Happy New Year!

We're going to be playing games tonite to ring in the New Year. We'll see if we make it or not! We will be reading our blessing jar and writing in our resolution book too.

Here are some of the blessings we are thankful for this past year:

(In no particular order)

Our library
our beds
our apple tree
our couches
our books
Starlight Starbright Foundation
dad's job at the YMCA
a playground
that God help me coach (jmc)
play days with friends
I don't have to stay in the hospital (jmc)
dad being saved from the tree
the white truck
a job for dad
being able to go to family camp
Boyscouts paying to fix the van
Bible
Church
house
car
God
my mom
my dad
my bongo drum
family
friends
Food & Water miracle in Mexico
water
food
toys
baseball
money
God gave us a good church
God gave us a good President
God gave us free icecream and a cheap camp site
God helped me get through my operation (jmc)
God helped me get my bandages off (jmc)
family camping in Centralia
Our trip To Georgia!


My FIAR friends have been thinking about a word for 2008. My word is Anticipation.
I want to look at each and every thing that comes in to my life and anticipate how it can bring glory to God. I want to be open to God working through my life and be excited about it, even if it seems to be a negative aspect.

How is God going to use my family and me to bring glory to Him? That's anticipation!

Just looking through all the words listed was an eye opener for me. I anticipate using many of the words throughout the year!:)
Awareness, Trust, Beauty, Loveliness, Consistency, Gratitude, Contentment, Stewardship, Legacy, Relationships, Compassion, Joy, Refocus, Simplicity, Love, Steadfast, Peace, Perseverance, Brokenness, Grace, Tranquility, Hope, Gentleness, Patience, Strength, Commitment, Great, Courage, Deserve, Excellence, More, Gracious, Purposeful, Fellowship, Discipline, Simplify, Self-Control, Enough, Me, Be Still, Cultivate, Emmanuel, Fight, Motivation, Diligence, Intimacy, Gentle, Compassion,
Kindness, Surrender, Priorities, Repentance, Yes, Unity, Brotherly Love, Listen, Boundaries, Restoration, Giving, Flexibility, Time, Investment, Delight, Genuine, Contentment, Studious, Anticipation, Transform.

Merry Christmas!

I'll be home for Christmas...

What a blessing to be home for Christmas! The kids did great at the hospital. We schooled in the morning and rested in the afternoons and watched tv and played games in the evenings. It went pretty well. Josiah is feeling a bit better. Christalin is getting a cough now. Hopefully she'll pull through without having to be hospitalized. We were blessed with letters and cards from our FIAR ladies and friends from Scouts and church. That was fun to have mail in the hospital!



Right after we got out of the hospital, we were on our way to Georgia! Last August Josiah was the spokesperson for a fundraiser for Children's hospital. While sitting at the table a gentleman tapped Josiah on the shoulder and asked him if he liked hunting. We had never been hunting, but in Scouts they were working on their Hunter education badge. Long story short, this generous gentleman offered to send us all (yes, all 6 of us!) down to Georgia to hunt! What an adventure! We were gone for about 5 days. The boys went hunting and Christalin and I hung out in the beautiful lodge and got to go horseback riding. It is hard to put in words what this trip meant. It sure let us see true Southern Hospitality. Everyone was so nice! Genuinely nice and kind people. We feel we found lifelong friends. We were sad to leave at the end of our stay. What a memory to cherish for the rest of our lives. This whole trip was like a Make A Wish trip!

Now we're home for Christmas. Wow. We're so thankful for wonderful friends new and old and our families. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May this new year bring memories to cherish for the rest of your lives too!

Here we go again!

Josiah's going into the hospital again...
I'm thankful that we were able to stay out of the hospital for Thanksgiving and my parent's 50th anniversary.

Josiah is really sick and will need to go in now though. We have been holding back for the holiday weekend, and can't wait any longer.

The tricky thing about this hospitalization is that I need to take all the kids with me. We will stay overnight in a trailer in the parking lot. In the past, my parents have watched the kids while dh was at work, but with their health so bad, they will not be able to do that this time.

Please pray for peace for Josiah. He has never had to spend the nights alone. He is a bit concerned.

I don't know if Christalin will be admitted as well. We will find out tomorrow morning.

Please pray for logistics. I'm not sure how to feed my kids while we're there. We cant afford to go to the cafeteria every day for three weeks. Also, trying to keep all four kids entertained while we are quarantined in the room will be tricky.

The good thing is we should be home for Christmas!

Thank you for your prayers! They are so appreciated!

Half a Century!! Congratulations to Mom & Dad!

Fifty years is a long time. They were just kids when they met. She had to telegram her daddy in Iowa to ask permission to marry since she was only 17. They lived in California, had four children, two boys and two girls. Through thick and thin, they are still in love. My parents, Marlin & Marjorie, are an inspiration. Congratulations Mom & Dad!! We love you!

Thank you Lord...

There's nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon
Waking to the sunlight, and being cradled by the moon
Catching fireflies at night
Building castles in the sand
Kissing Mama's face goodnight
Holding Daddy's hand
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

Running barefoot through the grass
A little hide and go seek
Being so in love, that you can hardly eat
Dancing in the dark, when there's no one else around
Being bundled 'neath the covers, watching snow
Fall to the ground
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

So many things I thought would bring me happiness
Some dreams that are realities today
Such an irony the things that mean the most to me
Are the memories that I've made along the way

So if there's anything I've learned
From this journey I am on
Simple truths will keep you going
Simple love will keep you strong
Cause there are questions without answers
Flames that never die
Heartaches we go through are often blessings in disguise
So thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord
How could I ask for more

My heart's cry...

This song has so touched me. This is what I want. God be my everything. No matter how sad, or discouraged you may be today, God is still God. I hope you are able to listen to this and make this your hearts cry. Life's hard. God is good.

The joys of playing in the leaves!

Here in the wet Pacific Northwest, when the leaves fall, so does the rain. This year we actually had the leaves fall and no rain! Even though the kids were not feeling so great, I scrambled them out to play in the leaves. They had so much fun! I remember when my nephews and niece were little, they got to play in the leaves at my house. Now I have pictures of my kids too. What fun!

Spelunking at the Ape Caves

Ape Caves Update

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Oh MY GOODNESS!!!! I DID IT!!!!




We are in the off season, so there were no guides and no lights.

I don't think I have ever been so wet and tired! It has been pouring buckets here in Washington. The middle of the cave was running water in a lot of places. It might as well have been raining inside the cave. It was so- not what I was expecting! I thought that once I was in the cave I would be dry. Not so! I was soaked to the bone!

There was a group of boy scouts going in before us and they all had hard hats on. I was a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect. It probably wouldn't have been a bad idea to have a hard hat on. I ended up slamming my head into an outcropping and practically knocked myself out.

I don't know if any of you remember that I have a bad hip and could hardly walk last year. I can't believe I actually made it through! It was hard, but a lot of fun too.

The ladies I went with were real "outdoorsey" types and were going at a very quick pace. I have short legs, so I was always behind. They would wait for me, but as soon as I caught up they would go on the move again! I didn't get to stop and take a breather for the whole time, except when they stopped a few seconds when I almost knocked myself out! Huff Puff!

There was this one rock wall you had to climb. It was 8-10 feet straight up with only one foothold. Of course the foothold was on my bad hip side. By the time I got my foot up there, there was no way that I could go any further! My legs were just plain jello! Two of the ladies had to grab my hands, while another tried to push my foot up and they yanked me up the wall. Whew!! What would I have done without them?

It totally reminded me of the struggles that we go through in our lives. Sometimes we just don't have the strength to make one more step. That's when our wonderful brothers and sisters come to our rescue with prayer support to help us make it through our dark tunnels and into the light.

I'm exhausted. I think I will call it a night!

Happy Thanksgiving all you Canadians!

Happy Thanksgiving! Since my dh is Canadian, we celebrate two Thanksgivings a year. This has to be a quick blog entry, since I have to get the turkey in the oven.

It is also Columbus day. A friend of mine sent this quiz on how much you know about Columbus. Take the quiz to see how smart you are!
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/education_1/?page=quiz131&Quizid=131&GT1=10488

Knights & a Princess

We are rowing Duchess Bakes a cake to go along with our unit study on The Middle Ages. The kids are loving it! We went to a medieval village called Camlann Medieval Village. We all got to see how things were during that time period. They even were able to make their own "Unicorn Horns!" The process of making these candles took half an hour. It was done on an open fire. They used actual beeswax. The lady helping them, spun a story about unicorn horns and and ending up giving God the glory and talking about the resurrection! I was surprised to hear her talk about that in public! However, it would be true to the period. It was refreshing! We are doing a History Fair with our Homeschool group on the 15th of October. The kids are all dressing up too. I hope to get some time to upload some pictures. It should be fun!

The joys & trials of living with chronic illnesses...

When I first found out 9 years ago my son has Cystic Fibrosis, we were devastated. God and my church family literally wrapped their arms around us and helped us through. God held our hand and kept us through the agony of the unknown. Then when my daughter was diagnosed two weeks after birth, I knew that God was with us. We were of course still devastated, but having been through it with my son, I just knew that God had a plan, and he would bring us through.

The good things -
I've learned to depend more upon God - moment by moment - breath by breath.
I know that I do not need to have all the answers. I don't need to understand everything. My Father is in control. I can trust him.
I've learned to appreciate every day that I have with my children.
I'm learning to step back from situations that frustrate me and ask, "In the light of eternity, would this matter?" It helps me to have a reality check.
I think I have become more tender hearted toward others who are hurting.
I am learning to be more of a prayer warrior.
We have grown together so close as a family, through the bad times and the good.
We look for the good in situations more. We try to find the "silver lining" no matter how bleak the outlook.
My children have a maturity beyond their ages as a result of everything they have to go through.

The bad things?
My heart is still broken that my children are slowly dying of Cystic Fibrosis. However, God heals the broken hearted. I might not be totally healed this side of heaven, but He binds up the broken heart and helps me to function and thrive in the presence of His grace.
It hurts when my children are hurting and sick and there is nothing I can do.
I worry that I won't be here to care for my family.
I'm tired. I have fibromyalgia and MHE and deal with pain daily. The extra stress of caring for chronically ill children as well as being chronically ill myself can be tiring.

The road is a tough one, but God is carrying us through. I depend upon my Father more and know that He will use these circumstances for His glory.