadians the Heel and Toe Polka! Probably the strangest thing was going to an Australia Day event when it was snowing. :)

Almost Australia Day in Canada

This weekend is Australia Day - we'll celebrate by having Vegemite sandwiches with some fellow Aussies and Canadians for arvo tea. Maybe some fairy bread if we're lucky.
Nathan has been pretty sick this week, he's had some kind of cold/virus. He had a fever for 3 days, chills, head and chest cold and therefore feeling awful! I was very relieved when his fever broke, although he still feels alternatively hot and cold at times. So some more early nights and Advil for the next few days. I seem to have missed the sickness praise God, and am generally feeling fine.
Last weekend we went to our first weekend of the course Exodus and Liberation which Nathan is taking and I am auditing. We got a lift to Burlington in Washington State with another couple, and stayed one night as the course is Friday night/Saturday. The professor is involved with Mexican immigrants and prison ministry, which gives an interesting slant to the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. We did the first 3 chapters last weekend, and we go down for two more weekend during Feb/March. Hopefully Nathan will be able to write some of what he is learning when he is feeling up to it.
The weather here is still fairly consistent, and we are coping fine with the frost and occasional snow. We'll be thinking of the hot, sunny beach this weekend no doubt when we wish we could be in shorts and a t-shirt having a BBQ! We'd love to know what you are doing for Australia Day - add you comment and tell us what you are up to!

Whistler in the snow

On Thursday we drove to Whistler with Nathan's mum, dad and two sisters. It was a rainy day, not that nice really but realistically Vancouver. It was snowing a lot when we got closer to Whistler, and Nathan had to take it easy when driving. We made it in time for their 1pm Dog-sledding, which they said was fantastic. Carolyn and Ellen got to 'mush' their own dog team! Nathan and I went snow-shoeing and it was absolutely beautiful. We were in a small group of 5, and our guide took us up the mountain and I can see where they get the name Winter Wonderland. Despite being metres from the ski-slope, it was perfectly quiet. We trudged through knee-deep powdery snow, slid down a snow slide on our bottoms, and saw lots of 'mushrooms' on tree-tops. The humidity means the snow is sticky and stays on the trees longer, sometimes forming a big ball on the tree-top - we needed to watch for when it fell off the tree though! We went to the UBC ski lodge to check in and unfortunately got stuck in the snow when we were leaving for dinner. It had still been snowing, and as Nathan finally got out of the snowy driveway, a snow-plough almost took out our rented minivan, and Nathan accidentally reversed towards a snow-bank trying to get out of the way. Some friendly locals helped us out. That night we went on a horse-drawn sleigh ride at a the Nicklaus North Golf Club (a good use for the fairway during winter!), followed by a 4 course fondue dinner. A bit extravagant, but it was like our Christmas dinner. The next morning we slept in, and then tried to shovel the car out of the snow - it had snowed all night. A snow plow came in clear the driveway and that helped a lot. We had brunch in Whistler, looked in at the 2010 Winter Olympics information booth and grabbed some souvenirs before heading back to Vancouver. This time the weather was clear, and we could look past the construction to see the beautiful views of the islands and mountains as we drove home.

Lyn had her handbag stolen at Granville Island Markets on Tuesday, including all their travel documents which had put a definite damper on their holiday, however when we returned home we had a phone message from Canada Post saying their travel document wallet had turned up - maybe the thief put it in a mail box? So we made use of the rental car to drive 30 mins south to pick that up. It was such a huge relief, despite all the other things that will remain missing. Although the Australian High Commission has already issued them Emergency Passports, it's good to know they are not being impersonated. Also, having all their accommodation and tour vouchers will make the rest of their trip a bit easier.

Saturday morning we had a walk to the beach, and a tour of Regent. Currently Nathan's family are shopping back in Downtown Vancouver. Tomorrow we hope to take them out for some local Cinnamon Rolls before they head out to San Francisco.

Going to Bonny Doon

Actually we're going to Whistler! Picking up the minivan in 30 mins to drive to whistler - dogsledding and snowshoeing to follow....and then a sleigh ride and fondue dinner tonight! Will have some pics when we get back. Let it snow!

Cunneens arrive Today!

In 5 hours we'll be picking up the Cunneen's from the airport! Not Vancouver's finest weather today, but at least it is realistic (rainy). We've got a little bit of tidying up to do and some shopping before we head on a bus over to the airport.

Yesterday we went to Whistler with Matt and Ramie - there is lots of snow up there! Had some lunch with Ziggy and Sarah who were skiing/boarding, and drove past the lodge we will be staying at on Thursday night. It was a kind of trial run for the roads and our clothes, making sure we'd be warm enough.

Looking forward to 2008...

Happy New Year! Vancouver is one of the last cities to bring the new year in, and we celebrated by having dinner, games and a movie with our friends Matt, Ramie, Thomas and Christina. We brought along large (3kg!) chicken which we roasted and ate with Gravox chicken gravy (thanks to my mum for the Christmas parcel :) ). We played Carcasonne and Canasta for the first time, and watched Regarding Henry. We saw 7 firecrackers go off, and heard the fireworks downtown but could not see them from the apartment.

Things coming up for us in 2008: A visit from the Cunneens in January; Finishing one year of bible college; Teaching chemistry; Moving to a bigger apartment; Our first child in early July; A new niece/nephew in July/August; A visit from the Dibbens in August...any other visitors during the year who want to drop in!