29 1/2 weeks!

Feeling her move ALL the time now! And getting more and more difficult to breathe normally as she sits on my lungs!

Dave wanted everyone to know that he has been working hard NOT to gain a baby bump! Looking good, Honey!

January and New Beginnings

Well, it's 2010...seems so weird to think about all that's transpired in the last 10 years! Graduating high school, college, getting married, moving, buying a house, several fun vacations, births, deaths, extreme highs and extreme lows, but through it all God has been so good to us! Our prayer for 2010 is that we grow closer to Him and learn to trust Him more, especially through the trials. My goal or New Year's resolution is to memorize a passage of Scripture each month. This month, I have been working on 1 Peter 5:6-11. It's been such an encouragement to me, especially as we pray for my mom and healing for her body!

We've kicked off January with Dave finishing up a LOT of work on the baby's room--including, painting the walls AND ceiling, installing a brand new ceiling fan (all by himself :-)), putting the crib together, hanging a shelf and pictures, and new blinds. It's looking very cute; we both find ourselves in there all the time just enjoying it and imagining what it will be like to have a baby. Pictures to come soon.

Speaking of baby, she is moving a lot more these days! And I'm getting big! Just 11 1/2 more weeks. Exciting and scary at the same time!

We've also kicked off college group and high school youth group again. Dave has been busy planning for the spring and summer and just announced to the kids that the summer missions trip will be to ALASKA! We are praying for just the right team to come together and for the money to be raised, as this is a significantly more expensive trip than we've done in the past. There are a lot of needs up there, though and we look forward to seeing God work through the team.

Well, I guess that's it for now--I promise my next post will have pictures!

Prayer Need

Yesterday, we learned that my mom has breast cancer. We are experiencing a flood of emotions right now, and we're so thankful for prayers for her and our family. I am also so thankful that my mom has a wonderful relationship with God and that He is in control. Please pray for the doctor's wisdom as they discuss a treatment plan and for my mom's physical, emotional, and mental strength. Please also pray for my dad and my sister and the rest of our family.

My friend Megan shared this verse with me:
Isaiah 43:1-3:

"But now, this is what the Lord says- He who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

24 weeks!

Christmas Letter 2009!!!!!!!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

It's once again our favorite time of year, when we celebrate the birth of our Lord, break out the Christmas music and the peppermint hot chocolate (or mocha for Dave), go crazy decorating, and enjoy thinking about ways we can bless family, friends, and those in need. Our tree is up, and we are enjoying the yummy smell it gives our home. We are looking forward to the kids' Christmas play at church this weekend and all the time with family this month! We are also enjoying one last year with everything set up the way we've always had it, as next year we will probably have a crawler to think about as we decorate!

2009 has been a very busy, fulfilling year for Dave and me. I cut back to working just a couple afternoons a week for another real estate agent at Windermere in January. This relieved a lot of stress for both Dave and me, as we are not both "on call" 24 hours a day now. It also allowed me to get more involved with women's Bible study at our church and continue helping with youth group. Our first nephew was born in May, so we are having fun being Uncle Dave and Aunt "Mamy" to both Sophie (2) and A.J. (7 months)! We enjoyed a wonderful family vacation with the Bertolinis in Disneyworld this last Spring and a relaxing week in Eagle Crest with the Davis side in August. In between vacations, we also had a week of VBS (where Dave transformed into the "crocodile hunter"--complete with blonde wig and a clean shaven face that I had never seen before!), a high school mission trip to Tumalo, Oregon, and a nice visit from Dave's grandparents and uncle.

Dave once again had the opportunity to speak at Hartland Christian Camp in California. This year, he did their winter camp in February. He has stayed busy with youth group and men's ministry and also filled the pulpit several times this summer and fall while our senior pastor took a short sabbatical and went on a missions trip to Peru. In September, Dave began taking classes at Western Seminary in Portland to work towards his Masters of Divinity. He hopes to be able to complete this 3 year program in 5 years while continuing to work full time. (we'll see what God has in store!) He has really enjoyed the classes so far, though the homework load far surpasses what we remember from our undergraduate classes! We have been very blessed by the recent hire of a part-time j-high pastor, who has taken over j-high youth groups and rotates Sunday morning teaching with Dave. He and his wife have been such a blessing to us personally and to our church! Without the j-high responsibilities, we kicked off a college/young adults group at our home on Sunday nights this fall. We've been studying the book of James. It's been nice to continue the relationships with our recent graduates and get to know some we never had in youth group. Dave is also in charge of our new "connection program" at church to make sure anyone who walks in our doors gets connected in some way to the church body for encouragement and accountability.

When we are not busy with church activities and planning, we have been working on getting our spare room ready for our baby girl who is due to arrive the first of April! We are so thankful for your prayers for her healthy development and for us as we prepare to be parents. It's been exciting this last month to feel her move and begin decorating her room with little girl things!

Like so many this year, our family is going through some tough times right now. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness and ultimate plan even when we can't see it, and we are so glad to know that in our weakness, our Lord is our strength! We thank God for each one of you and pray He fills you with peace this Christmas!

With love,
Dave, Amy, and Baby Bertolini

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Our new Christmas Village-a gift from Mom and Ashley :-)!

Our biggest/most beautiful tree ever :-)

We LOVE Christmas!

Thanksgiving!

So much to be thankful for this year! With the current economy, I have been very aware this year of just how many material blessings I take for granted on a daily basis! I am so thankful for our beautiful home, providing us with a warm, dry place to live...our comfortable bed-again with warm blankets, our jobs, the money to buy necessities and some extras, working vehicles, and on and on the list could go. I am working on being more prayerful for those who don't have as much and having an increased attitude of giving this year--as really, none of "my" stuff is mine. Rather, God has blessed me with it for this time, and I should be using it to bless others!

I am also so thankful for our family, as always, and Dave and I are getting excited to welcome the new addition to our family. We are enjoying beginning to decorate her room, think about doing things with her in the future, and as we set up our tree last night, wonder if we'll have to keep her from crawling towards ornaments next year!

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with both sides of our family this year, complete with turkey, pie, cheesecake, stuffing, and some rousing games of Yahtzee! We praise the Lord for His many blessings in our life, and now look forward to celebrating His birth!