Christmas Day 2008

Our Christmas tree

We begin every Christmas with someone reading the story of Christmas from the Bible. This year Skyler read it.

Jordan and Rachel after opening their presents.

Heidy showing off her Paints!

For 3 years Skyler has asked for something and this year we decided to give it ...... a family vacation... (like the Griswalds.... I hope NOT) , to Disney this summer. She got to announce it! She was really excited. We will ALL go this June or July!

Heidy and Mark put together her Beauty Salon. Skittles had to help. But she was taking a moment to look at herself in the mirror!

Doris stopped by to see us and give us a gift. How sweet, she is leaving the 30th. We loved having her in our home last year.

We really missed Milady and Chad, who had to stay in Florida since she is VERY pregnant with their daughter to be born in January!!!

Christmas Eve 2008 Part 2

After our service tonight at chruch we came home and the girls got to open their one package, which is always Pajamas.

Christmas Eve 2008 part 1

Tonight we went to church and the kids that were there sang and a young man from our church that is in college spoke. Here are a few pictures....

Christmas pictures with Maci 2008

We try to do this every year. Heidy and Maci are best buddies!!

FFF # 31 theme - HO HO HO --- Seeing Santa and Heidyism......

On Friday the 12th Wee Kare Pre School went to sing Christmas songs at the bank. Heidy was fine through the first couple of songs. Then it happened, she saw HIM!! Then she twirled around as fast as she could, looking for a place to go. Miss Cynthia, the pre school director, got her and was holding her until I got to her. She told me that Heidy was looking desperately for a place to hide, until she grabbed her. When I got her, this is what she looked like.....

Poor girl!! I felt sorry for her!! She buried her head in my chest and never looked up!!

I videoed the rest of the program even though Heidy wasn't in it. As soon as it was over, I sat her to the side, because we were sitting on the floor, so I could get up and as soon as her feet hit the floor she ran under neath the refreshment table that the bank had set up!! ( A friend took this picture)

The Heidyism....

After we were all done and getting our coats to go back to the preschool, I had Cynthia to hold Heidy. I then snuck over to Santa and talked to him ( I knew who it was) I told him that Heidy was terrified of him and Santa told me it was ok that several kiddos were scared of him and it was ok. I told him that she had said if he didn't have a beard she would sit on his lap, and that I would ask if Santa would shave his beard off for her to sit on his lap and he said YES he would!! When we got in the car to go back , I told her that I talked to Santa and that he wasn't mad that she was afraid of him, that it was ok. Then I told her that he said he would shave his beard off if she would sit on his lap, she was floored, He would do that for me??? She asked that about 3 times. But she said she wouldn't sit on his lap anyway.

Then my sweet little girl told me I was the "bestest mom in the whole universe" for talking to Santa for her and finding out he wasn't mad that she was afraid of him.

I love this girl!!!

FFF # 30 -- No Theme -- So ... Decorating the Tree

These are a few pictures of Heidy helping decorate the tree.... She had fun. We have a "charlie brown" tree, now. We have had a 9 ft FULL tree for years and I was kind of tired of it a couple of years ago and got this one and I LOVE it!!

Concentrating!
I love this one of her...

Here comes Miss Nosey Rosey.... Skittles.
See, Skittles is helping!

This is an ornament that my Grandmother gave to me when I was about 12 and it has to go on my tree every year.... There were 6 of us grand daughters and my grandmother bought a set of them, a 6 piece set and gave each of us one. I found that out as an adult, when I saw a set in an antique store. But I love it.

First school boo boo

They were at play time, Heidy was riding a toy that you lay on your tummy on or you sit on and she did a chin plant on the floor!!! Of course, this was a day I wasn't there! Miss Kelly put ice on it and held her until she stopped crying, which they told me wasn't long!

Poor baby!!! I felt so bad for her, but she is tough!

FFF # 29 Theme -- anything we want -- Thanksgiving Feast

Heidy's pre school had their annual Thanksgiving Feast for the kiddos.... This year Heidy's class were Indians, but they made Pilgrim place mats. Here is the turkey we made for the kids to eat. They also had applesauce and mashed potatoes and corn and a special dessert. They loved it!!

Here is my favorite little Indian!!Another picture of her.
It was fun!! A cute thing that Heidy said at Thanksgiving when we went to Mark's folks, where we had Christmas... She kept asking Carlette, my great sis in law, when the feast was, not dinner.

FFF # 28 Thankfulness -- Thanksgiving 2008

Today we had the privilege of doing something we haven't ever done. We got to help at our church with the Thanksgiving Community Dinner. It is for people in the community who don't have anywhere to go or don't have a way to come to get the dinner, we deliver and also for the workers. We usually have Thanksgiving dinner at our house but when Milady came home for her shower we had our family dinner then.

Getting things ready!!

But today we all helped. Heidy even drew pictures for each table and added them to the decorations. She made sure we saw them!


Heidy, bless her heart wanted to help so badly so she asked these ladies, who don't come to our church and she didn't know, if she could show them to a table. They said yes and then, she came and got her plate, and went and asked them if she could sit with them. They said yes. I was serving food and could just watch all of this, so this picture was when they were getting ready to leave. Skyler did get her plate and go sit with her too. The ladies told me how sweet she was and how much they enjoyed the dinner because Heidy ate with them. They said she just made the lunch for them!! It was so sweet of them to tell me that.

This is Heidy and Megan resting...

This is Skyler resting in between working!!
Today is Thanksgiving and it was such a joy to help at the church!!! I loved it. Skyler and I got to take home a couple who were the sweetest people!! They had gotten a ride there but needed a ride home. It was so easy being Jesus to them!!

Here are a few things I am thankful for.....

I am thankful for my husband, Mark, who for 28 yrs now, has put up with me, who is a Godly man and though a little quiet has many words of wisdom!! He has been a wonderful dad to the 4 children we have now and will be one to the little gal who will someday soon, we hope, join our family!

I am thankful for my kids, all of them, and for the two that have spouses, that they are all Christians and following Him. I am thankful for the two that are still home and for the one who will join us!! They are all special in their own right!!

I am thankful for friends and family who care about me and whom I care about. I am thankful for the "butterfly "gals (You know who you are, I love you!!) I am thankful for blogger friends, all of them, some I have been able to get closer to than others, but love you all!!!

I am thankful that for a short while I got to be part of an agency who has now brought home several children from Ethiopia. Even though that is over now.

I am thankful for many more things, but if I listed them all I would take up the whole blog!!!

God is good and greatly to be praised!!

FFF # 27 For Crying out Loud!!!!

Heidy doesn't like Santa, last year her pre school went to sing at the bank. She saw Santa come in the complete opposite side of the bank and started screaming and running in the opposite direction. A friend got to her before I did and picked her up. When I got her she was still screaming and buried her head in my neck!! You can't see her face, but trust me, there are alligator tears!!!

FFF # 26 Blowing Kisses....

This is from a couple of years ago!! I love this picture!!

100 things.....

A friend did this on her blog and asked friends to do it, I am doing the same....... I added the 100th one.... It is fun, you do it!! You will see how blessed you are.....

All you need to do is copy and paste and highlight the things you have done, on your blog...
Bold the things you’ve done and will admit to:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii ( 2 times)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (Can we ever do that?)
7. Been to Disneyland/world (both)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (Yes and Yes doing it again, thank God)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (it was closed to climb in while we were there)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train ( I have been on trains in Europe)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill ( I called it a mental health day)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (not a lamb but a new born pony)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon ( are you kidding????)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person ( a goal of mine)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (trying right now, Amharic))
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied ( We are alive and healthy, so we should be)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone Rock Climbing (Mine wasn't a very big rock... )
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restauraunt
44. Visited Africa ( yes and going back!!!)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (only the second tier... they wouldn't let us go to the top, it was windy.)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeling)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (home videos)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China ( I am jealous of those who have)
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen (not a soup kitchen persay, but our Church's Community Thanksgiving meal)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (Dachau, as an adult and I bawled like a baby)
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (didn't like it)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (it is awesome)
77. Broken a bone (my big toe)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (My oldest daughter and I want to write one)
81. Visited the Vatican ( Mark has, but not me)
82. Bought a brand new car ( but I don't think I will ever again)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible ( like 2 times when I was younger)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury (was supposed to but it was settled out of court)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby ( yes, 3 of them)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Been on a Mission trip


I have been truly blessed in my life!!!

FFF # 25 Family

I don't have a current family picture, but please scroll down to get caught up on our busy life.... There are a lot of family and friends and fall pictures and Heidy's haircut !!!

God bless you!
Debbie

Baby Shower for Milady

On Nov. 2nd our church had a shower for Milady. It was a wonderful baby shower!!



My mother made and brought the cake all the way from Kentucky!!

My baby girl, Milady, 6 1/2 months pregnant with her baby girl!!

Opening gifts and this one is from my mom who is standing on the right.

Opening more gifts....

A picture of the whole group!!

She only got to take a few things home in a big suitcase we brought for that purpose, because they had to leave for the airport right after that. The rest I will take down when I go in January. She was so pleased and surprised by how many were there!! She loved her gifts!!