Today we walked to the Cromarty Firth. It is about a mile from our house. It goes out to the North Sea. The scenery was incredible. The pictures don't do it justice.







Here are some other pics from the last few weeks.

Andrew putting on Jason's shoes.

Pasta face

Gramms and Kate


Chubby Cheeks

First dress

A busy three weeks

Kate is now three weeks old. It has been a crazy three weeks, as we have been packing, moving , and unpacking. On Feb 10th, the movers came to load our stuff and drive it to Dingwall. Mom, the kids, and I then took the train up. Jason had been here since the 1st so he was very glad to have us join him. Our new house is two floors. The kitchen, living room, bathroom, and guest room are on the ground floor. The other two bedrooms are upstairs. The garden is really big, which will be great for Andrew.

Here are some pics from before we moved from Aberdeen.
Kate had very chubby cheeks at first, but they are not as chubby now.




My mom will be here for 5 weeks. We are very thankful for all her help.



These pics are from Dingwall.
Kate is 3 weeks old here.



Gramms with kids.


Wide awake


Andrew used to sleep with his arms up and head tilted like this.

It's a Girl!

Kathryn Isabella Maston, called Kate, was born Monday 25th January at 9:28am. We were able to take her home Monday evening. She is doing very well and Andrew has quickly taken to her. He discovered today that he could hold her and has constantly wanted to hold her since then.

At hospital.



Andrew putting on her hat. He kept taking it off and trying to put it back on.


Andrew holding Kate.


Cuddles

Kisses



Video of Andrew holding Kate.

Moses Basket

I decided yesterday to get the baby's moses basket ready and to show it to Andrew so he could get used to it. When he saw it he said "Isla," which is the name of our friends' new baby. He had seen her in her moses basket the week before. I explained that this was for Andrew's baby, to which he repeated "baby." The moses basket was left sitting on the couch while I tidied up dinner. While I was in the kitchen, Andrew took the moses basket off the couch and carried it to the kitchen door. Then he climbed into it. It was so cute that I had to get a few quick pictures. But then I needed to get him out of it so he didn't break it! He was very unhappy when I took him out and put the basket in the other room out of his reach.

Our exciting news

No--baby number 2 is not here. But we have other news: We will be staying in Scotland for a while longer.

Jason has been appointed New Testament Tutor at Highland Theological College in Dingwall, Scotland. He will be starting in February, so we will be moving to the Dingwall area shortly after baby number 2 is born. The College is small and a mix of on-campus students and distance learners. Jason will be working with students who are preparing for ministry or are already serving in churches as pastors or lay leaders. He will also be able to continue his research and writing. Erin will be able to stay at home with the kids.

Dingwall is about 115 miles (3 hours) north of Aberdeen, near the city of Inverness. Dingwall has a long history and, with many walking trails beginning there, it provides a great starting point for adventures into the highlands of Scotland.

This job is an answer to prayer as so few positions are currently open. We received our new work visas exactly one week before Jason's interview.

We invite you to visit us in the Highlands of Scotland.

This Could Be Interesting!

Our close friends recently had a baby. Today Andrew met her for the first time. We were interested to see how he would respond. We thought he might be really jealous because he is used to having all their attention. He was fine with her being around, watched her a bit, and then carried on playing. However, when I tried to hold her he was very upset. We had him sit beside me but that didn't suffice. Then I tried holding him on one side and her on the other. That worked for a minute until he started trying to hit her. So...life could be interesting when his own brother/sister arrives and Mummy can't just pass her back to her parents!!

Christmas

We seem to have started a Christmas tradition that we really need to change...Andrew being sick! Last Christmas all three of us had a stomach bug. This year Andrew was very sick. Poor boy started with vomitting and then had a high temperature, chesty cough, sore throat and ears for a week. He has never been this unwell. All he did was sleep, and when he was not sleeping he only wanted to be held. Once in a while he got a burst of energy for about 30 minutes and wanted to play, but then he would crash. He didn't eat much either, so he has been making up for it this week by eating all the time. So we'll hope to break this trend next year!

We managed to open presents on Christmas morning. We thought Andrew would be more interested this year and understand what to do. But he had no interest in unwrapping. Once unwrapped though, he was happy to play with his toys.

Barney video. He loves Barney!

Thanks Gigi for the singing toothbrush that plays Frosty the Snowman over and over and over again! He loves it.


He also likes his new scribbler (etch a sketch).


I am now 35 weeks and look huge!

This video is of Andrew playing with one of his new toys. He is able to sort the colours with just a little help.