New Accomplishments: The StudMan

Ok, so some of you might not agree that this counts as actual sitting up on his own but it's good enough for me!! He can sit for about 30 seconds before tumping over. He gets pretty excited to do such a big boy thing. He is starting to try and get those knees underneath him too. Right now he can wiggle himself around pretty good.

We are still just so thankful that he is off that medicine. It seems to have been really stunting his development. He is doing great now and is SOOO much more fun to be around!

Be My Valentine

So I am a little behind in posting this but life doesn't stop for the blog, now does it?

Here is FaithLyn and her friend Layni at the preschool party

Here she is with her booty. They really do it up for these parties!
This was a great Valentine's Day! Dan and I made the girls some coupons. We had to get creative this year and I think it may become a tradition. I found some coupon templates on the Family Fun website and then filled them in. Each girl got an Ice cream date, Donut Date with Dad, and Movie Night with Mom. Then they all got one for us all to enjoy together; A real treasure, Treasure Hunt; Afternoon at the Park of your Choice; and Living Room Camp Out
We have one donut date to go and tonight Olivia and I will have our movie night after all the other kids go to bed. It has been lots of fun.

We also spent V-day morning making cards for Daddy and a cookie cake. Then Dan and I took advantage of the parent's night out at church and caught a movie. It was a great day! We really enjoyed all of the activities.


You are probably wondering about the following picture. Well, We are SOO proud of FaithLyn. During our family worship we have been working on memorizing the books of the New Testament. She got them all with out help on Tuesday. We rewarded her with a new game! I wish I had it on video but our camcorder is on the blink. Anyway, the joy in her face at accomplishing the goal set before her was priceless! We played a quick game yesterday before church.

We are so proud of her! Elise is almost there! She is working hard at getting all of those books down all by herself! Next we are moving on to the Ten Commandments. I want them to know the basis for where so much of our discipline standards are created.

A Birthday Party!

The Guests: Aunt Angie and Cousin Luke (Papa got sick so Nana and Papa couldn't come)

The birthday girl

The gifts

The yummy cake

The Excitement!

The aftermath!

Happy Birthday, Elise!

I can't believe she's FOUR years old!

Our Trip

Well, I don't have nearly as many good pictures as I would have liked. I believe my illness had a serious affect on my ability to take good pictures. The girls had so much fun meeting some of their cousins. They hit it off pretty well! FaithLyn and Rachel Elizabeth were like two peas in a pod. Here James is showing my girls what it is like to live in the desert. It was so sad to leave our new found friends.
Everyone chipped in to have a special birthday party for all the Feb. birthdays. Uncle Chuck, Aunt Ellen, and Elise. It was so sweet for Elise.
She got to open a few early birthday gifts.
James and Shelley even brought a pinata! It was so much fun!
The bridge lovers even got in some good card time!

I wish I had a good picture of everyone. Alas...I only have the memories. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by family that is like minded and Christ-centered. Everyone was so thoughtful and loving. There are so many people that I didn't get pictures of! Rats!

My God Is So Big, So Strong and So Mighty

We made it back safely from New Braunfels. It was a wonderful time of remembering and celebrating Grandpa Ramsey. I will have a proper update full of pictures and fun stories as soon as I get them on the computer.



Today I just wanted to share a few of the ways that God has been meeting our needs.

Can I just say that if you doubt that God cares for the details in your life, then keep reading!! I have LOTS of proof that that is just not true!

Elise is having a birthday on Saturday. Dan and I have been talking about what to get her. Today was the day for me to go shopping with out her so I loaded up StudMan and we were off. I had a few ideas; a doll house, a baby doll, anything imagination play.... I also had a $ amount. I knew it was unlikely that I would find a doll house for the given amount. But I went and looked anyway. I couldn't find anything remotely close to anything we thought she might like. I was sad, discouraged, and running out of time. I didn't have time to run all over town and shop at thrift stores. My time is WAY more precious than money right now. Dan and I were on the phone brainstorming ideas and I looked down some random row and saw clearance items. I turned in and to my delight was THE doll house. It was marked down $25. To the EXACT price we had agreed to spend. Now tell me God doesn't care about the details!!! It was the only doll house and the only thing at the right price. My God is SOOO GOOD!

We also recently got our cash reward on our credit card. It paid for all of the gas for our recent trip to see family. We even have a few dollars left over. My God knew whe hadn't budgetted for that extra expence, but he got us there!

We have also received several money gifts over the past few days. We will be able to go out for Valentine's Day!

The biggest surprise came tonight at church. We are having our winter bible study. It's kind of like a revival with meals and a speaker afterwards but a lot less hellfire and brimstone. We are studying Romans. Anyway, I was digging in my purse for a pen and I come across some trash. I pull out a piece of notebook paper folded up. Then I see my name. I open it up to see what it is because I don't remember having a note in my purse. Before I can read the note I see the wad of bills that the note was cloaking! The note was, of course, anonymous. But this was the good anonymous; the get your reward in heaven anonymous. Not the this is what I really think of you but don't have the guts to put my name on it anonymous.

I can 't say it enough. My God is SO GOOD. He can meet our needs. He always has. It is hard to have faith when you can't see how things will work out. But it wouldn't be faith any other way! Believe me, this is one area that God doesn't mind us testing him in! I dare you to trust him to meet your needs. Go to him for everything. Even the things that you think won't matter. He listens and He cares! He is ever so faithful!

Sick again

*UPDATE:
Dan went to the doctor today and got some meds. He has bronchitis. He's feeling lots better today but not well enough to go to work. Dan NEVER misses work so that should tell you how bad he feels! But he is on the mend. Elise is running a low grade fever but she's eating again! That's a plus. FaithLyn is doing great! Looks like we will be making our trip to New Braunfels after all. That is, unless I come down with something in the next 24 hours. Thanks for your prayers!



Half of the clan is down for the count. Dan is really sick. High fever, chills, body aches and a deep cough. He doesn't even have the energy to get out of bed. Elise has a stomach bug and FaithLyn has a mysterious fever. Olivia had the fever last week and Judson has been a little fussy, too.

Dan 's Grandpa passed away and the funeral is this Friday. If you feel so inclined please lift up a prayer that we will all be well and able to attend.

Walking to the Mailbox

I love the immediacy of email. I can email my sister several times a day and feel like she is involved in my everyday. That's great! But there is just something magical about receiving snail mail. I can hold it and see the thought that was put in to it. I can keep it or throw it away. I can get my window shopping fix by just looking through the many sale flyers that come my way.

One of my favorite times of the day is when I hear the mail truck pull up to our house and my heart starts to do a little dance. I start to wonder, "Will there be bills today? What about a magazine? I wonder if it will just be junk?" I usually try not to hope for personal mail. It just doesn't come that often. But when I get out to the mailbox and open that little black door I am, for a moment, a child again.

Then there are the days that I hear the mail truck pull up and stop the motor. That is even more exciting! That means we have a package that is too big to fit in the mail box! He walks it up to the door and knocks. I usually make myself wait at least until he is back in his mail truck before I run out and grab it.

Yesterday's trip to the mailbox didn't disappoint! I wasn't expecting anything. No bills, no magazines, I wasn't sure there would be anything. But the moment I opened that cold metal door my heart skipped a beat. Not one but TWO cards! It's not Elise's birthday for at least two more weeks so who could these be for? One was addressed to me from a new friend here in town and one was to our family from someone special. Two personal cards sent with thought and love. I practically floated the rest of the day!

Dan dropped by in the middle of the afternoon which hardly ever happens and those two encouraging notes turned his whole afternoon around!

Something that seems so simple made a huge impact on our family. It made me even more determined not to lose the art of letter writing. It's such a small thing, but there is just something about the hand written word that speaks so much louder than the keyboard.

I hope you can enjoy your mail collecting today!