Friday, March 9, 2012

Welcome back!

  Hello readers, we are back into blogging world! Our other blog has been majorly neglected for so long that we just gave up on it and started a new one. A lot has happened in our family in the past two years and we will attempt to share some of it with you in the next few or several (depending on how many it takes!) posts.
   God is so good and He shows us His love, protection and leading everyday! We have been Floridians for 18 months now and enjoy living in the sunny south. Danny has filled the maintenance position for the college and school and it keeps him busy as a bee. He also is a full-time student and is in the middle of his last semester of college :o) God has given him a talent to do handy-man work including laying carpet. He has had many side jobs that have come his way and we have been thankful for the extra income that many times came just when we needed it. God is so good to provide for our needs!
   I have had a few job transitions since moving here. I started out working part-time for FEA in the housekeeping dpt. I also filled the head cook's position on sunday evenings in the cafeteria as well as cleaned the high school each night. Looking back on how much I did last year, I am not sure how I made it with out dropping from pure exhaustion! Last spring, I changed from the housekeeping position to working in the Thrift Store that FEA owns and operates. I enjoyed the customer inter-action but I had a hard time finding childcare for Caleb while I was working. So, I quit working for FEA and began babysitting in our home. I have watched several children and really enjoy it. I now watch 4 on a regular basis and am very thankful to be able to be at home with Caleb and make money too. I do still clean the high school and I have one cleaning job once a week for a sweet, older couple who treat me well :o) I also started selling Pampered Chef and have enjoyed all the benefits that come with it! Last summer I was asked to teach a 3-5 yr olds sunday school class for a few months until they could find a permanent teacher. I am still teaching it and love it! Since then, I have an assistant teacher who helps and we take turns each sunday. Teaching little ones about Jesus has so many rewards!
   Rebecca is now 12 and almost a teenager! Hard to believe at times and Danny and I are learning and experiencing all the new milestones that come with adolescense. Rebecca is turning into a sweet young lady who loves Jesus and is not afraid to stand up for what is right. We are proud of her and her desire to obey and follow Jesus. Becca has enjoyed being in band and has learned how to play the clarinet. She also takes piano lessons and we have realized that God has given her a beautiful gift for playing the piano as well as a love for music. Becca also helps me teach ss class and has a gift for teaching. Rebecca recently answered God's call on her heart to be a missionary!
    Benjamin just turned 10 and is our family comedian. He can and does crack a joke out of almost anything! Ben has a gift for drawing and loves to fill up pages of cartoons, monster trucks and sports cars. He enjoys playing softball weekly and can often be found fishing or in the middle of air soft gun wars with all his buddies. Ben likes to take things apart to see how they work and then try to fix them much to his father's dismay! We are proud of him and how well he does in school....almost a straight A student!
   Abigail is 7 and our little song bird. She is almost always humming or singing something. I have even had to tell her to be quiet when she was humming under her breath during church! Abby loves to make crafts and is always mis-placing the tape, scissors, etc. Abby truly has a gift for helping and loves to help me clean the high school. She is eager to please and gets her feelings hurt easily. Abby has a very tender heart and loves to sing for Jesus. She also is a good speller and earned a spot this school year to compete in a regional spelling bee!
   Caleb James, our baby, is turning 4 this July. He is a smart, independent little stinker who keeps me hopping! His favorite color is blue and he loves CARS, Veggie Tales and Blues Clues. He loves that he has playmates all day from the kids I babysit. Wotheels (Hotwheels), legos, playdough and playing in the backyard fill his days. He is a sweet little boy who makes our family complete!
   I did not intend to have our first post be a book.ha! So there you have a brief idea of what we are all up to at this time in our lives. I will post more later about what God has been doing in our lives...its exciting!