update

Ok, so here is the scoop for the last Wed. of the year! First of all, we LOVE New Years Eve!! That is one of our fave days of the whole year! We spend the evening with junk food, movies, games, and all over family fun!! This year we have invited 3 families from our church to join us. I think that will make it even more fun!!! if they all come, there will be a total of.. 11 kids and 8 adults! :D plus, one baby in the belly, but I don't think that peanut counts yet.. :D I will take and post LOTS of pics! :) The other decission that has been made, is after 15 days of trying this diet and vitamin thing... hubby and I decided to stick with the vitamins, but not be so strict on the diet. It was just too hard for me, and I haven't noticed ANY good from it at all... I am in MORE pain and feeling more and more sick every day. I can't function that way. I have 5 kids to take care of every day.. I have to be able to do it in a good attitude and with less pain.. I am still doing the vitamins and will still do very little sugar... but for now the dairy and bread and all is back. I will slowly cut those back out as time goes on and see if things improve.. just take it a little more slowly. We are in prayer that this week or next we will get an answer on hubby's promotion. We would LOVE for him to get the job because it puts him in a better place to get the job he ACTUALLY wants. hahaha It will be hard to get used to the new schedule though. Anyway, I guess that is it for today. I will post more on Friday when we have a new year and new pictures! :)

Big day out

Due to my health... A big day out for us.. is going to the mall for a little while. :S my poor kids.. but they did get new hats, that made them happy! :) and we got our annual Hickory Farms.. so we are pleased!! Just wish I could eat them!!! Now I am feeling a little over done.. but the kids had a fun day so, that is what matters!!! Enjoy the pictures!!!

better

See... told you I would be better 2 times in one week can you believe it?!?! I guess I just think my life is boring right now.. hahhaha Well, we have all been sick.. blah... I think my program is going well. I have stuck to it.. I am pretty proud of myself. Not that I have WANTED to stick with it all the time.. but I have. Still don't know about hubbies promotion.. hope he gets it.. sorta. :) Well I promised you pictures... to be honest.. they will be first.. before the words.. cause I can't figure out how to get them to go anywhere else without me moving them.. so by the time you read this, you will have seen them!! :) more later.

My once a month post...

I don't know how this has turned into something I don't do very often... I love connecting on here!! I am really going to try to do better!!! to start, I am going to do a GOOD post!! Pics and everything!!! I don't have a recent pic of me up.. cause I don't like pics of me.. so.. here is one. :)

Lets see... guess I put the pic of me up first.. so I will start talking about me.
I just started a new umm... program... to try to help my fibro.. it consists of LOTS of vitamins.. some hormones.. and a *gulp* diet... I think I can handle the 34+ pills every day. But MAN is it HARD to give up the foods that you love. I know it is good for me.. and if it helps, I will be THRILLED. And hey, worst case, maybe I will loose some weight!! *please Lord* So, I have done this for 5 days now. My desire for sweets and bread and milk and cheese are maybe a little less... maybe not. I don't know if my attitude is making it worse, or.. ya.. prolly.
The other new thing with me, is I have started babysitting a new little boy. He is 7 weeks old.. and he is a doll!! We are really enjoying having a bitty one around again.. especially since he goes home at night and I get to sleep all night.. (sorry Sarah... *wink*) So that is me.

Ethan... My biggest "baby" We found out while in Abq that he is about 5' 9-10" ish.. and *thanks to the shiping scale at DCI* know that he is 175 pounds. I look at this handsome, sweet, helpful, great kid.. and I go.. you are 14????????? My first thought is ALREADY??? Quickly followed by... ONLY?????? He acts sooo old but is so young still. He will start driving next year. Yes, I said DRIVING wow. This is wierd. He is doing really well in 10th grade. He is enjoying his one day school that he goes to for math and guitar. I don't know if he likes it for the learning as much as he does for the social time. He is getting really good at the guitar. Jeremy taught him the basics.. he has worked on that on his own since we got here and taught himself some. I am really glad to be able to have him back in lessons so that he can really grow and learn and enjoy his music... and getting a little bit more timing training won't hurt.. :)
We have also had our first experiance with a "special girl" this year. She is a doll. She and Ethan are good friends. I know there has been a disagreement between them that has lowered her... "special" status.. *we don't do the boyfriend girlfriend thing.. but if we did, you could say they broke up.. :)* It is strange to be in this place.. because A. we didn't think it would be coming so soon.. and B. it is a deffinately learn as you go thing... I don't ever want him to think that we don't value his feelings as a person. Make him think that he couldn't have "real" feelings for a person. BUT we are working hard at training him on GUARD YOUR HEART!!! God has a special girl just for you and you want to be able to give her all of you.. and what you give to other girls too soon, can't go to her!! On the positive side.. they are so young.. there was no, hand holding.. or anything else.. so, innocent as it can be but still a milestone.

Ezekiel. He has always been the "special" one. He has the sweetest spirit of any kid I think I know. I don't know how many times in his 11 *yes 11* years I have heard " I like all your boys, but there is something special about MY Ezekiel" He has belonged to everyone that has ever known him!! This child for the first time this last year has learned about people that don't just love him. It is completely heart breaking to think about but he has been picked on quite abit this last year. Most of it comes from a couple girls. If I was like my mom, I would tell him "they think you are cute" or.. "they like you and just don't know what to say" but I don't want my son to think that people need to treat him bad to show him that they care about him. So I tell him, you can ask them to stop and if they don't, you can leave the situation and come be with me. I have talked to the mothers *as it is at our church fellowship which is VERY small* and they have worked on dealing with the issue on their end, which is good.. but MAN is it hard to not just yell at these kids and say don't you know that you TREASURE a great person like this, not PICK on him?!?! I mean really, if your chips are down, Ez is the one you want on your side. He will cry with you, cuddle with you, laugh with you, whatever you need!!
On the positive side, this has been a HUGE growth year for him!! He will complain that as far as PHYSICAL growth.. that is going slowly.. but man.. School this year has been as easy with him as it always has been with the other 2. He has actually gotten 100% on a language test!! That is almost UNHEARD of with him. He has a hard time with learning *like his mom* and to see him growing like this is amazing!!! God is so good!!! He still doesn't ENJOY school, but it also doesn't take all day and he is getting things more right, less wrong. He is also my little chef! He LOVES to cook! I realized one day that he is 11.. I need to let him in the kitchen if he wants to go there, so.. I have been and man has it paid off! I have had some great meals cause of that!! :) He still says he wants to go into the military when he turns 18. I support him in that.. and pray for him in that!!




Asher. What to say about Asher. He is the one of any of them that I think we pray for and worry about more than the others. He is the only one of our 3 that has not made a personal confession of Christ. Which on the one hand is good. I don't want him saying what he thinks we want to hear but he doesn't believe. His faith has to be a true, lasting faith given by Christ alone and I don't want him saying that is there if it isn't. On the other hand, a mothers heart yearns to know her child will live in eternity with her.. and more importantly, with her God!! But, he is only 9. I don't know that I need to worry TOO much yet. This little one, has always been our hand full. He is a perfectionist TO THE EXTREME! Now I don't mean that he always has a clean room, or that he doesn't make mistakes. But if you tell him to get his room clean. It will be CLEAN. If he is supposed to get school done, it is done and it is done well. Ask Miss Joyce.. since he was a little bitty guy, he has HATED anything imperfect. Down to scribbling when coloring as a 2-3 year old... He still has a bit of a problem with anger that we are dealing with but not as often as it was. I pray that it continues to get better, but I have my concerns that with him getting closer to puberty, and without God to help.. we may be in for a bumpy ride in the next few years.
Asher will drop anything to do anything for you. Although he won't just notice it needs done.. :) He will literally give you the coat off his back if that will help you. But in a lot of ways, he is the baby.. the youngest.. man, he can act spoiled sometimes.. *my fault, I know* I try hard to make him be as responsible as we expected of his brothers at his age.. which is hard when they had different expectations at that age than each other too.. *did that make sense???* well, anyway..
I am loving the ages all my kids are at!! We are having a GREAT time! We have such a blessed life. I love the stages my kids are in. So fun!

Hubby. Sorry the pic isn't great... it is just the most recent I have of him. Guess I need to take some better ones.. :) I am married to the BEST man God ever created. He is patient when I am not... He is caring and loving when I need it. He is strong and hard when I need it.. *although that can be no fun for both of us* He is a superb provider, a wonderful partner and a perfect friend.
He had an interview at work the other day for a promotion. We should find out end of Dec. to beg. of Jan if he got it. This could be a good/bad thing. Good.. obvious reasons.. promotion... that means higher place.. higher pay *in theory* and different position so learning more things... all good.. BUT they will prolly change his hours... well, not prolly, for sure. He will have to go to mon-fri. instead of having 4 work days a week. We aren't sure about the actual hours yet.. not too worried about it till we know if he got the job. But we like where his hours are at now.. so... anyway. We are praying for our will's to be in line with God's will so whatever he has determined will happen, will be easy for us to take! :)

Ok I am done for now... sorry when I don't write in so long... I have alot to say!! Next post *hopefully soon* I will post lots o pics... PROMISE!!

Amazing things

Well, here we are again at one of my *probably now infamous* all nighters. Again God decided that last night, for me, was not going to be a night of peaceful sleep. At this point I am really hoping for a GREAT nap... because we are supposed to drive all night tonight.. *now that it is 5:30 Wed. morning* to drive to Alb. We are so excited to be coming for the wedding of my sweet dear sister *who I have to share with my hubby.. GRIN* to Sam, who has been my brother in my heart for years. We are so amazed at Gods sovereignty and timing in all things. I knew YEARS ago that this day would be here. We just had to wait on God... *and that stubborn Sam....* hahahaha I can't believe that our sweet little Eden is getting married. It blows my mind. She is now our sweet just a bit bigger Eden of course.. but the fact that she is a woman and going to be a wife is just beyond my imaginings this early in the morning. I am so proud to call her my sister and I am equally proud to be able to call Sam *Fred* my brother.
The other thing that God has decided to do recently, is bless us with a minivan. We have some amazing friends here in RR, that go to our church, that like to camp.. as the story goes. So, they bought a pop up trailer. Well, they soon came to realize that all the added weight wasn't good on their van. Instead of giving up their beloved camping, they bought a suburban.
That was in like... oh... July or August I guess... maybe even June.... hmmmmm anyway, I BEGGED God and my husband for this van. It is a 2000 Toyota. I know 10 years old isn't a new vehicle by any means, but they are very good stewards of what God gives them.. so this van is in AMAZING shape for its age. Well, my husband had decided that at this time in our lives, we couldn't add another bill, so no... we couldn't buy their van. I prayed and breathed.. and submited. Then, the van was still there.... and still there.... and every once in a while, I would hit my hubby up with a "what if" ... you know.. "what if" I were able to make some money and pay a monthly bill for it.... "what if" you pay off this bill, then we have "extra" money right? well, of course, every suggestion was met by a no... and every time I saw this van that I love so much, I had to pray... and breathe... and quietly submit.
I haven't been going to church that much recently as my health has gone down hill quite a bit.. and sitting through a church service that sometimes can go as long as 2-2 1/2 hours... I just don'tgo.. cause I can't sit through that long. Well, I guess on one such Sunday several weeks ago, our friends told my husband that they wanted to GIFT us with this van. This van that I have loved and in my heart called my own and prayed to God that if it was meant for us, it wouldn't sell before we had the means to buy it!! My husband tried to argue, because it is such a tremendous gift *Toyota's don't loose value as fast as other cars* But our friend very quickly pulled the "God has told us this is what we are supposed to do" card.. and hubby couldn't argue with that.
Well, somewhere along the way it was decided that I wasn't going to be told. It was going to be a surprise for me. So very innocently, Kathy asked me a couple weeks ago, if we could get together for dinner before we left for Abq on this trip. I thought through all we had going on and said.. ya Tuesday we could come over. She said that would be great! Then, hubby got Wed. off and I threw out there.. hey, now we could go to Abq sooner, because you don't have to work!! And he said, no.. we made a commitment for dinner with our friends, and we aren't going to break that commitment. So, I said, ok. I can't wait to fellowship with this wonderful family anyway!!
So, we are sitting around talking and visiting *not realizing how late it was getting...* and Steve gets up and offers us more tea.. or water... and while he is innocently standing at the counter he says.. hey Tania, are these your keys on the counter over here? I said.. no I left my purse at home.. I don't have any keys here. I looked at my husband and said.. are they yours? He said no.. and Steve says.. no, I really think they are yours. I turned and looked and it was the key to their van. I was speachless. ok... sorry.. I should have made sure you were sitting.. I know.. ME ... SPEACHLESS!! that doesn't even happen on paper does it!! But really, at first it was... no... they are kidding.. then it was.. did hubby buy it and not tell me..??? and then it was... WHAT?! and then I was just shaking for the next like... 30 minutes.. and then.. I got in the van.. in the DRIVERS SEAT! and I couldn't stop bouncing around like a puppy looking at the back door!!!
WHAT A BLESSING!!! So, turns out.. we couldn't skip dinner and come to the Q earlier becuase, we were going to have a nice comfy VAN to drive instead of our cramped, uncomfortable truck!!! See... told ya!! Amazing things!!!! Isn't God great!?!?! Like there was a doubt... Then, he decides, that I am going to be up all night... well, as long as there is a nap in my not to distant future, I guess, I can cope!!! Ok.. that is my update!! Loves and hugs!!