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Jesse and I are looking at a house that was built in 1911 (Which happens to be the year an airplane landed on a boat for the first time!). It is a fabulous old house with original electrical wiring, a large billiard room, gorgeous stucco on the outside and an extensive unfinished basement filled with dusty law books. It is just the size of house that a family like ours needs to breath. Don't get me wrong...I have not stopped giving thanks for the house we are in. It was just the ticket for us after surviving bankruptcy in Florida and needing a reasonably priced place to live close to family. But, it does feel a bit tight inside and out. We are praying that God will provide a larger place for us, if it is His will and if not, I am fine with that. We are working on paying off 2 outstanding debts and then we will see what is in store for us. Here is a picture of the place know as the Bennett House.

Cutie

How fast the years go...Garrett will be 6 on Dec. 29th. We celebrated his and Carlina's 16th birthday (on Dec. 4th), on Sunday. He was so excited to open his gifts. His expressions were priceless.

Here is Garrett when he was 4 months old. He was such a happy little guy, always smiling.

Thomas trouble

A couple of days ago my 3-year old choked on an orange. It wasn't too scary..I was right there and helped him yuk it up and spit it out. Since then he has been afraid to eat and swallow. He will drink liquids and I have gotten him to eat yogurt, but nothing else. He seems to be fine (he ate quite a bit of yogurt today), but it is still a worry to me. I hope time will ease his fears and he will start eating regularly soon. I researched on the web and found quite a few similar cases, so I guess it is common. It is new to me though. I would appreciate prayers for Thomas if you see this!

Snow day/tiny house/stir crazy

Everyone is stir crazy! We have been hit with a big blizzard, frigid air and below zero wind chills. As a result we are all inside and driving each other nuts! Our "doll house" is home to 10 people, 4 cats and 1 dog....

On the subject of a small house, I actually don't mind, most of the time. It is fairly quick and easy to clean, but we can't have lots of clutter or it overruns us. If someone wants peace, they may have to retreat to the bathroom (there are actually 2). Noone has their own room except for Colton.

Jesse had to work last night and said his feet were the only things that got cold. His boots are not waterproof and got wet due to walking through the deep snow. It is hard to find waterproof, steel toed boots and he is required to have steel toes. The battery went dead on the suburban, so he had some hardship in that respect.

Slow evening

I am sitting here watching Pixar shorts on ABC family, also babysitting 2 little boys for my friend while she helps out with AWANA. I do that every Wed. night. Pixar is so creative...I loved Up which I just watched for the first time recently. Anna went to sleep, but I don't think she will stay down for the night. She is a terrible sleeper, so much like Colton at that age. He was up every hour for a long time...just a very light sleeper. He still says that he has trouble sleeping at age 17.

Carlina turns 16 on Friday. We took her to Panda Express in Omaha on Monday and it was pretty good. Jesse had the hot and sour soup which was awful, everything else was decent. We are having a combined party on Dec. 13 for her and Garrett who turns 6 on the 29th. Neither child was due in Dec. Carlina was due Nov. 23 and Garrett was due Jan. 3. I sometimes feel that Garrett gets cheated as his birthday is shortly after Christmas, but we try.

Last night I was sitting outside watching the stars in the cold air, waiting for Bible Study. It was such a beautiful night and I felt like God was right there with me. Sometimes I think about all the wonderful things I will do with Him for eternity. I hope and pray that all my family and kids are there too. We will have an amazing time...forever. Like Kay Arthur says "Time is short, but eternity is forever."

Well, tomorrow I am going shopping with the church ladies. Will be picked up at 7am sharp. Anna is going along, I hope she makes it. It is a marathon time. Jesse is picking me up in town at 7:30 pm. I won't be able to keep going to midnight or whenever they stop. We are having lunch at the Olive Garden...yum!

December rush begins...

I am trying to complete at least one Christmas job every day. Yesterday I got 17 Christmas cards off. I have more that I need to work on, but it felt good to get some off. We are keeping our gift giving pretty basic so shopping shouldn't be too hard. The kids will get one larger gift and 1-2 smaller ones. Colton wants a video game, he is planning on buying a PS3 with his own money. Carlina wants a new bedspread, Julia is getting a cookie press from Pampered Chef and a new Bible, Alicia wants a Nintendo DS (she is putting $70 of her own money towards it), Katie wants a Webkinz and a Tamagotchi, Garrett & Thomas are getting a racecar set and Anna will be getting a book from Usborne. Jesse would like the Bible on CD. We still need to get a tree and get some lights up and then its baking time!!!!

Sardis

We studied the Church of Sardis tonight at Bible Study. It was a dead church filled with unbelievers. They cared more for material wealth than spiritual wealth. They were concerned with social issues but neglected salvation, even their own. Their society was much like ours...very wealthy and craving luxury and ease.

I wonder how many churches exist like that today in America? I imagine quite a few. Here is an interesting article about how a church should disciple and change those around them:

CHURCH