2008 comes to an End

We can't believe that 2008 is gone already... It was a BIG year... It was a tough year in some ways. I.E. Pregnancy, labor, recovery, the economy/self employment, transition from 2 to 3 kids that all needed quality "one on one" in different, very specific ways...

Xander in reading and memory work,

Josie (who insists on doing Xander's school work ) not being the baby anymore and now needs to be assured she is a "Big Girl" who wants to help in everything but now it seems to take twice as long to get things done. :(

And "Aliza baby" who was helpless without me (since I have her meal tickets.)

I loved each of the areas I was needed but I feel next year will be a bit easier for me.

Good bye 2008 and welcome 2009!

Sledding-MN 2008

For Unto Us a Child is Born!

Isaiah 9:6
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."John 1:14 Christmas blessings! This is the time of year when we make our lists - "To-Do" lists, wish lists, shopping lists, etc. What better time of year to list our blessings, the first being the gift of salvation! Jesus came to earth, humbling Himself as a babe to be born in a manger - for us. We could make a list of His reasons for coming, too, but why did Jesus say He came? In John 18:37 Jesus says, "For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." What a statement! The truth must be awfully important for Jesus to have said that's why He came! It is our foundation, without which everything else becomes distorted and ultimately meaningless. May your home be filled with Truth and His love this Christmas season!

Things this year are a a bit simpler. We haven't focused on Christmas Shopping or Lists of things we want as possible gifts for ourselves or each other. We are thankful for our home, our newest member of the family (ALIZA) , and how God has provided our every need. We have enjoied seeing Him:

Keeping Dan busy at Work.

Keeping us all healthy and safe.

Providing new clothes and toys this year for Christmas without buying a single thing from a retail store.

Bringing our family closer together.

Giving us some great friendships this year.

Giving us a Church that teaches the WORD.

Giving us each other.

Giving us a great extended family on both sides.

We hope you all have as Merry a CHRISTmas as we are this year!

Frog and Toad / Henry and Mudge/ Amelia Bedelia

We took off! we can read several books a day! This was one of our goals for Christmas break. I am so proud of him. he is a great help now because he can read well enough to read to his sisters now!

We enter the age which entertainment means T-R-O-U-B-L-E !

Oh dear need I say more? you will be hearing alot of "Kids who left the bathroom door open?" :)

Am I Going to Remember?

Am I going to remember... doing Xander's phonograms with him and how ough says six different things?
...The way he remembers aw and au as "awwww that we may not use at the end of English words" and he says it with this terrible pout complete with his lip out and grin after
...And how today he was really getting all of them right and I said "I can't believe how smart you are!" And he held his sides laughing and said that he could see though my paper because I was sitting in front of the window! ? I am proud of him he is reading really smoothly now.


Am I going to remember.. How Aliza zooms around like a crab (sideways like) and we all jump out of her way (sometimes doing half splits) to prevent her from running over our feet or ankle tendon? .
...Her little shoes with the squeakers in?
... How she says "mom-ma" now... And how she smelled of chicken noodle soup all afternoon (we did take care of that with a bath after supper in the sink as we washed the kitchen up) :)?


Am I going to remember.. How these two have became good friends? ...How Josie wants to marry Xander when she is older? and Xander explains, "You can't marry cousins or sisters! because you will have weak babies."
...How Josie ALWAYS wants to do school too? and I am not ready to put the investment of time it takes to teach her Phonograms or to write in cursive. How I want to tell her you are only four! NEXT YEAR we will do spelling tests with you but not now.
... How they play animal kingdom and Xander is her Beaver.. or they build airplanes out of Lincoln Logs and for Army formations of regiments? How unlikely is that combination?