It's been been a while

This site has given me issues so I haven't posted for a while. We are full swing into the process of adoption now. Just waiting for the home study to get finished up and approved. We are also working hard to try and buy a home in September. We have gone down to just one car, and hopefully that will help us save. Peter was promoted to Laundry Service Manager at the prison. Praise God for the opportunity for advancement in his career! Julie is going on her first mission trip this March! Can not believe how big she is getting. She has grown in to a wonderful young lady. Seth is doing awesome in school, and sports this year. Paige continues her ballet, and is about to start soccer in April. I am just kinda hanging in there, and playing chauffeur majority of my time. School work is winding down in some ways and just getting started in others. Julie has decided to try and get a year ahead in math so she will be working over the summer for that. I had a not so fun pogo stick accident back in January and have not been able to wear shoes since then. They are still very sore, but slowly getting back to normal. Seth is going to be in his first spelling bee this Friday so that is a very exciting event to look forward to. Poor guy has been studying the wrong list (shame on mom!) so I am not sure how well he will do this year, but he is pumped up and ready for it anyway. Proud of my guy either way! I guess that is about all going on right now. Just keep on keepin' on!

Family pictures 11/2012

Thanksgiving is upon us

It's that time of year again so here goes my 30 reasons for thanks.

1. Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and saviour. Doesn't get any better than that!
2. I was lucky enough to be born in a 1st world country.
3. I have the most wonderful husband. No doubt God placed us together for a reason.
4. My kids are so amazing, and I am truly blessed to have them.
5. My family is for the most part healthy. I do not have to spend time worrying over any one's health anymore.
6. God provides a great job for my husband so that I am able to stay home and raise/teach the children.
7. We might not be rich, but we are blessed to have the money for all the essentials as well as some wonderful 'extras'.
8. Our church is an incredible Bible teaching church that I have learned so much from.
9. My homeschooling community is just such a wonderful part of our lives now, and I am very grateful for it.
10. My parents have always been there for me, and have been supportive of my family.
11. My siblings may not live close, but no doubt if I call one of them they will drop what they are doing to help me through anything I am going through.
12. I am thankful that I have an excellent public library to go to (and I often do) that I can find just about anything I am looking for in.
13. I have great resources through the city I live in. That has been one of the most amazing parts of living here.
14. I have a nice home to live in, and vehicles in the drive way.
15. In my pursuit to teach my children I have been able to buy all the things I find essential to their learning.
16. I am grateful for my countries military, and their families.
17. I do not have drama in my life.
18. I am not incredibly intelligent, but God has given me the ability to know where to look for answers.
19. Jesus is returning.
20. Things like electricity, and running water in which we take for granted every day.
21. My church family has been such a blessing to us. They have truly been our 'family' here.
22. I am thankful for all the workers out there that are giving their all for the Kingdom of Christ.
23. My ability to organize because without it my family would not get to do half the things we do now.
24. My husbands great talent for making me laugh. Laughter really is the best medicine for all things.
25. The fact that one of my biggest problems in life is that I have to much to eat...
26. Optimism. I believe that positivity is a huge part of a persons happiness.
27. Those little moments when my children do things that make me just fall in love with them even more.
28. Thrift stores, and good sales. Without them some of our luxuries in life that tend to get pricey like the kids sports, and things would not be possible.
29. Social media. Though I think it has been a major set back in some ways of life it has really helped me personally to stay in touch with family and friends since I have moved away from my home town.
30. Adrienne Miller the woman that gave me the most wonderful gift in the world. The belief in Jesus Christ. She does not know that she even gave me that awesome gift, and if I could find her I would surely let her know. Not only did she help win my soul for God, but my entire family through me also. I will forever be in her debt.

Here comes the holidays!

Oh so much going on in our lives right now! We have got into a pretty good routine lately with all the things going on. We don't see each other much right now since everyone is involved with so many different activities, but it should slow down some towards Thanksgiving. Julie has a job now working 2 days a week as a mother's helper. She had her first volleyball games this past Thursday, and she did a great job! I am so proud of that little girl watching her grow into a young woman. Her art is going really well also, and she will be working on some new techniques at home soon also. She moved up to the youth room at church this year, and she is really active in her group. Her school work has been awesome this year! She had a slight hiccup with math, but was back on track within a couple of days. She is over all doing really well, and growing up fast! Seth is about to start basketball again next month. He is enjoying park days every Friday, and is doing well in school. Church is his favorite place to be! He loves his Sunday classes as well as AWANA's on Wednesdays. He is doing great health wise right now also. Paige has one more dance class before she takes a 2 month break for the holidays. She will continue in dance at a new studio starting in January. She recently took an art class, and did just beautifully. Everyone double checks that we said that she was the one that painted the pumpkin hanging in the living room. She is doing well in her church classes, and has made many new friends this year. Interacting with her you can definitely see that she is the youngest child so we are working on that lately. Peter is going strong in school this semester. I have been really happy how he has been staying on top of all his work, and still being very involved with the family. Peter shared his testimony with our small group this Sunday. I am just so proud of him, and glad to be his wife and life partner. I have been playing chauffeur most of my time recently. Everyone has to be here there and the other place! Everyone is so busy so I spend a lot of time just trying to coordinate time as a family. All the kids are developing a strong personality, and becoming their own little person. I am just really happy with how life is going right now with my family. Our van however is not my favorite thing right now. The transmission has started slipping so we should find out this week how much it will cost to fix. Then its just the small matter of coming up with the money for it... I am sure it will all work out fine, but it sure gets stressful having issues with the car! I guess that is all for now.

Calm down

Well we are now moved to our cute new home. We ended up keeping the other place to mid next month so we had time to get everything moved, and get it cleaned up. Cleaning it is a job! I just don't understand how if I keep my house clean (most of the time, giggle) that it could be so filthy when it's time to move. The new place is much smaller than we are used to, but it is very cozy. We are all really enjoying it even with less space. The kids each have their own rooms which makes a huge difference in their interactions daily. I don't think I could ever go back to any of them sharing a room again! We still have scattered boxes of things looking for a new home, but we are mostly unpacked now. This move has been the worst in the history of moves! I did not pack or organize very well at all, and that resulted in serious ciaos. It was actually rather embarrassing how it all came about this move. I was not sure if we were moving or if so where. It created some issues with the get ready process! lol. Oh well whats done is done, and hopefully that will never be a problem again. I like this house enough that we are talking about possibly purchasing it in the future then I would never have to move again! haha. Julie is doing good with volleyball so far. She still has a lot of coughing, but the phnemonia seems to be long gone praise the Lord. Julie is taking an art class this semester which she is really enjoying. So glad that Wichita Falls has so many oppurtunities for homeschoolers. Paige is back in dance this month, and enjoying every minute of it. Seth is just waiting for basketball to start so he can get to it. Hopefully we can get back to park day this Friday. The kids have missed it the past few weeks between illness and the move. I suppose that is enough for now. I hope that you enjoy my updates. :)

Oh the stress

Well it has started out to be a really rough month for us. Julie is really sick with pneumonia, and as you probably know Julie does not get sick. If Julie is sick it is a cold day in.... well you get my point. She has been very scared also because she doesn't get sick usually, and she just doesn't understand why she did get sick this time. She seems to be doing better though so I am hopeful she will be good as new in a few days. We have until the end of the month to find a place to live, move everything, and clean this place. We thought we had it figured out, but we have decided at the last minute (to me) to find a home leased by a private investor rather than staying in military housing. We think we have found some where to go, but it's now a waiting game of if we will get a check in time to secure the home or not. Very VERY nerve racking! Just in the process of packing, and starting to clean what I can here. I am hoping that the actual physical act of moving will go smoothly since the leading up process has been a pain in the neck. School has been put on hold this past week due to illness in the house, but we plan to get back at it bright and early tomorrow morning. The good thing that is going to come with this move is I get to buy a new living room set. Ours is old and worn out to the point of holes. I am thinking a nice futon, and a couple of recliners. Also if we get the place we are hoping for the kids will all have their own room. It will be nice to decorate each child's room according to their own likes verses when they share and I have to cater to all. Peter is doing good with the start of the semester. He is taking a class on campus as well as one online. He is ahead of schedule so far so hopefully he can stay a step ahead this semester! Alrighty I am gonna go for now. Have a great month folks.

Wrapping Up

The summer is wrapping up, and the school year is quickly approaching. The kids have had a blast this summer with all their activities, but ready for the fall! I think it has more to do with wanting cooler weather than for the school year to start though. We are in the process of looking for a bigger place to live. We have loved this house with the amenities the neighborhood offers, but we just need something bigger. Nothing really new with the kids just living life enjoying the summer while it's left. I guess this will just be a short post this month since there is really nothing new. : )