Ellis Updates!

Its been a while since I've posted- so be sure and scroll down since I put lots of more recent pics up. Well- Taylor will be 8 weeks on Monday! I can hardly believe how fast she is growing. We had our 2 month visit at the pediatrician today and found out she weighs 12lbs and 4 oz- putting her somewhere between 85-90th percentile- we dont know for sure since she's not quite 2 months. Shes a BIG girl! We got her first series of vaccinations too and she did great. I'm pretty sure it was harder on Mark and I than it was on Taylor. I did have to shed a few tears when they pricked her though. She has found her hands and she sucks on them to soothe herself now ( hopefully that wont last too long). Also she's discovered her tongue and has progressed from grunts and noises to little coos and more purposeful talking. Its so neat to watch her learn about herself and the world around her.

On a non-baby note Mark and I are praying about our next step in life. Please pray with us too-Mark will be finished with residency this summer. We are applying now to a bunch of different wilderness medicine and EMS fellowship programs all over the US. This more than likely means another move for us somewhere far away from family- maybe even as far as California. Mark will be interviewing in the next few weeks and we'll probably know more by the end of the year. The next move could be soo crucial to Mark's career and fulfilling his dreams and for that I am thrilled! I am also sad and unsettled to think about moving in a time when the economy stinks, we've just made close friends, and of course leaving my family.

As much as it hurts me to think about moving away from my parents- I know God is sovereign and I'm just trying to trust that. I've been meditating on this verse in Philipians 4 for a couple of weeks-

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again REJOICE!Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about these things. Whatever you have learned or recieved from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

This tells me I not only need to trust in the Lord's plan for my life- but I need to focus on the truth of His character. He cares about the details of the Ellis household. He is always faithful, and even though he doesnt promise life to be easy- He is always there in the struggles. And I am trying to focus also on the sweet and lovely things He's got in store for me and my family- rather than the scariness of a move, or the sadness of leaving loved ones. The Lord has never failed me - and thats what is giving me hope and keeping me joyful. Of course having a sweet newborn to take care of helps to perk me up too! Anyway please pray with us so we can be wise and discern what we should do. Thats the end of my ramblings. More pics to come soon!