Surprise!

Matt's brother, Jeff, and his family came for a nice visit. They came Thursday and stayed until Saturday morning. We had a great time with them. I'll have to post pictures another time. We took them on Matt's camera and I'm unable to download them.

Our Trapper

Austin has bought a few animal traps lately and was intent on catching a skunk and a raccon that he thought was in our trash. He is responcible for getting the trash barrels out each week and he has picked up turned over barrels a number of times now and is wanting to catch the culprit. Well, he did catch the skunk, 3 cats, and a possum! This trap doesn't kill the animals so he has to release them somewhere. He was okay with the 3 cats but the skunk was none too happy and sprayed. Daddy took care of the skunk and went out to get rid of the possum and came back in laughing. Here the possum played dead but peaked out of one eye to see if Matt was still there. Matt said his tongue was out of his mouth and his head was laying to one side and his feet were sticking up in the air. He looked dead. When Austin first went towards him the possum was standing up but when he saw Austin, he threw himself down into his "death" position. It was too funny. They let him go. Our trash has been left alone this week so maybe it was all the skunk's doings.

Two Down

Two of the kids are sick today. Nathan has a very runny nose and gooky eyes and Phillip threw up at school today and had to come home. We were out checking out a piece of property to buy. It didn't turn out to be anything we'd be interested in but we're looking. We would like to have a place big enough for the pony to roam. We will be putting the house we live in on the market very soon.

They Don't Come Any Nicer!

This is a very good friend of ours. Donny Sprecker. He is our bus driver for our Sunday School Bus route. He is such a gem. He takes care of our churches 4+ buses and makes sure they are all running smoothly. When we come to start the route he is already there with the bus running and warm. We really love Donny!

Nathan warming his hands by the fire

This was too cute. Arlene Booth had made a fireplace in her log cabin which she uses for her Kids Club and Nathan kept keeping his distance from that fire saying, "Hot!" . At one point he knelt down and warmed his hands.

Angel Food Ministries

We are about to embark on a new adventure. We are constantly looking for ways to save money. We found this program called Angel Food Ministries which allows you to buy units of food each month for $30 per unit. You receive a menu the month before so you know exactly what you are getting. They give you between $60-70 worth of food for $30! It is all quality food. Our City Church, The Gospel Center, is starting this program March 29th. We have a small volume for the first month and that is just how we wanted the first month to go but we expect it to grow quickly. If your church is interested in becoming involved in this and offering it to their community please contact me. It will benifit us all. This is another way you can reach out to your community. There is no income requirement. This is not just intended for those on low incomes but for everyone! I took a few pictures at our training.

Arianna's Birthday

This is the birthday party bunch.

Arianna Gattone is one of Katlyn's best friends. Her mother always has fun parties. They played several games and as this is still very cold in PA they were all indoor games. This was the big 10!

Uncle Tim and Aunt Sharron

The kids just love their Uncle Tim and Aunt Sharron. They are able to stop in several times a year and always give special attention to their niece and nephews. We can't wait until June when we will be going to Arkansas to visit them.

Snowball Fights On The Bus!

We like to try and keep the kids excited about riding our bus to Sunday School each week. One week we announced that the following week we would be having a snowball fight on the bus. They were pretty excited and the adults on the bus were questioning our sanity. One of our helpers wadded up over 500 sheets of white paper for our "snowball" fight. On the way home the fun began. We had a great time. We have a wonderful driver that tolerates a little bit of noise.

Laws of the Toddler

I have a toddler and know this to be so true!

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
8. If I think it's mine, it's mine.

Do you know a little someone who thinks like that? I know I do.

How Many Colors Can You Name?

28

We've been busy

It seems like we just get busier and busier. Austin is struggling in school due to the fact he was out so much after his surgery and being a boy, he didn't ask for help from his teacher on the assignments missed until they were due. We have had several late nights going over his work with him. I wish I knew someone that was doing the Abeka DVD program for 6th grade so I could let him see the lessons he missed and kinda give him a review. He was able to do that 2 years ago when I was in the hospital and had chosen that year to homeschool. A friend of his was in the same grade and was doing the DVD's so he went over there and it was a HUGE help.

This week is Bus and Outreach Convention and I always love going and hearing new/old ways to present the gospel and be effective in my Sunday School classs. I had 25 8 year olds in my class 2 weeks ago and this past week we had 23. We're still growing and it is a joy to teach.