I have a very precious friend whom I adore. We met when we both traveled to China to adopt our daughters. It has been over 3 years now and we have only "seen" each other for 3 weeks - 2 in China and then a week when they came to visit us right after Ri came home. But in between those times, we have kept in touch weekly with phone calls. There is a special bond between our families. It is hard to describe, but it is there.

Anyway, Ri has only seen her during that week that they came... just after he came home. That was over a year and a half ago. He hears me talking to her all the time and I often talk to the kids about the family. We have pictures of them in the kids room and I show Ri and Elizabeth their blog. So, Ri really only knows her through me. But that doesn't stop my boy.....

I just hung up from taking to her. When I hung up, Ri asked me "who was that?". I told him it was Christy. He then responded "Oh, I love Christy.... I love Christy alot and alot. Oh, I love Christy. Christy is my favorite. I love Christy." I thought it was so funny that I had to share it here.... just for Christy to smile.

Enjoy the "love", girl!

I just absolutely love this guy!! Isn't his smile adorable??

Daddy was shoveling the drive so Sam took over the "horse" job.

Elizabeth and Ri squealed with delight as Sam ran full speed to get away from Erin and Jacob who were trying to "attack" the little ones. It was so much fun to hear them all giggling.

The horse lost his footing and fell down the hill. That gave Erin time to dive at Elizabeth and Ri who just giggled and giggled.

The snow sculpures got a little iced over and snowed on. Sam had fun chopping the ice off of it.

The kids are going to enjoy another day off of school. Our county is still in a level 2 snow emergency. I am looking forward to another day with them. Yesterday, Emily gave me a gift by spending a good 2-3 hours playing with Ri and Elizabeth. I was able to go through bills and piles and piles of paperwork that has sat on my desk, weighing on my shoulders for months! I was even able to organize my filing cabinet. Wow - I feel like I am a new woman today! It was wonderful.

I have shared before that one of the reasons I keep this blog is so that I can make a book for the kids. My goal is to make one for each year. I am in the process of my third book now (last years). It is purely for the kids to have a way to look back at their childhood. One day, I would love to have a book to give each child.... but my books end up being over 400 pages long and cost nearly $100.00. I think it may only be a dream and they will have to share these "year" books and cherish the ones I make for them individually. I did tell Mark that if the Lord takes me home before they grow up, I want him to use my life insurance money and buy the books for each child :).

All that to say that I enjoy sharing some of the talents of our kids here. Emily really enjoys writing and to my shame, I never realized how much. She began a creative writing course this semester and had an assignment that she asked me to proofread. I was blown away. By the end, I was tearing up. Not because the story was so incredible (though I thought it was!), but because there were parts of the story when I knew I was reading about my little girl. At the end, I cried.

So... I wanted to share her story here.

Jane sat cross legged on the bed that she had slept on every night since she was four. She turned and looked out her window. She had never before seen the sunrise accompanied by so many rich colors. Smiling, Jane turned her eyes into the room she had grown up in. She gingerly touched her cream bedspread. They had been picked out to match her pale pink walls. This room represented how plain and simple Jane had become. At the age of twenty-four she had finally discovered herself. Like other girls, Jane had gone through many stages trying to figure out who she was. Unfortunately her room had suffered the changes. When she changed, as did the walls around her. As she looked at the room, she remembered all the good times she had in her “sanctuary.” ; slumber parties with her best friend Mia, staying up until the wee hours of the morning reading, laying on her bed crying after her high school sweetheart, Tom, broke her heart, and planning her wedding to Shawn Oswald.
The day had finally arrived that she would marry Shawn. Jane couldn’t help but smile as she thought of his name. They had met after Shawn had led their college football team to victory. Shawn had been the quarter back, Jane had been the book smart girl who no one paid attention to. Jane had known of Shawn, well actually who hadn’t? Though Jane had no desire to meet him. Mia on the other hand had another idea. She had begged Jane to go to just one game with her; Jane finally complied. Reluctantly Jane had joined Mia. They watched with glee as Shawn had led their team to victory. After the game Jane had found herself being pulled blindly through the cheering crowd. She had found herself face to face with the man who had won the game. Once Shawn had introduced himself to Jane he started a conversation with her and Mia. They talked for so long that Shawn’s team had left him to do their own celebrations. Shawn took Mia and Jane out to a celebration dinner. From that night on Shawn and Jane were inseparable.
“Do you remember the time we tried to pull an all nighter in here when we were six? We would have done it too if Keith hadn’t have scared us to death with that snake!” Mia said.
Jane jumped at the voice of her best friend. Mia and Jane had grown up together. Recently they had become sister-in-laws.
“Hmmm. How could I ever forget? That was the night you decided you were going to marry my brother. Weirdo.” Jane said with a laugh.
“Yes.” Mia admitted, “ Smartest thing I’ve ever decided! Keith is the best husband I could ask for.”
“Well,” Jane said with a smile “ I’m sure my husband will be ten times better! In fact I know it.”
Mia rolled her eyes and joined Jane on the bed. Mia looked around the room and then her eyes landed on Jane’s petite figure.
“Jane!” She exclaimed “ Your hair still needs to be done! The wedding is only two hours away.”
Jane laughed and went to sit by her large mirror in order to let Mia work her magic with her hair. What she saw in the reflection of the glass did not shock her. The same face looked back at her that had for her entire life. Jane had always been plain in comparison to other girls, but she was ok with it. She knew what really mattered was on the inside. Her long black hair cascaded down her slender frame like a flowing black river. She tucked her jet black hair behind her pale ear. What did Shawn see in her? There were so many other girls he could get, why her?
“You’re beautiful you know.” Mia said breaking Jane’s concentration. Mia was pulling Jane’s hair into an extravagant twist. The design to complex for Jane to follow.
Jane’s electric, blue eyes pooled over with emotion as she whispered, “ Mia, there are so many things that could go wrong. Nothing is going to be the same! What if this is wrong? What if Shawn and I aren’t meant to be? What if I’m -OUCH!” Jane yelled as Mia pulled Jane’s hair tight.
Mia furiously pulled and tugged Jane’s hair as she spoke. “ Jane Anna Cummings you are so not getting cold feet on me here. I’m putting to much effort towards you and I will be the Matron of Honor. Shawn loves you because you are the nicest, sweetest, most loving girl that he has ever met!” Mia twisted Jane’s hair even tighter, “ And as for the change, well get used to it. Everything changes. Sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. But the way you face the change is how it’s going to turn out. Look around you. I’ve helped you change this room from your boring nursery décor, to the flamboyant tie dye when you wanted to express yourself. I helped you cover your walls with all those pictures of the actors, and I helped turn your room into what it is not. Some of our experiments were horrible. But that didn’t matter because you embraced the change. Just like you need to embrace the fact that you’re going to be married. I promise it’s not that bad. “
“I know Mia. I’m just so scared.”
“It’s ok to be scared Jane. If you weren’t then that would be scary in itself.”
“Thanks Mia. You’re the best friend in the world.” Jane smiled.
“Well,” Mia said as she pulled the last hair into place. “ That’s what happens when you grow up with someone. There.”
Jane gasped as she saw her reflection. She reached up and gingerly touched her hair. She looked stunning. Tears spilled over as she finally pulled on her white dress. She was beautiful.
Mia picked up her bouquet and went to get Keith.
“ Are you ready to go little si-” Keith called as he rounded the corner and stopped. “ Wow. Jane.” Keith smiled “ Mom and Dad would have been so proud”
Jane took a deep breath and linked her arm through her big brothers arm.
“Thanks Keith” Jane took a breath. “ Let’s do this.”
Keith and Jane followed Mia’s lead to the bottom of the stairs of Jane’s childhood home. As they descended the stairs Jane took one last look into her room. She was ready.
Just as the doors were about to open for Keith and Jane to walk down the isle to reveal a very nervous Shawn, Keith leaned over and whispered,
“Are you ready Jane? Life as you know it is about to change.”
Jane smiled and swallowed her tears. The doors opened as Jane said surely
“I’m ready”

We are in the midst of another snow storm. Last night, we recieved lots of ice. So much so that the kids and Mark are all home. I love these kind of days. I love being home as a family, especially when it is a surprise "free day". The snow is coming down like crazy. They are predicting 5-8 inches. Mark, Sam and I are heading out the door to shovel. I just thought I would post a couple of pictures of the snowfall for my dear friends in California!! Christy - these are for you :).

We are having a discussion on what the next snow sculpture will be. I voted for Larry and Bob the Tomato (from Veggie Tales) - I thought they would be easy :). Sam said that was not right, they are too easy. Elizabeth thought it was a good idea. But this morning, she woke up whispered in my ear and in Sam's ear what the next sculpture would be.... Frosty. That one killed both Sam and Jacob. Jacob simply said "isn't that like just making a snowman?". THey all crack me up! So I am putting a question out to you guys.... what would you like to see? Not that I will be able to do it, but having some fresh idea might be nice.

Expressing art through the eyes of kids

Though Jacob may not want me to share this, I just had too. When we were making the Kung Fu Panda snowmen, Jacob went off by himself to make Walle. He worked hard on him. After we all stopped, Jacob was still working. He finally stopped thinking that he would finish it the next day. Unfortuanately, with sculpting snow, it doesn't work that way. The next day the snow was no longer packing snow. I loved what he had done to him, so I insisted that he paint him. The only color we had was this brown. Jacob wasn't thrilled, but I was. So.. I wanted everyone to see his "not so finished" Walle.... I think it's great!

There have been a few times when I have caught Ri or Elizabeth in the act of photography. Yesterday was one of those days. I was in the kitchen and I saw a flash. At first, I thought it was the electricity. But far too quickly, I heard several giggles. I looked, and there was Ri taking pictures. As soon as he saw me, he came running over and asked to take my picture. So, I squatted down to his level hoping to help frame my body in his view so that he could smile at actually taking a real picture of me rather then just my feet. To my surprise, I didn't have to move much at all. It seems to me, the little ones are mastering the technique! Both kids got into the act and we had a fun "photo shoot". The giggles and applause's were quite loud. They were so tickled with themselves!

Little Abby has been on my heart and mind daily and so I have frequently visited their site. Through it, I have discovered some things about joy that I have simply forgotten. One thing that struck me hard was a day that they call "laughter lives Tuesday" and Hi/Lo Thursday. THey post specific things on those days. The first thing I discovered about myself is that I don't laugh enough. I tried to post something that day about something that made me laugh. Oh, there are lots of things that make me smile, but few things that make me laugh. I was sad that day when I sat down to post something and couldn't come up with anything in the week that had made me laugh. Next, was Hi/Lo Thursday. I sat down to post my Hi and had a difficult time figuring it out and a difficult time figuring out my Lo. Again, it made me think. I started to realize that I had let life grab ahold again and was only going through the emotions. Since then, I have begun to notice the things that are "Hi" for me and the things that are "Lo" and even more... the things that make me laugh.

Today, I found myself laughing out loud in my closet. It caught me totally off guard. I had been listening to Elizabeth tell stories about "Alan" to her Daddy. I think she chose the name Alan after her Uncle. Daddy had been telling her stories of his childhood. She thought that was cool, and so she began telling him stories. Her stories went on and on and on. She began them in the kitchen, followed her Daddy upstairs, sat on the bathroom counter and was still continuing the story (almost without a breath of air in between thoughts). It made me chuckle inside. I was smiling at her creativity. But.. not laughing out loud. But, there I was in the closet with the door shut... listening to her continous story. I heard Daddy say "I have a story for you". Without pausing a beat, she said to him... "Ok, let me pause it". I laughed out loud so hard. I couldn't believe she had just said let me pause it. I then discovered that she actually took her finger and pushed the "Pause button" in the air. I laughed and laughed. And then.. a half hour later, Ri realized that we were going to church again. He asked me "Mom, are we going to church again". I told him yes. He then sighed a heavy sigh and proceeded uttering "eye-yi-yi". It was hilarious. I have no clue where in the world he has ever heard the expression "eye-yi-yi". Too funny!

So, I am looking to add some expression to my life and hoping to be able to share many more laughter moments with you.

We did go to church tonight and enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship and a chili cook-off (Jacob's dream come true). We had the joy of sharing a table with 2 very precious people. They are the "salt of the earth" type of people. They have 4 children and are so thrilled to have 11 grandchildren. You can tell that they love every one and truly believe it is a blessing to spend any moment with them. They both have very humble, meek, gentle spirits and embrace children with love. The gentleman began interacting with Ri. Ri adn Elizabeth and I went to get a drink. When we came back, Ri insisted that we go get his new friend a drink. So we did. When it was time to eat, this gentleman grabbed Ri's hand and walked with him to get his chili. He helped Ri pick it out and then talked with him all through dinner. At one point, he got up and left the table. Ri turned to his Daddy and said "where's my friend going?" At another point in the evening, he said "I love my friend". It was so sweet to see how quickly he was able to warm up to him. God has been so faithful. It has been such a joy to watch our son growing and developoing. He is learning to trust.

On another note, I was reading to Elizabeth and Ri. We are at the story in the bible where Jesus turns the water into wine. I started out sharing with the little ones that Jesus was at a wedding. Elizabeth asked a few questions about a wedding. I explained that DAddy and I loved each other and were married but Mike and Emily were not married. SHe asked why they weren't. I tried to explain that they were too young. She still didn't understand. I then told her that if Mike still loved Jesus and Emily still loved Jesus and they loved each other that when they got older, they could get married. Elizabeth then asked me if Mike loved Jesus. I told her that he does, very much. Then she asked me if he had trusted Jesus. I was a little stunned at the question. I really hadn't thought of her making a connection with loving Jesus and trusting Jesus. It was cool to hear her ask if he had trusted Jesus.

On a completely different note, God seems to be molding our family right now. If you have ever read about the potter and the clay, and if you have ever seen a real potter working on his clay, you will know that in order for the "pot" to become the vessel that the potter desires, he has to apply pressure to it as it turns on the wheel. At some points, he applies more pressure while at other points he lets up and lets the wheel spin with very little pressure on the pot. Well, right now, I think God is beginning to apply some heavier pressure on the "pot" He is molding in each of us. There are a few major things going on in our life right now that are beginning to make us feel the pressure and really beginning to test our faith. God's word says that trials are to make us more like Christ. So.. I am beginning to praise Him for what He is doing. I am not saying that I like it, nor that I will pass any of the "tests" of trials He chooses, but I am learning to be at peace and rest in His arms.

Right now, I won't share all of the trials that we are beginning to face. But, I will share one precious one over the weekend. We have been dealing with water problems for some time now.... maybe over a year or so. At a certain time of the day, we run out of water. We thought it might be a pump issue. We finally called someone over a month ago. They said we may need our well bailed or have a new well dug... but for now, he felt we should just continue adjusting our life so that when the water ran out, we should shut the pump off and let the water refill. When you run a dishwasher 3 times a day, do 3-4 loads of laundry, have at least 8 showers a day and flush the toilet COUNTLESS times.... it is hard to adjust your life around a well that keeps running out. The guy who first came to check it out was going to cost us $400.00 just to change some piping on our pressure tank and fix a small leak on the timing unit of our softner. He said that to bail it it would cost us another 6-700. And it could be thousands to drill a new well. At the time, it made most sense to take his advice and adjust our life. We needed to replace the piping and the leak in the timing unti. We told him that we would do that part. But... he has not come back, not called, not checked on us or anything. So, when we ran out of water again on Friday and began to have a whistling sound in the hot water tank and a clicking sound in our softner, we debated what to do. We opted to call someone else for a second opinion. That person felt that bailing out our well was the smartest choice. He fee was only $300. Sometimes, you just don't know who to trust. So we faced a dilemma. Who do we believe and is the price reflective of someones' work? He also said that he could change the piping for less then $50.00. That was a huge difference! We chose to have him do both. I am praising God that the gentleman came when Mark was here and even more that he did the bailing of the water when Mark was here. He pulled out the piping and the pump to check out the pump. It was working just fine (praise God!). But... the he highly recommended new piping because the other was corroding (or something like that). That would be an additional $350. Oh no! Doesn't it always seem like when you ok something, once they get into it they seem to always add on??? I felt like I was dealing with a mechanic who has just inspected a simple problem in my van and all of a sudden I am replacing the transmission! Ugh! So, Mark and I talked about it and opted to replace the piping as well. Not sure if we are being swindled or if it is legit or not... but gullable and trusting. So, he bails the well out. Mark said it looked horrible (I can only imagine!). Pretty soon, I get a phone call (I had been in Coshocton at Sam's game) and Mark didn't sound too good. His only words were "we've got problems... we are worse off then we started". My heart sank. Then he told me we had NO water. The guy had bailed it all out and told Mark that our vein had run dry. Then he gave him instructions on what to do and left.... with a check for the services that he provided. He assured Mark that we would have water in the morning.

Now you have to understand the mannerism of this gentlemen. He is an older, very rough, very much an 'ole country boy. He talks rough, says it like it is, is thoughtless and simply refuses to tell you what it is because he doesn't know for sure. In many ways, that is a good thing. I would rather someone tell me nothing then make up something just to appease me. Well, needless to say, we were pretty shook up. No water.. how on earth would we manage a house with 8 people with no water??? And how on earth were we going to manage a new drill dug on top of the cost we had for baling out the well and the new piping?

So... we took it to prayer. The only thing I could think of is that God had us in for a trial and we needed to choose how to handle it. All we could do was trust Him and know that there is a reason. So I shared it with Sam and Emily and had them pray. Mark shared it with Jacob and Erin. And... a few hours later, Mark did what the guy told him to do and we had water! We expected some horrible situation. The guy had said that there would be lots of mud and dirt at first and make sure we ran it all out before we turned on the water to the house. Scarey stuff!! Mark said it didn't take that long before it was clear. And when we got up this morning we had wonderful, clear water! And... we haven't run out all day. So, I am praising God for His faithfulness and mercy.

Well, we finally had great snow to sculpt again. My boys have complained that Po does not look like Po ever since I made him. I must confess, when I made him, I was only making a Panda. Because of Elizabeth, I named him Po. So... we tried to fix him (he had melted and his paint was faded) and make him a little more like Po. Again, I must confess I didn't think of doing that until the boys hopped off the bus, saw Master Shifu and Tigress and reminded me that Po doesn't look like Po. Had I thought about that, I would have made the other 2 somewhere else and just made another Po (maybe). Anyways, here are the results of our afternoon play:

We went to Magic Mountain for a morning of play on Elizabeth's birthday. They both loved it.

When we sang Happy Birthday to her, she got very bashful. It was adorable.






It is finally getting warmer in our little town. Yesterday it was above freezing. I can't remember when the last time that was. We have been experiencing way below 0 lately. A few days ago, it was actually reading thirty below (wind chill). Crazy! I was really hoping that the warm weather would melt the snow enough to build another sculpture. The kids and I are really looking forward to making Master Shifu and Tigress. It just didn't happen yesterday. But, today it is suppose to reach in the 40's so maybe we will be in store for some good "snowman" snow.

Ri went back to preschool yesterday. He hasn't been in a nearly a month. I wasn't sure how he would handle it. The whole way there he kept proudly telling me that he was a big boy and "I not cry". He was so excited to see his friends again. Sadly, though, when we got there, his steps got closer and closer together. By the time we reached the door, he was holding onto my leg. I stayed for a little while and walked with him to the gym. He buried his feet into the ground and refused to go further. I coaxed him and he decided he would try. So he took steps that amounted to an inch movement. Finally, the teacher grabbed ahold of his hand and tried to walk around the gym with the other kids. Elizabeth and I left. I watched for a little while. He struggled with just about every step, but eventually he warmed up. When I picked him up, he was smiling and holding a box of pizza (they went to pizza hut for a field trip). Elizabeth and I had a great morning together. We spent an hour at the library reading books and snuggling. Then we went to her favorite place to buy "chicken boneless".... Walmart. Beleive it or not, their favorite "treat" is to go to Walmart and buy the small BBQ boneless wings. The kids call them "chicken boneless". We are "regulars" at the counter. Elizabeth ALWAYS gets 4 small pieces and Ri either gets 4 of the boneless wings or a small cup of the popcorn chicken. Mark took them the other day and the lady at the counter reminded him what the kids normally order because he had ordered it different then they normally get it. I couldn't believe it. It cracked me up.

The next birthday on the list is Emily's. She will be turning 18 on Valentines Day and JAcob will turn 13 the day after.

Here are a few more pictures from Ri's birthday. I just hadn't had a chance to post them:

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Ever since Ri's birthday, I had been told that all Elizabeth wanted was a pink cake. So, I went and bought a Barbie Doll and I was planning to make a Barbie cake where the cake is the dress for the barbie. She isn't into barbies, but I thought it would be cute and that she would like it. But a few days ago, she proudly announced that her cake was going to be a crocodile cake. I figured she just said it just to say it. She isn't into crocodiles, so I was a little shocked and confused. But, she hasn't dropped it. Everyday, she tells me that her birthday cake is going to be a crocodile cake. I was a bit intimidated. I tried to remind her about the pink cake and convince her into a barbie cake but there was no budging the child. So I gave in. Here is her "crocodile cake". The little ones and Sam had fun putting the bumps on him.


It is hard to believe that Elizabeth is now 4 years old. It seems like yesterday that we were holding our little girl for the first time. She was so tiny and in shock. So much has changed. Our baby is such a big girl now. She has an imagination that is exciting, creative, and so much fun to watch! Yesterday, she decided that she was Holly Ferguson and her cat was Jasper. All of a sudden, Ri became Dillon and Daddy became Mr. Whitaker and one of the dogs became Sherman. For the next few hours, maybe even the rest of the day, she held true to her imagination and addressed each of them that way. They are characters from a movie made of Odyssey (Focus on the Family). She hasn't seen it for months, but something triggered her thought and off she went. She is just now getting interested in coloring. She chooses to color in a unique way. INstead of filling in the spot, she is currently making striped lines inside the solid lines. It is kind of cool. She and Ri were promoted to the "big kids" Sunday school class (the 4-5's). The last 2 weeks she has been so proud of herself for learning the memory verses. We have finally gotten into a routine of reading from the Children's Bible Stories just about every night before bedtime. Last night, I almost didn't read it. I had given up because I couldn't find the book light (I ususally read it to them with the lights out simply because I like them laying there listening to it and not distracted by everything. Sometimes they fall alseep while I am reading, sometimes they don't and they ask for another story and sometimes they just lay and listen. But I couldn't find the light so I just prayed and tucked them in. As soon as Elizabeth realized I wasn't going to read, she turned on a little blue light (very weak) and told me I could use it so I could read from the bible to her. How precious is that!

Her favorite shirt (as if you can't tell by the pictures I take) is a "bee shirt". I can hardly get anything else on her. It is driving me nuts! She refuses to wear any kind of pants except for jeans (unless they are her black sparkly pants or her pink pants that are both just like jeans). I give up trying to dress her cute because it is just too much of a fight! She adores ALL of her siblings. Ri is her very best friend, Sam and Jacob are her favorite playthings, Daddy is her hero, Emily and Erin are her buddies and I am her security. She favorite toys right now are small stuffed animals (like beanie babies). Her favorite game is hide and seek. Her favorite thing to do with Ri is pretend... anything! She loves being read to but prefers (over just about anything) to watch a movie. She knows her abc's and the sounds, most of the numbers (1-10) and all of her colors. She is right on schedule with all her peers. She can ride a bike (with training wheels), kick or throw a ball, and is an incredible runner (we think she is going to be a very good athelete).

She absolutely adores her Mamaw and Papaw and her Grandma and Grandpa. Uncle Paul is her favorite Uncle (sorry Ed, Alan, and Brent - she loves you guys too) and Aunt Susan is her favorite Aunt (again - Sorry Aunt AB and Lisa). For some reason, she is drawn to men more then to woman. She doesn't want to stay in Sunday school, but as soon as Mr. VanWinkle picks her up, she quietly stays in his arms and doesn't scream. She was drawn to Mr. Starr as well when she was in the nursery. She has grown so much with separation anxiety. She has zero problem staying with Mamaw or Grandma and ANY of her siblings or Daddy. Often she chooses to stay and not come with me (almost ALL the time). When she isn't feeling good or if something has just happened to her the she still clings to me and doesn't want me to leave. As for Sunday school, she makes it known she doesn't want me to leave, but she doesn't freak out when I do.

Well, I am off to enjoy the day with our birthday girl.

Mark and the boys shoveled off the pond yesterday. Jacob and Sam were enjoying sliding all over it.
Jacob enjoyed the hill of the pond for sledding.

The kids enjoyed a long break from school. The weather was bad enough last Thursday that despite final midterms, the school cancelled classes. They had Friday off due to a teacher workday and Monday off due to Martin Luther King day. Needless to say, they enjoyed the extra days.

Upward Basketball began Saturday. Emily is coaching cheerleaders. I am so proud of her. She is the head coach. She takes her job very seriously and she completely loves it. Erin and Sam are both playing indoor soccer. Sam's games are on Saturday and Erin's are Sunday afternoon. I wish Erin's were Saturday as well, but life doesn't work out that way sometimes. Jacob is just enjoying having a break from chaoticness.

Elizabeth turns 4 tomorrow. We were not planning any big party or anything like that. For us, a simple cake and presents was just plenty. But, after Mamaw had a party for Ri (spur of the moment... we happened to be a Mamaw's that day), Mamaw is insisting that we do the same for Elizabeth. So, tomorrow evening, we will celebrate her birthday with the people who love her the most!

After the beautiful snowfall, Em and I were going to attempt to take some senior pictures. But, she has done something to her arm and is in a great deal of discomfort. We just couldn't get her comfortable enough to relax and enjoy. But, I wanted to focus on her today and this was one of the most recent shots I have.






Check out the snow on the rails!!

























Erin (and the little ones) decorated the window for Daddy's birthday.


Today's post is dedictated to my baby girl, Emily. She is feeling a little left out with my blogging. Sometimes, the kids let me know when they have not been mentioned in awhile. This morning, Emily gently reminded me that I never write about her. Then she proceeded to tell me that I put up video's of Erin and Sam's band concert, but not her choir. It wssn't on purpose. In fact, when I sat down to Em's concert, I was very sad because I realized that I had forgotten my camera. I would have posted it if I had been able to take a video. I love her concerts and I love hearing her sing. She sings with a joy in her voice.

This morning, I was listening to CHuck Swindall in the car. He was speaking on raising daughters. I immediately was drawn in. As he spoke, he shared the importance of a father "dating" his daughter and how she learns about love through her Daddy's love. THen he switched and shared about how a daughter often learns discernment and wisdom through her parents, but especially through the talks she shares with her mother. Emily and I use to have long talks about life. We don't have them so often anymore, though. That saddened me. Life seems to have taken over and with Emily's work and the little ones, our conversations are fewer and fewer. But I did rejoice in the memory of the many times we have sat and just talked about life. I need to make more time to do that much more often.

I had entered into the message half way through. Soon I realized that he was speaking on the proverbs 31 woman and raising daughters to desire to be that woman. He mentioned what men looked for in a woman....even the wildest of men. They long for a woman who is pure; one of virtue. The moment a young woman gives into the desires of the young man, he loses respect for her. He continued to speak, comparing women who focus on their beauty verse a woman who seeks to focus on her character and Christ. As I listened, I was rejoicing and praising God for Emily and the young woman she is developing into. Though she is beautiful, her focus is not on her outer beauty. She doesn't mind wearing clothes that aren't name brand. She doesn't want to wear make-up. SHe doesn't care about every hair being in place, in fact, to save money, she often cuts her own hair. She doesn't look to fit in with the popular kids or even with the crowd. She isn't trying to "keep up with the Jones". She doesn't shun away from the outcast for fear of what others might think. She is who she is. She isn't perfect. In fact, as I shared with her this morning that she is such a beautiful example of a young lady striving to be the proverbs 31 woman, she emphatically reminded me that she is failing all the time. She was so concerned about her failures that she wasn't seeing her desire. No, she isn't perfect... just ask her sister or her brothers. She knows that, I know that, and the Lord knows that. But... she is in love with her Savior and striving to seek his will for her life.

And, just as I glow with joy over something in each of our children's lives and their accomplishments, I glow with joy over the character of our young, beautiful, sweet little girl, Emily.

Happy Birthday Daddy

Happy Birthday Baby! You are the man of my dreams, far more than I could have ever asked for and far more than I ever dreamed. I praise God for your birth and for the many years that He has given you to live, laugh, and dream. And I pray for many more years of celebrating life together. You complete me. I celebrate the man God has molded you into, your faith, your steadfastness, your strength and your love. I rejoice in who you have become. I celebrate the husband that you are to me and the father you are to your children. You still make my heart skip! Enjoy your day. I love you.

Please pray for Abby.

A few weeks ago, I recieved a letter asking to pray for a little girl named Abby. To my shame, I did not mention it here. Today, Abby is about to go through the worse phase of chemo and may not survive. Please pray for her! Here is a copy of a post that her family has posted on their family website:

About Abby


This post has been created to allow people who don't know about Abby to catch up.

Abby is four years old. We adopted her from Guatemala when she was six months old.

In July 2008, three years old, she was diagnosed with a high risk, aggressive form of Leukemia. Over the months, her prognosis has worsened as other complications and conditions became know.

We thank you for taking time to learn more about her, and even more, for your prayers.

Here is a link to view a precious video of Abby: http://www.brentriggs.com/?ItemID=349&CategoryID=187

Here is a link to their website for Abby: http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/

Please be praying for her!

We've had a little snow lately. Today, when Sam got home from his midterms, we went out to make Shifu to go along with Po. Unfortunately, by the time we got everyone dressed and outside, the packing part was over and we just couldn't do it. But we have definitely decided that the next sculpture will be Shifu. He should be pretty easy. As we started to head in, we noticed the drive and thought we'd lend a hand to Daddy. Sam was a great help! The little ones pitched in as well. We didn;t complete our task simply because of how bitter cold it was.



I wish that I could sit and really soak up the gifts that God has given me. Instead, life grabs ahold of me and I tend to only see the moment I am in. Far too often, that moment is the chaos of life or the mess made by 6 kids or something to that effect. A moment ago, though, I turned my head to see Ri sitting watching tv. For a moment, just a moment, it almost took my breath away. He was so sweet, so tender looking, so innocent to the world and all that awaits him. His eyes sparkle and his giggle is contagious. For a brief moment, the world was lost. And at this moment, my little boy stands holding onto my chair, jumping up and down and giggling. When I stop to smile and look into his eyes, he giggles and says "I love you". Now that is the type of gift I wish I soaked up and took the time to enjoy! It's those precious "gifts" that make every moment worth while.

And to think.. I have 6 kids that offer me those precious gifts through out my day. It makes me wonder why I ever let myself become bitter and angry. If I would only stop and look, somewhere in my house.... even in the midst of the chaos, the stress, the things that set me off... if I would just stop and take my eyes off of the moment and look around... I would rejoice in the gifts that God has laid before me and the moment of unhappiness would be washed away!

Today, the Sam, Erin, and EMily all have midterms. Our schedule is, once again, crazy. Emily and Sam had midterms first thing, but Erin did not until 9:30. We have a young friend who needs to catch the bus at our house every morning. This morning, the bus never came, so we all loaded up to take him into school. When we got there, we discovered that there was a 2 hour delay. We would never have imagined that since the high school/middle school kids had a normal day. So Erin and Megan (our little guys sister) got dropped off earlier then they should have, but in time for their exam. Sam wasn't done until 9:30, but made plans to go to Burger King with a bunch of kids. He needs picked up. I said no until I found out that I am stuck in town do to the 2 hour delay! So, I am sitting at my parents waiting (again) for time to go by. Erin and Emily are done at 1:45, but Erin has to go to an elementary school for a buddy program she is volunteering for. That doesn't begin until 3:30. Emily works at 3:00. So from 1:45 - 3:00, the girls will hang out in town. Em will drop Erin off and then head to work. I will have to pick Erin up at 4:30. I shared the schedule with you just to give an idea why, at times, the chaos of my life gets the best of me.

We are in the thick of college stuff. It is "deadline" time for many things; scholarships, applications, etc. Right now, her hope and dream is to attend Baptist Bible College in Clark Summitt Pennsyvlania. She has been accepted. But... it is something she has to be praying about. Her desire is to attend a school that she can recieve a diploma in Elementary Education as well as be trained in missions to teach English as a secondary language (China). BBC certainly matches up to what her dream is, now she just needs to figure out the finances. So we are pursuing every avenue we can find to help her reach that dream; primarily laying it before the Lord.

WEll, my time is ending and I need to begin my running around again. Have a blessed day. May you see God's face everywhere you look!

The Dragon Warrior came to visit Ri and Elizabeth this morning!

Yes, it's true, the Dragon Warrior made a visit to our small little town. Po appeared in our back yard this morning. The kids were very excited to see him.


The little ones and I went out to play this morning while the sleet was falling. Ever since Jacob and I made our first sculpture, I always am hunting for the "perfect" sculpting snow. This morning was wonderful! So.. Elizabeth, Ri and I spent a half hour or so building the big snowballs for the base of "Po". When Mark came home, I wrangled him into lifting the heavy balls on top of the bottom balls. Then Erin and I went to work. We have so much fun working together on these projects. I was sad to not have Jacob or Sam and Erin out working with us. Jacob would have LOVED it.

Saturday was a big day.... Ri turned 4 years old. It is so hard for me to believe he is 4 years old already. And oh how much he has changed! He is such a joy to all of us. His giggle is absolutely contagious. I think that is one of my favorite things about him. He is still as resilient as ever. I think he has a strength that runs far deeper then most adults. It's as if he looks trouble in the eye and says "I've been through worse... bring it on!". He has an incredible spark about him. The things that he says cracks me up. Sometimes, I am simply in awe that he is our son.

His favorite color is orange. I am not so sure that it truly is his favorite, but it is the one color he knows. His favorite toys are matchbox cars. He still loves to have books read to him (a goal I have set to do more of this year). One of his favorite things to do is take a bath. He loves to take small toys and carry them everywhere he goes and then find something to stuff them in. He is as curious as they get and can't hardly keep his hands off anything that catches his eyes. It is near impossible for him to not open something if he wants what is inside. He absolutely adores his siblings...every single one of them! He is still an excellent imitator and even better teaser! He knows his ABC's (sounds and lettes) and he can count to 12. He was passed out of his speech class because he was doing so well. Developmentally, I think he has nearly caught up with his peers. There are still some areas that he struggles in, but all in all... he is doing fantastic!

Happy New Year

Jacob's New Year tradition is to dump a bowl of water on his head and then run around the house the number of times the new year is... in this case... 9. At each lap, Mark set off firecrackers. He is so much fun to watch. He gets so very excited. At the stroke of 12, he dumps the water and Mark lets off fireworks.

Elizabeth's favorite present was this baby doll. Mark wanted me to find an asian doll for her. I saw this one the very next day. I couldn't believe it looked so much like Elizabeth!

2009... it's the beginning of a new year. For the Miller Home, New Years Day is probably one of the most precious days of the year. We hold a tradition unlike many others. For our children, New Years is much like the celebration of Christmas for so many others. We do not celebrate Christmas in our home. We never have. I grew up celebrating Christmas, though the birth of Christ was rarely a part of it. Mark grew up never celebrating Christmas, though the birth of Christ was the most important thing to he and his family. Odd how things are sometimes. I was not a christian, but Christmas was the absolute most precious day of the year for me. Mark was a strong believer in Jesus Christ and Christmas meant nothing to his family. Understanding it all is far more complex then I am able to write down.

As for our children, they love Christmas. They recognize it for what it is. They rejoice in the birth of Christ and love a day set aside to remember His birth and what his birth means to us. They look forward to the day spent with my parents and often a season that includes visiting with their cousins and Aunt and Uncle from Florida. But as for New Years... it is something they look forward to more then any other day.

Over the years, it has become a precious day to all of us. In the morning, the kids are excited to see the many presents that await them. But before we begin the "festivities", we sit down as a family and reflect on some things or ways that we have seen God in the previous year and spend some time purposely reflecting on the New Year with God being the center. It is my favorite time of the morning. And for some reason, this year was far more precious to me then any other year. I think mostly because it is such a time of uncertainty. We were honest with the kids about the uncertainty of the economy and what the future holds. Oh, we never know what the future holds, I know that... but entering into 2009 seems far more uncertain with the economy that our country is currently facing. So, our reflections became such a precious time of taking our uncertainties and reminding the kids to lay them at the foot of the cross..... reminding them that no matter what God chooses to allow to come into our lives, He is in control and He is the one who will hold us through it all. There is such a peace in that understanding.

We look forward to a new year. For some of us, 2008 was a time we don't mind setting aside and moving on. Jacob and I both agreed that 2008 was not filled with great memories. Oh, don't get me wrong, there are wonderful things that happened and I wouldn't trade many of them at all... but I struggled with my walk with the Lord. As for Jacob, it was the hardest year of all. Much might be do with the changes that go on during this time of life for a 12 year old. But, he and I both agree that much of the difficulty for him has been the relationship that he and I have had. I have not been there for my son like I use to be. I use to be Jacob's "safe haven". No matter what he was going through, he knew he could count on mom's loving touch to make it all go away. But since the addition of Ri combined with my off and on walk with the Lord, Jacob has been on the end of my wrath far more then any gentle soothing touch. It wasn't until this past month that I finally opened my eyes to see what I had been doing to him. It finally dawned on me how hard I have been on him. And... by the grace of God, we had a talk about it. Both of us are looking forward to saying goodbye to 2008 and hello to a new year and .. hopefully... a restored relationship.

Some of our highlights from 2008 are Jacob's Washington trip, Emily becoming a Senior in high school and her trip to Philidelphia, Sam's trip to Poland, and Erin's soccer camp and homecoming experience. There are far more highlights to mention, but these are some that are burned into our kids memories. For me, I think the most important highlight is the bonding of Ri and I. He truly became my son in 2008! Some other memories that come to the top of my head: the price of gas!, Mark diagnosed with skin cancer, lots and lots of senior pictures, Marks parents celebrated 50 years together, our pastor moved away, Uncle Paul became the pastor of a church in Radnor, Sam started high school, my girls had their first official dates and my son longs too, the election of Obama and the uncertainty of our country, my neice graduated from High School, Emily spent 2 weeks in Florida babysitting, realizing that I have a senior in high school!, Erin got her drivers license.

There is much more to write, but time has gotten away from me.