February 2016

Here's an adorable Snow Face that Emily made.

Clara, our Snowfest Queen with Jesse

Jesse, Mommy, Clara, Ben, and Allison

God has created so many beautiful and amazing creatures. It was fun to see this Pileated Woodpecker in our back yard.

We had so much fun doing the Cubbie Matchbox Grand Prix at AWANA!

We had popcorn, candy, and lots of goodies for our Cubbies and their families.

I wish I could show you all of our cute Cubbies racing their cars, but I don't like to post photos of other people's kiddos without permission. Everyone had a great time though! Here are the prizes we gave away to the winners.

In February we got a new to us van. It even has heated seats! Nice!

For Valentine's Day we went out to eat with our CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Association) at the Chase Creek Smoke House. (SO YUMMY!)  Here I am with Emily, Jesse, and my Mama before we left.

Just an Update :)

It's been so long since I've posted anything. Just thought I should give a little update. 

Of course we have been busy! We have 5 growing wonderful children. 2 of them are actually pretty much grown up now, Allison and Clara.

Allison's in her 2nd year of college and doing really well there. She is on the President's List for her wonderful grades.

Clara is going to graduate High school soon and then will begin with college too. She's in track (discus and shot put) and very much into band, where she's been playing the quints (5 drums). She also plays guitar and banjo.

Ben and Emily are 6th graders this year.  All the kids do great in school. Emily likes to read and make art. Ben enjoys hunting, fishing, and playing basketball. This past year, Ben shot his first BEAR!!! :) That was a good amount of meat for the family. Ben and Emily are also in band this year. Ben plays trombone and Emily plays clarinet.

Little Jesse Bear is 3 now and so adorable, funny, and smart. He is such a joy to all of us. He loves legos, super heroes, and drawing wonderful pictures.

Recently, Clara was voted Queen of the Snowfest, a formal winter dance at school. She and her friend, Kristopher won together and went to the dance together with a group of friends. They had a great time and looked so nice. :)

We're very involved with Church still. Tim and I are AWANA Cubbie leaders. We lead the youngest group of students at our Church AWANA program, the preschoolers.  Jesse is in Cubbies and loves it! He loves playing with his friends and singing and is great at memorizing his verses each week.  Clara, Ben, and Emily are all in Youth group and they enjoy that. Tim and I are in a small group Bible study that meets a couple of times a month. Right now we're studying Romans 12.  Tim is a Deacon at Church and a member of the Men's prayer group.  I teach Children's Church, which we call Club 631 on rotation with other teachers. That group is Kindergarten through 5th grade. 

We are also still involved in the C.M.A (Christian Motorcyclists Association) We have a lot of fun with that group and do some neat things. One of our favorite things is visiting a local Assisted Living/Nursing Home where we help out with an annual Pig Roast.

I also do a Mom Bible study with some ladies in my neighborhood. Those women have become such treasures and friends to me. It's nice to have a group like that. We study together, but also have fun and enjoy being with each other. We are finishing up a book called "Longing for Paris" by Sarah Mae and are soon going to be working on a study book based on the Christian movie, "War Room". I'm looking forward to that as my Mom and Dad have been doing it and have said it's a good one. Hoping to grow in my prayer life.

God has truly Blessed us and I honestly do question why at times. I know we are "good" people, but why does God love us so much?  He is so so Good and we are so so Loved. We always have everything we Need and usually have so much more beyond that! I truly want to use what's He's given us to make a difference in the world, even if it's just the world of our own little community.

I try to keep up with the duty of housecleaning and such. It can be rough with so many mess makers, but I love it! (Most of the time) I enjoy folding laundry and washing dishes, but not so much putting them away. :) Some of the children are better helpers than others, but the work gets done when it needs to I guess and we are pretty happy and comfortable most of the time.

This past October, my Mom, my sisters, and our sis-in-law all got to get away for a weekend together. We used to do that every year, but it's gotten harder as a couple sisters have moved farther away. Do you know how far apart Michigan and Arizona are???? Seems like a world away!  Anyway we enjoyed our time together so much! I do hope we can do it more often, at least every couple of years.

Tim's health is pretty good. His lungs are really no better, but no worse than they have been the past few years. He's had a lot more problems and pain though with arthritis, trigger thumb, and possible carpal tunnel syndrome. He's still able to hunt, fish, mow the grass, and snow blow which I am thankful for. He does a great job keeping up with his "jobs" around the house.

All in All things are really going well for us. We have definitely had struggles and sorrow, such as losing both of Tim's parents in the past 2 years, but God Always carries us through. We comfort and support each other and know that God has good plans for us! He LOVES us and we feel it daily!

MORE SNOWFLAKES!

I just can't get enough of photographing snowflakes! Here are a few more! :)

A Tiny Bit of Care Goes a Long Way

I noticed the other day that this huge plant I have had for almost a year now was really looking down. It gets that way from time to time and I often think "This is it. This time it isn't going to survive."

But, I gave it some water and magically in not time at all, it had perked back up!

It makes me think of relationships. Sometimes they may seem to not be going well. Sometimes it may be for big reasons and sometimes something small. Sometimes all it may need is just a tiny bit of care to revive and perk it back up.

More of God's Beautiful Creation

I had to get outside again today as the clean white snowflakes were drifting down. They float so gently and land in every nook and cranny they can creep into. I find them on thorns and webs and caught in branches and even snuggled up to old dying flowers and berries. Such pretty little tiny things that God has made so perfectly! I love taking photos of nature, up close, and personal. I am so thankful to God for all the beauty He has made. These beautiful little things remind me daily that He loves me! There are more photos on my Flickr page:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35489872@N04/sets/

January 26, 2015

Just some photos I took today. It was so sunny today!  I read Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts" and this quote beginning chapter 6 is perfect for how I feel when I'm taking photos of God's creation.

Every time you feel in God's creatures something pleasing and attractive, do not let your attention be arrested by them alone, but, passing them by, transfer your thought to God and say: "O my God, if Thy creations are so full of beauty, delight and joy, how infinitely more full of beauty, delight and joy art Thou Thyself, Creator of all!" -Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain