Another Snowfall and January is already Gone!

Luci shopping with her mom and dad
Luci enjoying listening to music.

Abigail playing in the snow that we received on January 30th.

The three buddies enjoy the outdoors together.

Abigail is ready for bedtime!

Shane and Abigail all dressed up for Sunday School.

Shane and Abigail enjoying riding the 4-wheeler that Shane got for Christmas.

The fear of man bringeth a snare; but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." Proverbs 29:25

Where did January go???? It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be February 1st. We continue to Skype with John, Melissa, and Luci once a week and it is great. She had her 6 month check up this past week and weighs 18 pounds and 8 ounces. She turned 6 months old on Wednesday and it seems just yesterday that she was born. She is outgrowing her 6 -9 month old clothes!

Jeremy is back at Liberty and we miss him very much. It is hard to believe that he will be graduating with his Bachelor's degree in 4 short months. We received our second snowfall of the winter yesterday and we have around 6-8 inches of snow. Shane and Abigail love it, as apparent by the pictures on this post. I have a pretty severe cold and sore throat so no playing in the snow for me. Thank the good Lord above for family! Sharon kept Shane and Abigail from 2:00 p.m. yesterday until around 10:00 a.m. this morning so I was able to get some much needed rest. Church services were canceled due to the snow and I would not have been up to attending any way as I am still feeling pretty yucky today.

This has been quite a week as John's mother had a PET scan as she has a spot on her left lung. She will probably have a lung biopsy next week. We are praying that she does not have cancer. She was initially diagnosed with throat cancer in 1986 and survived it against all odds. All four of my children adore their grandmother. John lost his dear friend, Will Morris, to suicide this week. My heart goes out to his family and friends. Needless to say this has not been one of our best weeks but the Lord is good and we know that He is with us always. We are a blessed family and I try to never forget His goodness to us.

Boise Trip January 2010

John just finished a ski down the mountain
Luci in her new Anne Geddes outfit that Sharon bought her.

Is this one cute baby or what?

Not too bad at tossing the pizza dough, huh?

Luci staring at grandma

Melissa and Luci enjoying the view from the ski lodge.

Me enjoying the snow on the mountain

John poses for the camera at his mother's request.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us." 1 John 3:1

My flight to Boise left Dullus at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 5th. By 12:45 p.m, Boise time I was looking into the beautiful face of Luci! John and Melissa's faces didn't look so bad either! I had been looking so forward to the trip and it was great! I climbed into backseat of John's SUV and sat beside Luci. I had to laugh at how she just stared at me as if to say, "do I know you"? It was a very relaxing 5 days. Luci stayed with me at hotel for the 4 nights and I am amazed at how well she adapts to staying with me without a fuss. She is really something and has been sitting up for some time now, will stand with assistance, and makes lots of noise as she is learning to test out her vocal cords. One of the cutest things that she is does is watch her hands. She puts one in front of her face and moves it around gracefully. It almost looks like she is directing a choir. I just love to watch her do it and would love to catch it on video.

One of the local pizza restaurants in Boise offers specials in that you can come in and make your own 10 inch pizza for free. Thursday happen to be "if you were born in January" so John and Melissa took me there and I made my very own pizza and it was free. It was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten- even if I did make it and put extra sauce and cheese on it! Melissa took pictures of me in the kitchen making the pizza. The funny hat is a requirement - you pick out a hat from the selection that they have and wear it while making your pizza.

On Friday, John took us to Bogus mountain; hence the pictures of the snow. He skied while Melissa, Luci and I watched from the ski lodge. I am impressed at how good he can ski. The mountain was beautiful and it was a crisp, clear, and cold day. I flew home on Saturday. As always, it was hard to say "good-bye"....but it is not good-bye, it is a "until I see you the next time in March".

Shane and Abigail stayed with Sharon and Andy for the week as John worked late most nights. He brought them home on Saturday as they made the trip to Dullus to pick me up that evening. While he was downstairs in the basement for a few minutes, they were in the living room watching Curious George. George was learning to make apple juice out of fresh apples so Shane and Abigail decided to make their own juice by putting a fresh apple on the coffee dispenser and turning it on. John discovered their "cooking" when he smelled the apple burning. Those two are always coming up with new adventures............

Happy New Year!....and Off to Boise

The Poinsetta tree at our church.
Luci enjoying her first professional basketball game.

Little Luci is such a big girl in her Christmas dress!

Abigail's hair has lots of waves.

Daniel and Cody enjoying the birthday celebration for Sharon.

Andy and Sharon are also having a good time.

Jeremy and Christina spend quality time with Shane and Abigail.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

The holiday season went back quicker this year than I can ever remember. It seemed like I had just put up the Christmas tree and it was time to take it down again. We celebrated Sharon's birthday the day after Christmas as the original celebration that was suppose to take place on December 19th was snowed out. Some of the pictures almost look the same as the ones from Christmas Day as the the location was my house. We had brunch and it was an enjoyable time.

Shane has been off school since December 18th and he and Abigail have been up to their usual "antics". They are usually doing one or two things and they are fighting non-stop and getting into mischief. The fighting is easy to spot as they are very loud when they fight and many times hit each other. The mischief can also be easy to spot if you are paying attention. If they are not in the same room with you and are VERY quiet, you can bet they are into something that they should not be. This happened on New Year's Day. I had been busy taking down the Christmas Tree and decorations and it was afternoon. I sent them upstairs to play while I propped my feet for a few minutes. I had packed two suitcases the night before. One was for my trip to Boise. Yes, I leave for Boise on Tuesday to visit John, Melissa and Luci! The other suitcase was packed for Shane and Abigail's stay at Sharon's house as she will be keeping them while I am gone. Thank God for wonderful sisters who are willing to help out with the children! Shane and Abigail decided that they would re-pack the suitcases. When I discovered what they had done, I found pull-ups in my suitcase, my underwear in their suitcase, and Abigail was wearing one of the outfits that I packed for her. Needless to say that earned them some time with their faces in the corner! There is never a dull moment at our house.

We brought in the New Year quietly and at a home. It has been quite a year with our trip to China in March to bring Abigail home, Luci's birth in July, Shane starting school in August, John and Melissa coming home for the first time in well over a year, and of course Luci's two week visit with us! We have been very blessed and it has been a wonderful year. Nicholas spent the night at our house and Abigail was asleep by 9:00 p.m. - not by her own choosing. She was being mischievous again and was sent to the bedroom by herself. Shane was out by 11:30 p.m. and I made Nicholas go to bed at 11:40 p.m. Nicholas was the first up the following morning at 8:00 a.m. We celebrated Savannah's birthday on New Year's Day at Susie's house - it is her actual birthday. I didn't take my camera with me so I don't have any pictures to share.

I head off to Boise on Tuesday and I am excited! Except for weekly Skyping, I have not seen Luci and her parents since November 12th and I can't wait to see them all again. My next post will be pictures of me with them in Boise!