I've been doing my best to take things a bit slower and enjoy each of these moments and days with the children. These long winter months that some people dread are some of our best memories. Sure there are days that being inside almost drives a person crazy, but overall I really enjoy not feeling obligated to be anywhere or have the outside chores calling my name. To enjoy the stories, snuggles and smiles of the children. To spend the time baking treats to keep little tummies full. In spite of my best efforts-these little people are still growing like weeds. Caleb is wearing Garrison's pants from last year, although they're still a bit long:). Addie is moving into some of Kiersten's clothes and Samuel is growing out of everything! This little guy is going to be 2 months old on the 16th. I have to say that they've been pretty wonderful though. We all had a cold or flu about a week ago, but Samuel didn't have to go through either-Praise the Lord! This was our first illness this winter,which is pretty amazing with 8 of us! Samuel is full of smiles for everyone and we enjoy listening to him coo. He even has his brothers wrapped around his little finger:).
School has been progressing fairly well. Each day brings us one step closer to the end:). They've finished a couple of courses and have just the main subjects left to complete. Elyssia really enjoyed Abeka and Garrison thought it was Okay. He'd rather be reading or building Lego all day, so I think he would give that answer no matter what curriculum we used:). Addie continues to be the class distraction, but has done quite well amusing herself as well. Caleb and Kiersten like to do their schoolwork and look forward to more "full time" next year. They especially enjoyed getting to paint yesterday. It' been awhile and I definitely prefer to have them do it outside, but made an exception this time.
Caleb is super excited about his upcoming birthday. He's been trying to convince me to make him a cake that has fondant on it. Not sure I'm ready to tackle that one though. Elyssia did point out that there's a recipe in the cake book for making the fondant, so I just might be out of excuses. Maybe I can talk him into a simpler design though:).
It's also less than two weeks til our trip to Georgia. I'll admit that I'm starting to get excited. Trying not to think too much about how much I'll miss Scott and the other 4. I'm thinking that they will probably have a great week with Daddy in charge and home all day:). I can see the little girls talking him into daily tea parties and the boys getting him to serve dessert for breakfast:))). Whatever happens I'm thankful that Scott has made it possible for me to see my family. It's wonderful to have Skype, but even better to see them in person every couple years...
Another blessing is the awesome weather we're having. The sunshine is melting the snow and giving us the hope that Spring might truly be around the next corner(or two). There's always a chance of more snow in April,but it's nice if most of the heavy stuff has melted already. The kids can hardly wait to pull their bikes out of the shed. They're going to be a bit muddy for awhile though.
Last, but not least, we're thankful for the Lord providing a couple of new beds through a friend of ours. She's moving and didn't need them in the new place. We've put them together downstairs and they make a nice King size bed! It will be wonderful to have the missionaries stay with us instead of feeling like we always need to send them to a motel. If they have kids then the two side bedrooms will provide a place for them too. I love how the Lord continues to provide those things that aren't necessities, but something that we desire in order to be a greater blessing to others.
The Sunday that we get back from Georgia we'll be celebrating our church's 5th Anniversary. To God Be The Glory! He deserves all the credit for our being here and for all the people that He's brought into our lives since then. We were able to sing this song as a family on Sunday and truly believe that He is to be praised and glorified for allowing us to be here and serve Him.
