Have you ever been this tired?

Pictures courtesy of my Aunt Karin. :)

A Little Vacation to Oregon

We had a wonderful little vacation to Oregon this last Monday and Tuesday. On Monday morning we drove down to Portland and went to the Oregon Zoo. The weather was rainy and very cold but we had a wonderful time anyway. The weather seemed to make our little trip even more spontaneous because who goes to the zoo when it is cold and rainy! The Oregon Zoo is nestled in some wooded hills east of Portland. Needless to say there were not very many people there. The animals seemed pretty mellow and weren't really doing much. But I don't blame them. When it's rainy and cold one the nicest places to be is all cuddled up warm with your mate.




This is my favorite picture from this trip. Actually I have to say it is one of my most favorite pictures ever! Ruh made a little buddy! :)





Daisy made a little friend too! :)


This elephant was amazing! I have never seen an animal so big. You can't tell by the picture but he was massive!




Daisy on safari.



These little guys were adorable. You can't tell from the picture but these are little monkeys that are about the size of hamsters! I just wanted to squeeze them.

After the zoo we headed over to our hotel. We got settled in and Daisy and Ruh went for a swim in the heated indoor pool. I stayed in the room and enjoyed watching Fox News on cable. I love Fox News but since we only have basic cable at home we don't get Fox News. I got to watch Hannity and Colmes!

The next morning we had the continental breakfast they served in the dining room. I had one of those yummy Belgian waffles that you make yourself. I love those! I also had a fruit bowl. After breakfast Ruh took Daisy back to the pool for one more swim and I did some reading. After we checked out we went to the end of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Oregon City. When we got there we went into the gift shop which is where you buy the tickets. The lady there said the only way to see the Interpretive Center is to take the guided tour which wouldn't be for another hour. So we looked around the gift shop a little bit and decided we would go ahead and head over to the coast. Also I thought we would be able to see the Oregon Trail which you can at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon but not at this Interpretive center. Before we headed over to the coast I did get a souvenir. I saw an adorable doll which looks like one perhaps a little girl on the Oregon Trail would have had. I fell in love with the doll immediately and my hubby bought her for me. She now has her special spot on my shelf at home. :)




When we reached Seaside the rain was coming down in torrents. At one point it even started hailing. It hailed for quite a while and we waited it out in the car. Once the hail stopped the sun came out. We walked around downtown Seaside and enjoyed the little shops. Ruh found a small video arcade which had a game he used to play all the time in middle school. So he spent some quarters and I went to a very cute country store which I spent quite a bit of time looking in.



On our way out of Seaside I saw a sign for a Pioneer Cemetery. I actually really like going to these cemeteries. I think it is good to read the gravestones and remember the pioneers who came before us. At this cemetery I could tell it was not kept up very well and most likely these graves were hardly ever visited. There were quite a few baby graves which really tugged on my heart strings because of my recent miscarriage. I took my time walking from grave to grave reading the names, when they were born and when they died. The graves in this cemetery were from the 1800's. Some of the gravestones could no longer be read because they were so worn. Many were lopsided and some completely fallen over. I wanted to pick them up and put them back where they should be.



Here is a little baby boy who died when he was only a year old. The back of the gravestone was very sweet.

On our way home we went through Astoria. Here is the opening of the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. The Astoria Bridge over to Washington is so long. It takes a good several minutes to get across!


We had such a wonderful time on this little vacation! My sweet hubby planned the whole thing in one day and I am so glad he did. I am so thankful I have a husband who will do these kinds of things and love spending time with his family! :)

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything
in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for He founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters."
Psalm 24:1

Yay!

Tomorrow Ruh, Daisy and I are going to head down to Portland overnight. Ruh made reservations for us at a really nice hotel in the city. We are going to visit the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and the Portland Zoo. Ruh also made sure the hotel has an indoor pool and spa so he and Daisy can have fun swimming as well. And in the morning a continental breakfast will be served. So Wednesday I should have lots of pictures and some video to post of our little vacation!

SGT Gabriel Glenn DeRoo I

Painted by Ezra Suko for Hannah DeRoo.

Midwife Appointment Update

I had my follow-up appointment for my D&C yesterday. The midwife told us she talked to the doctor who did my D&C and they found that I did not have a molar pregnancy after all. She said it was just a normal first trimester miscarriage that they caught before I actually started to have the symptoms of a miscarriage. This is good news. Because it was not actually a molar pregnancy I do not have to worry about any of the health issues that go along with it. I will not have to get my blood taken every week! I will get it taken next week just to make sure my hormones are back to normal. The midwife said most likely by next week my hormones will be where they need to be. Also she said that because it was a normal miscarriage we can start trying again as soon as I have a normal cycle! Rue and I talked about it and we decided that even if I get all back to normal really soon we are going to wait until this summer to try again.

It is actually really comforting to know that I did actually get attached to a baby and not just a mass of tissue. The baby probably died VERY early on in the pregnancy. So now I know the baby went straight to heaven. This last summer we were learning about Heaven in Sunday School. We talked about whether or not a baby is actually still a baby in Heaven when it dies and then it grows up there or if when it dies it goes to Heaven and immediately is grown up and has its new body. We kind of thought that perhaps it is already grown up but of course we cannot be certain until we get there ourselves. Either way we know the baby is in Heaven. Thank you again to all of you who have been praying for us! God is good! :)

Pen Pulpit

“NO MORE THAN YOU CAN BEAR”

I Corinthians 10:13

August 19th , 2001

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow your to be tempted beyond what your are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul assures us that God will not put more on us more than we are able to bear. Sometimes what we are called to bear is other’s pressures. They can be devastating, especially if they are pressures relating to our children. We worry and wonder what we can do. The more we think about it the more frustrated we become. Three of our children are in really crisis situations at this writing. How we hurt watching them hurt and how helpless we feel not being able to “fix it”.

God is so good to alleviate the pressure although He doesn’t take it away. He does, however, lighten the load considerably. I am also reminded that the purpose, as far as I am concerned, is a strengthening of my faith (James 1:3-4).

The first thing we should do is go to Him in prayer. There is something about prayer that is very consoling (I John 5:14-15). What a comfort it is to know that our Heavenly Father can “fix it”—far better than we—and He knows the very best way to work things out, so we leave our children in His hands.

So what pressures are you experiencing today? Do they seem more than you can bear? Just remember, “There is no testing that has taken you that is not common to man but – GOD IS FAITHFUL”.

God has not promised skies always blue,

Flower strewn pathways, all our lives through.

God has not promised sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God HAS promised strength for the day,

Rest for the weary, light for the way,

Grace for the trial, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

So, beloved, look at your pressures straight on, and thank God that He has chosen your to undergo this trying time! God Bless.

Love to you all.

--Pastor Charles Covington 1933-2006

Good News

I got a call from the doctor today and the tissue from my pregnancy is not cancerous! That is a huge praise! I have an appointment with my midwife on the 12th. I am assuming that is when I will start getting blood taken every week to monitor my hormone levels. I will keep you all posted. :)

Here are some verses and quotes that have brought me comfort during this time.

"God has his comforts for His afflicted ones. His people are never so assured of His love as then, for there is love seen in their afflictions." Thomas Manton

"Let us come with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need." Hebrews 4:16

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2

"trials. This Greek word connotes trouble, or something that breaks the pattern of peace, comfort, joy and happiness in someone's life. The verb form of this word means to 'to put someone or something to the test,' with the purpose of discovering that person's nature or that things quality. God brings such tests to prove - and increase - the strength and quality of one's faith and to demonstrate its validity. Every trial becomes a test of faith designed to strengthen..." John MacArthur

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:17&18

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." Romans 8:28

Sad News

I went in for my ultra-sound on Wednesday and they found I had a molar pregnancy. This is a pregnancy where once the egg is fertilized it multiplies into a mass of tissue instead of a baby. I was scheduled for a D&C the next day. The D&C went well and the doctor said everything looked very clean. They still have to do a biopsy on the tissue to make sure there is no cancer as this kind of pregnancy can cause cancer. They said they caught it very early, these kind of pregnancies can go for months, so I should not have any problems. I have to go in every week for 6-12 months to have blood taken to measure my hormone levels. With a molar pregnancy hormone levels can reach triple the amount they are suppose to in a normal pregnancy. The midwife said I will be able to get pregnant again. She has had four of these kind of pregnancies and all of the ladies went on to have normal pregnancies. But I do have to wait until my hormones come down to pre-pregnancy levels and my cycle is back to normal which will take several months. And as soon as we get the all clear from the midwife we are going to try again.

I am doing good. I know the Lord is in control and I trust Him completely. I, of course, was very sad the day of the ultra-sound as it was all so shocking. When I went to the hospital on Thursday to have the D&C I felt a little nervous because I had never had surgery before, but I felt very peaceful. I know there were a lot of family and friends praying for me. I am so thankful for how the Lord has brought me comfort in all of this and I want to give Him all the praise for how well I am doing. My sweet husband has been so wonderful and has the next few days off to be with me and help around the house since I am suppose to just rest and try not to do too much. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me. God is so good and He is giving me joy in Him in the midst of this hard time.

Pen Pulpit

“OUR ADVOCATE”

I John 2:1

March 25th, 2001

My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

This encouragement is given to believers. Sin is never a necessity, but always a possibility. Believers do not have to commit an act of sin - even though we have a sin nature. Christ’s work on Calvary made this possible. However, the possibility of any one of us committing sin is always a glaring reality. Note what he says: “If anyone sins we have an advocate.” An old saint was once asked if he believed it was possible for a Christian to never sin in his life. I thought the old Christian was right-on in his answer: “Yes, I believe it is possible for a believer never to sin, but I‘ve never met one who didn’t!”

But the wonderful thing about this is, when the believer sins, he is never condemned. Note the text: “and if anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.” The word advocate is beautiful. It means a go-between or a defense attorney - a representative.

1. The believer is an advocate, a go-between, a representative for Jesus Christ to the world. We make a case for Him in the world of unbelievers.

2. Jesus Christ makes a case for the believer before the Father.

Note: It is Jesus Christ, the righteous. A completely just and righteous savior appears before a holy and righteous judge who is our Father to represent us when we sin. He says, “Father, I gave my life for Charles Covington. I died for his sin. Now I appear before you in his behalf because he has sinned against you. I paid his penalty so he doesn’t have to.” The Father looks at His Son’s death as all sufficient to cover anything I might have done or might do to offend His character. To me this is neat. We should always be careful not to sin, but when we do, we are not judged because of the appearance of our blessed advocate.

Note: He does not say when we confess our sins we have an advocate, but when we sin. When we sin He immediately makes His appearance in our behalf. Our confession (I John 1:9) is for our benefit. His forgiveness cleanses us from all unrighteousness. What a savior we have.

So this week let’s strive to stay in step with Him, and be assured when we get out of step with our advocate, He goes to bat for us, pleading our case before the Father. Let’s continue to plead His case before a lost and dying world. God bless.

Love to you all.

--Pastor Charles Covington 1933-2006

Pics of Gabriel

Here is Gabriel in his new play house. It came with the new house Hannah bought. :)





Gabriel loves his Dad's football! :)

Pen Pulpit

“A LIFE THAT COUNTS”

Philippians 2:12-16

March 11th, 2001

In this brief passage we see the elements of a life that counts for our Lord Jesus Christ - a quality life!

We need to take responsibility. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13. The first major lesson a Christian must learn in his growth pattern is how to take responsibility. This involves developing self motivation. We are to live our lives through Christ, not through someone else. Furthermore, believers are to take their Christian life seriously. There is too much “carnival Christianity”.

The believer is to develop a life free from grumbling and complaining.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing (complaining). Phil 2:14.

1. Grumbling and complaining stifles God’s work in your life - v. 13.

2. It paralyzes your ability to respond in cooperation with God - v.12.

3. It mars your witness for the Lord - v. 15.

However, if we develop a life free from grumbling and complaining we are lights in a very dark world. ... that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.

Philippians 2:15.

We are to be witnesses by holding forth the Word of Life to a world that desperately needs it. .... holding fast the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

Philippians 2:16.

The Word of Life is full of meaning. The Word of Life -

• contains life

• imparts life

• sustains life

• explains life.

I pray that He will enable us to look at life and people through His eyes and not our own. God bless.

Love to you all.

--Pastor Charles Covington 1933-2006

My first pregnancy appointment

This morning I woke up at 6am to get ready to go to my first appointment. I am going to the birthing center at St. Joseph's hospital in Tacoma. They have several midwives and one who comes to Gig Harbor once a week to do check-ups for those of us who live on this side of the bridge. This will be really nice because I won't have to worry about going over to Tacoma for all my check-ups. My wonderful mom came with me since Rue wasn't able to come. I thought this was going to a full blown exam but a nurse took me into a room and asked me all kinds of questions about family medical history and gave me all kinds of information about what will take place in terms of my check-ups. This is all that happened today. My next appointment will be with the midwife and she will do the exam. Also at that appointment they are going to do my first ultra-sound!

While talking to the nurse she asked if there was a history of twins in my family and I told her my mom is an identical twin. She said then I would most likely not have twins since identical twins only come through the male side of the family. I then told her my mother-in-law is also a twin. The first thing the nurse said was "Ohhhhhh" and then she wrote it down on my medical paper. She then said I definitely have a chance of having twins! I know it would be wonderful and all but I really want to start out with one to get myself use to having a baby first! No matter what happens I know I am going to be very happy, and then very overwhelmed once the baby(ies) come. :) Whatever the Lord's will is I will trust Him since He knows best!

My ultra-sound and next appointment are on January 31st. Rue is going to try to make sure he gets the day off so he can be there when we get to see the baby for the first time. I will keep you all posted! :)

Don't Let Congress Silence Christians!

Don't Let Congress Silence Christians!

There is new legislation currently sitting on Capitol Hill that is
potentially disastrous.  If passed, it would alter your pastors' right
to free speech and prevent them from speaking out on the critical
issues
we face as a nation. S.B. 1 and H.R. 4682 are aimed at regulating
pastors and conservative groups by classifying them as "lobbyists" -
which in turn would require them to register with the government.  This
law would be a direct restriction of free speech since this new
definition of "lobbyist" would include public interest organizations,
churches, and other non-profit groups who strive to influence public
opinion - in any way.

Petition of Protest
Congress Cannot Silence Christians

Changes to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 ("Lobbying Act")
resulting from passage of S.B. 1 and H.R. 4682 would be nothing short
of
unconstitutional.  The new definition of "lobbyists" is so broad that
it
would silence millions of ordinary citizens - and discourage them from
engaging in political discourse.  This is one of the most significant
violations of free exercise of religion and the freedom of political
speech in our nation's history.  Please eliminate the provision of this
lobbying reform dealing with grassroots efforts.

To take action:

1) either contact your senators/congressmen directly (find out who they
are for your zip code at: http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/dbq/officials/
<http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/dbq/officials/> )

2) sign the petition online at: www.aclj.org <http://www.aclj.org>
("Take Action" then "Sign Petition").

Snow!

Daisy has missed a total of 4 days of school due to power outages and snow. She of course has been having a great time but will have to make it up at the end of the year. Yesturday Rue, Daisy and I went outside for a little while to play in the snow and do a little sledding. I went down the hill a couple times but then I got a little nervous that I was going to crash and somehow hurt the baby. I am sure that is just "first-pregnancy-worry" but we still had a lot of fun. And of course Rue threw a lot of snowballs at us but I don't think any I threw at him actually made contact. I didn't take any pictures yesturday but my parents took some of their property which are so pretty.

Pen Pulpit

“WE’VE NOT PASSED THIS WAY BEFORE”

Joshua 3:4b

January 14th , 2001

. . . that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.

As Joshua prepared to lead the Children of Israel out of the wilderness and into the promised land, he informed them that the Ark of the Covenant would go before. Then he reminded them that this was a new way. He said, “For you have not passed this way before.” The land “flowing with milk and honey” (and also giants!) lay ahead. Everything was new and untested. However, they had one great plus - God was before them! Everything they would pass through would have to come through the Lord.

Isn’t that true in our own wilderness journey, especially as we face a year that is new and untraveled? We have not passed this way before. The entire year lies ahead. What ingredients will it hold? I’m afraid if we knew some of them in advance we would want to turn and go the other way.

As I look back over 2000 I can tell you truly there were some hard experiences I had to face - - things that more or less jumped out at me. Things I’d rather have left behind. I never dreamed that one night I would wake to a heart attack which caused some setbacks. I can honestly say, “I’ve never passed this way before” but I can also say that the Lord was before me all the way. All of Paul’s journeys were new to him. He had never passed that way before yet he said, “But the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me - - - and I was delivered out of the lion’s mouth (II Timothy 4:17).”

What are you facing today? Something that is new to you - something that you’ve never faced before? A tough assignment from God? A difficult relationship perhaps? You’ve never passed this way before and it’s scary. Remember the Ark of the Lord stood before the people. God stands and goes before you. That’s a winning combination. Let us face the new year with that mentality. We’ve never been this way before but this time next year we will see that the Lord stood faithfully with us.

God bless each of you this year of 2001.

Love to you all.

--Pastor Charles Covington 1933-2006

Here it is!

Here is the video of us telling our families I am pregnant! I still don't know how to edit it on the computer because my movie editor isn't recognizing the video file. But my wonderful husband is working on getting it to work. The video is not edited so it is not very smooth but it is still fun to watch! :)


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Guess What?!!

Well everyone, I am PREGNANT!! We found out this last Thursday and the doctor confirmed it on Friday. I am on cloud 9 right now! We are so excited!

I am 4 weeks along and the baby is due September 14th. We know its a little early to be saying anything but we want everyone to know so they can be praying for the baby's health and mine.

I did take some video on my new DVD camcorder of us telling our families but we are having trouble getting it to save to the computer so I can put it on my blog. As soon as we figure it out I will post the video. It is really fun to watch everyone's surprise. I will be keeping you all up to date on my blog! :)

I am in awe there is little life growing inside me right now. When I told my Aunt Sherry on the phone yesterday she brought up the fact the Lord knows this little baby fully and completely and knows who this little baby is going to be even before he was conceived.

Psalm 139:13-17

"For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's
womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My Frame was not hidden from You,
when I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest
parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being
yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were
written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

How precious are Your thoughts
to me, O God!"

New Year's Resolutions

The beginning of the new year is usually the time when people start making their New Year's resolutions. I was watching a morning news show and they were saying how the majority of people do not keep their resolutions because they try to make too big a change or jump start into something that really needs to be started out slow and small. I know in past years I have made New Year's resolutions like not eating sugar for a month or exercising an hour every day six days a week. Of course this never lasted very long. I was trying to think of what would be three good resolutions for this year. I wanted to have three things that were very small and doable so that way I wouldn't get burned out.

A couple weeks ago I was reading a book by Elizabeth George and she mentioned how if you were to read 15 minutes a day for an entire year you would then have read about 25 books. I really liked that idea, plus 15 minutes a day is not too much at all! So I made a list of 25 books I have never read.

Next I was thinking about my spiritual life. I wanted to do something which would really help me to spend more time with the Lord. I have been convicted lately that I don't spend time every day just praising and thanking the Lord for all He has done for me. I do praise and thank Him but sadly it is not as much as I should. I don't think we can ever praise God enough. So I decided that I am going to spend 5 minutes a day praising the Lord. I read a quote from Charles Spurgeon where he refers to praising the Lord like a string of pearls laying on a table and when you lift one pearl up the rest will follow. Just like with thankfulness to the Lord once you start it will be very hard to stop. So I am sure the 5 minutes I am going to take will naturally start to last a lot longer.

And last but not least I have decided to memorize one verse a week to memorize 52 verses in a year. Last year I probably only memorized 10 verses which is not nearly enough. I so much want the Word of God to be filling up my mind.

I think these resolutions are very doable and they will create some great habits in my life. The first verse I am memorizing is: "...forgetting the things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14

Here is the list of books I am going to read this year. They are not necessarily in the order I am going to read them.

• The Power of Prayer in a Believer's Life --Charles Spurgeon
• The Glory of Heaven --John MacArthur
• What Jesus Demands of the World -- John Piper
• Suffering and the Sovereignty of God -- John Piper
• Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands --Paul David Tripp
• All of Grace -- Charles Spurgeon
• Contending for All -- John Piper
• Overcoming Sin and Temptation -- John Owen
• Communion with God -- John Owen
• The Glory of Christ -- John Owen
• Becoming a Titus 2 Woman -- Martha Peace
• Beautiful in God's Eyes -- Elizabeth George
• The School of Evangelism -- Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron
• Scientific Facts in the Bible -- Ray Comfort
• How to Bring your Children to Christ -- Ray Comfort
• Whatever Happened to the American Dream -- Larry Burkett
• Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East will Change your Future -- Joel Rosenburg
• The Truth About Hillary -- Edward Klein
• John Wesley (Library of Protestant Thought) -- John Wesley
• The Religious Affections -- Jonathan Edwards
• The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards -- Jonathan Edwards
• Twelve Extraordinary Women -- John MacArthur
• How to Survive in a World of Unbelievers -- John MacArthur
• The Life of Faith -- Thomas Manton

The book I have started with is "The Life of Faith" by Thomas Manton. He was a Puritan preacher from the 1600's. This is a book of his sermons. We did read this book for Bible Study but I wanted to read it again to help soak it all up. The writing is from that time period so I really have to concentrate in order to really understand. Here is the excerpt from the back of the book.

"We sometimes look at the lives of Christians in history with something approaching despair, the lived such fruitful Christian lives. How can we live lives that reflect Christ working in us, what are the practicalities involved? Fortunately the Puritans didn't just lived spiritual lives, they wrote about it too. Here is advice from one of the liveliest periods of church history that is relevant today as ever. Thomas Manton (1620-1677), one third of the wave of great Puritan writers, was born in Somerset and educated at Wadham College, Oxford. He regularly preached before Parliament and was chosen to write the preface for the Westminster Confession of Faith. After the Act of Uniformity, he was deprived of his church and was imprisoned; this did not stop him from preaching as he continued to speak to inmates and visitors."

So these are my New Year's Resolutions. I am looking forward to getting this next year started! :)

New Year's Eve

I can't believe another year has come and gone. I am looking forward to what this next year will bring. Even if there are sorrows, like this last year, I know the Lord is in control and any trials that come will bring us closer to Him. I want to praise Him for this last year and even though there were some very tough times He was faithful through it all. And there may also be joys coming in this new year as well. I just want to walk closer to the Lord this year than I ever have before and continue to grow and mature in Him.

New Year's Eve was Hannah and Gabe's 2 year anniversary. Hannah is doing so well. I went over to her house in the evening after church. There was a very large bouquet of pink roses given to her by her parents. Her sister Ruth came over with her husband, Chris's brother and his wife and her sister came and Hannah's 3 brothers. There was lots of scrumptious food, but most of all it was really fun to spend the evening playing games with everyone and goofing off. At one point in the evening Ruth blindfolded Hannah and Ezra went out to his car. (For those who don't know Ezra is an extraordinary painter.) He came inside carrying a painting. It was facing him though so none of us could see it. We went into her dining room and Ezra hung the painting on the wall. It was a painting of Gabe. I started to feel a lump in my throat. Ruth had Hannah stand directly in front of it and took the blindfold off. Hannah was very surprised and very happy. Ezra had painted him in his dress blues but had not painted on Gabe's awards or ribbons because he wanted to make sure he put them all on correctly. Ezra said he wanted the painting to look optimistic because that was Gabe's personality.



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We played the card game "Class Struggle" which is always tons of fun with a big group of people. Then we split up into two teams, guys and girls, and we played charades. We made up the things the guys were suppose to act out and they made them up for us. It was about 12:45pm when we did this so we got pretty silly. (There was not a drop of alcohol at this party!)

I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve!! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Update on Gabriel

Gabriel came home from the hospital yesturday and is doing okay. He does have pneumonia though. They gave Hannah medication that she suppose to give him and he is going back to the doctor for a check up really soon. Praise the Lord that he is home though and can rest and so can Hannah. She did not sleep very well at the hospital and now she has a cold. So thank you for praying and keep praying that he will get completely better! :)

Please Pray!

I just want to let everyone know that little Gabriel is in the hospital. They are not sure what is wrong but he is dehydrated and is not able to keep any food down. He did have the flu a couple weeks ago and aspirated some throw-up which then got stuck in his bronchial tubes and became an infection. They put him on steroids and a nebulizer. Yesterday he slept quite a bit and couldn't eat anything. He had a doctors appointment today and the doctor said that he was very dehydrated and sent him to the hospital. I have not talked to Hannah but she asked her sister to call me since she cannot use her cell phone in the hospital. I plan on going to the hospital tomorrow. He is in the hospital on the army base and Hannah does not have to worry about any hospital bills because he is completely covered! So please pray for sweet little Gabriel! Pray that the doctors will be able to find out what is wrong and be able to treat it quickly. Pray for Hannah for God to give her peace and comfort. Thank you!

Christmas

On the evening of Christmas Eve we had a candlelight service at church. We do this every year whether or not Christmas Eve happens to fall on a Sunday. We enjoyed Christmas Hymns and a chalk drawing done by Pastor Mark, which he also does every year. He also spoke about the birth of Christ and why Christ humbled Himself to be a lowly baby so that the world through Him might have salvation through His death and resurrection.

Also around Christmas time a lot of students who have gone off to college come back home for the holidays. My good friend Elizabeth Christensen and her husband came from Moscow, Idaho to be with her parents and siblings. She moved to Idaho to go the the state college there and met Tim who she has now been married to for a year and a half. She is now student teaching elementary school for her final year of college and Tim is studying to be a farmer. I was so happy to see her and I hope to visit her sometime soon. She suggested that Hannah and I take a little road trip over there for a weekend sometime. It is only a five hour drive, and a gorgeous one at that. Right now the passes have lots of snow we will probably try later on closer to spring.

Daisy had slept at my parent's house so she could open the stocking my mom had for her as soon as she woke up. She got up at 6:55am. My mom told her that she couldn't get up before 6am. We didn't have a time restraint when we were kids but we just had to make sure that we did not wake our parents up. I remember when my brother I were that age. He would wake up at 4am, go get our stockings, come into my room and wake me up so we could open our stockings together. We would sit on my bed enjoying the goodies that were inside. Then we would stuff everything back in and try to go back to bed until our parents woke up.

Christmas morning Rue and I got up and brewed a pot of coffee. We packed all the presents that were under our tree into a box and headed over to my parent's. My mom and dad served a breakfast of venison sausage (shot by my brother's best friend Vincent on a hunting expedition), eggs and pancakes. I had meant to bring over a box of satsuma oranges to go along with breakfast but unfortunately I forget them. My mom makes the best pancakes and all she uses is the Krusteaz mix, but they are the best pancakes I have ever tasted! I don't know what she does differently. She says that it has to do with the pan you use and the right amount of heat.

After breakfast we all sat down and Rue read from Luke 2, one of the passages of the birth of Christ. My dad prayed afterwards.

Then came presents. Daisy played Santa Claus and passed out the presents to each person. Whoever wears the Santa Claus hat gets the job. Some of the funniest gifts had to be what my mom gave my dad. He had told her that all he wanted for Christmas was money. The first gift he opened was a can of tomato sauce with a check wrapped around it. Next he opened a box of scallop potatoes with a check placed on top. And lastly he opened a chunk of wood with, of course, a check. I'd say she did a very good job of disguising the money.

I also gave Ben a very dorky gift just for the fun of it. It was a little air pump with long skinny balloons to make balloon animals with. The only problem was the balloons were very cheap and would pop at the slightest touch. So Ben found that he could attach them to the end of the pump, blow them up, and then let them go like a rocket. We got pretty silly and had a good laugh.

Ben has been dying to get back to Alaska and he is planning on going back this next year and hoping to live in Nome this time. I decided to get him a special shirt that says exactly what he feels. "I'd rather be in Alaska"

Daisy received lots of fun stuff but one of her favorites was a Fly Journal. It is an electronic journal that helps give kids ideas to write about. Daisy loves writing and so was very excited. But alas Rue did not know that the special electronic pen that says the ideas was not included with the journal! So yesturday he braved the after Christmas shopping crowd and went to try and find one. But every place he looked were all out and would not be getting anymore in. The next place he plans on looking for one is online. Let's just hope it is not too pricey!

And then of course my hubby gave me what I have been wanting for a while now, a digital camcorder! It records onto mini DVD's and then I can put them into any DVD player and watch them. I can also put them into the computer and edit them. It takes still photos but you can only do one at a time so I think I will stick with my trusty digital camera for those. It is kind of complicated to learn how to operate, but I am getting the basics down and reading the manual. So be looking for new and improved family videos on my blog!! :)

Later on in the day Rue and I headed home so I could start to get ready for Christmas dinner which was to be held at our house. My parents and I bought a honey baked ham. I also made sweet potato casserole, and broccoli. My mom made scallop potatoes, rolls and pumpkin pie. Her rolls are positively magnificant! But just like the pancakes she makes them from store bought frozen dough. And everyone who has had her rolls all say that her's are the best! Maybe my mom just has a special touch that puts something extra delicious into the food she makes. At around 4 pm everyone came over and we enjoyed a yummy Christmas dinner. I used the special Christmas dishes, for the first time, my best friend Hannah bought me right before we got married. But sadly my mom became very sick and had to go home early. We are not sure what it was but she was feeling pretty bad. My brother took her home and then came back. We watched "Pirates of the Carribean 2" while we had dessert. It was a bummer that my mom could not be there to enjoy it with us!

All in all we had a wonderful Christmas together! This is one for the memory books!! :)