Family Pictures

Here's the cousins.... :) These are the tie-dye shirts we did here this Fall. We gave them as Christmas gifts and they were a big hit. :) :)

Back row from left to right..Riley (8) Joe's son, Devyn (9) Terrie's daughter, Drew (6) Terrie's son, Avery (4) Joe's daughter, Gracie, Isaac

Front row from left to right..Emily (11) Joe's daughter, Kylie (13) Terrie's daughter, Heidi, Jacob, Joshua (17) Terrie's son, Garett (11) Terrie's son.

The whole gang :)

Gramps and Neena with all their grands! :) Love this photo!!!

Terrie's family

Joe, Jamie and family

Our family

Christmas in Kentucky

We had a great time in Kentucky with the family. There were 19 of us in all....all under Gramps and Neena's roof. Our family along with my brother and sister's families as well. 12 children, ages 17 to 4. We all had a grand time! Jacob, Riley and Devyn spent from dawn til dusk on the trampoline in the backyard. Jacob even complained of being sore on the way home on Tuesday. LOL!

Our trip down was eventful. We left on Friday with a nice layer of ice covering EVERYTHING! We hoped that the temp would warm up quickly and melt it off. No such luck. The highway we were traveling on shut down........the traffic just stopped. Luckily we were near an exit at the time and we were able to get off the highway. At the exit there happened to be a Bob Evans restaurant. We had a gift card for this particular restaurant....a Christmas gift from our sweet friend from church. Thank You Cindy!!! So, we slid into the restaurant...literally. ;) and enjoyed a very nice meal. We were able to travel the back roads for about 40 miles or so and get back on the highway. The temperature rose and by the time we arrived in Ky that evening it was a balmy 65 degrees! What a wild day!

Here are a few miscellaneous pics from our time in Ky. Heidi received a camera from Gramps and Neena for Christmas, so I will include a few of her pics here too. :)

Joshua (Terrie's oldest) can sleep through ANYTHING! Terrie says that he has always been like this. She even could vacuum under his crib while he was sleeping when he was a baby. I guess Isaac figures if ya can't beat em, join em! ;)


Jacob is THRILLED with his new unicycle from Gramps and Neena! We did not put it together until we got home....we did that today. He's been on it here in the house today trying to work on his balance. This is gonna be FUN! :)

Here are a few of Heidi's photos from her new camera! :) This is Kylie (Terrie's daughter..13), Heidi, and Emily (Joe's daughter..11)

Kylie...age 13..Terrie's daughter

Me, Mom, and sis Terrie

Miss Avery...age 4..Joe's youngest...Avery and Gracie had SO much FUN!! :)

Snow Fun!

Trying to catch up!! Wanted to share some of our snow fun with you. This was before Christmas. We left for Ky. the day after Christmas with plenty of snow on the ground and returned to none!...boo hoo!! :( We sure did enjoy it while it was here though! :) :)

More tomorrow.........

Love,

Wendy

Christmas Day

We enjoyed Christmas day here with just the six of us before heading down to Ky. to celebrate Christmas with my family the day after Christmas. Here are a few pictures of our Christmas celebration here at home....more on our trip to Ky. in another post. :)

First cookie decorating a couple of days before Christmas...:)

Christmas Day





Guess what my sweet husband gave me for Christmas? Well, I know I mentioned when I started this blog back in July 06, that I was doing this blog as kind of a journal for our family..... a way to perserve our memories. Well, I've done an absolutely terrible job of keeping the blog printed off and preserved for keepsake purposed. :( Tom spent an enourmous amount of time copying off almost 500 pages of this blog. He put each page in a page protector and neatly in a very nice binder for me. Isn't he THE BEST!! Thank you sweetheart! I love you! :) Now, I WILL keep up with it from here on out! :)

Love,

Wendy

Merry Christmas!

We opted not to send out our normal Christmas card/letter this year as we are cutting as many corners financially as possible because of our current situation. We are still thinking of each and every one of you during this Christmas season! We love you all very much and are so very blessed to have you in our lives!

As I look back over 2008 I realize that 2008 has been a year of loss for our family.

*The loss of a brother. Sadly, Tom's brother, Fred, lost his battle with lung cancer on Feb. 8 of this year. You should have seen the people lined up out the door of the funeral home to pay their respects. He was loved and continues to be loved by many! We miss you Fred!

*The loss of our good and faithful friend, our Millie dog. Millie was stuck by a car on April 14 and killed instantly. She was such a huge part of our family and we miss our girl!

*The loss of a job. On Oct. 22, like so many others in our country today, Tom was blind-sided by the loss of his job. He was handed two weeks of severance pay and did not return to work the next day. He continues to search for a job.

With loss comes growth. It's during difficult times that we do most of our spiritual growing isn't it? I know that's true for me. When I look back over my life pretty much all of my growth takes place during struggles. Perhaps that's why the Lord tells me in James 1:2,3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Ahhh! Trials serve a purpose in my life! If it weren't for trials no growth could take place. Not only am I supposed to deal with the trials, but I am to "consider it pure joy". Wow! Joy in suffering. I struggled with this concept when I was younger, but as I age I do think that I am getting this and am actually learning to be joyful in suffering because it is then that growth can take place. We are growing our spiritual muscles right now. Praise Him! I am thankful for that!

What are we learning? How are we growing?

We are learning the quality of being content in every situation! Paul talks about this in Philippians 4:11,12 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." When we first learned of Tom's job loss our initial reaction was AWWWWW WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO???? Several days of anxiety, little sleeping or eating, etc. Ya know what? Life goes on. We continue to be the same people we were before this happened.......hopefully better people from the experience! God continues to bless us in NUMEROUS ways everyday! We still get up everyday and live life. We are not allowing life to pass us by during this time. Yes, obviously we look forward to the day when Tom gets a new job and we have total and complete faith that God will lead him to the right job at the right time. But, we are content to be living this day in this moment in this situation. This is our life. God has blessings for us TODAY! Praise Him! For that, I am thankful!

We are learning to cast all our worries on Him. Matthew 6:25 tells us "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink: or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" ...vs 27 "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" ...vs 34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." WOW! God REALLY does not want us to worry about this......he really really doesn't! Yes, obviously we do everything within our power to find that job, but He doesn't want us to spend any amount of time worrying about Him supplying all our needs. Actually, worry shows a lack of faith in Him. A lack of faith that He will indeed take care of us. It's amazing to see how God IS supplying everything we need at this time. He does such a good job of taking care of us! We have no reason to worry...no reason at all! Praise Him! For that, I am thankful!

We are learning that He is the same ALWAYS!! Heb. 13:8 tells us "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" Isn't that so comforting!! ...that no matter what happens in this life we can count on Him. He never changes. His love never changes. No matter the circumstances in this life, He is there! He has always been there and He will always be there. He loves us unconditionally! He was there loving us when we lost Fred. He was there loving us when we lost our Millie dog. He was there loving us when Tom lost his job. He is here loving me as I write this letter to you. Praise Him! For that, I am thankful!

I could go on and on about what God is teaching me right now, but these are a few of the things that stick out in my mind right now.

Yes indeed, it has been a year of loss for our family! But, loss is a necessary part of life. Through loss comes growth. So, I can honestly say that I do consider it pure joy to be facing this trial. Because of this trial we are bulking up our spiritual muscles. Praise Him! For that, I am thankful!
May you all have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2009!!

Love,
Tom, Wendy, Heidi, Jacob, Gracie and Isaac

Here is a photo of our youngest family member, just to prove that what I am saying is true!! LOL!

Winterfest

Heidi had her big semi-formal Winterfest dance at the school last night. She had an awesome time!! Isn't she beeeeeeeeautiful!!! And, you KNOW I have to let out another sigh because she's growing up so fast........SIGH....Love you Heidi! I sure do enjoy being your Mama!

Here's James and Heidi. :)

Heidi and her friend Jackie.

Hot Soapy Water

I'm going to confess and say that on a cold winter day hot soapy water is BLISS to me!! Let me at that sink full of dirty dishes when there is a chill in the air and in my bones. Awwwwww!! I don't often have time for a nice hot bath, but soaking my hands in that hot soapy water can be just as comforting.........and serves the double purpose of getting those dishes cleaned up too. But, shhhhhhh!! Don't tell my kiddos cause they don't need to know that I actually don't mind, and even enjoy doing dishes sometimes! Them with that info. could prove catastrophic to me since this is often their chore because, after all, it builds character right?! LOL! ;) The good news is that we have plenty of dirty dishes in this household for Mom's pleasure AND kids' character buidling! :) Now, if I could only figure out how to do dishes with my feet??......hmmmm? ...cause sometimes my slippers just don't do the trick of warming up the ole tootsies. :) :)

Love,

Wendy

Happy Birthday Heidi Jo!

Our baby girl is FIFTEEN years old today!! Wowzers! HOW is that possible? I remember so vividly this day fifteen years ago! It will forever be etched in my mind as one of the BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE.....the day that I finally became a Mama! We waited so very long for Miss Heidi to come into our lives, but boy was she worth the wait! I've enjoyed celebrating YOU today sweetheart! I appreciate your:
...generosity

...spirit of fun

...loyalty

...determination

...sense of humor

...patience

...perseverance

...work ethic

I love you!! You are turning into quite a special young lady! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We actually had Heidi's party last Saturday. Here are a few pictures from our day on Saturday.

Accident

We had a really bad and sad accident about 1/2 mile from our house on Friday. A man had a seizure while driving and went off the road into a petoleum pipeline causing it to explode sending flames high into the air.....higher than the tree line. Our power was shut down for 8 hours that day. And, our road was shut down all weekend. We live on a Michigan highway...so it's a main road. They are still working on getting it fixed. Sadly the man driving the car lost his life that day. :( Above is Jacob's version of what happened.

Wendy :(

How Lovely Are Thy Branches

I just love this time of year!! We went out and got our Christmas tree on Thursday afternoon. It was a perfect winter afternoon..........cold, brisk air, snow on the ground...just BEAUTIFUL! On Saturday we turned up our Christmas music and put up all of the decorations. Now we get to sit at night with the sparkling lights and ENJOY!! Hope you all are savoring the moments of your holiday season!

Love,

Wendy

Dear Santa...EXACTLY as the Sears wishbook would have it!

So, our Sears Wish Book arrived in the mail last week. Don't you remember scouring that Wishbook at Christmas time when you were a kid? Boy, I sure do! My kids will carry the same memory with them to adulthood. :) Gracie spent some time writing a letter to Santa the other day and Tom and I got a kick out of it. I've scanned it and included it here. You should be able to click on it to make it bigger so that you can read it. It includes phrases like "includes 4 double A batteries" "more puppy breeds available online" and "adult supervision recommended" LOL!! It just tickled my funny bone!

Love,

Wendy

Happy Birthday Jacob!!!

Jacob turned 11 years old yesterday. I MUST stop blinking...it's going too fast! We had a fun celebration with a few of Jacob's friends...Damien and Evany, James, and Grandma & Grandpa Dick. Damien spent the night and the boys are already out trying out Jacob's new sling shot. I told them that they must shoot AWAY from the house.....and do not shoot at any small animals or birds! Isaac had to pipe up and say, "How about a turkey, we need one of those!" LOL!! That boy always comes up with something. I said, "Well, if they can get a turkey go for it!" Ha!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET BOY!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

I love your...
spunk
compassion
energy
zest
optimism
kindness
enthusiasm

Enjoy being 11!! I KNOW you will because that's just who you are. You enjoy life ALWAYS! :)

Love,
Mom

Student of the Month...

........in ALGEBRA!!!!!! Yes, Neena you read that right! I'm so proud of my girl! Heidi received a certificate on Friday. GO HEIDI GO!!! :) :) BRAVO! You've come a long way baby!!! Soar girl soar!

Love,
Wendy

Brown eyed boy

Do you recognize those beautiful eyes? I'd know them anywhere! Those eyes belong to my sweet boy, Jacob. It's hard to tell from this photo, but Jacob is suffering from pink eye in both eyes. I took him to the doc tonight and they gave us a little bottle of eye drops that should take care of it in 24 to 48 hours. He will have to miss a day of school tomorrow. He actually really was disappointed about that! ;) Check out the photo below. This little tiny bottle of eye drops cost $87! Goodness! Of course, it's worth it to turn those inquisitive eyes back to crystal clear!

Love,

Wendy

My Girlie!

Thought I'd give a little update on Miss Heidi Jo. She is really enjoying her high school experience so far! She seems to be thriving and extremely happy! :) Last night we attended the Fall sports awards assembly where all of the athletes that participated in Fall sports were honored. Heidi earned her "year" for her varsity jacket for her participation on the Freshman volleyball team. Pretty Cool! She is in the class of 2012. Last night we figured out that Isaac is in the class of 2021. That's kinda fun...12 and 21.

Heidi is taking an agriculture class this semester, which has gotten her involved in FFA. She's gotten quite involved in that and has decided (at this point) that she wants to be a part of FFA for the duration of high school. She's driven a tractor, learned all the parts of the cow, pig, chicken and I don't know what all. FFA really has a lot to offer kids! It's much more than just agriculture. There are all sorts of things to be involved in. We are just beginning to figure it all out. Tom is pretty proud as he was very involved in FFA in school.

The first marking period just ended a few weeks ago and I'm very proud to say that Heidi received all A's! Of course, we are proud of her for doing her best no matter what the grade, but it's nice that her grades match the effort that she puts in. She is learning Spanish this year, which is fun! And algebra is really clicking for her this year, which is so nice!! She has struggled with that in the past and it's great to see the light bulb coming on there! Go Heidi! :)

Heidi is looking forward to track season in the Spring. She is also old enough now to take drivers training. yikes! We have opted to wait on that until June. It will give her something to focus on between school and detassaling.

Heidi has a lot of good friends. She's a very social gal! ;) Some friends that came from her previous school and some new friends that she has made this year. Another new thing for this year.....a boyfriend. His name is James and he's a really nice young man. We've been able to spend a bit of time with him as a family and we all really enjoy him. He's a good boy! I'm impressed. Jacob, Gracie and Isaac just LOVE him! He's really good with them. Of course Heidi can't officially date until she is 16, but James is very welcome and encouraged to spend time here at the house.

My girl is blossoming. Some of the attitudes (the less than desirable ones ;)that we've seen over the past few years seem to be diminishing. I'm actually starting to think that teenagers are pretty cool!!!!.......especially this particular teen. She's making good choices. Her spiritual muscles are getting stronger. Oh, and she's cooking dinner once a week now.

Love you Heidi!! I'm so very proud of the person that is YOU!!!!!

Santa's Helper???

Tonight as we all sat around the dinner table the conversation turned to what we wanted to be when we grow up. Gracie announced that when she grows up she wants to be a Mom and an artist. Btw, the girl is an excellent artist........really impressive I think! Jacob wants to be a carpenter and Heidi a veterinarian. Isaac then enthusiastically chimed in that when he grows up he's going to be an ELF!!!! Good thing he's small for his age I guess. That may come in handy in the future. ;) LOL!!!

Love,
Wendy

Predicament

Jacob came home with a story this afternoon that brought me to tears......happy, laughing tears! LOL!! At school when they need to use the bathroom they have to take a pass. The pass is one that you wear around your neck. So, Jacob is off to the bathroom with the pass around his neck. He finishes his business and leans over to flush the toilet, the chain around his neck somehow breaks and falls into the toilet just in time for the whole thing......pass and necklace.......to be flushed down the toilet. :-O I'm imagining the look on my son's face when this happens. LOL! THEN he has to go back to the classroom and explain to his teacher what has happened. Ha Ha Ha Ha!! The whole scenario just tickles my funny bone so!!! So, I ask Jacob what his teacher said. She said, "Well Jacob, I'll have to say in the 30+ years that I have been teaching this has never happened until today" LOL!!!

Love,
Wendy

Live in the Present

Matt. 6:34- Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. To Wendy, Love Jesus

Enjoy all the joys that today will bring!!!!! Have a blessed Lord's Day.

Love,
Wendy

Catch Up

Seems I'm doing that here quite a bit lately.....playing catch up! Sorry! We are all hanging in there. Tom has a bunch of resumes out there. This is going to take some time and we are trying to be patient, but it's difficult! God is in control! He is allowing Tom and I to feel at peace right now. I did have some anxiety after the election on Tuesday. It took me a few days, but I'm able to let any bad feelings I had about the outcome go. I am now determined to pray........pray hard for our new President elect. He has a big job ahead of him!!!!

Now for some fun stuff. :)

Love,

Wendy