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.