December was an interesting month for us.
At Thanksgiving, Brandon had been offered a new job making nearly twice as much as he had working retail at Apple, and doing what he wanted to make a career of: technical writing.
We rejoiced and were grateful for this new opportunity, and gladly accepted.
Brandon put in his two weeks' notice at Apple, and we awaited the time he would begin his new job in December.
Keep in mind, I am 6 months pregnant at this time.
About 4 days before Brandon was due to begin his new job, they call him and rescind the offer, stating that the meeting with their financial backers had not gone as planned, and that the company would actually be laying some people off instead of hiring.
This was about 3 weeks before Christmas. We felt sad and a little scared, but weren't devastated the way we have felt before in a time of employment loss. This time, we felt calm and peaceful. We just knew something would turn up.
And it did: after a lot of work on Brandon's part and a lot of prayer by our family members, he was offered an even slightly better offer at a well-established company as a software engineer. He now does software testing and technical writing at Storage Craft in Draper.
During this time, we saw many blessings and were reminded of all the daily miracles in our lives. I am grateful for my voice students and performing--with that income, we were able to stay afloat. I am grateful that we listened to the Spirit and opted for a home birth that we could pay in full in advance. During this time period, we had no insurance, and no idea when new insurance would be forthcoming. I am so grateful I didn't have the stress of worrying how to pay for my prenatal care and our baby's birth in those last few months of pregnancy. Mostly, I am so grateful for the experience of trusting the Lord and feeling His peace through the entire trial.
Wearing Caleb's nursery necklace and Scott's gloves. I think they were pretending it gave them super powers?
We don't make snowmen at the Barrus house--we make Snow Sculptures.
A robot, and Caleb's balancing "trick".
Playing animals with mommy.
Lights on Temple Square
Meeting baby Aubrey at the Barrus family Christmas party.
Christmas morning!
Matching outfits from the Farthest Grandma.
Zonked out after a day of sledding.
Matching Angry Bird PJ's, also from the Farthest Grandma.
Brandon's wooden nativity set from Madagascar.
Christmas morning 360.
