Best Christmas ever

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. Being our 4th Christmas as christian' s it gets better every year. It was very quite and mostly just the 4 of us. On Saturday we had a wonderful birthday party for Jesus. We had a feast of a meal and many deserts. It was so special to sit around and eat, read scripture and sing songs. I think this is a new tradition for us. We all loved it. The elves brought the boys there Christmas pj's.



On Sunday morning we got ready for church.
WE had a wonderful service on Isaiah 9:6 on Jesus being our mighty God. After service Maxx was baptized! It is such a blessing seeing my son following after the Lord. Then we went to the church plant in Seattle were we heard a message on John 3:16, after that we headed back for evening service. It was truly a blessed Lords day.




On Monday morning The boys woke up anxiously to open presents(FINALLY)! We opened presents, ate steak and eggs and had a devotional. The we were lazy all day, it was wonderful! In the evening we had another Christmas dinner of everybody's favorites.
(Don't mind the sub-floor, we are still waiting for our new carpet to get in.)

How fat can a guinea pig get????

We bought Maxx a guinea pig a few months ago. Luke told him that we could have her bred so he could experience the miracle of life. She has been quite an enjoyable pet,she is very cute and purrs when you pet her. She loves Maxx to death and loves to be held and pet. She is getting HUGE. The babies are not expected to arrive until January 7th. It amazes me everyday how much bigger she is. The first picture is from today. The second is from 2 weeks ago, and the first 2 are from 6 weeks ago. O ya does anybody want a guinea pig? I will have a few extra soon. lol

Christmas play.

The boys debuted in their first Christmas play this year. All the kids did such a great job and put in such hard work. They all memorized verses and told the story of Christ through reciting verses and singing songs. After the play 2 people came forward to receive Christ as their savior! One of the people who got saved rides on my bus, her son was singing in the play. I hope everybody has great Christmas! We are being lazy and spending time as a family. What are you doing this year?

Family pics

Birthday Boy!

My baby is 6 today! With God's help he is turning into a fine young man. There is never a dull moment with him around, and I am so thankful I have him for a son. Just for today we can say it....He is so cute!

Idaho

We had a great time in Idaho last weekend. Aunt Callie (with her cute baby bump) let the boys ride her horse. His name is Cutter but Maxx likes to call him Custard. We had such a great time seeing family.


























It was Carnies 60th Birthday. We had a big family party. I love how kids love to see somebody tear open packages, even if it is not theirs to keep. This is such a good picture of Carnie laughing with all the boys huddled around their Papa.











Clayton and Luke went out shooting. He really wanted to shoot a turkey, but did not have luck. I love seeing my boys grow into young men and the bond they have with dad. Luke is always so patient with them and allows them to explore what they are interested in.







We had a MC Donald's lunch after Ethan's soccer game. we forgot to but the new baby in the line-up. We always have a hard time piling back in the car after a visit. It would be great to live down the road from all of the cousins.


School is almost done. The last 6 weeks are always the hardest for me. But we will get finished up and be ready to embrace second grade next year. We are ready for the sun to come......anytime now..... and still waiting. Church is going great. We are starting to get involved in some of the other ministries. Our missions commitments just came in and our just above 395K! It is a blessing to be part of a sacrificial church that has a love for missionaries. We saw 2 saved and 5 baptized this last Sunday. Hope everybody has a blessed week.

I pad 2 giveaway

I have an amazing friend... She adopted 2 little ones from Eastern Europe a few months ago. God pierced my heart when a little boy named "Monroe " from the same website came available for adoption. I fell in love with him, and wanted to have him for my son. The Lord closed the door for that and he is with a wonderful family now. But God used him to show me love...love for orphans. We always wonder what we can do in this life to serve the Lord? Well this is a way, A way to deny your self a trip out somewhere and use your money for something God would be pleased with.
There is another family who God has opened the door to. They are about to travel and the only thing in there way in money. We all have a little extra. $10 adds up fast, so please donate to this cause. Go to this blog and find out all of the details. And please donate what ever you can.

www.anextraleaf.blogspot.com

Look at this picture below. Brian is beautiful. Simply beautiful. He (nor any other child) should ever have to spend a life confined, uncared for, never to know the hugs from a mama or rough housing with papa.

That is why we are hosting this giveaway. Yes, it is fun - and it's always exciting to win. However - when you donate, it isn't you who may ultimately be the winner - it is Brian. So, with that said - let's get to the fun stuff. iPad 2 Giveaway

You have an opportunity to win a new iPad 2 - your choice of color, 16 GB, WiFi, and 3G - with Verizon or AT&T - valued at $629.00 purchased by the Burger family. *service plan will be winner's responsibility, if winner does not want the 3G capable iPad 2 - we ask you let us know upon winning*

Entrance Details:

$10 = 1 entry

$25 = 3 entries

$50 = 8 entries

$100 = 20 entries

$150 = 35 entries

$300 = 80 entries

** If you donate via chip in AND share this giveaway on your blog or FB page - you can have an EXTRA entry***

Giveaway closes April 22 at noon (PST), and the winner will be announced April 25th on this blog.

Sunday...

The boys had their first time singing in front of the whole church. They did awesome! Last time Clayton tried to sing in front of the church....he ran off crying.
Luke and I were not there to see them. Thanks Laura for taking the pictures! Luke and I are in the middle of getting our foster license. We have had classes the last two weekends. We had great families step-up for babysitting. The classes were real eye opening about how far the world is from God and how much people deny Him. It was a good reminder for me to be praying for the world diligently. We are going to be licensed for 3 little ones! I am very excited to have little ones under foot again. I don't think we will have kids until May. Which will be nice to be almost done with school. Then I will have the summer to get use to having more kids before school starts again.
Luke is now working at Children s hospital in Seattle. He will be there (lord willing) for the next few years. He likes the new job a lot and also loves only working 40 hour weeks. Not much new, just getting ready for our home-study.
This picture below is a picture that Clayton made on paint. He is very creative and an awesome artist. Hope everybody has a great day!

My birthday boy!

How does a sweet baby boy go from this:



To this? Seven fast and short years of love.





We had a great time for Clayton's birthday. We had all of his cousins over from Idaho.



You will have to excuse the face! My son is such a blessing, he loves the Lord with his whole heart. He acts just like his daddy, and has such a great spirit. He is always a servant to others before himself. He loves a great adventure. Luke and I are so blessed to have him in our lives. We pray that the Lord will bless and direct his life for many years to come. Happy birthday buddy!