Kids, kids, everywhere...

Today has been such a great day! The sound of children laughing and playing just fills my heart with joy. Granted, it's noisy, but it's a precious noise. Today, we've had four additional kids over for the afternoon. Yes.....4 + 4 = 8 kids....ranging in age from 7-13. Two 7 year olds, a 9 year old, a 10 year old, two 11 year olds, a 12 year old and a 13 year old and it's been great.

They've played on the Wii and the XBOX. They've played Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, hide and seek and freeze tag. Now they're playing Duck, Duck, Goose. They've run and jumped and hid and tagged and then screamed in delight. And it's been great.

They'll be going home shortly, but it will all start over again tomorrow. Only this time we're adding the adults.....three families...all as close as we can be, just hanging out and spending time together...celebrating the end of one great year and anticipating the beginning of the next.

The only thing missing is Matt, Missy and Levi. They're out of town. Bummer.

God is good. For He has provided for us some wonderful friends. Friends that we really enjoy spending time with. Who have kids who really enjoy spending time together.

Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow.

Home...safe and sound

We've made it home. After spending a couple of days with family....chilling, shopping and just hanging out...we drove home yesterday. Picture this.....two adults, four kids, four car size pillows, two blankets, a laptop computer with an Air card, a portable DVD player, five ipods, a Nintendo DS, a PSP, an electronics box with chargers and cables, a food box and a coffee thermos in an Envoy pulling a UHaul trailer filled with a full size bed, 15 boxes of books, Christmas presents (including an XBOX 360 with two Guitar Hero guitars, random mish-mash, suitcases and winter coats making the trek from Oklahoma City to Atlanta, GA...only able to drive 68 miles per hour.

What normally would take 12 1/2 hours (driving an average of 78 mph) took 15. But the kids were great, save for Trey and his moments of whining about why should fly everywhere we go...or at least rent an RV.

We spent Christmas Eve with Joe's mom, sister, and her two kids and son-in-law. It was a very nice time. Christmas Day was spent with my parents with lunch with Joe's dad, his wife and Joe's 90 year old grandmother.

The kids made a haul...as usual. They get to share the XBOX 360--as the family gift. They each then got one special gift that defines each of them. Daniel got his Papasan Chair, Trey--his guitar. Josh was told his new drum kit was on layaway and he would be helping pay it off and Julia got the portable DVD player because of her love of movies.

I did well, too. I was able to enjoy an IPOD itouch. Very cool.

I love Christmas. It's a wonderful time with family, but more than that, it's a celebration of the birth of a Savior. That precious Baby Jesus, born over 2,000 years ago, would grow up, become a man and give Himself up on a cross....taking our sins and placing them on His back because we could not pay for our sins ourselves. Only a perfect, Holy Lord could do it. And because of His love for us....He did. Now, provided we've accepted this Gift, can live eternally in Heaven with God. What an awesome reality!

Where has the time gone?

Ok..ok...I know it's been awhile. 10+ months to be exact, but when you've got four kids, two dogs, three cats and several fish....not to mention being a wife and house-manager, it's hard to sit down and blog with regularity.

What have we been up to, you ask? Well, here it is...in short:

Daniel: In 7th grade. Still playing the French Horn. Is doing well in school. Sings in the Middle School Choir at Church. Loves to read. Is a black belt in karate. And the scariest fact of all........he turned 13 on the 21st. Holy Cow!

Trey: Now in 6th grade. Plays the piano, the saxophone and now the guitar. Plays baseball at the county league and basketball at the church. Is doing well in school. Sings in the Middle School Choir at Church. Loves to play computer games. Is very good at Guitar Hero. Loves to give his mother hugs and tell her he loves her. Is a black belt in karate. And turned 12 the end of November.

Josh: In 5th grade. Plays the drums and is quite good at it. Plays baseball at the county league. Is doing well in school (when he feels like doing the work). Sings in the Children's Choir at Church. Loves to play computer games. Is taller than both of his older brothers. Loves to give his mother hugs and tell her he loves her. Is a black belt in karate. And is 10 years old.

Julia: In 3rd grade. Plays the piano. Takes ballet, jazz and tap. Is a cheerleader with an Upward Cheerleading league. Will begin testing for her black belt in karate in March. Is doing well in school, but needs to work on multiplication facts memorization. Sings in the Children's Choir at Church. Loves to watch movies and is a High School Musical freak-a-zoid. She turned 9 on December 16.

And the best part is......all of my children know the Lord....have professed Him as their Savior and have been baptized. What a wonderful legacy we, as parents, can pass on to our children. My prayer will always be that they continue to pass the love of Jesus on to their children.

We are doing well. Life is busy...as it is for everyone, but my going back to work has made it much busier. I began substitute teaching last year and to be honest....it has brought me more joy than I expected. I was scared to death when I started, but the moment I walked into that 6th grade classroom last year....I was hooked. So hooked am I that I will be taking the state's Teacher Certification Exam in two weeks....in Special Education. I love middle school kids and I love working with kids who need a little more help....a little more love....and a little more encouragement. Whether it's learning disabilities or emotional or behavioral disorders....it doesn't matter. I'm nervous but I truly feel that God has given me a love for middle school kids that I need to respond to.

Joe is doing well, too. He loves his job and his job loves him. He is also working with a new unit in the Navy which has him very busy, too. We fully believe that God has answered our prayers for Joe to 'love' going to work and for him to be productive.

That's about it...in a nutshell.

I pray all of you had a wonderful Christmas and will have a safe and Happy New Year! May God bless each and every one of you.