Monday, January 26, 2009

It's a New Year!




I am so way overdue for a new post! It has been one thing after another since early December, and as usual, the time has just been a blur. Christmas has become such a busy time for me, because I still have little ones, yet my parents are getting to the age where they are not able to host as many of the festivities. So much of the work falls on me, simply because there is no one else to do it. I don't mind it, because I have always loved Christmas and everything around it. But when your family grows to the size that mine has, you get to the point where you have to start scaling back a little! So, we all agreed to downsize a little this year, and it made for an enjoyable holiday!



Tim has gotten extremely busy at work. He is currently dealing with some of the greatest challenges of his career, and he loves it, but it takes a toll on him and the family. He is not around to do as much, so others have to carry his load. During Christmas, he got very sick. He had scheduled two weeks off to help me with Christmas plans, and the first day of his vacation, he came down with something like the flu. He was sick the entire two weeks of vacation. He did get some rest, but I was so disappointed that his only vacation of the year had to be spent like that. The up side was that he HAD to sit and rest, so he did get some relaxation out of it after all.

I just tried not to stress over the whole thing, because I wanted all the kids to just have a good time with Christmas. We all kind of rolled with the punches and got what needed to be done accomplished. I remember thinking as we drove to Lawrenceburg on Christmas Day to be with my parents that I was just so grateful that they are still alive and alert and able to enjoy the day with us. I was painfully aware as we drove through Columbia where my grandmother, who embodied the spirit of Christmas, lived all her life that she is gone now, as are my other grandparents. I miss them all so much during Thanksgiving and Christmas, for those were the times we loved to get together and eat and laugh.

We spent the day with my parents, two of my brothers, my sister-in-law, my precious nieces and nephew, and a litter of brand new puppies! My parents' beloved chihuahuas gave birth to four adorable puppies! They were about a month old on Christmas! We ended up bringing one home with us after New Year's, to see how we would like having a small dog for the first time in our family history! We have always had huge outdoor dogs, and we thought the girls would really enjoy having one of these sweet little indoor types! We named her Baylee, and she has really been a sweetheart. She is so good about listening and tries really hard to please us.




Well, after Christmas, we came back and tried to get back into our routine here. However, Mr. Flubug hit with a vengeance. Hannah, Micah and Sam got sick first. Sam and Micah seemed to be able to fight it off somewhat, but Hannah was awfully sick. Three days later, Sarah came down with it, and I started to feel awful three days after that. We had Sarah tested, and it was not strep, but she did test positive for flu. This has been with us for about 2 weeks now, and we are just beginning to finally pull out of it. The expensive Tamiflu did not seem to help a bit. That was just a big waste, in my opinion.



I am trying to get better, but nothing I do seems to hurry it up any. My dad is finally going to have his gall bladder out this Thursday, Lord willing, and I would like to be there if I could. I will just have to see if being there would be detrimental for him. He surely does not need the flu! Hopefully, I will be past all this by then!

The kids have had a ball running here and there of late with all the young Christians. Daniel has been to West Virginia and Indiana, and Sam and Micah went along to Indiana, too. There was a big weekend of activities, including singings, a talent show, and Bible studies. Several kids we worship with went along as well, and all reported having a wonderful time! The hosts were very gracious and generous, and the kids all had a memorable time!



Another chapter in our life story seems to have begun. My little "eagle/phoenix" has found a "hawk" and they are happily flying through the skies! It is good to see him smile! A lot of good young people have lifted him up when he did not feel much like flying, and he has glided past times of sorrow and loss and is confidently flying on his own again.


I have to say that I am quite aware of all those right now who are struggling with very serious situations. You don't have to read far on Pleonast to find those who are having the fights of their lives with so many discouraging battles. I read your stories and I pray for you often. We talk about you in our home and we pray for you often. God knows each of your cares, and He is there to help you, and we, your brethren love you and are pulling for you! We hope these things will turn around for you and that you will be shortly blessed with a long season of peace.

Well, that is the update. I look forward to catching up with everyone!