Happy Anniversary!

Happy 12th to one amazing couple. Thanks for being a great example. Love you guys!

Mom for the weekend! :)

James and Ella went away Thursday thru today, so I was in charge of the kiddos. Hannah is 9, Max is 8, and Bronwyn is 5. Our Thursday was great, aside from a little tiff in the morning between the younger 2. Max went to Brandon's to play, and I took the girls to the mall to see if I could get my i-pod working again. (Long story-they checked it and said it was fine..it's definitely NOT fine. ugh!) So we are driving along, and the conversation from the backseat went like this:

Hannah: The clouds certainly seem lower than usual today.

Bronwyn: (enthusiastically) Oh my, Jesus is coming back TODAY!
Hannah: Well, I'm definitely ready for Him.

I just love kids conversations, especially when they focus on the eternal. :)

We got home, and decided that we would go out for ice cream before the kids went to camp the following morning. The storms came in, and we all put on our jeans and jerseys because it turned cold. Definitely not ice cream weather, but there was no backin' down!

Friday was a bit crazy! I had a wedding, so I got Hannah and Max to Stephanie's so she could take them to camp. It was their first time going, and they were excited! I then took Bronwyn to Tim and Michelle's, where she spent the day. They had a baby placed with them just this week, and he is a cutie! He was a preemie, and is 3 weeks old. I was able to hold him, which I was lovin'! He is so small, and so stinkin' adorable!

It was then off to Christy and Jon's wedding! I first met Christy last year at Bible study, and now am taking piano lessons with her mom. She is so sweet, and I am so happy for them. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception fun, although very hot! Here are a few of the pics from the day.

I picked up Brony late that night, and Saturday morning, I had to wake her up to go to Worship Team. I love singin' with the youth gals. We had lunch, and then I took her to the Zoo. They had Wild Lights going on, so I thought it would be fun to go. (and I have never been) We packed a dinner, and were on our way.

Brony was so tired, she fell asleep on the way. I love the glasses!

We loved seeing all the animals, and having a picnic. She was so good, and we had a blast together. The awe and excitement when she saw each animal was so cute.

I can't tell you how thankful I am for these kiddos. I LOVE them with all my heart, and am grateful for times like these to spend with them. Thanks James and Elle...I hope you had a wonderful time in Durban celebrating 12!!

It's over. really over.

As we had our big party for the Slovo kids on the last day of the ministry a few weeks ago, I was excited. Excited to give them a fun day. A day that they rarely get. All 55 of them enjoyed this at our house.

And this.

And this.

And even this.

And now it is over because the church didn't want to step up and take it over. Am I angry? No, just disappointed. Disappointed with the way the church handled it. Disappointed because these kids need the love of Jesus. They need physical love...love they don't see often in their homes. They have alchoholic fathers, and mothers who have too many children to attend to because they are taking care of their sisters or brothers children. These kids are faced to fight for what they want. And to do anything they can to get what that may be.

I was sitting at the kids (Hannah and Max) youth Christmas party on Friday night, and one of the worship songs they sang was "Na-na-na-na-na-na-na." And the tears began to flow. That is our song for our Slovo kids. It hit me then...harder than ever. Hit me that we would no longer be a part of their lives. We would no longer leave at 2:30 on Sunday afternoons to spend a couple hours with them.

So now what? Well, I am praying that God works a miracle and that some from the church will want to be apart of this amazing ministry. It's never too late. Will you pray with me?

Happy Thanksgiving!

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Tuesday, because we are going to Kruger National Park tomorrow for 4 days. Thank you Tim and Luann for cooking an amazing meal, and for welcoming us into your home. I had so much fun, and enjoyed the day!!

A sunset is proof God colors outside the lines! -Beth Moore

Cricket Pro 20

We had SO much fun at the Cricket game last week. Ella did well, seeing that it was only 4 days after surgery. James thought he bought grass tickets, and bought seats instead. So, Elle tried changing to grass seats, and they were sold out. Well, there was a lady who was talking about the ICC facebook group, and how people could win tickets. Ella said, "I have facebook!" and the lady gave us 4 tickets. Now normally, this would not have mattered because we already bought tickets. But did these tickets ever matter. You see, we would have been sitting in the bleacher seats, and there was no way Ella would have been able to do that. So, we were thankful for these seats that had backs, and were even under an overhang. I say that, because it rained and stormed toward the end of the game, and we were able to stay DRY! It was a fun game, and we had a blast! (even though England won because of the duck rule by one)

Wanderers Stadium

Happy to be at the game!

Elle snappin' pics.....she loves doing this!

Enjoyin' our cokes!

Displayin' the South Africa colors!

Dave and I...can u just smile?

Must have scored a 6!

And then the rain came.....

So we pulled out the cards and played Euchre!

and the game was cancelled after this.

Really?

So tonight, the Embree kids are sleeping over at my house. I told them I would turn on my i-pod for some music to sleep to, but my i-pod decided to "break" a couple weeks ago, and holds no power anymore....no matter how much it gets charged. (ugh) So, I told Hannah I would sit at the end of the couch and work on my computer and also play music. So I was doing that and getting kicked hard every now and then in the side. But this was the breaker. She decided to let loose, and her foot almost became my dinner. ;)

Ella, James,and Dave....I hope you sleep super well!

Movin' along-slowly but surely!

So I have been staying at Embrees since Elle got home Monday. We were up almost the entire night Monday watching movies and laughing lots, since she was WIDE awake. Tuesday morning, she was feeling ok, and James was playing guitar and singing. This pic makes me laugh. It's a bit dark, but you can see the laughter going on!

After this, she started going downhill, and the pain started setting in. Tuesday and Wed. were both rough. Her back and shoulders have been killing her. Last night, we got her some new meds, and today they seemed to help. She was more lively, and less groggy. I was so glad to see her when I got home today looking so much more like herself. I just smiled, because I think she's turning the corner now. :) She was playing Settlers tonight!

Please continue to pray. She has an appt. Monday to see what happens from here.

At 5 am this morning, I had someone come and visit me on the couch. Brony jumped in with me....I didn't sleep much from here on out. But how can I resist her?

Notice the other visitor in bed with me? HILARIOUS!!

Tomorrow, Mary is taking the kids, and James, Elle, Dave and I will go to the Pro 20 Cricket game. I'm really excited!

Thanks for your continued prayers! They are very appreciated!