Boy, it's been quite a time these past 2 weeks! First of all, Jared got a miserable sore throat and cold on a Thurs. Jan. 22. A few days later, he had pink eye in both eyes. Jim took him to On-Call and he got Amoxicillin on Sun. 1/25. The cold seemed to get worse with a fever. But the fever didn't last long. The cough, however hung on! Then Sat. night, 1/31 he developed a mild rash. Jim stayed home with him on Sun. By the time I got home from church, Jim had been to On-Call and back, and Jared had this terrible rash all over! He had an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillin! Poor kid! However, a week later, he still has this terrible cough!

NOW, Nathan is miserably sick with a cold, fever, wicked sore throat, etc! In between the two boys, I had a rotten cold with a fever that lasted a day and a half. Thankfully, I feel better now. I still have the cold, but at least I can take care of Nathan who happens to be a tough patient! So far, Owen hasn't gotten sick. I can't imagine him going through this!

If you feel so led, please pray for our family's overall health. Thank you!

That's about all that's going on here lately... not fun.

blessings, joie

Is this hysterical or what?! We got this magnifying sheet--fits on a book page--for Jim last year, but we've had so much fun with it! I laugh right out loud when the boys do this!!



Last week, Nathan received a wonderful blessing. A friend of ours from church GAVE him some Lionel trains and tracks--something Nathan's been wanting. We've been to this man's house a couple times to see his HUGE train layout. He's collected trains since he's a kid and has a layout that fills the upper room of a 2-car garage! He just thinks Nathan's a great kid, and he wanted to do this for him. He asked me privately when Nathan's birthday was (March), so he could give it to him for his birthday--which he did last weekend. The trains are beautiful! Nathan's had HO trains for a few years, but they're very frustrating to use. So Doc wanted to do this for him. These trains are much better to work with. He and his wife, Ginny, are great, godly people! We love them!

Nathan and Doc going through the trains and track that he gave Nathan

The Lionel engine

Owen putting on a puppet show for me with his favorite -- Cutie Monkey

This is the first page I've done in a couple months!

Jared with his new sweater that Nana knitted for him.
He's just getting over pink eye. He looked terrible--he had it in both eyes! His eyes are pretty clear now, thankfully, but he still has this miserable cold that he had since before the pink eye last weekend. He doesn't feel good here -- in fact, he took a 3-hour nap right after! I still liked the picture of him in his new sweater!

Look out Joe, it's COWBOY 'O'
He was playing by himself in the living room and he spotted me with the camera.

Until next time...

blessings, joie

ME IN PICTURES!

Yesterday, with his cowboy hat on, Owen asked, "Mommy, can Nathan take a picture of you and me? " I almost said no, because I hate what I look like in pictures, but I knew I couldn't turn him down. So while he was preoccupied, I put on a little foundation and mascara. Here are a few pictures that I love and will cherish forever! It's mostly my own fault that I'm not in pictures with the boys. I'm always the one behind the camera -- a common problem with mothers -- and nobody else thinks of it. I have several pictures of me and my sisters growing up in Christmas photos -- posing with my father! Oh well, I guess its a universal, age-old problem! Here, Nathan put the camera on two tissue boxes and put it on timer. I would never have thought to do that. I wouldn't be in control! Couldn't have that! So here's what we got. Priceless!

Oh, and I recently read in a scrapbook magazine that you should avoid using the word 'CHEESE' when posing for a picture because it makes your smile look CHEESY! Instead, say 'HI'. As your mouth rounds out the word, you have a more natural smile. That's what we did. Later, when looking at the pictures on the computer, Owen said he didn't like saying "hi" -- it sounded 'Spanish'. "Cheese is 'natural'. ???

It's been pretty cold here lately -- while it was 0 degrees here the other morning, it was 24 below an hour north of us! The highs have been only 10. We're eager to get out of the house on a warmer, 20-degree day!

Until next time...

blessings, joie

CHRISTMAS PAST

I am SO FRUSTRATED with my computer right now! I don't know WHAT's wrong with it! Jim did a scan and it cleaned up some things, but EVERYTHING is unbelievably slow. Ridiculously slow. I'm ready to throw it out the window, but I'll have to drag it upstairs so that I can throw out TWO stories high (onto the front concrete walk, of course)! Besides that, I can't upload my pictures from my camera! SO...

...I thought I'd show a few pictures from Christmases past.

(ignore this first picture for now. I can't move photos around anymore... )

BEARY

Me, in yellow p.j.s, with my sisters Donna (to my left) & Terri (making the

goofy face behind me) along with our 5 cousins! Brenda was born a year later.

At TWO--almost 3, my chubby cheaks were cute... NOW? Not so much

I still have that bear! However, he's brownish grey now! (See above)

1965 the night after Christmas. Love to see the gifts we received back then!

1965 with Brenda (a little over a month old) One of my favorite pictures ever!

Until next time... hopefully, I'll be able to move on my computer and upload current photos!

blessings, joie

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to all! Here are some photos from the past week or so. Jim took the boys, with my mother-in-law, bowling Tuesday of this week. She was here in town from last Sunday until today!

Owen's first time bowling, Nathan photographer

Owen with 'Cutie Monkey' on Christmas Eve

Nathan & Jared played a song on Christmas Eve

Jared playing "The Little Drummer Boy" with Nathan accompanying (I thought I'd cry when I heard them. It was SO cool to hear my boys play together) Our evening went from Chinese dinner, to church for the candlelight service, to Daddy reading the Christmas story from Luke, to singing carols around the tree with lots of harmony!

Candlelight at the Christmas Eve service

YUMMY Cashew Crunch -- love this stuff (joie made)

being goofy -- Nathan with Jim's glasses, Owen with my reading glasses, Jared with work goggles!

A week or so ago, Jared received a letter in response to an Operation Christmas Child box that we gave. God sent this one to Zimbabwe! Sid is 8, so he wrote his note to Jared, since Jared is closest to his age. I cried when Jared read it! It just touched my heart that this boy was touched in some way by this wonderful ministry! What amazes me is that it was only 4 weeks from the time we dropped the box off at church during collection week and the time Jared received the letter from Africa!

letter from Sid

Just click on the photo, and you can read the journaling. Having so much fun with the new feature to put text on photos.
I printed this out in 8x10 to scrapbook. The tree really did look so pretty this year!

That's it for now! Until next time...

blessings, joie

MERRY CHRISTMAS II

I'm posting my Christmas message again, because my pictures seem to have disappeared from my last post. At least it appears that way when I view my blog. Previous posts are there...


May God richly bless you and your loved ones this Christmas and in the coming year!

just click on the photo, and it'll enlarge for you to read

The ice that we had a couple weeks ago. It was beautiful! The photo doesn't do it justice.

I said in an earlier post that with my Christmas letter, I'd include favorite photos from throughout the year; but because it takes time to find and upload pictures, it will have to wait until AFTER Christmas -- when I have more time! Remember: God is now, and will always be, on the throne!

I'll leave you with a favorite Christmas song from Go Fish -- goes along with the message from our Pastor on Christmas Eve.

The beginning of the story is wonderful and great,
but it's the ending that can save you,
and that's why we celebrate...

Christmas blessings, joie

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May God richly bless you and your loved ones this Christmas and in the coming year!

Photo taken of our kitchen table during our power outage!

just click on the photo, and it'll enlarge for you to read

Our little village during the ice storm of 2008!

I said in an earlier post that with my Christmas letter, I'd include favorite photos from throughout the year; but because it takes time to find and upload pictures, it will have to wait until AFTER Christmas -- when I have more time!

Remember: God is now, and will always be, on the throne!

Christmas blessings, joie