Please Pray

We found out this week that a girl in Joshua's 3rd grade class has been diagnosed with cancer. We are praying for this girl every day and I'm asking all of you to as well. Her name is Makayla and has a long road ahead of her, but I know that with our prayers and God's healing, she will recover faster than anyone predicts.

Count your blessings

My mom gets me a new daily calendar each year for Christmas.  This year, it has a Psalm for each day.  Yesterday was Psalms 13:6 “He dealt bountifully with me”. 

This spoke very clear to me.  I am guilty of focusing on what has not been done, instead of all the blessings I receive each day.  I’ve decided to start a list and then add to it each day with what blessings I see around me.  I think this will help me focus in the right direction which will then allow everything else to fall into place.

1. A home with a roof and heat.
2. A refrigerator and cabinets full of food.
3. A husband who works extremely hard so that I can be at home with our children.
4. A husband who loves me unconditionally.
5. Four wonderful and healthy boys.
6. Fabulous in-laws!!!  This is one area where I am blessed beyond belief.
7. Parents who are healthy and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.
8. FRIENDS!!!  I have the best friends in the world.
9. A Lord and Savior who loves me and forgives me when I keep making the same mistakes.
10. I live in a country where I can make a post like this and not live in fear of the police coming and arresting me.

What would be on your list?

The past few months with the Woottens

We have been busy these past few months. Birthdays, Christmas, New Years, sickness (okay, I’d rather forget about that!!). Here are some pictures to bring you up to speed.

Ladies Christmas Tea

Our church has an annual Ladies Christmas Tea (not sure why Steph keeps calling it a tea, it is a full meal). The tables are decorated by the ladies and each year the tables get better and better. The praise band plays Christmas music and since I have to put up with those men all the time (they are great guys, but they are guys—enough said!) I decorated the table for them. I went to the foo-foo room of the antique store and borrowed the white feather tree and pink ornaments. Perfect don’t you think?

My friend Michelle won for this table. She had a pajama party table—isn’t that clever??

Matthew had a birthday and a band concert

I was mean and wrapped his iPod in a big bag with little boxes inside it. He was very happy to get it. I can’t believe he is 12 and that next year I will be the mom of a teenager!

Playing trumpet with the middle school band. I want to tell all the trumpet players to put their horns in the proper position!!

Trying to hide from me.

I think this look is telling me to stop taking his picture!

Matthew will spend next Monday being a page for our State Senator Randy Head. He is very excited about that.

Timothy is a ham

He is the youngest and you can tell. Anytime he can get the attention, he grabs onto it and holds on tight!! I think the one with the “old man” t-shirt and swimming goggles will be kept to show any future girlfriends!

Noah had a birthday & a school program

Noah with his class on the risers

He got to hold the big candy cane for one of the songs.

Sorry sliders-the game he was hoping to get

Waiting for us to sing to him. Notice who just had to be near the cake?

Getting a kiss from his Nini Ann.
I am so thankful that we live near all the grandparents
and the boys are getting to know all of them.

Eating cake with his friends at his birthday party.

Joshua had a friend over and they borrowed my camera.

These are great blackmail pictures!! I can’t wait to show them to his girlfriend some day. Which if I have my way will be in oh, 10 years at the earliest!

We had snow and ice

The first snow of the season

Timothy thought it was great that his brothers had to be in school and he could go out and play.

All done and ready to get warm!

We had an ice storm on Dec 19 which left us all stranded at home. The bad part? No power. Which also meant no water! You would have thought the boys had been walking in the desert for 40 days they way they whined about being thirsty! Luckily the antique store has a water cooler and we went over there and got a gallon of water so they could drink. Thank goodness for a gas stove so I could fix them lunch. Can you imagine if they would have had to miss a meal??

Noah and Timothy showing the perfect thing to do without power. Build legos by the fire. Thanks to the fireplace the house stayed a toasty 77—yes Jon had it cranked up that high!!

We celebrated Christmas and the birth of our Saviour!

We had a great Christmas season. Unfortunately, we had to miss our Christmas Eve service due to Jon being sick. I watched it online-I love technology!!

Timothy helping decorate the boys Santa tree.

I love decorating the fireplace. Makes a perfect place for all my Santas.

I can never take a picture in my house without first having to take a funny one!

The main tree.

The Santa presents. Guess they were good boys all year after all.
The boys finding their Santa gifts.

Like those stockings? I made them myself!! They were overflowing this year.

Happy New Year!!

We spent New Years Eve with Jon’s dad and stepmom and had a wonderful time playing games and watching movies. Came home around 9 and watched some of the Twilight Zone marathon, then fell asleep. I think the boys might have made it to midnight. I didn’t. I think I’m getting old!! I hope everyone has a great 2009.

Catching up is so much fun!!

I am LOVING facebook.  I first joined at the urging of one of my friends from a chatroom on Delphi (yes Rena, you!).  It started growing with friends from church and I think we talk more on there than in real life.  Then sorority sisters of mine started showing up.  What fun!!  Then AAMB alums—again FUN!! And now some from my high school   It is great to see how we’ve all gone different paths, but still have connections to one another.  Some of us have kids who are almost teenagers, others are just starting their families.  We are single, married, engaged, Dr’s, museum directors, mom’s, dad’s, teachers.  But we all have a common thread that runs through us that keeps us together.  Isn’t technology great?

My Favorite Picture of 2008

I’ve been looking back through the pictures of 2008 and I have taken thousands.  Some good, some bad, but one stood out from the rest.  I don’t know how I captured this picture, but it is perfect.  I caught Noah in the act of blowing out his birthday candles in a way that captures a child’s innocence.