Happy 2012!!!

Celebrating the New Year by my lonesome, by drinking Raspberry Schweppes and vanilla ice cream with a curly straw.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call
his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew 1:23

A Busy Bee

What a week! I think I am ready to stay home for the next month. I have been just. that. busy. We have been making pies, prepping for Thanksgiving, visiting with friends and family, shopping during the wee hours of the morning, throwing my friend a baby shower, eating too much and enjoying the people that God has brought into our lives. And now Adam is fighting a fierce cold. I am wishing for one more day in my long weekend that I could actually stay home and get to know my house again. But tomorrow I have an appointment in the city and some things to return, so I will be off and running again.

On a happy note, I bought a new shower curtain for the bathroom. It makes me smile every time I walk in there. I also bought paint and will begin painting hopefully this weekend. Doesn't my shower curtain make you smile too? The way I see it, I have free license to decorate my bathroom in a kid-friendly fashion, since I have a small kid myself. (Did you see my matching bath mat? Yes, that also makes me smile. I also will be attempting to paint some matching wall art.) More news about my busy week/month to come later. Nothing too exciting, so don't get your hopes up.

Our 2009 Christmas Letter

The following is this years Christmas letter, just in case you won't be getting a Christmas card from us this year. I finally got my cards sent out on Monday. Nothing like waiting til the last minute!


December 2009

Greetings of Christmas and New Years!

I often laugh at myself when I sit down to write our Christmas letter. I am always running behind during the holiday season. Here it is the 19th of December and we just yesterday began our Christmas shopping and I am just now writing this letter to all of you, our most loved friends and family. Which, of course, is why I included a New Years greeting above. It's all due to either over working or tardiness. Narrowing it all down to which the blame is deserved, is entirely too much guess work...

What a wonderful year here at our house! Many ups and some downs. A rollercoaster year for sure. Our son Joshua turned two years old in October. He is not one to bore his audiences. He is always talking and getting into "man" things. Josh can typically be found with one of several things in his hand: a flashlight, a screwdriver, a truck or a pen. This summer he so lovingly drew a mural across my lower kitchen cabinets, which caused a flurry of Internet research to find a way to remove permanent marker from wood. Thankful I am for toothpaste... It just so happens to be a "cure all". A little scrubbing and a bit of elbow grease removed most, if not all, remnants of his artistry. Joshua's speech continues to astound not only Adam and I, but other members of our family as well. He has an almost complete range of vocabulary and can carry on a nice conversation with us. So, if and when you come and visit, please season your speech with salt and keep in mind that our small child can and will repeat every word he hears you speak. Another thing people find fascinating about Josh is his size and weight. Yes, he weighs a ton. And yes, he is in the 95th percentile on the growth chart. He also will tell me at times, "I have big hands." Which he does. Our most current struggle with Josh is food. After eating anything and everything for the past two years, Josh has decided that he doesn't like supper. We are currently using several different means of manipulation to get him to eat without complaining or saying, "Me no like it." Don't you worry. I have already stated that Josh is plenty healthy and will not starve due to our manipulation tactics. We are also working on potty-training. If I could get complete family support, I think he could be diaper-free (daytime) by New Years.

Adam continues to work for LMC out of Avon, NY. Heating and Air Conditioning is his cup-o-tea. To me it is just pipes, vents and a lot of hot air. That's why I leave it all to him. He drives a company van here and there and tries to get home in time for dinner. This year, during his spare time, Adam refinished a room in our basement. He drywalled, painted, put down laminate flooring, and redid the stairs, with a bit of help from my Dad and a pinch of help from me. I was more than happy to do the tiling around the wood stove but I have yet to finish painting the stairs. Maybe by Christmas.... (ha-ha)

This past April, Adam and I were hit by a drunk driver while driving to Nashville. We ended up rolling our SUV and totaling our vehicle, leaving us stranded just outside of Louisville, KY. I believe God uses times like that to draw you, not only closer to Him, but closer together as a couple. God was so good to us and protected us through the whole incident. We walked away with four staples in Adam's head and 33 stitches in my forearm and, after renting another vehicle, we continued on our way to Nashville. Many thanks to our family and close friends for your prayers over the course of that weekend.

Another highlight of the year was the ten day missions trip I was privileged to take part in this summer. A group of nine from our church flew to El Salvador to minister to a group of boys and various area churches. It was amazing. We passed out gospel tracts to nearly every person we saw on the street and taught Bible stories to the kids who attended the after-school program at the orphanage where we stayed. I was so blessed and God is still using the experience to work in my heart.

This year also brought to pass the most difficult thing I have ever had to endure, which is saying good-bye to someone I love dearly, though it be only temporary. On September 28, my dear Grandpa went to be with Jesus, after being diagnosed with lung cancer only four weeks prior. Those last four weeks were, and will be forever, so precious to us. We soaked up every moment we could with Grandpa and he continued to shower us with stories and wisdom and his favorite scriptures. The night before he died, I whispered in his ear that if I didn't see him again here, I would see him there (meaning heaven) and he answered in a resounding, "Yes!" The first thing he had been able to say for several hours. What a comfort that is to me. I'm looking forward to our reunion someday.

So there you have a brief synopsis of our year. May the next year have more ups and more glorious meetings with my Saviour. I love my Jesus dearly and I pray that this year you will grow to know Him like you never had before. He is the true reason why we celebrate this Christmas. Because of Jesus, I can confidently assure you that I will see my Grandpa again, though not on this earth. Because of Jesus, I am free. My debt is paid, because of a little Child born so long ago. May God bless you all in the up coming year! Good wishes from us to you!

With all our love,

Adam, Bethany and Josh

Fascination

Josh loves Christmas. He doesn't know what it is about or even Who it celebrates. He is unaware that he has Christmas presents waiting for him in the closet. He doesn't know that we will go to our Grandparents house and spend precious time with family. But Joshua does know that the Christmas lights decorating our neighbors' houses are beautiful, that the Christmas tree is stunning when the lights are on (and that they should be on during every waking hour), and that Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer make good dancing songs. This December is going by very quickly and although I haven't had much time to do extra special things, the special Christmas things we have done have been fun. Cutting down our Christmas tree together as a family and then decorating it, driving through town admiring the Christmas lights, and listening to the festive songs on the road. Josh has taken it all in with amazement and enjoyment. With the joy and wonder of a small child.

Thankful Thursday Thirteen

I haven't done a Thursday 13 in eons. But it seems strangely appropriate for today. Can't put my finger on exactly why...

1) I am thankful for my little family. A crying boy and my hard-working hubby. It has been such a blessing watching my little boy grow older this past year. Hearing him learn to talk and want to be more like his Daddy.

2) I am thankful that Joe has been able to stay with us for a whole year now. I have enjoyed getting to know him a bit better and it's nice to have someone around to talk to when Adam is not.

3) Strange as it may seem, I am thankful for the car accident we were in back in April. Not only did God keep us safe, but He also protected everyone who was driving on the Thruway, where the drunk driver was headed when he hit us.

4) In addition to looking out for our immediate safety during our car accident, God had other purposes in allowing us to be involved. We were made aware that Adam had high blood pressure, and since then he has been able to get that under control, and now I have a much handsomer, healthier husband due to that fact.

5) I am thankful that God allowed me to be a part of our church's mission trip to El Salvador. What an amazing experience!

6) I am thankful for the things that God has shown me about myself this year, allowing me to seek Him more and grow in my Spiritual walk with Him.

7) I am thankful for the mini vacations we were able to go on this past year. Places like Nashville and the Adirondack's, not including little day trips to Buffalo. It's good to spend time with my family.

8) Speaking of family, I am so thankful for my many brothers and my sister. For my parents, Grandparents, and my in-laws. And how God has used them to influence my life and help mold me into the woman I am.

9) I am thankful that my brother Jim was able to take a two-month-long sabbatical from MN this summer and come spend time with us. I'm sure he is forever grateful for the time he was able to spend in NY this year.

10) I am thankful for advanced notice. I would've liked more time, but the four weeks He did give us knowing that Grandpa had advanced cancer was blessing so we were able to prepare ourselves.

11) I am thankful for my Grandpa. I miss him so much and I expect tears today. I am thankful for his love for us, his example to us, his hugs, his jokes, his unending love of Jesus, his hardworking nature, his wisdom, his smell... I am thankful for his legacy.

12) I am thankful that Grandpa was so thin, because then I can wear his shirts. I am also thankful for our common love of gardening. It gives us one more thing in common and will help me to feel connected through the years to come.

13) I am thankful that my hope is in Jesus Christ and that heaven is waiting for me someday. I can't wait to see my Grandpa again.

So that's 13 of my "thankfuls". May God bless you all on this Thanksgiving Day! (And remember to be thankful.)

Praise The Lord For He Has Risen!!!

Amen.

Easter Bunny Accident

The Easter Bunny visited our house last night, but I think he/she may have learned not to leave jelly beans hiding in the coffee maker for my husband. You see, any excess of moisture in the coffee maker will cause the beans to, well, turn into a rainbow of tie-died gooey beans. And that is not very appetizing. Maybe next time, Easter Bunny will hide jelly beans in one of his socks. Also it is good to know that hubby is not a fan of jelly beans in the first place. Oops.

An Extra Special Sort of Christmas

What a fun Christmas we had! With a brand new baby and my own son, it was an extra special occasion. Josh just loved that baby. He touched his little head so gently, but still managed to make Aunt Leta nervous. When Lucas gets a bit bigger, the two of them will make good friends.

Adam and I thought it would be a good idea to get Josh a truck for Christmas. We found a big Tonka dump truck that is just about as big as he is. What little boy wouldn't love a bright yellow dump truck? Especially when he can sit in the dumper and have his Mommy push him through the house. Grandpa made him a wooden truck and some blocks and Grandma Jo bought him a little push mower. So many new things to play with... I think the two of us will be busy for quite a while.

Speaking of busy, I have had such a nice past couple of weeks. I have had more days off than I have had in a long time. It feels wonderful to have the time to clean my house. I actually mopped my floor on Friday! (Do I hear applause?) Tomorrow will be my last scheduled day off for a while, with the exception of New Years Day. Only two days of work this week. I could get used to this...

A Mother's Day

Here is a picture of my mom and I on Mother's Day. We could be twins! Today Adam and I spent Mother's Day with both our Mothers. First we went to the Lilac Festival with Bob and Joanne and Adam's brother Andy. We walked around, smelled some flowers, traversed the traffic and ongoing stream of people and then we left. It was fun. Then we went to a little Tex-Mex eatery where they chowed down and Adam and I had soda and/or dessert. We had already eaten before the Lilac Festival. We had gone to our favorite place called Billy's Homestead. This time, though, we did not sit alone. There was this little old lady who came in after us who was going to sit alone. I thought to myself, "It's no fun to sit alone. Especially on Mother's Day. Maybe she would like to sit with us." So we asked her and she gladly obliged. Her name was Helen and she comes to Billy's often. We had a nice chat and I think it was a good lunch/breakfast for all of us. She even invited me to stop by if I ever wanted any flowers because she has spare flowers growing in her gardens. Sweet lady she was.
Anyway, after the Lilac Festival we went to my Grandparents house where my side of the family was. My aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, cousins and parents had all gathered for a picnic earlier (to which we did not attend) and we came to also join the company. Most of the festivities were already over and a lot of us were tired. So we just relaxed, did crosswords, chatted a bit, ate Dave and Leta's fruit salad and hung out. I had bought Mom a lovely hanging basket plant... but I'm not sure what it is... I think she liked it. I did not get any Mother's Day presents because I'm not a mother yet. Leta wishes she was... Maybe someday we can be Mommies together? Anyway... Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mom out there! I love you 'specially mom!!!

St. Patricks Day Birthday Cake

Happy Saint Patty's Day everyone! And happy birthday Adam too! What a lucky boy- to be born on St. Patty's Day... Hot diggity-dog!
Today I went to help homeschool/babysit kids. It went well considering it was the first day and I didn't really know what I was getting into. Suppose the longer I do this the better it will go. The kids (ranging in age from 13 - 2) were well behaved for the most part, but the three younger ones in school need a bit of help with letters and learning to read. We shall see how everything goes next week.
Well, I'll be off to spend time with my hubby for it is his 24th birthday... Yum, birthday cake!

Valentines Celebrations

Hello everyone! Today I worked for Peg again. She is sick. Poor Peg. I don't mind working... keeps me out of trouble :) Actually, I took next week off so I could go with the Juniors (the kids from church) on their winter retreat, so it's nice to have a few extra hours to fill in the lack. I'm also working tomorrow. Not waitressing, but clerking. That'll be something different for a change. After work I met Carissa for post lunch at a diner in Alton. We were celebrating Valentines together like we did last year when we didn't have anyone but each other. It's a little different this year because we both have Valentines of our own. But we called each other our "other" Valentine and held to tradition and celebrated together. This year I brought her a pink tipped rose and a small box of chocolate. Last year she had brought me a rose and a Valentine card, so I had to make up for my lack of gifting last year :) Speaking of Valentines, Adam and I had a nice evening together. We stayed home and Adam made an absolutely lovely dinner. He made a lobster tail and shrimp in a delicious cheesy sauce and pasta with red sauce. It was soooo yummy and it made my tummy happy. We had a nice first Valentines Day together. Well, enough of me. What about YOOOU?!?