Ami Got Her Visa!!!

Ami's visa was approved!!! She is waiting to get her passport back (which should be any day) and then she'll be on a plane the next day! :) We're so excited that she'll be here in Redding so soon! Thanks for your prayers!

Gymnastics Playdate

Priya has been begging me for a very long time to take her back to gymnastics for open gym. I was feeling well enough to take her so we joined a former Simpson student (who was in my dorm my 1st year as an RD - we recently ran into each other in the Target parking lot and have enjoyed reconnecting) and her 2 year old daughter for a play date.

On the way to gymnastics, Priya was being goofy, making her own "sunglasses".Every time we go it seems that Priya braves something new. This time is was the rope swing. She loved it and kept trying it again and again despite a few tumbles!

She also enjoyed swinging upside-down. I think we have a future gymnast on our hands... :)

And finally, here's a cute video of Priya and Sophia, her new buddy, jumping on a trampoline together.

Thanks for a fun morning Leah and Sophia! We had a wonderful time bouncing around with you!

Exciting News about Ashish's sister, Ami!!

We received word from Argentina today regarding Ami's visa interview date! She is scheduled to interview on September 27! If all goes well and her visa is approved she could be here in Redding in just over a week from now! Please pray for favor with those who will be interviewing her/making the final decision, for courage and clarity of speech for Ami, and for the remainder of the details to fall into place. We'll be sure to keep you posted!

Priya's 3rd Birthday - Part 2

Priya is officially 3 years old! We had originally counted on having her party at a park, but the weather had other plans. So we ended up celebrating here in our apartment. I think this is the first time we've posted pics of our new apartment. So here's a glimpse into our living room/kitchen area to give you some idea where we're living now.The guests at Priya's party consisted of some of her babysitters, Sunday School teachers, Simpson buddies and some of her young friends. It was crowded in our little place but a wonderful time was had by all nonetheless.

Priya's 3rd Birthday - Part 1

On Sunday, September 19 Priya will officially be 3 years old! Are we seriously at 3 years ALREADY? I can't believe how quickly our little Priya is growing up!

We are doing 2 small birthday parties for her this year so that my parents could celebrate with her before returning to Canada (party #1 is with family and party #2 will be with Priya's buddies). So tonight was round 1 of the birthday fun. We celebrated at Mom and Dad Penner's home with pizza, cake and a few presents. Priya was elated and loved every minute of it (well, except for the waiting part before she got to the cake and her presents... Hmmm - how do you teach patience to a 3 year old?)!

Priya didn't eat much of her cupcake. She primarily focused on the frosting and left the cake part alone.

Below Priya is saying thank you to Uncle Phil for a beautiful purse that he got for her. By the way, his fiance Ami (Ashish's sister) is very close to having her interview to immigrate here from Argentina! They are planning for an October 2o wedding!
Priya loved the doctor kit, bubbles, stickers and picture that Auntie Em, Uncle Joel, Ella & Jake sent to her. Thank you! :)
Saying thank you to Grammy and Papa Penner for the denim jackets and the really fun baby doll.

Having some fun with her new toys after she had finished opening them...

The C-Section Has Been Scheduled!!

Exciting news! Ashish and I received a letter today informing us that the date/time for my c-section has been scheduled! Our baby boy will enter the world on November 16 at 12:30pm (unless I go into labor earlier than that date of course). How fun to know the date and approximate time that we'll be able to hold him in our arms for the first time! It's also very special that he will share a birthday with Grammy Penner and will be celebrating Grammy and Grandpa Christian's and Uncle Arpit and Aunt Binal's anniversaries that day as well. We'll definitely do everything we can to make the day special for him as well so that he won't get lost in the shuffle. :)

Who knew shaving cream could be so much fun?

My SIL Jenetta has been giving me some great ideas for creative activities to do with Priya. Since I've been unable to work I've been trying to make the most of my extra time with Priya by doing various types of activities with her. Most of them involve sitting down so that I can keep my feet up (ie. crafts, painting, etc). But today we visited my parents' house and Grandpa helped us to assemble this bizarre creation to give Priya some physical activity and fun at the same time. We cut-up a garbage bag, used some golf tees to "attempt" to hold the bag down and a bottle of shaving cream. The result was a ton of fun for Priya and a lot of giggling. And no worries, Priya didn't get any of that mess in her mouth. :)