Lest We Forget

STEELERS POST BLOG

2009-02-02T19:34:00.001-08:00

A BLAST FROM THE PAST TO SAY THE LEAST

I JUST HAD TO ADD THIS TO OUR PREVIOUS STEELERS BLOG ENTRY. THIS IS ANDREW AND MARIE WATCHING A STEELERS GAME ABOUT 3 1/2 years ago. WE HAVE A PICTURE WITH NATTY AS A BABY TOO DRESSED IN A STEELERS' OUTFIT, BUT THAT WILL HAVE TO BE SCANNED IN AT A LATER TIME DUE TO BEING ON THE OLD FASHIONED PRINT FILM. THE YEARS GO ON, BUT WE CONTINUE TO LOVE OUR PITTSBURGH STEELERS.

WE LOVE OUR STEELERS

2009-02-01T20:44:00.001-08:00

ROMANS 12:15

"Rejoice with those who rejoice,
and weep with those who weep."

WE ARE DEFINITELY REJOICING IN THE FUN WAY
THIS NIGHT!!

The Super Bowl is usually an exciting time at our house, but it is even MORE exciting when our team makes it and WINS the whole enchilada. Our beloved, Pittsburgh Steelers, took home the National Championship when they won their sixth Super Bowl Title causing them to have more wins than any other NFL team in football history. For Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers played the Arizona Cardinals and it was a tight game...down to the last wire....final score below...

We were truly on the edge of our seats. My favorite statement was, "I can't talk right now. I'm breathing in the towel (the terrible towel that is)." The terrible towel for all you non Steelers fans is the Gold Towel that Steelers fans wave and twirl over their heads as our friend, Jacob, is demonstrating in the picture below...

In the end, it was a breathtaking win with MVP player of the night, #10, Santonio Holmes, catching the winning touchdown and scoring in the end zone with the tips of his toes.

My beloved husband, Andrew, definitely picked the winning number tonight sporting his fine Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. Here he is below giving his impression of Steelers' quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. Oh, and on his finger is his SuperBowl XLIII ring...so much cheaper if you purchase it at Publix on a set of cupcakes. Our little Natty girl got one too :)!

After evening church, we raced back in time for most of the game. Our friends, the Menkings, Jacob, Bekah, and of course Mama, Russell, and Emmy joined in on the festivities.

By the way, Bekah has her thumb pointing down because she was the only one in the house who was rooting for the Cardinals...they lost, however. We're trying to get Bekah to realize that :).

Our friends, Ben and April, said they were a Neutral Party. Yet, I know they could not withstand the excitement for too long...my dear friend April gave me a hug when Holmes scored the winning touchdown. What a proud moment!

Andrew, of course, had to call his Dad in Illinois, who is also a Steelers fan to rejoice in their team's exciting win.

And yes, I too, was extremely proud of my husband and HIS FINE TEAM!

I'm looking forward to what next season holds. At least the party food of chicken wings, shrimp cocktail, artichoke dip, and ice cold lemonade was a BIG hit! It was followed by our delicious dessert of Football Cake that said "GO STEELERS" and our Super BOWL cupcakes.

In the end, Great FOOD, Great FUN, Great FELLOWSHIP, and GREAT FOOTBALL!

GO STEELERS!!!

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Marie Gets A Haircut

2008-12-08T17:21:00.001-08:00

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted..."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

And it was especially time for a HAIRCUT :)

I'm a little behind in posting this special event, but it is better late than never. Marie got her 1st haircut on Monday, November 24, 2008. Natty received her first ever haircut at the age of 4 and Marie was pretty close. She would be 4 on December 2. There was a big difference between my two treasures when they went to the hair cut place. Natty cried because she didn't want to have her hair cut. Natty has a close friend who cut her own hair at the same time and we showed her the pictures of the outcome...needless to say it helped Natty never to want scissors to ever touch her hair. I know it's hard to be the one who has the child who sets the example, but I truly thank my dear close friend of the little girl who paved the way...love ya, Kelly :). I now never have to fear Natty cutting her own hair :).

Marie, on the other hand, was very excited about the hair cut place. We really pumped her up about going to the special place called Snip-Its to get her first hair cut. I chose this place for both girls because they give you a certificate for bravery, take your picture, and save a lock of your hair from your first cut. They also give you a special key card to insert into their "whatchamadoodle prize machine." It makes weird noises and then spits out a big bouncy ball for your prize. Marie was thrilled. You pay the price, of course, but it is only a one time thing with our family :). After the first cut, you go on to the quick and cheap hair cuttery places.

So as you can see, it was a precious memory for me and my little girls. Natty missed the event because she went on ahead with Mama and Emmy to her violin lesson. Marie didn't miss out, however, on filling Natty in on all the details and showing off her "PRIZE BALL."

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A LITTLE TASTE OF MARIE'S FIRST HAIRCUT

A LITTLE BIT OF FUN AT OUR HOUSE

2008-10-23T17:43:00.001-07:00

Philippians 1:6
"Being confident of this very thing,
that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ."

We have been extremely busy this past month, hence the delay of updating posts to the blog. However, we just had to take a little break and have some fun being silly. Tonight, Daddy has been hard at work finishing up a paper for one of his classes at Bob Jones. He decided the girls needed to have a few bed time horse rides to break the monotony before continuing on in his studies. The girls were happy to oblige as you can see from the pictures. To save time, Andrew thought he would take on all three. Well, he was fine until the back went out :)). He says he is not as spry as he used to be :). The girls would beg to differ. Enjoy the pictures.

My Soccer Sweeties

2008-09-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Philippians 3:13-14
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;
but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the GOAL for the prize of the upward call
of God in Christ Jesus. "

This past Saturday, September 6, Natty played her first official soccer game. I was truly a "proud" parent watching my little girl be a little version of her Mommy. I used to be the player running around on the soccer field and so was her Daddy. Now I am her Coach. I have had the privilege this year to be asked to Coach the first U8 Girls Soccer Team with girls from our Church, Calvary Baptist. We are considered an outside team playing with the CESA (Carolina Elite Soccer Academy) League. I hold practices on Wednesday before church for our soccer families who participate. We started practices mid July. These girls have gone from not knowing a thing about soccer, except that it involves kicking a ball, to really looking (at least uniform wise :) ) like a professional soccer team.

Andrew and I both played soccer years ago and we were both the number 5...isn't that kind of a neat thing to pass on to your little ones. Therefore, Natty of course had to carry on the torch and be number 5.

I chose the team name, the Calvary Sweeties, because we truly do have little Sweeties on our team. We have a Lollipop as our mascot. I wasn't able to take a picture of all our team players yet as seen in the slide show above, but I hope to add to the post over the next few weeks of the updated pictures.

As for Natty, she is catching on very quickly to the game, and my little Sweeties are indeed a joy to watch. I love being their Coach.

We did not win our first game, but we won in the aspect of finishing it well. Our soccer theme verse is the one stated above... "...We Press towards the Goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." My heart's desire is for my little Sweeties to not only play soccer, but to Glorify their Savior, Jesus Christ, while doing it.

LET'S GO SWEETIES!!!

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GETTING READY FOR THE GAME

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Natty Takes a Shot on Goal

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My Natty Girl Can Really Be Polite :)

A TOOTHLESS Smile

2008-08-04T20:11:00.001-07:00

PSALM 34:8 KJV
"O TASTE and SEE that the LORD is good:
Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."

Well, you guessed it. Natty lost her first tooth today. This is definitely another milestone for our not so little, 6 year old, Natty Shumaker. Of all places too, in Walmart. Andrew and Mercy were with her when she pulled it out. Marie and I were in another aisle of the store. They came running around the aisle ecstatic and Andrew was holding the tooth. All Natty could say was, "AHH...see my mouth, Mommy." I was a little queasy from the sight of blood and replied, "Oh, how nice. Let's put it in a safe place in Mommy's purse so Daddy Tooth Fairy can find it under your pillow." Natty was super excited about going to bed tonight. If only children could lose teeth every night for this reason alone :)). She did ask me before going to bed if I thought she might get enough money to buy a Webkinz. I smiled and said, "I think Daddy Tooth Fairy might go broke if he gave you enough money to buy a Webkinz for every tooth." If you do not know a lot about Webkinz, they are stuffed animals that you can purchase and get a code so you can play with them online. They also range in price from $10 to $15 dollars a piece. Just between you, the reader of this blog, and myself, Daddy Tooth Fairy is most likely leaving $3.00 under her pillow for her first tooth.

I suppose I should add that she is not quite TOOTHLESS. There is an ADULT tooth growing up in its place. She is quite excited about that too!

How we LOVE our Natty GIRL!

A FIRST FOR NATTY

2008-07-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

"For this child we have prayed, and the Lord has granted our petition which we asked of Him. Therefore we also have given her to the Lord; as long as she lives she shall be given to the Lord..." I Samuel 1:27-28

Natty has had a lot of "Firsts" in her life, but this truly was a special one. Natty had her very first violin recital today.

Many of you know that Natty started taking violin lessons last September. She is quickly approaching her first year of the violin. One of our friends from church, Lisa White, began teaching Natty the violin.

Lisa gave Natty a strong foundational start to the violin. After the birth of her second little one, Lisa needed to stop teaching at the end of April 2008. Emmy and Natty both took from Lisa and then continued their lessons with Mrs. Joan Mulfinger who is currently retired from Bob Jones University. Mrs. Mulfinger is the daughter of a violin child prodigy. Her father was from England and very gifted at the violin. Mrs. Mulfinger continued on her violin heritage with her 11 children, and they in turn have continued on to their generation with the gift of music. Mrs. Mulfinger has a completely different teaching style and structure than Lisa had, but Natty has a warm heart to learn any way that she can. By the Lord's grace, Natty has continued to progress in her violin playing.

Emmy and Natty both performed their selected violin pieces at Bob Jones University, Fine Arts Building Rm 224 on Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 10:00 AM. Natty is currently the youngest violin student who takes from Mrs. Mulfinger. It was indeed a treat to see Natty perform before some of the older students of Mrs. Mulfinger. Natty played two pieces, Allegro by Suzuki, and Long, Long Ago by Bayly. Emmy performed the Waltz by Johannes Brahms.

Courtney accompanied Natty and Emmy on the piano and did a fantastic job by following their playing style. You can feel so much more at ease when Courtney is at the piano :).

What a gift from the Lord our precious Natty girl is! Andrew and I's prayer is that she will continue to grow in her love for the Lord Jesus. Our desire is that her music will be given only to the Lord all the days of her life.

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This segment of Emmy's violin piece got cut off by a few seconds on Dropshots upload so Blogger video was the next best option. It's a little smaller, but you get to see the whole video. Enjoy!

A scanned copy of the front and back of the recital program. Feel free to click on the picture to make it a bigger size so that you can read the wording.

A WELCOME HOME GIFT

2008-06-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

Andrew, the Girls, and I returned home from a week's vacation in Florida, on Sunday, June 22, 2008. This was the sight that awaited
our return in our very own front yard. The video clip below captures our first reaction. My words expressed to Andrew were, "Get me the camera!"

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Rubber That Meets The Road

LARGER THAN LIFE TIRES

GOES WITH EVERYTHING PINK TOILET...SAVES TIME INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GO INSIDE TO USE THE RESTROOM FACILITIES...ACCORDING TO OUR NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE STREET

COMES COMPLETE WITH DEAD FLOWERS...
FLOWERS ARE ALWAYS A NICE TOUCH

SUCH ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

When Standing Straight UP, This Tire Was Actually Taller Than Andrew!

Yes, I have to admit the GENIUS of the scheme...Paul Valentine, a "former" friend, who lives down the road from us. He had help though, and according to his wife, Cheryll, it wasn't her. Unfortunately she is married to the man and must bear the consequence of his "SINFUL" action. We have heard from a very reliable source and our neighbors that a Mr. John Everett was an accomplice to this heinous crime. His wife, Jennifer, was also involved with the knowledge of this...and merely laughed at the action of it and told a dear neighbor of mine not to do ANYTHING about it.

I am also told that there were several others involved in regards to this being that this Pink Toilet has passed around our church family. I am also aware that a friend, who I thought was our friend, Mrs. Dayna Ice, was very aware of the situation and did nothing to stop it. Hence Forth, I have also been informed that the ICE family has not been "TANKED" yet.

Several of our neighbors at least had the "decency" to welcome us home with questions, wonder, and anxiousness. We put their fears to ease by telling them that the perpetrators who did this would not go unpunished. We have selected a Bible Verse fitting for the Valentine Family:

Leviticus 24:19-20 NASV

If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him:
fracture for fracture,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.

AND SO PAYBACK CONTINUES!

P.S. ANYONE INTERESTED IN
MONSTER TRUCK TIRES,
PICK UP IS FREE IN FOUNTAIN INN, SC

A Special Father's Day Treat

2008-06-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

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Colossians 3:1-5
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is our life appears,
then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire,and covetousness, which is idolatry."

Our family has been memorizing Colossians 3 to be our family's theme Bible chapter for this year. Natty and Marie have caught on very quickly thanks to hand motions. It really helps them to remember and Mommy too. We wanted to post the first five verses as a special Father's Day treat for Popop in Illinois. We have been so busy this week that we were unable to get a package in the mail. We thought that this would say our love for you so much better than any package :)!

We love you Popop!
Have a Most Wonderful Father's Day!

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Little Mercy Rose is ONE

2008-05-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Philippians 1:9-11 "And this WE pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere
and without offense till the day of Christ.
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness,
which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

On Monday, May 19, 2008, our little Mercy Rose had her ONE YEAR OLD Birthday. What a joyful celebration we had looking back over the first 12 months (plus 40 weeks in the womb if we are being particular :) ) of her precious life. She is indeed a treasured gift from the Lord.

We started off Mercy's birthday with a Vacation Bible School Work Day at the Church. She played and crawled all around the gym, of which she loved. We then took her to Sonic for lunch with several of our friends from church. It was a beautiful day to be outside. She then took a very long nap which was good because it would be a late night for all of us. When Daddy and Papa got off of work, we headed to Gatti Town where they have a Merry Go Round and lots of games you can play. Mercy enjoyed every minute of her birthday of which you can see for yourself by the videos and pictures. Mercy was a delight to us all. She was readily available to open her presents. She had a little help from her sisters, Natty and Marie, but seemed to catch on rather quickly. She loved her pizza supper and birthday cake. She especially enjoyed riding the carousal, and we loved riding it with her. How we cherish these precious times we have with our little Mercy. The Lord's "Mercies" are definitely "NEW" every morning.

As for Mercy, she doesn't have any teeth just yet...nothing feels to be cutting through either. She can "GUM" just about any type of food. She loves to EAT! She isn't walking or really trying to make any attempts to. She crawls at the speed of light, however, and she likes to stand up on her own. Mercy may be ONE, but she is still OUR Little BABY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MERCY ROSE! WE LOVE YOU!

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BLOW OUT THE CANDLE!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo BooksYUM! YUM!
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RIDE THE CAROUSAL
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AROUND AND AROUND
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THE BABIES

2008-04-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

Psalm 100:5
"For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations."

The girls have been affectionately termed "THE BABIES" by Papa, Mama, Coco, and Emmy. I have been running slack on my blog updates, so we thought some smiles could be brought your way with a few of the latest pictures of "THE BABIES."

Yesterday, Natty surprised me by coming around the corner with Mercy sitting in a Little Tikes Grocery Buggy. She had picked her up and put her in the buggy all by herself. You'd be amazed where Mercy has been hauled to and in by her sisters. Mercy, of course, was squealing with delight. Natty pushed her in that buggy all around the house...and she LIVED!! What a precious blessing these little girls bring to our house each and every day. You can't help but love them...despite the messes they make. I probably should have been born with my back in the down right position...leaning over to pick up toys. It would have been more useful that way :).

On another note, we are off to pick up our dear COCO in just a few days. We are bringing her home from college in Wisconsin. She has finished her first year in college! JUST the girls are going...Mama, Myself, Emmy, Natty, Marie, and Mercy. The men folk are staying home to work and Andrew has his exams to take at Bob Jones. We are drawing closer to Andrew's graduation time with another semester coming to a close. What a DAY that will be for my beloved husband! As for the Wisconsin trip, we plan to stop in the Chicago area for a day to spend some time with Popop and Gumma-Gum (Andrew's Parents). We should arrive in Wisconsin on Tuesday to help Coco pack up her dorm room and bring her HOME!!! YARD SALES and PAR-TAY HERE WE COME!!! COCO is our number one Yard Saler and she loves the word, "PAR-TAY!"

How Good the Lord has been to help Courtney finish well in her first year. Lord willing, we will be home on Thursday to post some pictures of the adventures we have along the way. We look forward to what God has in store for each of us this summer. May we ALL be used by HIM in a MIGHTY WAY!

A SHORT VIDEO ENTITLED:
NATTY'S "GROCERY" SHOPPING FIND

HE IS RISEN

2008-03-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here:
for He is Risen, as He said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

Have A Blessed Easter Remembering
Our Savior's Resurrection.

Thirty Means Respectability

2008-03-18T22:18:00.003-07:00

PSALM 139:13-14 "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb (NASV). I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well (KJV)."

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY ANDREW AND BEN

This was indeed a birthday to remember! My dear friend, April, and I planned a surprise birthday getaway for our husbands to the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. Ben was to turn thirty on March 17th and Andrew on the 19th. We wanted to make it extra special and I believe we did!

April and I had been working on our plan for several months. We had initially thought to take them skiing, but the skiing season was coming to an end and the thought of being frozen in the snow was not appealing to either of us :(. We then began to discuss plans for visiting the Biltmore House. This was a much better option. Andrew had never been so it made it all the more worth while.

Every thing was perfectly thought out, but we were in the making for our own surprise when Ben was whisked off to San Diego on an unexpected business trip. This was very disheartening especially since April and I had already booked the hotel. We left it in the Lord's hands knowing that His way and thoughts are better than our own. April had to tell Ben that we had a surprise planned for his birthday, but she didn't say what. This did help to move things along in San Diego and Ben's boss allowed for him to come home right on time. Isn't God Good!

On Thursday night, March 13, April and I took our wonderful birthday men to a fantastic restaurant. Andrew and I had yet to go to this one. It was called the Melting Pot. It was a little pricey, but worth the fun and experience of tasting what we called..."FUN"DUE or the proper word, Fondue. Andrew was excited because he only believed us to be going out to eat with our friends for his birthday. Boy, was he in for a surprise...especially when we got in the car and kept driving instead of heading home. He was even more surprised when we pulled up to the hotel and I told him that we were staying until Saturday. It was a look that I will always have pasted on my memory. The confused, shocked, unbelievable look best fits the description. Ben did a great job in not giving anything away even though he knew we were going somewhere, but wasn't for sure where. He kept it a surprise for Andrew, and I truly thank him for it.

On Friday morning, we headed off for the Biltmore House and ate one of the best meals for lunch I have ever had. It was at the Deerpark Restaurant which was surrounded by glass windows, hanging vines, white colored lights, linen table cloths, a succulent buffet of wonderful food and fabulous desserts. Of course we were spoiled because we had no children to attend to. Thanks to Papa, Mama, Coco, Emmy, Granddaddy, and Nana for watching all the children while we were away.

We then continued on with our tour of the Biltmore House along with a special behind the scenes tour. After our adventures there, we headed back to the hotel for a night of fun, food, and fellowship. We brought Dairy Queen back for supper and Ben set up his two laptops along with Andrew's, so we could play 3 way Tetris. He beat all of us of course...several times. Just being together as friends and laughing together was a blessed time given to us by the Lord. He even gave us a great time of sharing devotions together around our FREE continental breakfast. What a treasure to have such wonderful and godly friends!

The next morning, April and I put our second surprise plan for our birthday boys into action. We went thrift store shopping around the Asheville area to deter the guys until about 3:30 or so. We had to be back to Papa and Mama's house by 5:30 because we had a surprise party with some of our friends waiting there for them. While we were out, we went to a great restaurant in Black Mountain, North Carolina, called Dr. Peppers. It had loads of Dr. Pepper memorabilia and good food...of course, we HAD to get a Dr. Pepper to drink while we were there.

April of course hit it big in the thrift stores. She found several board games that sell for pretty high on eBay. They might even cover the expense of the trip. I did not do so bad myself. My favorite item purchased on the trip though was something that cost me $3.00. It was a toy type penny whistle or tin whistle. Since I have been home, I have been playing every song I can think of on it. I told Andrew I wanted a real one when MY birthday comes around :).

Yes, April and I pulled off the birthday surprises. When we arrived back home, the guys could not believe that there was more in store for them. We had prepared a game show taken off from the Price is Right entitled the AGE is Right. We had to whip it together somewhat quickly, but it turned out pretty well.

We could not have done it without all the help of our friends and family. Thanks for your prayers, encouragement, gifts of sacrifice, time, and love. You indeed made a birthday or birthdays worth remembering.

I know April will concur with me on this when I say that I am so thankful for a humble and godly husband. What a special privilege I have to be married to my best friend. Happy Birthday to you, my wonderful Andrew...and April says the same for her Ben.

By the way, if you are wondering about the title, it's all about Andrew. Andrew is always saying, "I can't wait until I am thirty. It means people respect you more."
WELL, we shall see about that one! Hee Hee Hee!

We have a lot more pictures to post, but April and I have to sort through them all first. We want to leave no room for black mail! HA HA!
So keep checking back on this birthday blog!

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Charlie's Driving!

2008-03-18T22:18:00.001-07:00

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Feliz Cumpleanos

2008-03-18T22:17:00.001-07:00

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This is the second/ending part of the Feliz Cumpleanos Video Clip. Dropshots cut off their video time at 2:00 minutes and we went a little over. This is the finishing segment of the funny bumper stickers/signs we saw on our trip to Asheville.

A Little Traveling Music

2008-03-18T22:16:00.001-07:00

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The Long Awaited Day

2008-03-05T07:31:00.001-08:00

Mark 11:24

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

John 14:14
If you will ask anything
in My name,
I will do it.

On Saturday, March 1, 2008, the Lord gave us the desires of our heart. Andrew and I have been married for almost 7 years come this June. We have only had one vehicle our married life together. It has withstood the test of time! Within those almost 7 years, we have definitely outgrown our car. Our 3 little treasures have snugly fit in the backseat...3 car seats in a row and Andrew and I in the front. There is always room for one more up front in the middle, but you have to sit a little higher up with your head touching the ceiling...just ask Emmy :). It truly has been a daily sacrifice to share the car. There are days when Andrew has to have the car and if I need something during the day, I am at the mercy of family, friends, and neighbors. Other times when I require the car, Andrew and I have to get the girls up extra early to load them in the car in order to take Daddy to work so we can have a vehicle. It's back breaking work as well lifting a baby carrier over two other children to fit little Mercy in the middle. I have accidentally hit many a knee and head trying to get Mercy into the car. I remember times where I would lean against our Taurus and cry. I would plead with the Lord saying, "I don't know how much longer I can do this, Lord. Please provide us another car." Yet, the Lord gave His continued strength and grace to keep trusting in Him for His perfect timing. I kept telling myself, "We have made it this long with only one car, we can keep going." Praise to our Great God that He delights in meeting the needs and desires of our hearts.

Several months back, we took the Taurus in to our car mechanic because it was having "issues." Our car mechanic told us he had to stop "writing" after awhile because the car had so many problems. It basically came down to the fact that the transmission was going out and to replace it would be costly. It was in our better interest just to purchase another car and run the Taurus until it was gone. Now Andrew and I fervently began to pray. Over the last couple weeks we began searching the internet for a minivan. We had researched for hours on what would be the best quality van for our time and money. It came down to two choices...a Toyota Sienna or a Honda Odyssey. We really liked the Toyota Sienna, but after much looking, the price for a used one was out of our range...at least for the type of mileage we needed. The Lord shut many doors and we began to be discouraged. God's Word was sufficient though. We relied on God's plans and ways being greater than our own, and He knew what we could not see.

On Friday, February 29, 2008, we were about to go and look at a van that we thought was the "one." It had been listed on eBay and it was at a local dealer here in Greenville. Just as we were about to walk out the door to go look at the van and the works, the price jumped on eBay to a place we could not afford. I was disheartened, but not cast down. I knew that if God wanted that van for us, He would have held it. Our Friday plans had changed and it was back to looking and researching on the internet. Late Friday night, after a time spent in prayer and a fun night as a family at Chuck E. Cheese, it came to me to just randomly type in vans for sale in Georgia. I had looked nearby Georgia, but not actually Georgia itself. Of course it was not just randomness, it was the Lord. A 2000 Toyota Sienna came up for an unbelievable price with low mileage in Duluth, Georgia. Andrew, I, and the girls drove 2 1/2 hours on Saturday morning to look at this van. It was located at a hole in the wall type dealership that makes you feel a little like this is too good to be true. When the dealer came out, we told him we wanted to have the van inspected because there was no warranty on the vehicle. He let us take the van to the Toyota Dealership of Atlanta to have it checked out. The Lord placed people at the Toyota Dealership that helped us immensely in the decision of purchasing the van. They gave it a thorough inspection and told us that the mileage and engine were top notch. This model of the Sienna was guaranteed at least 300,000 miles. There was currently 80,000 on the van. Yes, there were a few things that needed to be fixed, such as new tires and a new battery...we had the dealer give us a new battery. We also have to fix a valve leak, but for the price, we were willing to do it. It was an all day adventure, but we ended up coming home with a beautiful van. It has leather interior, captains chairs, 6 disc Cd changer, cassette player, AM/FM radio, a powered sun roof, and much more. We are extremely blessed to be driving in such luxury. It was all the Lord's timing, and His timing is perfect. We truly give Him all the praise for His gift to us. Remember, our dear friends and family....

THE WEALTH IS IN THE WAITING!

And YOU thought your children were Weird?

2008-02-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

PSALM 126:2a-3

"Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
and our tongue with singing...
The LORD hath done great things for us;
whereof we are glad."

Natty and Marie have some of the best times playing together. They have the wildest imaginations which are indeed a special gift from their marvelous Creator. We had found a large garbage bag marked dress up clothes for $2.50 at a consignment sale about two weeks ago. We couldn't see inside the bag when we bought it, but we thought we would take a chance and be surprised. We were surprised alright when we finally got around to opening the bag. There were about 13 different princess dresses ranging from Disney store to boutique styles. There were also several pairs of dress up shoes that light up, princess hats, batons, and more. The girls were absolutely thrilled. They played for hours that day with all their many treasures. I so much enjoy having little girls in our house. You cannot help but smile and laugh.

As for the strange and weird side of my children... well, let's just say they get that from their Father!! Andrew is always coming up with the most creative games to play with the girls, so I really wasn't surprised to see how his creative genius rubbed off on the girls this morning. I had been putting Mercy down for a nap when I heard the most hilarious laughing coming from the living room. I came out to find Natty and Marie stuffing their pajamas with play food, and believe me when I say they were STUFFED. We had to take a few pictures of the action along with this short video clip. Only the girls can describe best their play time fun. Oh, by the way, some of the statements I heard while in the other room were, "Does this make me look big?" I wondered out loud, "What in the world is going on out there?" You can see for yourself what brought that on. ENJOY!!

Even more hilarious was the realization of Marie when she cried out, "HELP! I have to go potty." It was a sight to see her running for the bathroom with her pajamas completely stuffed yelling, "Mommy. Help me. There's too much food! I got to go potty!!!"

Our Three Valentine Frogs

2008-02-14T10:46:00.001-08:00

This is how we know
what LOVE is:
Jesus Christ laid down
His life for us.
And we ought to lay down
our lives for our brothers.
I John 3:16 (NIV)

Happy Valentine's Day From Our House To Yours. Natty, Marie, and Mercy were all decked out in their pink frog shirts that we purchased from Target, and we thought they we would bring a few Valentine Smiles your way. Our morning started off with Ladies' Bible Study at church and then a GOURMET meal from MacDonalds for lunch. The girls received their special Valentine Goodies this morning before we headed off on our adventures. Popop and Gumma-Gum sent a fun package for the girls, and they were delighted with their beloved Valentine Treats. They are currently coloring in their new coloring books as I type.

Valentine's Day has always been a special time for me even before I was married to my wonderful husband, Andrew. My earthly father who is now in heaven with Jesus always commemorated Valentine's Day by giving me a rose as well as my mother. Of course, I couldn't understand why Mama always got more roses than I did :). Now I know. After my Daddy died, I didn't know who would give me roses anymore for Valentine's Day. That first Valentine's Day after he went home to heaven, I woke up thinking I would not get a rose that day and my heart was very sad. My faithful Jesus knew otherwise. My beloved cousin, Kenny, who is currently serving in the military overseas in Iraq, showed up at our door that day with a rose for me and my mother. I remember feeling so awed at the love of my Savior for remembering and bringing Kenny to deliver them. As time went on, the Lord always remembered and throughout my high school years, somehow and someway, God would bring a rose to me. One Valentine's that especially sticks out in my mind is my sophomore year in college. I was studying in Israel, and again I woke up Valentine's morning thinking no rose this year. That year I had a real desire for a yellow rose because it was such a reflection to me of the light of Jesus and the glory of heaven. I just love yellow roses. I recall praying and telling the Lord, "I may be in Israel, but Lord, you have always been faithful to give me a rose for Valentine's Day, and Lord, I really want a yellow rose." Of course no one but the Lord knew that I wanted a rose. My Israel teachers' wives had divided our group of girls into sections to have Bible Studies with them. I had about five girls in my group and I was placed with Mrs. Cook, the wife of one of the head teachers. When we separated into our groups, I looked over and saw that the other teachers' wives were giving their girls Valentine's treats of candy, cookies, and the like. I thought how nice of them and wondered if Mrs. Cook would do the same for our group. To my surprise she approached us with five roses...4 red and 1 yellow. She said to my surprise, "I hope you girls like roses :). I wanted to get all red roses, but the store only had 4 left so I had to get a yellow one". As she passed them around, she handed me the yellow rose. All I could do was cry out in my heart with praise and thanksgiving to God. He had orchestrated the whole thing for me. My Jesus never forgets His promises to us. Of course I had to tell Mrs. Cook later how the Lord had heard my prayer and used her in such a mighty way.

So as you can see, Valentine's Day, is a special day to me. It is not just a time to express our love and thanks to each other as family and friends, but it is a time to reflect on God's Ultimate Love to us. He gave His life so that we might live and we have the wonderful privilege and opportunity to share that with others. May the Lord bless your day and remind you in some way of His Love and Faithfulness to You.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Valentine Girls waiting in the church hallway after Bible Study...

Mercy was enthralled with something of course. Our friend, Katie, joined in for the picture.

Natty looks in on her friend, Patrick's violin lesson, after Bible Study.

Mercy's friend, Emily, gives a warm greeting and the best is Katie giving Valentine kisses to her friend, Amber. The Mommies all had to chuckle on that one.

YELLOW ROSE: THE LIGHT OF JESUS AND GLORY OF HEAVEN

We Are Tiny Trackers, Trackin' Down the TRUTH!

2008-02-08T07:08:00.001-08:00

"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." Deuteronomy 6:7-9

Well, you guessed it. We are putting a plug in for our favorite Wednesday night activity...Tiny Trackers, better known as TRUTH TRACKERS! Andrew and I have been given the special privilege to teach the K-5 Wednesday Night Class at our Church, Calvary Baptist, in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Our church has a wonderful program called TRUTH TRACKERS that we conduct for the children. Truth Trackers is going on its third year so it is somewhat of a new program, but very beneficial in reaching children for Jesus Christ. You can read all about when you connect to the So You May Know Link on our blog. Our good friends, Pastor Ben and Dayna Ice, who by the way are by products of MARANATHA BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE in Watertown, Wisconsin, where Courtney currently attends, wrote the Truth Trackers curriculum. I have to get my plug in for Maranatha as well! Ben and Dayna played a very influential role in the Lord's leading Courtney to Maranatha, and we truly praise the Lord for them and their ministry to our family and all our friends. Ben and Dayna began Truth Trackers with the help of another Maranatha friend, Lukas Counterman, by writing the material and initiating the program at our church. By God's unending grace, Truth Trackers, has taken off and several more churches have joined in and shared a part of this life changing program.

There are several sections to TRUTH TRACKERS, one being the Tiny Trackers, of which Andrew and I teach. Tiny Trackers are represented by the 3 to 5 year olds. We have a hound dog as our mascot. His name is Tiny and his sister comes along to visit sometimes too. Her name is Tracy. Hound dogs as you know are good trackers especially when they need to find a rabbit or a fox in the woods. We are hound dogs too, but in the Biblical sense. We are not trackin' down rabbits. Instead, we are trackin' down the truths in God's Word. Pretty catchy if you ask me. Below is a clip of our theme song in action: We are Tiny Trackers. It was written by our beloved Patch the Pirate, Ron Hamilton, and Cheryl Reid from our church. Our kids really love to sing it and they especially love to howl at the end...it can keep going for quite some time :). Oh, and if I can add a disclaimer, when I tell the kids to take a deep breath, I am NOT pushing Yoga. I thought about that when I saw it and didn't want anyone to get any ideas and starting kidding me...I know how some of you are :). The children needed to take a deep breath to keep up all that howling and there is plenty to be had!

Andrew and I truly love to teach the children. I especially enjoy being with the little ones for they are God's precious vessels to raise up for Him. They are so open to the Gospel at this young age and ready to soak up all they can about Jesus. I tell Andrew that I could have 10 children if the stork would drop them off at the door and I could forgo the pregnancy part :). Until then, which of course will never happen, I am content with my 3 girls and having my 10 or more by teaching other children. The best part is they can go home after we're finished. I only have my three "poops" to deal with. Hee Hee. We are especially blessed this year because Natty and Marie are apart of our class. Marie is 3, but I have never had my little one so devoted to wanting to be apart of Tiny Trackers. She is technically in the 2 year old class because of her birthday being in December. I had her stay in with me for a visit at our class Christmas party, and she has been hooked ever since. Marie begs to stay. She says to me, "Oh, Mommy, please let me go to Tiny Trackers and hear the story and puppets." She prays for Tiny Trackers every night and asks every day if today is the day she is going to Tiny Trackers. She absolutely loves the singing, stories, coloring, craft, snack, and best of all, the puppet shows.

Speaking of puppet shows, we thought you would enjoy seeing a little of what we do. We have some great helpers in our class that assist us at times in our puppet shows and with the voices. My very good friend, April Menking, helps out in our class along with one of my sister's friends, Bekah Rigsby. We have Bob Jones students on occasion, and sometimes we recruit my friend's husband, Ben. He just "adores" working with puppets and "leaps" at the chance to provide a voice. Well, I might be stretching it just a little, but we do appreciate all his help :). Andrew built the "stage" and a dear lady from church, Mrs. Kennedy, sewed the black curtain to fit the pipes. I have quite the collection of puppets. I get them from various places, and they are a lot of fun to work with.

One of the children's favorite puppets is Billy Bunny. There's just something about Billy Bunny that sends the kids in an uproar of laughter. Billy Bunny is a lot of fun to do. I guess its because I can relate so much to his silly antics and it is another side of me that comes out when working with him. Even when I am exceptionally tired, the Lord gives renewed strength for me to keep going. I absolutely love to hear the children laugh. It brings such delight to my soul. In the short clip below, you will see Billy Bunny really partaking of the key word of the night "FORGET" and applying his verse, "I will not forget thy Word..." Psalm 119:16. The clips to follow show some of Billy Bunny and other puppets with of course the help of our friends. If you want to see the whole show, you will just have to come to Tiny Trackers to see what all the fun and excitement is about!

In the clip below, we find Zacharias hearing from the angel, Gabriel. Gabriel tells Zacharias that his wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son even in her old age...Luke 1:5-25...of course, Zacharias, finds this hard to believe. The Word of the Night for this Tiny Trackers was "ASK" to go with their verse, "If...my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" John 15:7.

Zacharias' wife, Elizabeth, is quite a character in puppet form. We thought you might enjoy seeing a little of her humorous qualities.

Some of our puppet friends include Beatrice Sheep and Kyle Coyote. Here is a little segment of their interaction leading into the word of the night, "ASK."

When I have the opportunity, I will take some pictures and video of our mascot puppets, Tiny and Tracy. This will keep you checking back on more of the action. For now, I leave you with a clip of our Natty and Marie which includes their Wednesday night ritual of running around the car instead of getting in it and singing "Tiny Trackers."

RALLY AROUND COURTNEY

2008-01-19T09:24:00.001-08:00

Job 23:10-14
"But he KNOWETH the way that I take: when he hath TRIED me, I shall come forth as GOLD. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is APPOINTED for me: and many such things are with him."

Our beloved Courtney is going through a battle right now, "a battle not against flesh and blood but against the principalities against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age..." Ephesians 6:12ff. Courtney is seeking after the Lord and His Word with all her heart, and the devil indeed hates it. He in turn is seeking to rob her of her joy. As you know, our COCO is currently in Wisconsin at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. It is -9 degrees today for her and bitterly cold. She has 16 hours of piano practice every week that she is required to do for her studies...not to mention taking 18 credit hours, orchestra, choir, freshman student council, and much more. She will be playing the offertory at her church, Brookside, this Sunday night for the start of their revival services with Will Galkin. She is very excited, but heavy at heart. There are those around her that would seek to pull her down with their words.

Please encourage her today by posting a Bible Verse or word of love to her on the comment board. We need our friends to show that we are "RALLYING AROUND" our precious sister in Christ.

WE LOVE YOU, COURTNEY. STAND FAST FOR JESUS.
HE WILL LIFT YOU UP!!!

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: HURRAY! IT'S SNOWING!

2008-01-17T19:41:00.001-08:00

Job 37:5-7 "God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. For He says to the SNOW, 'Fall on the earth';
Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. He seals the hand of every man,
That ALL men may KNOW His Work."

The FIRST SNOW OF 2008: JANUARY 16-17
And Mercy's First SNOW

Frosty The Snowman Stops in for A Visit
in the Backyard of the Shumakers

Frosty Getting
His Picture Taken
at Papa's Office

It began to snow while we were at Wednesday Night Church, Tiny Trackers. We were teaching our K-5 class when I turned to see the snow falling outside the window. The boys and girls were currently coloring, but not for long! What precious squeals of delight came from their mouths as they pressed their hands and faces up at the windows to see the white snow fall. After Church, we went to Arby's for supper. The snow started really coming down. Emmy, Natty, and Marie could not wait to get outside in it....oh, and don't forget Andrew! What a special time of fun and laughter we had running around the parking lot and throwing snow balls at each other.

Snow Invasion at Arby's

Today we found the ground covered with a blanket of white...a very light blanket, but still a blanket....some rain too, but it stopped after awhile. It was enough snow to allow the girls have a Snow Day! We went to Papa's Office this morning not for the snow though. Mercy had stayed up the whole night previous crying inconsolably. We discovered today that she had a double ear infection...NOT FUN!!! Papa fixed her up though and she is doing much better. We shall see how tonight goes. She really was in awe over all the SNOW! By the way, this snow is nothing in comparison to our COCO's SNOW in Wisconsin. Saturday's forecast for her predicts a -9 degree low. BBBBRRRRRR!!! And for COCO...that is COLD!!! She can barely make it if it is 50 degrees. She is dressed like an ESKIMO...a very fashionable ESKIMO, of course! So to encourage our beloved Courtney, we made this little video clip for you! LOVE YOU LOTS and as Natty says, "MISS YOU!"

A SNOW VIEW FROM THE CAR:
THE FOUNTAIN INN POST OFFICE

DRIVING TO PAPA'S OFFICE IN THE FIRST SNOW of 2008

PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GIFT OF SNOW...IT IS A REMINDER TO US THAT THE LORD CLEANSES OUR SINS
AND THEY SHALL BE AS WHITE AS SNOW!
ISAIAH 1:18

Dancing and Eating Markers...All in A Good Day's Work

2008-01-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

2Corinthians 9:6 "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."

Our little Mercy Rose has less than a week to go and she will be 8 months old. How this precious time flies with God's humble little treasures. Natty, Marie, and Mercy are indeed a great work of the Lord. Last week, at my morning lady's Bible Study, I learned that I have been given one of the Greatest Assignments a woman can have...I have been entrusted with 3 little souls to raise up to love our Saving and Wonderful Jesus.

Everyday that has been given to me with them is a Gift. I am truly baffled by other mothers who are so wrapped up in their careers that they can leave their little ones behind to be raised by someone else while they go to work. I may not be driving the fancy car, having the big salary, or buying all the great looking shoes and outfits I want; instead I have something even more great. I have the opportunity to invest in a SOUL which means so much more for eternity than all the stacks of paperwork on an office desk that will one day burn up. Don't get me wrong. Some mothers have to go to work. They do not have a choice especially if their spouse dies. In that, the Lord will take care of your little ones and He will take care of you too. Yet, if your husband works, believe me when I say, that the Lord will take care of the extra finances. YOU invest in your little ones. They are only young once. You will not have them forever, and you want to be the one that guides and directs them into the man or woman they are to become.

On that note, I should probably tell you the reason for my writing this title. Natty, Marie, and Mercy were playing today in their room. Natty and Marie had out their Dora Doll House...of which we have two...one we found on the side of the road thrown out and the other at a yard sale for $5.00 (with accessories). Courtney and Emmy had a hand in the side of the road one. It was right after Christmas. "You've never seen any two girls jump out of the car faster to grab up a doll house," states my Mama. By the way, it was pouring down rain too! That of course did NOT deter their mission.

Anyway, there are several buttons that make noise on the doll house when you push it. There is the radio button which says, "Vamos A Bailar." That means, "Let's Dance" in espanol. Well, Marie pushed that button and Mercy's ears perked up. She started bouncing, so I lifted her up on her feet...she holds herself up pretty well now with help...and off she went. The little video clip below shows her "Dancing Debut." I had to put the camera up on a shelf to hold her up and tape it at the same time, so it's a little off centered, but you get the idea.

As for the markers, they were on the floor in the girls' room, and Mercy found them. I turned my back for a second to find her sucking on one. I thought, "That's ok, the cap is on." I had to LOOK and THINK AGAIN! She had got the cap off all by herself. As I pulled the marker out of her mouth, I found a completely green tongue with green lips. She had colored on her arms and bib as well. How did my child get to be so smart?

I cleaned her up and let her enjoy playing with them a few minutes more under close supervision and of course with the caps on! It's All in a Good Day's Work...for a Baby anyway.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work"
2 Corinthians 9:8

Christmas Memories

2007-12-29T08:48:00.001-08:00

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do thy light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven" Matthew 5:14-16.

Here are three precious pictures taken from our Christmas Season this year. The first is of Santa Claus
better known as Mr. Johnson who lives in Fountain Inn.

He is a very kind man who absolutely adored our 3 little blessings from Jesus. He even had Natty confused when he told her that his beard was real. He reenacted the Miracle on 34th street number by having her pull his beard
and saying, "Ow!"
The delight on her face was a sight to see.

The second is our attempt at a Christmas Picture to try and send out. The third is the actual picture. It was quite an ordeal getting these three rascals dressed...not to mention trying to all make them smile at the same time. Oh, and by the way, I was alone for this due to Andrew being at work. The final Christmas picture was not my original intention. I had hoped to have their picture taken on the beautiful couch of our State Senator's home as shown in a previous post. He and his wife live just down the road from our house and they go to our church. After the 15 minute photo session, this was the best I was able to get...you can see for yourself...the girls had quite enough of the picture taking!

Of course, I was not satisfied with this "enchanting picture," so we tried again at the airport in Greenville/Spartanburg. We had to pick up Courtney from her flight in from Wisconsin and the girls were still dressed...so here you have it, the photo is taken in front of the Poinsettia Tree at our wonderful airport...truly these are the memories worth remembering!

HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!

A Joyous Christmas

2007-12-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

LUKE 2:10-11
"Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people,
For unto you is BORN this day in the city of David,
A SAVIOR, who is Christ the Lord.'"

Happy Birthday to our Precious Jesus!
What a privilege it is for us as believers in Him
to celebrate His birthday.

Our Christmas this year was indeed a FULL one! There were many blessings and adventures along the way, but in the end, we remember the real and true reason for celebrating. On Christmas Day, we began our morning at home. Andrew was up at the crack of dawn very anxious to wake everyone up so we could open presents. He uses the excuse that he wanted to see his girls' excitement, but we KNOW the real reason. You just have to love that precious Andrew of mine! I calmed him down enough to start with opening stockings. Our little 7 month old, Mercy, was wide eyed, being that this was her first Christmas and was not quite sure how to take it all in. She handled herself pretty well though.

While the girls were content with their stocking stuffers, I made a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage links, sliced oranges, cinnamon rolls, egg nog, and apple juice. We then opened the greatest present under the tree which was wrapped in a brown paper bag. Inside Marie found a small figure of Baby Jesus in a manger. We explained to the girls how Jesus did not come wrapped in fancy paper, clothes, etc. He humbled himself, became a man, and was born in a barn...not a hospital or the like. He had no beautiful crib to sleep in only straw from the cow's trough. The Christmas story was then unfolded at the breakfast table as the girls listened intently and Marie held the little Baby Jesus. We thanked our loving Savior for giving His life for us so that we could have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It was then on to the opening of the presents and the getting ready to go over to Papa and Mama's House for our evening Christmas Dinner...and more opening of presents. What a blessing from the Lord to get to open the presents when it is HIS birthday! For those of you who would like to know, the girls received TOYS...and More TOYS!! Andrew got a new pair of shoes...pretty spiffy you ask me...clothes, books, and other little goodies of course. My big present from Andrew was more of a JOINT Family gift. It was most needed and it was a good excuse to purchase it. Our CD/stereo player had practically DIED so he purchased me a new one. This one is really neat because it has a record player as well and looks like an old timey radio set. I just love records and seeing that my Beloved sister, Courtney, has "BORROWED" my record player for about 3 years now, it was time to get another one.

The one special thing I should add about our present giving was that this year we took the girls to the Dollar Tree. They both were given the opportunity to shop without the influence of Mommy and Daddy to pick out things for each other and of course Mommy and Daddy. Andrew and I had to take two separate trips with them in order to do it. Natty picked out a lighter for Andrew because she said that Daddy likes to light the candles at our table...which is very true. She picked out a coffee mug that said, "It's A Girl," on it for myself. She told me that is was supposed to be Mercy in the front in a baby stroller. She also picked out some pink nail polish for me. Marie, on the other hand, is still learning as she goes along. She picked out a teddy bear key chain and a Disney Princess Sticker for me and a toy soccer ball for Andrew. What gifts of love our girls are learning to give. We definitely have to add this to our annual Christmas to do list. It's a KEEPER!

At Papa and Mama's House, Mama prepared a wonderful Christmas meal completely different from what we usually have on Christmas. We found a recipe for Cranberry Glazed Chicken on the internet that is baked and marinated in cloves and spices...mmmmm. It was quite good in fact. She also made Corn Pudding, Broccoli Salad with mandarin oranges, rolls, a beautiful fruit bowl, sumptuous mashed potatoes, and several desserts. Let's just say we were completely stuffed and worn out after it was all said and done.

Yet, in the end, it was a wonderful time of being together and rejoicing in Christ's Birth and Salvation.

Here are a few video clips of our fun times. These are more for Dad, Mom, and Uncle Jesse in Illinois because they were unable to be with us this Christmas. Yet, I'm sure everyone will enjoy Papa's Gift Opening Clip. It brought a smile to my face.

THE RETURN OF COURTNEY

2007-12-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

"A joyful heart is good medicine, But a
broken spirit dries up the bones"
Proverbs 17:22

Our dearest Courtney has returned home from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Wisconsin. It is now Christmas Break, and all the more reason to BREAK from the hardships of life. Sometimes all that is required is a GOOD LAUGH, and we definitely got a GOOD LAUGH this evening. Our GOOD Friends who are now probably our WORST enemies had IT coming.

Awhile back, our somewhat "estranged" friend, Paul Valentine, and his lovely wife, Cheryll, placed a toilet commode in the front yard of my parents' home. They had placed duct tape around the commode with a name written on it and a plant on the inside. It was especially placed there with loving care for my sister, Courtney. Well, Courtney, never lets anything just slide by...and we as her family have to stick together.

It really all started with an EGG, but I will have to save that story for another time. As for tonight, it was a COLD and RAINY night, and Paul was at our Sunday School Class Christmas Party...where we were supposed to be, but this was a VERY GOOD REASON for missing out on such a Joyous occasion! Cheryll was out of town for the time being. We had set up people on watch to let us know when Paul had arrived at the party and so forth. There were actually several people who were in on this, and amazingly enough...NO ONE came to their rescue...HEE HEE! I believe this is the second time. The first time was a toilet papered camp site. If you haven't guessed it by now, this LAUGHING bit has been going on for quite some time. This time it was our turn as we drove up to Paul's thankfully lighted house. We were praying he would leave his porch light on, but he did even better...he left some of his inside lights on...probably to fool people into thinking he was home! We then tied a rope from one pillar on his covered porch to another pillar. After that, underwear...extremely large underwear...were clothes pinned on the rope. Courtney graciously wrote a message on the underwear and large tank undershirts that were purchased at discount price from WAL-MART. Paul's BEST picture was printed out and glued on cardboard to the underwear. Courtney left her award winning photo on the Christmas wreath that hung on the door...it was raining so it smeared some of the picture...but that only made it more artistic! Paul and Cheryll did NOT have any Christmas lights on the outside of their home, so we kindly put some up for them. It worked out so well because there were several people in the neighborhood driving around that night looking at lights...how convenient. Anyway, we thought EVERYONE would enjoy a little piece of the action.

By the way...Paul did call after it was all said and done, and he stated, "Yah, that was pretty good..." We thought so too! Thanks Paul and Cheryll for being such GOOD SPORTS and GREAT COMIC RELIEF!

DECK THE PORCH WITH PICTURES OF PAUL

FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA

Tis The Season To Say COURTNEY

FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA

DON WE NOW OUR GAY APPAREL
FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

I'm Sure This House Will Make a SCARE-O
Fa LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA

LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS...OH MY!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND FELIZ NAVIDAD
FROM OUR HOUSE TO PAUL and CHERYLL'S!

THE REPLY OF CHERYLL

THE REPLY OF PAUL

The Laughter of God's Children

2007-12-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

Psalm 100:1-3
"Make a JOYFUL SHOUT to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture."

What a Gracious and Loving God we serve! I am reminded every day of His everlasting Goodness. Today it was through the laughter of our little Mercy Rose. How the Lord must smile when He hears the joyous shouts of His little children.

Mercy truly has quite the laugh. I remember when she was born looking forward to the day she would double over with glee. Now that day is finally here, and I cannot get enough of her precious little laugh. What a Gift from Our Almighty Creator!

Mercy is 6 months old and growing bigger everyday. We thought you would enjoy a little tidbit of what Mercy's laugh is like. Forgive the darkness of the camera again. One of these days I will figure out how to get the light working in the background when I am video taping indoors. For now though, all you need is your listening ears.

It's A Home Depot Christmas

2007-12-03T20:37:00.001-08:00

For the Beauty of the Earth For the Glory of the Skies, For the Love which from our Birth Over and Around us Lies. Lord of all, to Thee we Raise, This our Hymn of Grateful Praise.

Christmas Time is truly a precious time of joy and praise to our wonderful Creator and Savior. The song, For the Beauty of the Earth, may be thought of as a Thanksgiving Song, but I love to hear it even at Christmas. It is one of those beloved hymns I enjoy over and over again. I especially think of the song every year when our Christmas tree stands tall, shining brightly, and giving the glory of its beauty to Jesus. He is indeed the Reason for the Season.

Our Christmas Tree this year was a special gift from the Lord. We love making our run to Home Depot after Thanksgiving to get our real tree. The blessing is seeing how the Lord provides a tree for a price we can afford. When we walked into Home Depot, the trees standing out for the height range we desired were NOT the price range we could pay. They were approximately $50, and that was more than we wanted to spend. Just when we thought our annual tradition would be heading over to another tree lot, Andrew spotted some trees closer to the back that were still tied up. These were not marked. They were placed in the 6 to 8 foot category. We needed an 8 foot tree and most all the trees were in the 6 foot range which was priced at about $20. There was one, however, that stood 2 heads taller than the other trees and marked with the same blue tag as the rest. It had not been pulled out on the display floor to be fully measured, therefore, the cashier scanned the price ticket...$19.96 with tax. Yes, the Lord even cares about the little things. As for the outcome of the tree, well, you can decide for yourself.

THE GRAND FINALE

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-27T09:27:00.001-08:00

It is Good To Give Thanks

2007-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

"O GIVE THANKS to the Lord, for HE is GOOD! For His Mercy Endures Forever" Psalm 118:1

What a Wonderful Thanksgiving From The Lord! Courtney was able to come home from school at Maranatha for a few days...of course we had her do a lot of the cooking! Uncle Duane and Aunt Nella came to Mama's House along with our friend, Nathan, from church.

It truly was a blessing because all 3 of the girls came down with an infection of some kind the previous Sunday and were very sick with a high fever for the first few days. Courtney came home Tuesday night, but we were not able to all be with her until Thanksgiving morning. We took comfort in knowing that God's ways are the best ways; for man plans his ways, but God directs His steps.

We began Thanksgiving morning at our house by making blueberry muffins for breakfast. Andrew and the girls then set to work on making a Thanksgiving Craft, a Thankful Tree. Marie surprised us all when Andrew asked her, "Marie, do you want to put Papa on your leaf? Marie matter of factly stated, "No, Jesus." Of course, we had to put Jesus. He is the one we are most thankful for as Marie clearly reminded us. I made up some Sweet Potato Casserole from one of my Aunt's recipes along with Raspberry Jello (Andrew's Mom's recipe) with the toppings, and we headed off to Papa and Mama's House.

Mama had set the table beautifully with our new Thanksgiving dishes we got off of eBay for an amazing price because we found them from a friend of a friend. We did not have to pay for shipping thanks to our dear friend, Kelly, bringing them all the way from Ohio to us.

Russell read Psalm 100 before the meal and after our Thanksgiving Feast, we had family praise time around the piano. Oh, and I cannot forget that dessert was soon to follow...Mercy had her first taste of Pumpkin Pie and she was hooked.

Andrew, myself, and the girls spent the night at Papa and Mama's house so we could spend more time with Courtney. Courtney and I then woke up at 3:20 AM to head off to Kohl's at 4:00 AM for all the Black Friday specials...50% off all the toys...we are toy fanatics along with just plain fanatic for getting up that early to go shopping. We say we will not do it again, BUT, we probably will...it's THE THRILL of it ALL!! We might even convince Emmy to come next year.

TRUSTS AND JUMPS

2007-11-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

God's Words declares, "TRUST in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness...Commit your way to the Lord, TRUST also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass."
PSALM 37: 3, 5

What wonderful WORDS from the Lord to take joy and delight in. I especially love reading "Feed on HIS faithfulness." We all know that we need food in order to physically survive, but oh the more to FEED on the spiritual and to take sustenance in HIS everlasting faithfulness. Yes, we must "Dwell in the Land," and sometimes the "Land" isn't always flowing with the Goodness of the Lord, but oh, to look above the evil and hardships of the world and fix our eyes on our blessed Savior. In this, we will find the little things that the Lord gives to us as constant reminders to continually TRUST in Him. When we COMMIT our life and walk to Him, He will lead us and He will NOT fail us.

We've entitled this entry, Trusts and Jumps, because of the bedtime game Andrew invented. To hear the squeals of excitement from the girls is worth more than a thousand words. Just when you think that the fun of the day is over and everyone is to be tucked neatly inside their beds, Andrew flips on the light for one more cherished memory that will last a lifetime. Tonight Andrew surprised the girls with his Scottish hat and red hair wig that our beloved sister, Courtney, gave. She is so thoughtful, you know. She brought it back all the way from Scotland knowing how Handsome it would become Him!!! With his improv Scottish accent, the bedtime Trusts and Jumps began. The hardships of the day were all forgotten when the Lord reminded me of His faithfulness and goodness through the laughter and smiles of the precious ones God has bestowed on me.

Here is a little video clip of the action...some parts are a little dark, but all our friends and family have good imaginations and can come up with "something" to account for the dark.

Oh, and dearest Courtney, we hope this one brings a smile to your face while you are away at school. Continue standing strong for Jesus. We are counting down the days until you come home. "Trust in the Lord and DO GOOD!"

God Gives Us Richly All Things To Enjoy

2007-10-29T14:21:00.001-07:00

Well, I Timothy 6:17 is the verse from which our title is taken from, but this passage of Scripture does not really apply to the story that I am posting. The point that I want to make is that the blessings of the Lord are continual and bountiful, and that we ENJOY His blessings. These words were in this verse of Scripture, so hence we are using it :)).

Mercy Rose is our third little one. She is 5 months old and growing at the speed of light. While we would eat a meal, we would sit her in the excersaucer next to us at the table. Well, she would make quite a commotion and made it appear that she didn't appreciate the fact that we were eating, and she was NOT!! I would sit her in my lap and she would grab frantically for my fork or spoon, so we put two and two together and said to ourselves, "Let's start her on the REAL food." Mercy began her venture into the REAL food world with RICE CEREAL...yum, yum. I know everyone's mouths are watering. You can't get enough of that Rice Cereal...well, Mercy could. She decided that was not good enough, so onto the vegetables. Green Beans were a big hit...Peas...not so good....Applesauce and Bananas are an absolute no, no. She says, "I will eat them, only with a sour look on my face every time I take a bite." Carrots? Now we are talking. Squash is so, so, and Peaches...well, I'll give it a go. So here is where she stands on the food chain. I plan to move Mercy onto Sweet Potatoes next and we shall see how she takes it.

Now that Mercy is eating the real food...and we're smelling it too...another reason to delay REAL food as long as possible for the next child...IF there is a next child...created the dilemma of where this Little Mercy Dear would eat her REAL Food. We had been giving it to her in the excersaucer, but that is a big mess and back breaking work leaning down to feed her when you are trying to eat yourself. We then came to the conclusion that we needed a high chair so she could be at the table with us. We had given our previous high chair away, so now we needed a new one. I had seen the one I wanted in a Babies R Us catalog and was determined to think that the Rainforest Safari Healthy Clean Chair was the "coolest and ultimate" baby high chair. Our family is into frogs lately thanks to Natty...animals too, so this high chair was IT. It was not in our price range at the time, but the Lord used Andrew's parents to help us purchase the chair. It was a real blessing to me because Andrew surprised me by taking me to Target the other day to get the chair. Andrew's family sends us money at times to help out with seminary expenses. Andrew puts the money away and I forget all about it. Well, Andrew had not forgotten and when I was really in need of a special blessing, he pulled out the money and whisked us all off to Target. Andrew said it was a GOOD Seminary Expense :))) I was in agreement because I had a 10% off Coupon for Target that I had been saving for a big purchase.

So thanks to the Lord for my sacrificial husband and thanks to MOM and DAD who had a major part in getting us the "DESIRED" high chair. So far, it has been a wonderful addition to the family :)).

And These Stones Shall Be A Memorial to the Children...

2007-10-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

Joshua 4 speaks of the Memorial Stones that the Children of Israel set before as a sign to their children and their children's children to remember the Greatness and Goodness of God. In Joshua 3, the Children of Israel crossed over the Great River Jordan and the waters of Jordan were cut off by the Lord and they crossed on dry ground. The Lord commanded saying, set these stones from the river as a sign so that "when your children ask in time to come, 'What do these stones mean to you?' Then you shall answer them...And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever" vs 6-7. As a Family in Jesus Christ, we want to REMEMBER the Greatness of our God. I had not intended to ever write a blog, but after reading God's Word and seeing how important it is to continually teach it to our children, I wanted to record the things that God has done...LEST WE FORGET. This way, when our children ask what "OUR MEMORIAL," our lives for HIM mean, we may "ANSWER THEM."

These are our Children, Memorial Stones For HIM,

Natalia Faith,

Marie Hope,

and Mercy Rose