Weekend in Pittsburgh

**this is a long post, sorry... but we had a great weekend!**

Well, Nate is at the National Youth Ministry Conference in Columbus, so I thought, what better time to take the kids and head to my sister Katy's place in Pittsburgh. Her birthday was last weekend, so we thought it would be fun to go hang out. We took off Friday at 5:00 hoping to get to Pittsburgh before 8 and maybe stop at IKEA before we head to Katy's place. She had to work until 9:30... well, Mr. Garmin (the GPS) took me the short LONG way!! A trip that allowed us to go through 3 states in 5 minutes, which the kids thought was amazing in and of itself! We ended up pulling in at Katy's workplace at about 8:30 - 8:45!! So we did a little shopping at Pier 1 before they closed, hit Wal-Mart (because I needed a few essentials I forgot to pack... imagine that!) then took off for Katy's house. The kids were so excited, that they didn't go to sleep until around 11 or later. The entire drive into Pittsburgh, once we hit the "city" Drew was on the edge of his seat with excitement. It was really kinda funny to watch him. Then when we passed Heinz Field, I thought he was going to faint! So cute.

Saturday morning, we got up and Katy and Toby made us pancakes! Toby loves to stir!
After breakfast, we headed out to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. I had checked the place out online, but was even more impressed with it. The kids had a blast! Here are just a few of the things we did....

Toby doing some silk Screening! Shelly, you would have been impressed!


Toby was so into his painting (he made at least 3 beautiful portraits) he wouldn't even look away from his easel to get his photo taken!
Here, Taylor, Toby, Aunt Katy and her friend Amanda do some Ink press artwork...
And here's Toby making paper!
The kids really loved Water World. They got to put on crocs and raincoats and go crazy. I rolled up Toby's pant legs, but he still managed to get soaked. Luckily, I planned ahead and had back up pants in the backpack!
On our trip to Pittsburgh, the kids watched the movie "BIG" with Tom Hanks. We all about flipped out when we saw Madame Zelda at the Museum... guess what Drew wished for? And he was very disappointed when he was still 7 when he woke up this morning...
As you can see, we finally broke down and got Taylor a cell phone. She's been very busy texting all her friends. I'm thinking it's going to be a good tool to keep her room clean?!?
In the "Garage" section, the kids got to use different tools. Toby and Drew were using files to file down wood, I INSISTED on the safety goggles, partially because they were getting pretty wild with the tools, and partially because they were so darn cute on them!
Here the kids are in the "Attic" section. Going down the FAST slide! They really liked it and did it several times. But they had to walk through the gravity room get to it.
Here is the Gravity room. It was on an angle, and was nearly impossible to walk in. Toby kept running into the wall. He kept falling down to the left. It was actually kinda comical!
Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was a big hit for the kids. Here they sit on his front porch.
And Toby and I are watching as Trolly comes by!
Toby would hardly leave the "castle" and was still talking about it this morning as we were leaving. He wanted to go back to the castle. He liked the Land of Make Believe!
Here is Drew on the Trolly... can you tell he's in Pittsburgh. Of course, he didn't stand out at all. About every other person you saw was completely decked out in Steelers attire!
So after the Museum, we went to IKEA for a while. I bought several things for around the house! I LOVE that place!! I could easily fill a U-Haul, like so many people do when they are there! Then we went to dinner to celebrate Aunt Katy's birthday. I talked her into Damon's...YUM!! We had a nice meal, and the kids were very well behaved, considering the long day they had had!

Sunday morning, we had to hit the road fairly early. I was hoping to make it back for Lydia's funeral service and Taylor had play practice at 2PM. (we didn't make it into town until after 2, so sadly, I missed the service. But I was with them in spirit and continue to pray for the Miyashita's)

But before we left, Aunt Katy wanted to take us to Mt. Washington to look out over the city. Great idea... bad time of year! It was beautiful, but freezing. The kids had winter jackets, but they needed several layers and a few hats and several pair of gloves!! It was just very windy. We did manage to get a few photos!

Here are Taylor and Drew, with Heinz Field in the background!
And here is a photo of the kids and I with the Pittsburgh skyline behind us!
Since it was so cold, we decided to head down closer to Heinz Field so Drew could get some photos! He was SO EXCITED!!! Can you tell?
And here is Taylor in front of the stadium!
Drew didn't want to leave! He kept running back to the gate and begging for someone to let him in!
And a final photo of the kids with Art Rooney. Drew is thanking him for the great season! I don't think he had a clue who he was until we explained it, but he wanted to thank him!

Another Play

Well, we got word this week that Taylor will be in another play. She auditioned for "A Cricket on Grandmother's Hearth" (or something like that) this past weekend with Orrville Community Theater. This is the group that she was in The Wizard of Oz with. She got the call Wednesday night that she is going to play Emily! She is very excited. They will get scripts and do a read through on Sunday, so we will know more then. But I believe the production is the first weekend in April!

We also continue to wait to hear about Ohio Light Opera auditions. She is really hoping to be able to be a part of this again this year, so if any of you hear about or read about auditions... let us know!

God is Good!

All I want for Easter is...

My Two Fwont Teef...

God is Good!

Valentine's Day at COSI

Well, we had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Nate actually had to work, so we gave the kids their gifts Friday night. Toby got more Play Dough toys, and Taylor got Clothes and Drew got a Steelers championship shirt. He was so excited to get an actual "Terrible Towel" also.(Thanks Aunt Katy in Pitt for picking them up for us!)

So the kids slept in a little, then we went to Taylor's piano lessons, and Toby got a last minute invitation to a friend from Church's birthday party... HAPPY BIRTHDAY RILEY! So we got to stop in there for about an hour so he could enjoy his first "birthday party" invitation!

As soon as Nate got home from work, we loaded up the Jeep and headed for Columbus. We decided it would be fun to just head down to COSI with the kids and enjoy a few hours together! It was wonderful! We had no agenda, we'd been there before so we had already seen most everything. So we just let the kids lead and enjoy and explore. It was a lot of fun! Here are some photos!

This is in the Progress Section!
I think the kids have two favorite spots. Ocean is one of them. Here, Nate and Drew are playing in the water,

And of course, Taylor getting wet...

And as you can see from Toby's shirt... he had a blast. Yes that is a soaked shirt!! As well as hair and pants. He had so much fun playing in the water!

Here Taylor and Drew are discovering the effects of sound waves. Of course, it wasn't working for some reason, so Drew ended up more confused than when we started! But Taylor is studying that exact thing in school, so she was doing her best to explain it to him.

This was the first thing we did when we got there. Nate was putting coats away, etc. And at first Toby was a little overwhelmed. But then he started playing, and he was on the go from that point on. Wanting to see and touch everything! It was exciting to see him explore on his own. Of course, Nate felt he was wandering a little too much, but I see it as a good sign of independence!

If you ask the kids, I think this is on thier top 2 list at COSI... Gadget world. Here is a fun video of Toby. He was having a blast putting these balls on the blowers and watching them hover...

After our time at COSI, we stopped at Aunt Christina and Uncle Jer's house to check up on baby Graham! He is getting so big, and moving around and a little jabber box. We were only there for a short while, but it was a nice little visit! Nate got his White Castle on the way home, the kids and I played it SAFE and ate at Taco Bell :) *is that safe?* And we made it home safely a few hours later!

In a couple weeks, we are going to head to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum... Can't wait!!

God is Good!

It's a Witch

Last summer Taylor was in The Wizard of Oz play in Orrville. Toby was fascinated (if not scared to death) of the wicked witch. Well, he watched the movie recently and now, that is ALL HE TALKS ABOUT. So much so, I picked him up from school last week and his teacher asked if he'd been watching the movie.

So for your viewing pleasure, here is Toby (yes, he's wearing part of a darth vador mask and a Super Agent cape) demonstrating some of is Wizard of Oz knowledge.

Please ignore my annoying voice and laugh in the background... I wish I could edit that part out!


God is Good!

Kalahari Photos

Well, I was going to post some videos, but it takes forever, and then my memory maxed out, so I'll have to try again later. But I thought I would get some fun photos up!

Here is the one video I made with my camera, I guess I should just do that more often. This is the Top 10 reasons to Attend Kalahari...

This is Kendra and Nate's cousin Sara. After I took the photo, the girls came over to look at it and Kendra said to Sara... "You didn't tell me it was supposed to be a good picture!" Sara looks too beautiful not to share it, and Kendra, even with your yellow tongue and silly face you look beautiful! But enough Starburst, okay?

All weekend my camera was being confiscated by students, but I thought this was a pretty impressive photo. This is about half the group at Devotions Sunday morning. We had to split up in two different rooms because of our group size.It is always so exciting to see kids taking their faith so seriously!

This is the girls that were in my room for the weekend with Ja'Rod Cherry. He played for the New England Patriots in their SuperBowl days a few years back. He shared his testimony and it is very powerful, about where we place our value in our lives. I want to get this video uploaded and will try again tomorrow to at least get that much up! It is worth checking back to the blog to see!

Here is (another) Kendra, one of the girls that is always at Alive with us in the summer. She won the chance to "compete" in a peanut butter eating contest. She had the creamy and she beat out her friend who had the chunky! I'm sure she drank plenty of water after this! She won a covetted Thrift Store Tee Shirt!

This is back in the room the first night we stayed up until 2:30AM! This is Liz and Naomi hanging out! Liz is eating the wonderful ice we went down the hall at 1:30 to get!

Here is Mac... this is what happens when you take away the cell phone of a teenager in love... they must actually write letters!

These girls are in my small group but were not in my room. All seven of my small group girls came, and between them brought three friends, so we did not have room enough to all stay together. So these are a few of the girls that were in the other room. Hope, Jenae and Caitlyn.

Another shot in our room, this is Jenessa and her two friends, Marie (i.e. Angie as I kept calling her all weekend) and Jill.

14 First Time Decisions for Christ
over 200 recommitments to share their faith with their friends

A weekend full of fun!

God is Good!

Nate Huss

Our local Christian Station 102.7 WVMC, plays a syndicated show Total Axxess. A friend from Grace, Zach Boehm, is part of this show, so we tune in pretty much every night if we are home. I'm sure the radio is still on in the kitchen with the Total Axxess show playing as I type. Check it out if you live in the area, it starts at 7PM.

Well, tonight as I was getting the kids ready for bed, Nate yelled at me to come in to the kitchen. When I got in there he said, "Wally and Zach were talking about adoption" I missed the conversation, but then they played this song...



What a wonderful song. I did find a little history about Nate Huss from a CBN interview and you can read it here. He was the youngest of 8 adoptive children.

I think this song is beautifully written and wanted to share it with you all.

God is Good!

McKinnley Museum & Monument

Today was a wonderful day!! We had two snow days Thursday and Friday, and then we had today off for Martin Luther King day. I encouraged Nate to take a personal day so we could do something as a family! While the snow days were fun... it was too cold (-20 or so) to go outside and do anything. I figured the kids would likely kill each other if they had to spend another day cooped up inside. So we began to plan a mini road trip!

When we had Toby's finalization last March, my parents purchased a membership (which is an amazing deal, by the way) for us to the McKinnley Museum and Monument as a gift. Unfortunately, we had not yet used it. So I thought what a great opportunity to take a day and do something fun like that. And boy am I glad we did. The kids really enjoyed themselves and look forward to going again soon!

The three kids inside the Indian "Hut"

Nate had to get a photo of the Anvil... "GO SMITHIES!!!" (The "mascot" of our High School for those that may not know)

Taylor having fun inside a dinasour head!


This was Toby in front of the dinasour, before he realized it MOVED... then he wouldn't come within 10 feet of it without attaching himself to me...


McKinnley Museum... Canton Ohio...Highly recommend it...

God is good

Drew's Cavs Game

Drew and Nate got to go to a Cavs game Friday night! We got tickets for Drew for Christmas through the Upward program. Part of the package was that he got to go down on the floor before warm-ups and give the player's a Hi-5! He was so very excited. Literally counting down the days for about 2 weeks!

Here is Drew waiting in the "tunnel" before the Hi-5's were handed out. He is the one in the white turtle neck. He even got on the big screen! (once during the tunnel, and once during the game!) All of the players "walked" through to make sure that they got to slap each child's hand. Drew told me that LeBron Hi-5ed everyone, but he gave Drew a Pound (or rock)! He thought that was way cool!
Here is Wally Szczerbiak coming through the line.


And Anderson Verajao going through the line!

Nate and Drew really enjoyed the game! The Cav's won their 20th straight home game, remaining undefeated this season at The Q!

Drew got to watch some of the best players in the NBA!
Including the One and Only LeBron James!

After the game, Nate and Drew hung around to see about getting some autographs. Nate said LeBron's mom was there hanging out and she was so funny and personable and chatty with everyone. Chris Paul, All-Star Point Guard for the New Orleans Hornets stuck around and signed a few autographs and Drew was lucky enough to get one! He was thrilled!

I thought this was a fun shot of Drew... I think he could walk under Z's legs!

Nate got a pair of tickets for he and I to go in a few weeks on a date night! Should be fun! Now we just need to find a babysitter on a school night... funny how the guys don't think all that through! But what a nice idea, and I am looking forward to it!

God is Good!

Happy Birthday Paps

Okay, since my dad's birthday was yesterday, it may appear as if I forgot.. but honestly... I DID NOT FORGET YOU DAD!!!

It just turned into a crazy evening, and by the time I remembered we hadn't made his video, the kids were in bed, well 2/3rds of them anyway.

So, here's your video dad. And your favorite song is on your cell voicemail for you to play over and over all year!

We love you Paps!

God is Good!

Circle of Relationship

More from The Shack

And so why did God create man first? I know there are lots of biblical explanations, but I thought this was pretty good, regarding relationships between man and woman...

Page 148 in my book talks about the "circle" of life, in the sense of Men and women..This is Jesus talking about the differences in Men and Women and why each of them turned from God at Creation. About the "roles" that they have given themselves, not the roles God gave them. Here is what Jesus says (the "we" being the trinity)

"Power in the hands of independent humans, be they men or women, does corrupt. Mack, don't you see how filling roles is the opposite of relationship? We want male and female to be counterparts, face-to-face equals, each unique and different, distinctive in gender but complementary, and each empowered uniquely by Sarayu (The Holy Spirit) from whom all true power and authority originates. Remember, I am not about performance and fitting into man-made structures; I am about being. As you grow in relationship with me, what you do will simply reflect who you really are."

Then Mack asks "But you came in the form of a man. Doesn't that say something?"

"Yes, but not what many have assumed. I came as a man to complete a wonderful picture in how we made you. From the first day we hid the woman within the man, so that at the right time we could remove her from within him. We didn't create man to live alone; she was purposed from the beginning. By taking her out of him, he birthed her in a sense. We created a circle of relationship, like our own, but for humans. She out of him, and now all the males, including me, birthed through her, and all originating, or birthed, from God."

God is Good!

What is Evil?

As I said in my previous post, I have really enjoyed reading The Shack. The beginning of the book is difficult. As it states in the notes on the back of the book... Mack's youngest daughter Missy is abducted and brutally murdered. While it is not graphic, it is still not easy to read. But it is necessary to understand where the remainder of the book takes Mack.

When you read this book, you have to do so with the understanding that it is FICTION! As Christians, we can so easily take a book like this and tear it to shreds because of the biblical inaccuracies. I, however, reading the book as it was intended, enjoyed the insight I gained through the story.

For example... there is a text, on page 136 of my book, where Mack is struggling with The Holy Spirit over Good and Evil... Here is the response he gets from Sarayu, The Holy Spirit...

"... evil is a word we use to describe the absence of Good, just as we use the word darkness to describe the absence of Light or death to describe the absence of Life. Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence. I am Light and I am Good. I am Love and there is no darkness in me. Light and Good actually exist. So, removing yourself from me will plunge you into darkness. Declaring independence will result in evil because apart from me, you can only draw upon yourself. That is death because you have separated yourself from me: Life."

Did you get all that? Are you struggling right now? If so, can you see what the is Good in your life? Do you think you're in darkness? Why not look for the Light!

Are you separated from Life?

God is Good

The Shack

Have you read it?

It's all the buzz!

I had heard from different sources that it was the book to read, at work, at church, friends, etc. So I was chatting with Nate's Aunt Teresa about it and she mentioned that she had the book and wanted to read it as well. That was at Thanksgiving. Well, over Christmas Break, she got the book to me to read. What great timing. Things at work were VERY slow, as in I was the only one in the office, and who thinks a school office is open over Christmas break? So I had plenty of time to read!

I read The Shack in about a day and a half! I could not put it down. I have talked to several people since who are in process of reading it and have been putt off by the beginning of the book... if you are one of those, let me encourage you to KEEP READING!! It is so worth it.

So here's the overview...(From the back of the book)

"Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in teh Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!"

I'd love to hear from you if you've read it... I'll post some excerpts and personal reflection in the coming days...

God is Good

Happy Birthday Rudy

Happy Birthday Papaw Rudy!

Christmas 2008

Well, if there is one thing about Blogger that I can't figure out, or don't like, it's that all the photos are posted backward. You would think that as you add photos, they would be added to the bottom, but they are not... the add the new ones at the top! Usually I rearrange them, but I'm not up for that tonight, so you will get the events of Christmas Day, then Christmas Eve!

Here is Drew on Christmas Day opening a gift from Grandma and Paps Tucker. He got a Clone Wars DVD. Yes, it was another Star Wars Christmas for Drew! I am amazed at his continued interest in it. More on that later...

Here is Taylor opening her big gift of the year. She got a new digital camera. It is not something she asked for, but something I knew she would enjoy. She was thrilled, and has already gone crazy taking photos. Aunt Katy got her a memory card and a case for her camera as well.
And on Christmas morning, daddy got a little spoiled. Mom got a great deal from a co-worker on a gently used iPod. Nate had been wanting one FOREVER, and all I ever heard was how sad it was that his GRANDMOTHER had one and he didn't. Well... now he can enjoy his! (You will notice, when mom is the photographer, and the blogger... there are no beautiful Christmas morning photos of her :))
Here is daddy and Toby first thing in the morning. Drew woke up around 6:30 and I quickly informed him that we were not getting up until at least 8:00... is that terrible? I'm not sure exactly when Taylor got up, maybe 7:30. Then they woke Toby up at 8:00 as well as us. I think Drew just sat in the living room by the tree the entire time, admiring his gifts. Then once we all woke up, we allowed the kids to open their gifts from Santa and their stocking gifts before breakfast. Here Toby is opening his new Elmo video that Santa brought him. I can confirm that we have watched it at least 25 times since he received it. Way to go Santa!

Taylor and Drew got some MadLibs in their stocking... Love those! And Santa brought them a new Sleeping Bag each for Alive this year. I guess Barbie is out!
Christmas Eve we went to Church at 6:00 and then on to the Moser's for our annual Christmas Eve gathering. Everyone made it this year but Jeremy and Christina and baby Graham! It was a great time. Drew, back to the Star Wars, received the one thing he asked for over and over again. A talking Clone Trooper Helmet! As you can see from this photo, he was beyond words and nearly passed out!
Toby is showing off his Pajamas. Each year, the tradition is that all the kids get new PJ's. That is the first present they open on Christmas Eve and typically change into them right away before opening other gifts! It's a fun tradition. Toby has been into Monkeys this year, so he got PJ's with Monkeys on them! Drew got Star Wars PJ's (Go Figure)... and Taylors are the pretty Green ones with flowers!
And here are most of the kids around Grandma waiting to open their PJ's. Most of the older kids have figured it out, but the younger ones still aren't sure what is in their first present until they open it! This is Lincoln, Taylor, Averie, Kiley, Dawson, Braden, Grandma, Aunt Mer and Toby.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well! It is such a joyous time, and the gifts are just a bonus!

God is Good

New Years Eve 2008

Well, we had a pretty quiet New Years Eve. We went to Nate's sisters house and some other friends came over as well. We just hung out, watched TV at 11:45 for about a half hour, then headed home around 1. The kids had fun, too. Toby and Drew came with us, and Taylor went to a friends, as she did last year.

Toby found Kiley's Hannah Montana wig, and would not put it down all night. My one friend teased that we needed to make sure the Korean government didn't see this or they may reconsider. At first it was cute, but by the end of the night, I was ready to burn the wig!


And the kids had a lot of fun dancing to Toby Mac. Here, the boys were putting on a show. I know it's a little dark, but I think you can get the gist of it! They were really getting into it.

Hope you all have a blessed 2009!

God is Good!

Cousin's Sleep Over

So last night we had three of our seven cousins over for a sleep over! We were hoping everyone could make it (Well, I guess Graham is a little young for a sleepover) but the holidays are pretty hectic! So the Young kids came over and we had a blast! We made our own pizzas and mostly enjoyed them... I think Kiley only ate a half a bite of hers! Here they are enjoying their creations!

And Drew and Braden being their silly selves! (Okay, Drew being his silly self, Braden being good!)
After dinner we watched Horton Hears a Who. By the time it was over, and they got ready for bed, it was 9:30! So we got their beds made up and started trying to get kids to sleep! Drew and Braden were a little busy playing with their DS's.

Taylor and Kiley watched Cinderella 2 in Taylor's room...

And Toby and Dawson were watching Star Wars in Toby's bed. Toby only sucks his thumb when he is with his buddy Dawson. Dawson was telling me how he went to the dentist and the dentist told him that he can't suck his thumb any more. It was very painful for him to tell me this, as he stuck his thumb in his mouth!


Believe it or not, they were all asleep by 11:00 and didn't get up until around 8:00. We had a nice big breakfast of heart shaped pancakes and bacon, then got dressed and cleaned up and before they knew it, it was time for Aunt Mer to come and pick them up!

I think all the kids had fun! I need to get some Christmas photos up. I will try and do that this weekend!

Have a Blessed New Years Day!! And don't forget to eat some Dduk Gook for Good Luck!

God is Good!

The New Additions

I always new we would adopt again, just didn't think this would be the result...

Meet Leapord...

And Hermie

Tonight we are having a cousin's sleepover. We were hoping all of our cousins on Nate's side could come, but we were very happy to have half of them! I'll update with photos tomorrow... right now, we're still trying to get them to sleep!

God is Good!

Christmas Prayers

Wishing you all a happy Christmas Eve. My heart is heavy this morning, however. Please read on...

You may remember this post about a young girl adopted from China that is battling Leukemia.

Well, please continue to pray for this family, as they got some bad news yesterday and they are in more appointments today, Christmas Eve, to determine their course of action. (click on the link above to read their blog)

As we all enjoy our Christmas (or some, maybe not so much), remember the simple blessings that God has given us, including our health and the health of our children. But most of all, remember the gift of Salvation that God provided on this day. A gift that, at such a terrible time for the Miyashita family, provides HOPE! Hope in knowing that they will never be permanently separated from their beautiful daughter. No matter what God's plan is for her near future, her ETERNITY is guaranteed!!

So as you tuck your children in tonight, as you check off your Christmas list, as Santa makes his way around the world, say an extra little prayer. Pray for Lydia, that God would heal her body and that they would find a treatment that is suitable. Pray also for Mark and Monica, for patience, and for a hope. For knowing that it is okay to be down, but they need to continue to look UP! That they would find their strength and endurance in Christ! And for Max, that through all of this, he will understand the love of his parents, his sister and his God! That God would protect him from the pain that is being felt around him.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. As my Aunt Opal wrote in her Christmas card this year..

Christmas Love
ChristWas Love
And always will be!

God is Good!

Tis the Season

Well, the Holiday Season is upon us!! I say that with unsure feelings... I LOVE Christmas... it is my absolute favorite Holiday. When I was younger (and maybe not so young) it was all about getting stuff! I loved getting presents... but now, it's all changed. Yeah, I like a nice gift or two... who doesn't... but that is not why Christmas is my favorite Holiday. I am so moved by the fact that God, who created earth and let us destroy all that was good about it, would humble himself and come here in the form of man, Jesus, to serve. What does that leave me to do? Want more gifts? Be the Grinch when things don't go my way? No, I am reminded that I am to Serve!

But... there are days... let me tell you!!! I love to make people happy. I love to do things for people. I love to give things to people. But I am learning I can't be all things to all people all the time. Especially now that I am working. That just doesn't leave much room for God to work, does it? So this Christmas is going to be a little different around our house. The kids already know that there won't be as many presents, and they are fine with that. It is amazing to me, but they are perfectly happy. Taylor even said to me "Mom, even though there may not be a lot of presents, I have a feeling this is going to be the best Christmas ever!" Wow! I just hope she's still saying that on Christmas Morning :)

But to keep the "holiday" spirit alive, we once again pose for the wonderful Christmas photo. Now, I know many of you may be getting our wonderful card (hopefully by weeks end), but I thought I would throw out some of the photo outtakes!

I had this great idea of taking the kids photos at Church after the concert tonight... this is some of what I got...

Toby is Bored, Drew is mad, and Taylor can't believe her brothers won't cooperate, it's a photo op after all!
Then there's this one...Taylor is bossing, Drew is still mad, and Toby's having fun all by himself!

So they weren't working out at church, so we decided to try again at home, with the usual by the Christmas tree. All I said was "Taylor and Drew, stay still and we'll eventually get a good one of Toby!" So here is the good one of Toby! Yeah, that really worked! I guess Drew had to see for himself!

And for your viewing pleasure, a clip from tonight's program. Drew is on the bottom right, usually the 2nd to last one. And Taylor is on the top left, usually 2nd from the end. It was a wonderful program. The kids did great, as did the adults but they aren't in this clip! Enjoy!

God is Good!

What is our role?

Well, it has been a fun weekend... and a not so fun weekend. Nate has a paper due for school tonight (it's late on Sunday) so he has been holed up in the office working on the paper. And if I'm being honest, he's been a little grouchy. I know he's under a lot of stress, so I'm trying to not take it personally!

Friday evening, a friend of ours was in a car accident. It was pretty scary, from the sounds of things. He ended up showing up at the Christmas party we were all at, but said he was hurting. He went to the doctors yesterday and has a sprained back and neck. He is doing well otherwise, physically. The woman that pulled out in front of him was lifeflown to Akron and we don't really have a status on her. Please pray for her. And what a praise that our friend is okay. It could have been much worse from the sounds of it. His F250 is totaled most likely, as well as her minivan.

Also Friday evening, I attended our Sr. High sleepover at church. We had about 40 girls come, and was a really nice time. We baked cut out cookies on Saturday morning for about 3 hours. They will be given to families in our community next weekend as an outreach event.

So what is God doing in the lives of teenage girls?? That is what I would like to know! I am the adult leader of a small group of girls ages 14-16. We meet once a week and have a study that we are going through together. I have a great group this year. This is our first year together, with me as a leader at least. They are all very good friends, and are mostly all faithful to being there each week. We have learned a lot from each other. I can't even imagine being in high school right now. Things sure have changed! I know I've changed a lot, too, but it seems like things have changed since I was in school, 15 years ago!

I was not a believer when I was in high school, so a lot of the things I did, I had no eternal perspective. I attended church, so I wasn't a bad girl, but I just didn't have any idea how a relationship with Jesus was going to change my life and change my views! It's amazing. While I used to think certain things were okay, now I realize that God has so much to say about it, and so much better things in store! Relationships in particular. Talking to these young girls about what God wants for their lives... and also thinking I have a pre-teen coming up the way!

Anyone know of any good books to read about raising a pre-teen girl in a Christian home in today's society? I'd love to hear from you. My heart is burdened for Taylor and what she is about to be going through. She is 10, goes to a public school, and right now has no interest in dating or "having a boyfriend" as they say! But I know the time is coming. She has a young boy at church right now that has his eye on her. He's a year older, and a great kid, but he's always around! In a way it's cute, but in a way IT SCARES ME TO DEATH!! So any feedback from my blog world friends would be great!

Well, that's what's on my heart today... for what it's worth. The world of teenage Girls!!

God is Good!