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!