Emily's Posts

Snow Days At the Houstons....

2012-01-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

The view from our window

We are mean, I'll admit it. But one of the joys of homeschooling is.......NO SNOW DAYS!!! Bwahahahahaha! We are truly mean, our children are around the table, doing school work in a house filled with the warmth of a fire in the wood stove~ mean, terrible... the longing in the eyes of the students as they peer through the window, looking at the fluffy white snow...........

Busy, busy! ;-)

A Little Bit of Snow

2012-01-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

Snow! Yay!

Snow. It comes with mixed feelings. I love a beautiful landscape covered in that lovely white, but I don't much care for the wet melty stuff that the children insist on playing in. Today we had the wet slushy stuff and the children insisted on playing in it. They were so excited! Of course it's lots of fun watching it come down, kind of like we are in a snow globe! But then...."Mommy, can we go out and play now? Please?" and this is heard until I finally reply with a, "Okay, get your stuff on and you can play for a bit." This is ALWAYS followed by the scrambling around and trying to find gloves for both hands, not just one hand, the hat that fits, multiple socks, boots...hmm....where did they all go? They were just under foot the other day when the sun was out....yes, the sun! Today did end in sunshine as well, but we are told to expect more snow tonight.

Having fun

I must explain the yellow snow pants on Zeke. The little girls all have snow pants, and this particular pair are actually pink with yellow inside. I turned them inside out so they could be "boyish" enough. He STILL did NOT want to put those "pink" pants on!! It took lots of coaxing, but we finally won. He put them on and we covered the pink zipper with his BLUE jacket, red gloves and black boots all helped to make him look very BOY. And I must say, he sure seemed to not mind once he made it outside in the snow... oh the fun to be had!!!

Maybe the look has something to do with the pants?

Ready to go!

I am thankful, though, the roads were all clear so we could drive to Selah's dr. appt. She is 4 1/2 months old now! She weighed in at 15lbs 5 oz...70%, 26 inches.....92%, and her head circumference 43cm...88%!!! She was a chatter box throughout her appointment, that is, until she got her shots! How sad! She recovered quickly though!

Feeling a Bit Homesick.....

2012-01-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

My family minus 3 babies!!!

Beautiful Astoria

The only family picture we've ever had done!

My baby brother, Kevin

There are just days that I start feeling a bit homesick. Homesick for Astoria, OR, and homesick for family. This just happens to be one of those times. My children put a beautiful picture of Astoria as our background on the computer, and I think that along with not getting to go for our Christmas visit, have brought on this feeling. I have two new nieces as well as a new nephew that I am dying to meet. Plus, my other sister-in-law is due anytime now with her 8th baby! All these new babies to meet, our own dear little one to introduce to aunties, uncles, and cousins galore......I am definitely ready for some time with everyone!!

Lessons.....

2012-01-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

It's so Hard to swallow what we don't like!

We recently had vegetable soup for lunch. Those that finished got a handful of chocolate chips. But for one two year old, this was a daunting task. He had such a hard time swallowing that bite! I just couldn't resist getting a quick snapshot of him! Oh, I tried and tried to convince this cute little boy that swallowing his food would be a good idea! He finally accomplished the task and we all applauded him. This helped him to swallow several more bites. His joy was evident with each applause. And then......showing a bit of grace, I decided to give him one "last" bite (there were several bites left). I told him, "Swallow this one last bite and then you can have this pile of chocolate chips!" He smiled, mouth now full of that cold soup. I imagined the smile that would be there when he at last finished. I'd ask him, "have you swallowed?" He then would open his mouth to reveal that mashed up mess. And I would coax him.....I wanted so badly to reward his hard work! I couldn't wait to place his reward in front of him and tell him he had done a good job!

So, how do you think this story ended? Welllll, I told him again to swallow his food. He then decided to gag and spit it out. I then knew what must happen. And with sorrow in my heart, I disciplined him and put him in bed for his nap....giving his chocolate chips to an older brother (this older brother had this same problem often approx 12 years ago!) This grieved me as I know it grieved him.

1st mission accomplished with many tears.

This little story reminds me of our Heavenly Father. How often do we choose to disobey Him because we think the task is too difficult? Don't you think that God desires to reward us for our hard work and obedience? Just as we may look at the (true) story above and think, "that is soooo easy, why didn't he just swallow?" We each are given tasks that may or may not seem simple to others, and with the help of Christ, we can get them done. But are we willing to do it? Or do we allow our strong will to overcome us? We don't know when our time will come to meet the Father, could this be that last "bite" before you are presented with your reward? Or will you only have wood, hay, and stubble? I know that I desired greatly to give a good gift to my son, how much more do you think God wants to reward us?

Happy about that, now just a few more bites!

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Matt 16;24-27

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3;14

Putting the Pieces Together.....

2012-01-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

Completed!!

This past week, we were slated to go to Astoria, OR, for a much needed break. Monday morning; however, we got a phone call telling us that family members were throwing up. I was so very sad as I was looking forward to meeting my two new nieces and introducing Selah to her aunties, uncles, and cousins. It was going to be a family reunion of sorts. Since people were sick, and we had just had the same illness the week before, we decided the place to be was home, which is a no brainer. Thankfully, my sweet and very smart husband had purchased a 1000 piece puzzle and some games. I had wondered as he purchased these items, when we were supposed to work on them, seeing we were to be away for the week. Well, turns out we had plenty of time to do just that! So, our children and us adults played many games and sporadically pieced together our puzzle. We played Uno and Racko, we also set up Axis and Allies but the instructions are a large manuel that we found out will take an experienced A & A player to teach us!!! So, though our game stayed set up for many days, it never was played. Amazingly enough, we were able to keep the puzzle on a card table in the living room without too much incident from a certain 2 year old and 4 year old! ;-) Monday, daddy surprised us all with the announcement that since it was technically a federal holiday, we could have one more day off of school! The children were just as excited as I was! Later in the day, I found the puzzle had been tampered with.....I wonder who could've done that?! "Zeke! Where did you put the puzzle pieces?!!!!" Thankfully I discovered them just under the table and finished the thing...except for the one missing piece that is. Why is it, every time we get a puzzle, we always end up with one missing piece? Yesterday morning, I awoke to the cheering of the boys as they decided to lift the couch and look under it just in case that piece happened to have crawled under it. And to everyone's amazement, it was there!! So, in the end, the entire puzzle was complete...we were able to put all the pieces together!

Saying Goodbye.....

2011-12-31T23:28:00.000-08:00

Today, we said goodbye. We said goodbye to something that put smiles on our faces, something that gave us a bit of joy each time we looked upon it. Today, we said goodbye to our Christmas tree, or as Zeke puts it, our "Mismas tree!" The decorations are stored away, the aroma of a wonderful season is gone. Tonight we finish 2011 with a wiping of the slate. Tomorrow, we start anew. What does 2012 hold in store? Only the Lord knows. As the new year begins, I am looking back at what took place in 2011. We had a year of hurting and healing, as well as busyness and blessings abundant. I think one of the best things of the year had to be the addition of Selah Joy Houston!!! Our sweet baby girl is a promise of great things for the future, and a wonderful reminder that we are to pause & reflect and rest in the joy of the Lord which is our strength! As we say our "goodbyes" to the things of the past year, we also look forward to a year ahead. We say "hello" to a new day...... Happy New Year to all!!!!!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, Your Branches Green Delight Us!

2011-12-16T01:46:00.000-08:00

Shatter proof!! Yay!

A delighted boy

Good friends

Carrying out our tree!

On the hunt!

hot cocoa

Daddy placing the star on top!

Helping hands

The finished product

Ok, so I'm a bit late in getting this post up! Sorry!! Everyone's busy, so I know I have no excuse! =) We had a great time going to get our Christmas tree this year. Since moving in to our house 7 years ago, we have made it a tradition to go to Bacon's Tree Farm just down the road to pick out our tree. It is great fun as we walk around viewing all the different types of evergreens. Once that "perfect" tree is chosen, the boys then cut it down and carry it out. We then celebrate with hot cocoa and candy canes that they give out. This year, we went with good friends and had a blast!!!! Memories being made............

Speech Club

2011-12-03T22:07:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Crew

This weekend, my four oldest children had a speech competition. They are in a speech club for Christian homeschool students. There are several different speech styles they were allowed to choose from. Naomi did a biographical narrative about William Wilberforce, Anna and Samuel did a duo interp on a Grim's fairytale (memorized story they also "act out" with motions and facial expressions), and Daniel did an interp on Billy Goat's Gruff. They each worked really hard to have their speeches memorized and ready to go for this round robin event. Many from the community came to judge the speeches. Competitors came from all around~ Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The next competition is in January, only it will be 4 days long and will be held in Oregon.

Each holding their judge's responses

My husband volunteered to be used in any area needed, so they had him be janitor for the day. He also judged a round of apologetics speeches. He chose to not judge any others as he wanted to slip in and hear our children do their speeches. I know Naomi, Anna, Samuel, and Daniel were a bundle of nerves, but they had a great time. Much relief and exhaustion showed as they came home nearly 12 hours after leaving.

This club has proven to be a good learning experience. They are showing more confidence and poise as they prepare and deliver these speeches. I am so thankful we have encouraged our children to join this group!!

Finished Relief!!

A special THANK YOU goes to Bro. Nick Vegkley, Bro. Jeff Bedsole, and Bro. Mark Howe who took time from their day to come and participate in judging!!!!!

A Thought For Today.....

2011-12-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

A Quick Update

2011-11-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving as we did! Usually, we have loads of people...inviting all who have no place to go or no family to be with. This year, we invited one family who ended up having sickness plague them. So...we had just 13 people around our table. A very quiet time with just our family. It was so nice to sit around our table and have a lovely meal. We shared what we were thankful for, and Daddy read the Bible. We enjoyed the time together with soft music playing in the background. It was a beautiful day.

And now, it is the official Christmas season! I can hardly believe it! I love the holidays!!

A Quick Snap shot!

Happy 14th Birthday, Samuel!!!

2011-11-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

Aww! So cute!

Oh goodness! My baby boy is 14! He is turning into quite a handsome and very strong young man. He is a very loving son and a very sweet brother! The little ones look up to him as he strives to be a good example. He loves the Lord, and enjoys serving in the church as an usher and in the choir. He has a great goal of becoming an eagle scout in the boy scouts of America, for which he is very close. He shows great leadership abilities and is enjoying the 8th grade. All I can say is.... I love having teenagers!!!!! Our relationship is so different than when they were little children. I am still the mom and they the kids, but now there is a friendship that is developing.

Here's lookin at you!

Very proud of his newest sister!

Boy Scouts

Men's retreat 2011

His birthday is on Sunday, November 20, so he will get to celebrate on Monday. He wants biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and he hasn't decided where he wants to go on his date yet. Here are a few photos, in no particular order because blog spot doesn't seem to want to cooperate! =)

About a year old

Three generations of Handsome men!!!!

shoot em!

3 generations of Houstons

Catching Up, part two....Abigail turns 4!!!!

2011-11-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

Abigail turned four on November 13! Wow! Is it really this late in the year?! I only have one more birthday for the year! Crazy!!

Abby's birthday landed on Sunday so her "day" got to be two days. She loves cold cereal, which is normally only eaten on Sundays or days when we have places to be early, so I got some "special" cold cereal for the morning. She enjoyed her fruit loops very much! For lunch, we went to Puerta Vallarta- one of our family favorites. She got her fried ice cream and a sombrero on her head while the crew sang to her... and she didn't even cry this time! (last year she did cry) On Monday, we had our date to Blu Berry (per her request). She liked going with Daddy and Mommy. We also went to Starbucks and got her a hot cocoa....because she hadn't had enough sugar ;-)!! She received a new baby that she has named, what else, Selah Joy! All in all, I think she had a very happy birthday! And now, she is four...... no more "baby" 2 & 3s class on Wednesday nights, she will be in the "big" kid class with Lydia!!

Abby in my tummy!

Abby girl!

Look at all that hair!

Full of spunk!

I love this girl!

phone photo =)

first birthday!

Sigh....why must my babies grow up so fast? It is a blessing to watch them grow, though I wish I could hold on to them a little longer. =) I am thankful for each of my children and the special time I've gotten to take with them on their special day!

Catching Up, part one: Michael Turns 10!!

2011-11-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

Life has been a bit busy lately with school and sickness, so I have some catching up to do! Michael turned the big double digit 10 on the 7th. For his birthday, he requested Olive Garden for his lunch date with Dad and Mom. After lunch, we took him to a store where he got to pick out his gift. He enjoys Playmobil and so we let him choose the set he wanted. After getting his gift, we took him to our newest favorite spot, Blu Berry. He enjoyed his frozen yogurt with candy toppings.

SEVENTEEN!!!!!!

2011-11-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Wow! Am I really old enough to have a 17 year old?!!! I must be because Naomi is actually and officially 17 today! It truly is a special memory~ my first born being handed to me by my sweet husband as he tells me, "It's a girl!" with tears flowing from his eyes.

Naomi is a blessing, I am so thankful for her! She is a gift from God! Her name means, "Pleasant" and she is a very pleasant young woman. Young woman...yes, I said it, she is a young WOMAN!!! When did this happen? Right before my very eyes...and yes, it makes me both sad and thrilled ~a weird mixture of emotion. It has blessed my soul to see who and what she is becoming! She loves the Lord with her whole being. She honors the Lord with her actions, attitudes, and words. She loves others and shows it everyday. She honors her father and her mother. She is becoming a Proverbs 31 woman. She is one of my very best friends. I love to spend time with her!!

her sweet 16 photos

She asked for waffles for breakfast (Yummy! Thank You for choosing my favorite!) They actually became brunch as it takes a very long time to make them for 19 people!! For dinner, she will be going with her dad and mom to Fondi's pizzeria for a fun date! So, yes, I AM old enough to have a 17 year old...barely!! ;-)

My baby girl!

Cider Pressing

2011-10-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Looking so cute!

Yum!

Doesn't Look So Appealing!

The cider

Fascinating!

Turning the crank!

Such concentration!

Crochet lessons for Mrs. Karman! :-)

This past weekend, we went to some friends' home to a cider pressing, harvest party! It was great fun. The hot apple cider was so very yummy! There were goodies galore and great fellowship! My children had so much fun making apple cider and we got to bring home 2 gallons of pure goodness! Thank you, Karmans for hosting this event!

V Is For Victory....H is For Humility!

2011-10-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ready to play?

Go, Julia, Go!

We had the privilege of attending our dear friend Veronica's birthday party tonight. At her party we had a wii bowling tournament. Robert is the king of wii bowling and he lets us all know it! For his birthday, we did the same thing and he beat EVERYBODY!! He has been known to bowl a perfect 300!!! Well tonight he got to experience humility..... as our EIGHT year old daughter, Julia, beat him fair and square!!! Way to go Julia!!!

The score (proof)

Victory is Sweet!

Humility is a good thing! ;-) (love you Robert!)

Julia Is Eight!!!

2011-10-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Julia....8 years old!

I can hardly believe that it has been eight years since the Lord gave us our precious baby girl! Julia is a delightful young lady who loves her family and loves the Lord with all of her heart. Some of her favorite things to do are reading, playing, and just hanging out with the family. Julia is in the third grade and doing very well. She is also learning such home making skills as gathering, sorting, and folding laundry, washing and drying dishes, setting the table, and dusting furniture. I know this seems like a lot for a little girl, but she is in training to one day become a wife and mommy! Don't worry, she gets plenty of play time as well! She loves riding her bike and also her scooter. Recently, she and her big brothers, Nathanael and Michael, caught over 40 frogs! They love to catch gross slimy things! While she may enjoy those yucky things, she also enjoys being a princess, dressing up all pretty and spinning around for all to see. My baby girl is growing up all too quickly.

Today, she requested cinnamon rolls for breakfast, Red Robin for lunch, and a baked potato bar for dinner.

I love my JuJuBee!!!

Julia as a baby

Love the look!

Sisters

Julia and Michael enjoying a boat ride

Ezekiel In Pictures..Happy Birthday!!

2011-10-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Zeke in my tummy!

Just Born!

about one month

One year

Two years! Birthday Boy

Once Upon a Time.......

2011-10-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, six years ago to be exact, a precious baby girl was brought into this world. We named her Lydia Grace Houston. She is a sweet, tender hearted little girl who loves to please all she comes in contact with. Her smile lights up even the darkest of days. Though she is small in stature, her heart is big and filled with love. Her desires for today include German pancakes for breakfast, Noah's Ark for lunch with Daddy and Mommy, BBQ chicken with mashed potatoes for dinner, and chocolate cream pie for dessert. Here are a few facts about her (in her own words):

What is your favorite color? Red
What is your favorite thing to do? spend time with mommy and daddy
What is your favorite food? biscuits and gravy with bacon
What is your favorite memory? when we went to Noah's Ark with our family
What do you want to be when you grow up? a nurse
What is your favorite dessert? pie!
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
What are you most thankful for? God, and for my family, and my mom and dad

beautiful baby

We love our Lydia Grace so very much! It is a joy to have her as a part of our family! We praise the Lord for allowing us this awesome privilege of raising her up. We look forward to seeing just how God will use her in days and years to come.

COLD TURKEY?!!!!

2011-10-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Aaaahhh! Zeke has lost his "DeDe"!!! What in the world are we going to do?! You know, the one that he sucks on as if his life depended on it, the one we can't be without for more than a couple of hours while it gets washed. And we are headed out to a conference........WITHOUT it!!!

Hmmmm.....maybe this is both a curse and a blessing. Maybe this is the way to get him to quit sucking on that bit of nastiness (by the way, he has been oh so healthy, must be from all the bacteria he ingests from that blanket). Well, we shall see how this "cold turkey" thing goes.

Where Oh Where Does Time Go?

2011-10-01T23:29:00.000-07:00

A whole month has passed since the birth of our darling Selah Joy. I haven't been faithfully posting...I wonder why? Life has been a bit busy, as it is for everybody. My recovery is going much better. I turned a corner at about 3 1/2 weeks post baby. My headache is gone, my neck no longer hurts, Selah slept for 6 hours last night so I slept for 6 hours last night, and so on and so forth. With the gaining of my strength has come a strong desire to get back to a normal routine. But what in the world is normal?! I don't even know! We are starting back up on our home education this week. We went through the summer so we could legitimately take a month off during baby recovery time. We are quite excited and a bit nervous as we venture out of our "norm" and begin with new curricula. Leaning toward a more classical approach of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. More curriculum needs to be ordered, but we have enough to begin.

Daniel and Zeke with swords Daniel made

Life has been, shall I say a bit interesting lately? Or maybe I should say exciting? But definitely not boring! We have had much going on in ministering to others, relationships growing, anniversaries to celebrate, a baby dedication, learning how to deal with another little baby in the house, getting ready for school to start, an accident, and just day to day stuff to name a few things!

Zeke reading to Selah

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on September 11. We had them and my sister with her family come up to celebrate (a couple weeks late). They came up last Sunday, so we decided to have Selah dedicated that same day. I'll post pictures of that later. While my parents were here, my children were outside riding their bikes when Naomi came running into the house. "Dad! Come quickly, Daniel's hurt really bad!" she shouted. My husband and dad went to the truck and drove to the end of the road to see what had happened. My neighbor had already driven him home as he happened to be driving past. Thankfully, Daniel wasn't badly injured, though he flipped over the bike. He lost a permanent (front) tooth, and hurt his wrist. The tooth popped clean out! The roots and everything....no chips or breaks so we put it into a cup of milk and off he and daddy went to the emergency room. X-rays didn't show any breaks in the wrist so it is a bad sprain with a possible fracture (hard to see in the growth plates), and the tooth was shoved back into the gaping hole and is being held there with resin, hoping the roots will reattach.

Abby holding the fattest, coolest caterpillar I've ever seen in these parts!

A close up of that very cool caterpillar!

Daniel with a missing tooth

Another picture of Zeke and Selah, this time she's calmed down!

I know you're in pain, but say "cheese"!

Zeke, learning to drive, Wait! Not yet!!! ;-)

I am looking forward to worshipping tomorrow in the Lord's House. Listening to great preaching, fellowshipping with brothers and sisters in Christ, singing praise to my Heavenly Father. And then I am looking forward to the beginning of yet another week to serve the Lord!!!!!

Three Weeks Today?!!!!

2011-09-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

Birth

It is so hard to believe that our little Selah Joy is 3 weeks old today!!! She has already changed soooo much! She truly is a joy, a very pleasant baby who smiles a lot. Everyone adores her, she has no shortage of loving arms, kisses, and adoring words being whispered in her ear. But what can you expect with two parents who love you to pieces and ten wonderful brothers and sisters?

First bath

Headed Home

Today...she has filled out in 3 weeks, no?

A Special Gift.......

2011-09-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Isn't this cradle gorgeous?!

Well, the ladies of our church heard that I was borrowing a bassinet for Selah. This was due to the fact that we pulled out the bassinet pieces from our playpen only to find some wonderful rodents had chewed their way through the netting!! Ugh! Anyway, they went together and collected the money for a new bassinet of my own!!!!! The one I had had my heart set on had been discontinued and so I searched, a little heartbroken, but then found a most amazing cradle. I like it BETTER than the bassinet!!! The wood color matches my room furniture way better and the weight limit is about 5 pounds more (better when you start out with heavier babies!) ;-) It also just looks like something that my grand babies will get to use one day as well! It is absolutely beautiful! What a bunch of sweet and very generous ladies!!! THANK YOU LADIES OF WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH!!!!!!!! You all are a blessing!

Selah loving her new bed! <3

Recap...+1

2011-09-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Daddy (Craig)

Mommy (Emily)

Naomi

Samuel

Here is a quick recap of ALL of the Houston babies plus me! Enjoy! Pictures are in no particular order as Blogger just doesn't want to make this easy by cooperating!!! There has got to be an easier way!! A way to get it to do what you want!! HEEEELLLLPPPP!

Abigail

Ezekiel (couldn't find the original used)

Selah

Anna-Renee`

Daniel

Nathanael

Michael

Julia

Lydia

The Answers, The Winners!!!!

2011-09-19T01:28:00.000-07:00

So, the bottom picture is Daniel Craig Houston and the top is Julia Katherine Houston. Good job everybody! And now for the winners........yes winnerS because there is a 3 way tie!!! Drum roll please........ and the winners are: my niece, Rachel L., Grace P., and Cindee C.!!!! They each got 7 out of 12 correct. Good job ladies! Good job to everyone. Hope you all enjoyed our little Name That Houston Game! I must confess, the only reason for playing the game was to have a fun way to introduce the new baby to you! I must say, it ended up being more fun than I expected!

Let's Wrap This Baby Up!!! (pun intended)

2011-09-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so before I give the answer to the last post, I will put up one last baby to guess. Then, Monday, I will post the answers and the winner! Now, to be fair, I will not accept any more answers for the last picture, only this one:

Another Houston To Guess

2011-09-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

We are almost done! Guess and soon I'll let you know who the winner is!!!!

The Answer

2011-09-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

This baby is Samuel Craig Houston. I told you it is getting easier! This sweet baby is turning into a very handsome young man!!!!

Name That Houston.....again ;-)

2011-09-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, another Houston baby to name.... we are almost done, just a few more. This should be getting easier, folks! Not a great quality picture, but hey the baby's cute!!! And the baby is..........?????????

One Week and One Day

2011-09-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Wow! Selah Joy is already one week and one day old!!! It is always amazing how fast time goes AFTER the baby arrives! =) We had her one week check up today and she has already surpassed her birth weight! At the hospital, she went from 9 lbs 1 oz down to 8 lbs 5 oz. She now weighs in at 9 lbs 5 oz!! It normally takes a newborn two weeks to get back up to birth weight......She is quite healthy. We are very blessed! She had her second PKU also and didn't even flinch when they poked her heal! She did get a little agitated though as they squeezed her heal over and over, but never screamed just fussed a bit. We then took our little princess out to lunch at one of our favorite spots....Fondi's in Gig Harbor. Time with the most handsome and sweetest man on Earth and my favorite baby girl, a great day!

There's No Fooling You!! So here's the newest Houston....

2011-09-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, the baby in the picture is the newest member of the Houston family! Now, I didn't lie to you all....I really did have to get the pictures uploaded on to the computer. I actually e-mailed this pic from my phone. I did put the hat on her head to try to throw you all off (hiding all of her hair). But I see that did not work! ;-) So, to introduce our precious new bundle.........................

Selah Joy Houston

Selah is a musical term used in the Bible meaning to "pause, reflect, or rest" We chose this name to remind us that in any circumstance we are to "Pause and reflect or to rest in the JOY of the Lord which is our strength"

born: August 31 at 3:55pm
9 lbs 1 oz 20 1/2"

Selah Joy is a true gift from our Heavenly Father and we are so blessed to welcome our little princess into our home and hearts. She joins five other princesses and five knights in shining armor. I must say that the entire birth experience from beginning to end was filled with answered prayers! From not being induced and having no interventions to being blessed with wonderful nurses and hospital staff. Our oldest daughter, Naomi, stayed home with the children (per her request) and we had the awesome privilege to have our second oldest, Anna-Renee`, at the birth. This was the first time to have anyone besides my husband and staff in with me. It was a very special time for all of us! As you will see in the picture, Zeke was not too excited about this new addition, but he has since come to absolutely ADORE his new sister!!!

Name That Houston

2011-09-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

Here is the next Houston baby to guess. I thought I'd continue with this as I need to download pictures of the new baby. Just got home from the hospital and am looking forward to posting pictures to introduce our little one to you all.

Family Camp

2011-08-31T04:56:00.000-07:00

We had a great time this year at family camp. Of course, we have a great time every year! This year was a bit different for me as I was 40+ weeks pregnant! It was my choice to go and I thought it would be fine since I always go over my due date by at least 2 weeks. My doc even gave the thumbs up. I rested and enjoyed time with the family. I did enjoy a couple of the preaching times and wished I had felt up to being at all of them! The weather was perfect...warm and sunny with a breeze just for me!! ;-) The children had so much fun. Zeke loved being outside but did NOT like seeing his family members zipping past him on the zip line.... he cried as they went by, especially when daddy went zooming by!! I thought this was quite sweet! He didn't seem to mind when anyone else went by though! Abigail had the same reaction when she saw Julia up in the trees doing the high ropes course. Only Julia got scared and started to panic and that is what triggered Abby. Abby started crying and later when she was praying, she thanked God that Julia got out of the trees and didn't die! I think the favorite activity of the bigger kids was the "superman" swing. I had a lot of fun watching them! As always the food was great. Though we are sad to be saying goodbye to the head cook, Victoria. She is moving and this is the last time we get to have her amazing cooking!!! We presented her with a card that everyone signed and of course, she cried. We even sang, "God Be With You (till we meet again)" with her. All in all, it was another memory making time. Going through old family camp pictures, and then looking at the most recent, our family has sure started looking older! We get a picture of our family in front of our cabin every year and it has changed quite a bit since the first!! These are wonderful memories to be treasured!!

My sweetheart and me!

Must've caught him on the move (blurry)

Say Cheese!

Our ever growing family!

The Answer

2011-08-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

The baby in the photo is Michael! Most of you got it right!! Good job! (Found a good picture of him!)

The Latest In Houston Babies To Guess

2011-08-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the next Houston to guess. Sorry it has been a bit of time since the last one!! Hopefully it won't take as long for me to post the next. We are getting closer to the end of babies and then I will tally up the correct votes and announce the winner!!!! Have fun everyone!

The Waiting Game

2011-08-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, my dad and I did a lot of mountain bike riding. I loved it. It was a lot of hard work with a rewarding end. There were hills that were so steep, you were practically standing parallel with the bike as you peddled. It was those hills that you had thoughts of giving up. Your lungs burn, your heart feels ready to burst, and your legs feel like they can't move another inch. But you see the end in sight. You are almost there. If you stop now, you will not be able to get back on so you keep on going. It is the hardest thing in the world at the time. Then you get to the top and suddenly your body says, "I can keep going!" You finish the last mile or two and you are home. The feeling of accomplishment is amazing!

This is how I feel right now, waiting for baby to get here. I see the end in sight but it seems so far away still. I know that any time now I will be done, but still, I must wait. The end will be rewarding...now to get to the finish line. We are all anxiously awaiting baby's arrival....how can a person pray for and dread the same day at the same time? Yikes! I am tired. I am excited.

Baby's carseat got here yesterday, you would have thought it was Christmas morning! The children all started cheering. I know it isn't the carseat they are actually thrilled about, but the knowledge that this means that very soon we will have a little person to put INTO it. Someone is loaning me their beautiful bassinet and it is all set up. It is the exact one I've been eyeing in stores and on line since I had Abigail. What a blessing!

The end is in sight. I can make it. I will endure. I look forward to a normal life again. No more Dr. appts. and no more blood testing. Yay! Just the sweetness of soft downy hair and warm little body to cuddle. Blessings to all!!!

Things That Make Me Smile

2011-08-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

We are currently having our i photo "cleaned" out, so no pictures today! I'll post about our wonderful family camp soon! But today I'd like to share a few things that make me smile.....

Dirty little boy toes...
Toothless grins, both from those who need to grow them still and those who've lost some!
A husband who surprised me with a new fan!!!! Awwww.......
A daddy who is willing to play taxi so his oldest girls can have an awesome evening.
Boys that we can "loan" out knowing they will work very hard.
More boys who will take up the slack at home while the others are gone by washing dishes, doing laundry, bathing the baby, washing the cars, and washing the dog.
My comfy bed that is like a piece of Heaven after the bed at family camp! ;-)
Little girls that giggle.
The excitement of a child who just pulled her own tooth.
A clean house.
The knowledge that very soon I will hold a precious newborn in my arms.
Finding out my brother's wife is having a boy and that my sister is having a girl!!!!
Knowing that all the effort being put into my little ones really does pay off....with the proof from my older children.....
Hearing "Joy to the World" on my piano upstairs in the middle of summer (thanks to Mrs. P!)
Thinking about the fact that Jesus loves me no matter what, and that He has given me the greatest gift of all and that it is free to all who will believe..................................

Blessings to all!

And The Answer Is.......

2011-08-16T00:08:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed! The baby in the picture is none other than Lydia Grace!! What a sweetie pie she was and is!! There was no fooling you all this time!

Time For Name That Houston....

2011-08-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's time again, to name the Houston baby! Here is the next baby to guess:

Have fun!

Life Lately.....

2011-08-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Some may be wondering how things have been going lately. Well, I must say life is pretty good. As you all can see from the baby ticker, we are on the final countdown to baby! Six more days until our "estimated due date". Many are now snickering and asking, so how much longer does that mean?! (sarcasm spewing from you) Ok, that is irritating but I live with it. I can say that "skipping" the first 2 months has really helped my frame of mind in this! I really had been expecting to be "due" the end of September making it another October baby. So to be "due" in August is mind boggling! Though physically this has been the hardest pregnancy, and my body at times screams that it is soooo time to have this baby, my mind and emotions are fine with waiting. I am enjoying this little person making it's presence known by stretching and kicking. I truly am anxious to meet this person and to see just who God has blessed us with this time, but not impatient. Though I am doing so well, I am definitely going into a hibernation mode. I am desiring to be home, with just my family surrounding me, focusing on getting goals accomplished and getting the kind of rest that I need. In our busy schedule, this doesn't always happen.

I am looking forward to family camp next week with mixed emotions. Family camp starts one day after my "due date" and I KNOW nobody else would even consider going, but.... I will be there. I decided it would be more relaxing to go than to stay home by myself. Though a sweet lady from church volunteered to stay here with me if I changed my mind. I just don't want to miss out on some family time. And I don't have to cook or clean or worry about others doing it because this is the best family camp EVER!!!!!! I know I will be allowed to rest the entire time if I need to and camp has been shortened for this year. We get up there for lunch on Wednesday, and then leave for home Friday afternoon. This also will give me something to keep my mind occupied instead of dwelling on when baby will be born. :-)

We have been having Bible study over on the East side of the Puget Sound for months and for the summer we have been meeting at a park. Last night, we had 30 people attend!!!! And that was with 9 normal attendees not being there!!!! We were and are soooooo very excited about what God is doing in this! We had an Egyptian lady with her dad and two little ones last week and they were back this week with her husband!! They are excited about this study as well. They seem very eager to make new friends and to have fellowship. Praying that through the hearing of the Word, they might be saved. We are now looking for a facility to meet in when the weather gets colder. The sky is already growing darker earlier each week.

The beginning of September brings with it a very wonderful answer to prayer! We have a very dear family moving back to come on staff. I say moving back, because he was a deacon at our church years ago but moved due to his job in the Coast Guard. He is now retired from the C.G. and feels the leading of the Lord to work as a team with us at Westside. We have been praying that somehow God would see fit to bring them back and are so very happy that He has!!! "My cup runneth over" by all of this and I am looking forward to seeing just how the Lord will continue in His blessing here at our church. Even in trials and tribulations, He has been blessing all along the way as He grows us spiritually. We have been having so many visitors who have been staying and enjoying the preaching and teaching of God's Word as well as the wonderful fellowship that our church family experiences weekly. There is great excitement and such a sweet spirit all around!

All in all, I can say the word to describe life lately is: BLESSED!!!! God's peace is running through me, His grace has saved me, His mercy endures. We have just come through a bout with tummy bugs and are now pushing through colds, but nothing is too much with God!! We know that joyous times are embarking soon with the upcoming arrival of a very precious little person, and exciting times are upon us with the ministry in full bloom! A smile is upon my face and upon my heart. May this joy be yours also.....

And the HOUSTON baby is...........

2011-08-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

The HOUSTON baby in the picture is none other than my beloved husband, Craig!!!!!! In all fairness, he IS a Houston after all!!! Ha ha ha! Wasn't he a cutie?!! Sorry for the trick! Ok, not really. Craig is just glad you all got the gender correct!! ;-)

Back in Business and Another Baby to Name.....

2011-08-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

And the baby is......??????

Nathanael, as promised =)

Sorry it has been a bit of time between posts. Our computer had some issues that have now been resolved. So, here is the "now" picture of Nathanael, and...... Here is the next Houston baby to name! Have fun!

And The Houston Is.....

2011-07-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

The Houston in the picture is Nathanael. Many of you guessed it right!!! Good job for those who chose to NOT 2nd guess yourself!!! ;-)Sorry I don't have his picture. I promise I will post one later. Currently, my computer is in the shop getting fixed. Safe eyes caused some glitches so I am posting from my phone. I do not know how to get a picture from my phone to my post. Sorry!!

Another Houston Baby......

2011-07-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, here is the next Houston to name......

Got Meat?....Red Meat?

2011-07-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

We found out this week that Ezekiel LOVES steak!!! Safeway is having an awesome deal...buy one pack of steak, get a 2nd free! I tell you what, we couldn't have even eaten at McDonalds for as cheap as we ate the steak for!!!! Since we had Bro. Moses from India with us, we gave him the option of what to have for dinner. He chuckled and said, "barbecue!" When Zeke heard we were having steak, he shouted out, "STEAK!" and did a sort of happy dance!! I cut his pieces very small so he wouldn't choke and then added rice and steamed broccoli. He shook his head no for the other food and then proceeded to pull his pile of steak away from the other food! In a few short minutes, he had polished off his entire steak! And folks, I must add that he had the same size of steak as I had!! Anna wasn't very hungry and asked if anyone wanted her steak, Zeke smiled and nodded vigorously! We told him he had to eat his rice and broccoli first. After a bit of convincing, I was able to feed him the other food (which he normally loves!) Then, he watched very intently as I cut the 2nd steak into tiny pieces. He then gobbled that up quickly....another steak the size of the one he had just eaten!! Here are some pictures of his pure joy last night!!

cheesy smile

Yum!!

happy boy enjoying his meat

posing for a picture

happy for his seconds!!!!

The Answer........

2011-07-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

The baby in the picture is of Naomi!!!! I chose this picture as I thought it might throw some of you off a bit. For one, she didn't have a very feminine outfit on....it was a gift that I felt guilty not putting on her so for one day, I did. And the other reason, I LOVE her chubby cheeks there!!! She has grown into quite a young woman!! No more chubby cheeks!! ;-)

Another Day....Another Houston to Name.......

2011-07-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the next Houston baby to name.....can you guess who this might be? Have fun guessing!!!!!

Time is quickly passing.....

2011-07-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

I was talking with my hubby today, telling him how fast this pregnancy is going!! This has to be the fastest ever!! Though my body says, "I'm soooo ready to have this over", my mind says, "what?! I'm due in 3 1/2 weeks?!!!!! How can this be possible?" I know going in for my 8 week ultra sound expecting to see a tiny 8 - 10 week baby and seeing a 15 week baby on the screen really helped to make this a much shorter time for me.....a very nice gift from God!!!! Hey, if I don't get the "joy" of having my babies "on time", this HAS to be the next best thing!! ;-)

I am striving to enjoy feeling the wriggling of this little one as I don't know if I'll get this experience ever again. (ok, I see all the rolling of the eyes) Seriously though, people, God has blessed me with 11 wonderful arrows to raise for His glory and honor. I do not presume that He will give me more. Just as I will not tell Him, "no" for more. I am ever so thankful for the ones He has given, as unworthy as I feel to train up this many!! Sometimes the feeling of being overwhelmed can get the better of me, but when I put my trust in God, I am sustained.........

So you weren't easily fooled..........

2011-07-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

I kind of figured that ANNA-RENEE would be easy for everyone to figure out! Yep! This is Anna! Good job everybody!!!

It's Time To.........

2011-07-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Name That Houston!!!! In all fairness, I must let you ALL know, I did not have digital cameras from Lydia on up. So the quality of photos from here on out will not be all that great. Well, here goes...... which Houston is this?

Random Thoughts.........

2011-07-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today my thoughts are as random as the weather outside of my window. The clouds have given way to rain, and then to sun, the breeze is blowing softly then more briskly. This is my mood today...........

I am missing my sweet husband. With the exception of him being in his study last Saturday and then sharing him all day Sunday, he has been gone for two weeks. Last week was boyscout camp in which he and our three oldest boys went. This week he flew down to S. Calif. for a conference, and then on to Virginia to visit with some very dear friends. I was originally going to be with him on this trip, but due to being 8 months pregnant, I decided I would be miserable. ;-) Naomi and Anna are also away for a couple of days. With family gone, the dynamic of the household is quite different.

My normally spunky three year old has slowed down today, a definite sign she is catching something! Likewise, my youngest, Zeke and my 7 year old are getting a cold. Zeke is having trouble breathing through his nose and Julia's face is swollen and her nose running. It's not allergies as those would have been bothering them before and it has just come on all of a sudden. The sluggishness is catching. I am exhausted. Though this may be due to the fact that I don't sleep well at nights.....waking each time I need to change positions.

As I sit on the couch, I watch my belly changing shapes. The children likewise watch in pure amazement at this awesome phenomena. The anticipation of meeting this unique little person grows daily. My desire to look at the calendar and think this child could actually come in the next few weeks increases, but then the reality check of 10 previous babies comes.......and I know that it will really be more like 7 weeks. Sigh. I must really still have a need for learning patience. =-) I look forward to being "normal" again as the daily checking of blood sugar levels (making my fingertips into pin cushions), and the pain that envelopes my body has me weary. I look forward to being able to walk without sharp pains racking through my lower back. Though I will admit that I am truly thankful for each of my precious children and will gladly go through the physical "sorrow" that comes with bringing them into the world again and again if the Lord wills it.

We are now preparing for naps. Zekers is in his playpen, Juju and Lyd are off to their bed, and Abby is going to have "snuggle" time with mommy. So, for now, I am off..........randomness and all. Have a blessed day.

And The Baby In The Picture Is.......

2011-07-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, I must say that I am really shocked that I was able to fool all but one of you! I thought that the "newest" Houston would be the easiest for EVERYONE to guess!! Well, we all laughed with glee at every guess as we were pleased to have fooled ya'all!!! Hahahahaha! The baby is EZEKIEL!!!!!!!!!!

I was inspired to have a prize at the end.......so, after we have finished the entire game of guess the Houston, the person(s) with the most correct guesses will receive a $5.00 gift card to Starbucks. But, don't be discouraged, there are still PLENTY of Houstons to guess, so don't give up! Keep checking in to see when the next one comes up!!!! =-)

Name That Houston again....

2011-07-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's time to.......Name That Houston!!! Once again, I am posting baby pictures of Houstons and you are to guess which one. So here is another Houston baby:

An Agenda?.......

2011-07-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like little girls and baby dolls. I love old pictures of little girls with ruffled dresses pushing their babies in buggies. It shows a heart of desire to be like their mama. When I was little, I couldn't wait to get the Christmas catalogs in the mail, as I was anticipating going through and dreaming of which new baby doll I might get. Of course, with the new baby, I dreamed of all the accessories that I could get too. Things like strollers, bottles, pacifiers, blankets, diaper bags with diapers and sippy cups, etc. They had a huge section devoted to baby dolls and all that goes with them. I couldn't wait to grow up and become a mommy with real babies to love and to cuddle, but that seemed so far away........

Now I am a mommy and 5 out of 10 of my children are daughters. It is my hope that they too will have a strong desire to become what is gloriously taught through Scripture as their God given role. Whether God opens their wombs or not, I hope the desire for children will be there, deeply seeded in the heart. To nurture their desire, I encourage the playing with baby dolls. But I have noticed something that alarms me greatly.......

Little girls are no longer encouraged to have baby dolls. I mean, it's ok if they're like 2 or 3 years old, but after that they are getting a bit old for them. I also see that many parents allow their daughters to "grow up" too quickly, I mean 7 years old is NOT to old for baby dolls! In fact, at 7, I'd say a girl still has close to 4 or 5 years left of girlhood. I take my girls to the toy section to let them see all of the baby stuff and to get them excited over babies and to my horror, there is but a very small section with a few items. As you scan the isles of toys, I notice something equally alarming. The shelves are filled with rockstar dolls and "pets" with all of the accessories to go with them. You have all kinds of pets with carrying cases and brushes, special food dishes and even bottles. You can pamper your pet and baby your pet in any way you can imagine. I don't know, maybe because I live so close to Seattle where the population of dogs is higher than the population of children, I am a bit sensitive. But maybe, just maybe there is an agenda going on here. An agenda against the family. An all out attack from Satan to turn the hearts of our daughters away from what God has intended for them. The lie that says, you can grow up to be anything you want to be! You can be the rockstar like the ones in the toy isles or you can skip the nuisance of children and just have your pets be your babies! Things that are contrary to what the Bible teaches. Shouldn't we teach our children that their desires should be to become what GOD wants them to be?! Next time you go to the store, check it out. See if I'm right. I will continue to encourage my young daughters to play with babies, pretending they are real and that they are real mommies. I will continue to train my daughters to desire the things God desires for them........ What about you?

Maternity Photos....

2011-07-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

Anna and I had a little fun today. She curled my hair, and then we went out and had a photo shoot. These are a few untouched photos.....she is looking forward to touching them up, but I wanted to share.

And the Answer Is..............

2011-07-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you guessed Abigail, you are right!! This precious baby girl is Abigail Faith Houston!!!!! She was our "deluxe model" with all of the hair!! Thank you all who participated. Look for more to come!!

Name that Houston.......

2011-07-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

I decided that we would play a little game. On occasion, I will post a picture of a Houston and YOU must guess who it is......got it? Ok, let's play!

A Night to Remember......

2011-07-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, we had the privilege of having our dear friends and missionaries, the Kecks, at our church. We enjoyed time together for a few days and got to spoil them a bit. We took them on the ferry, (their 2nd time ever) had a lovely dinner, and went to the symphony (a first for them and our two eldest daughters), after the symphony we went to the Cheesecake factory and had.......what else? Cheesecake! We all shared as the pieces are much too big for just one person!! Here is a picture of that special night, sorry for the lack of quality, but it was taken with our phone! I would have a couple of other pictures, however, they are not showing up for some reason. Hmmm... oh well!

A Quick Trip Home....

2011-06-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

being used for an example

beautiful scenery, just around the corner from my childhood home

learning to use a quill pen

on the trail

our favorite pizza!!!

haystack rock in Cannon Beach, OR

trying on some costumes

We just went on a very quick, 24 hr trip home. We had a fantastic time with close friends as we played "tour guides" for them. It was the first time for their children to see the Pacific Ocean!! God was so good to give us amazing weather!!! Sunshine ALWAYS makes the Northwest the most beautiful place in the world!! We enjoyed great landscape, a trip to the beach, an historical bit of education at Fort Clatsop, and, yes, our FAVORITE pizza.....twice.

a beautiful view from the Astoria Column

An Astounding TEN Thumbs Up!!!!

2011-06-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

"This was the best vacation ever!!" were the rave reviews of ten children in the Houston household. Mom and Dad agree wholeheartedly! Abby didn't know what a vacation was. She asked me, "mom, are you going on vacation too?" I then explained to her that vacation was family days over and over again, every day for two weeks!! She liked that idea!! The vacation actually ended up being a "stay"cation which meant mom got to sleep in her own bed each and every night.....a definite positive for a seven month pregnant mama!! So, what did we end up doing on this stay cation? Wellllll.... we started out resting. Yep, we were LAZY for the first couple of days. We slept in, watched videos, and just did nothing! Then, began the adventures. First, we went to the Mariners baseball game against the Rays. They won 8-2 with 4 home runs!! Very exciting! The next day was spent preparing for our outings...this means getting groceries so we could pack lunches and snacks, and getting laundry done so we could have clothes to wear. :-)

Go Mariners!!

Peek a boo!

We ended up getting Seattle city passes for our adventures. You may wonder what are city passes, and what do they include? Well, many cities have them, and they include a great deal for getting to experience several "attractions" for one low price. In Seattle, city pass includes: a one hour Argosy cruise around Elliot Bay, a trip to the aquarium, two trips up the Space needle (both trips to be done in a 24 hr. time period), the Pacific Science Center with IMAX included, the EMP (science fiction and music) museum, and your choice of a trip to Woodland Park Zoo or Boeing Museum of Flight. The price? $59 for ages 13 & up, and $39 for ages 4 -12. Three and under are free. This makes it 1/2 the price of going to each individual place!!!! We figured that people fly here from all over the world to visit and experience Seattle but we rarely ever do! We very much enjoyed going to these different places, I was excited to see the little ones' reactions at the zoo as they had never been to a zoo before!!! My husband had a most wonderful plan to keep us from wearing out too fast. This was to go out one day and rest the next, this helped me to have energy for the next adventure and kept the little ones from burn out so we didn't have the grumpies coming out!

Beautiful Seattle

21 children out on the Puget Sound!

Go, Michael, go!!

Very much in love!

Climbing at the zoo, pretending to be monkeys?

Zeke loves fish!!!

The carousel, a reward for good attitudes!

Having fun learning about bugs!

The Pacific Science Center

Notice the butterfly on Nathanael's hat.

Up in the Space Needle

So handsome!

Just chillin'

Great shot!!

Other things that we did were kayaking and speed boating on the Puget Sound, BBQ ing, going to parks, and spending time with some friends. Final comments from the peanut gallery were, "I sure do wish vacation could last another week!" Well, something for them to look forward to again in the future! ;-)

Vacation!!!!!

2011-06-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

We are taking a much needed break from "normal" daily living. So, if you don't see any new posts for a while, well, we are just out having fun!!! I will update when I can, but until then...........have a great 2 weeks!!

Rejoice with those that rejoice

2011-05-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so today is a beautiful sunny day on the outside and the inside!!! First of all, I finally got a good night sleep!!!!!!!!! Yay! Second, for those who I haven't told already, I recently found out that ALL of my sisters are expecting!!! Yep! I have one actual sister, and three sisters-in-law and they are all now expecting babies!! My children will be getting FOUR new cousins between December and January!! So my parents get 3 new grand babies and Craig's parents get 3 new grand babies!!

Well, I just wanted to share a little joy as this has truly been a roller coaster of a week!!! Hope you all have a blessed day! And if you live in our area, enjoy the bit of sunshine that is out!!! Blessings to all......

Weeping with those that weep.....

2011-05-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

This morning, a precious baby boy that we have been praying for his entire little life, went home to the arms of Jesus. We grieve with his family today. He was born with a defective heart and spent his life in the hospital. His name.....Endurance.....he truly lived up to his name each day as he proved a will to survive. After surviving the flight to Ohio, where a surgeon was willing to perform a delicate surgery, God's will for Endurance became evident. Today we weep with those that weep, but the wonderful words of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 are a comfort.

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

Thank you, Lord Jesus for Endurance's life. Thank you that he no longer suffers, but is in your arms..... the best place to be. Please comfort his sweet family today and the days to come as they will miss him.

~Emily

15 today........

2011-05-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to me to think that my second daughter is now 15.....the age I was when I met their father!!!!! Time has flown, but I remember the moment when my wonderful husband announced to me, "It's a girl!" He was the one who actually delivered her as our doctor hadn't arrived just yet. The doc came a minute and a half too late. I'll never forget him saying, "No charge." He meant it, he hadn't missed a birth in over 20 years and he didn't charge us for the delivery!!! I doubt you could find that these days! Anyway, I wouldn't trade the last 15 years for anything! I am so very blessed to have had the opportunity thus far to raise my precious daughter, Anna-Rene`e Ruth Houston.

Today, her daddy and I spent the afternoon with just her. We went to lunch at Fondi's in Gig Harbor where we had gourmet pizza, salad, and gelato for dessert. The gelato was complementary as the waiter felt bad for making us wait so long to get refills on our sodas!!! It really wasn't his fault as he went to get them and suddenly several customers arrived. We then went and perused some of the shops and stopped to get some coffee. It was a very enjoyable time spent together......one of the greatest parts was when an employee at one of the shops said she thought we were a bunch of friends rather than daughter with parents!! Ha ha ha!! She was shocked that Anna was only 15, she thought at least 18 or 20!!! That made Anna's day, too!! ;-) The end of today includes a steak dinner with baked potatoes and brownies for her "birthday cake". Craig had to give a little disclaimer to our other children: you can only request a steak dinner for your birthday when you are a teenager!!! Could you imagine the food bill in October and November if they all wanted steak for their birthday?!!!

Well, we are now ending a wonderful day with a wonderful 15 year old daughter/sister. What a blessed time. I look forward to what the future holds for this dear young lady. What will the Lord use her life for? She has already been used to touch so many lives, here locally, as well as over seas in Uganda, Africa. It was one year to the day that she and her daddy landed in Africa. How they have been reminiscing about that today!! Whatever her future holds, I trust she will be used mightily by our loving savior. I praise the Lord for these days with her..........

Because They Are Precious......

2011-05-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of our most recent pictures. The bottom one is from Mother's Day, a quick shot taken before loading up to go to church. These are the most precious treasures I have. I am so very blessed by each one of them. Not to mention, they are the cutest treasures, too!!! In the picture of Zeke, you can see a bit of the scar on his arm left over from the iron falling on it!! :-(

And yes, having pictures up means we bought a computer!!!!! Yay! We were waiting for the imac to upgrade, and when they finally did, we went out and got one!!! I am very excited to have our own computer once again!!!!! Hope you all have a very blessed day, until next time................

Mothers' Day...An Unusual Anniversary :-)

2011-05-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

Mothers' Day is a very special day for many, many reasons. First of all, It makes me pause and reflect on the wonderful mother I was blessed to have. She is an amazing woman who sacrificed much to raise three rather obnoxious children! ;-) Second, I can be so very thankful to my wonderful mother-in-law who also sacrificed much to raise three children, one who was especially obnoxious!!!!! But I am truly blessed at this son she raised. A son who loves the Lord with all of his heart, soul and mind, and who loves his wife as Christ loved the church, and loves his children more than anything. Third, I am blessed to be called "mother" by 10 children, and soon 11. I am thankful that God has counted me faithful and given me the opportunity to raise these precious children for His glory. Last, but not least, mothers' day is an unusual anniversary. Nineteen years ago, a very handsome young man asked me out on a date. On mothers' day?!! Yep! My own mother didn't even flinch, let alone pause to think about the answer!! When I asked if I could go out with "Craig Houston", she immediately said YES!! Okay, okay, let me assure all of you, my children will NOT be allowed to date and do the things we were allowed to do, and I will NEVER promote this for anyone!!!!!! With that being said, I was but 15 years old, and he was 16. He came, with Wranglers and a cowboy hat. We had a lovely dinner at the Dutch Cup restaurant (which is no longer), then we went to his house and visited with his mom and sister. I was so shy and nervous, I barely said more than a few words. If you had told me then that 19 years later, we would be about to celebrate 17 years of marriage, be having our 11th child, and Craig would have been pastoring for 13 years, I would have told you that you were crazy and that you belonged in an institution!!!!!! But here we are and I wouldn't change a thing!!!

A Busy Week at a Glance

2011-05-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

Busy? Did someone say busy?! Ok, maybe last week was a tad busy!! :-) It started out with the normal day to day stuff adding a conference at the end. Then we got a call on Sunday (Easter) telling us of an unexpected death of a man who had just visited our church the week before. They asked if Craig would do the funeral. Of course he said yes! What a way to minister to a hurting family!!! Well, that made a busy week even busier!! Now, Craig had to get together with the family and discuss the funeral arrangements, still try to finish his prep for the conference he was speaking at, and try to get rest in the midst of still being a husband and daddy!!! Wednesday was the funeral, it was done very well and the gospel was preached to a group of family and friends, as well as sailors that he had worked with who were allowed to take half a day to attend. It was amazing to me at how the very attentive sailors became fidgety during the actual salvation part of the message, and then became very still again after it was over. I started praying for those who seemed so uncomfortable with the message that God would open their eyes to their need for the salvation that was being declared. Still praying that the Lord will continue to work in their hearts!!!

Thursday was a crazy day of laundry, packing, and cleaning as we prepared to get over to Redmond that evening. In the midst of getting ready, my youngest, Zeke, found the iron!! Yep! It fell on his arm, burning the entire arm from his hand to his elbow!! Poor little guy! We put a cold rag on it, then smothered it with burn gel and put guaze over the wound, wrapping it with an ace bandage to prevent him from tearing the guaze off. He is doing better, but the wound is still ugly!! We got the van loaded and dropped our puppy off at some very dear folks' house. (I say very dear because Winston is still a puppy, even if he is fully grown in size, and he can be very naughty and these people KNOW that and still took him!!!!!! Thank you Potvins!!!!) Then we were off! The hotel was a short distance from the location of the conference and was a very nice place to crash. When I say crash, I mean crash!! Late nights and early mornings along with full days and no naps = crash!!! :-) My very sweet husband allowed me to take the younger children to the hotel Friday evening and get to bed early, instead of staying for the family night!!! We went to bed at 9!!!! Craig spoke twice and did a Q&A roundtable. After he was done with his commitment, we were able to go through the vendor's hall and look at curriculum. We had about an hour to two hours. I am very excited to say we purchased our math curriculum for 1st grade through pre-algebra!!! We will take the rest of this school year to research other subjects and determine what we will use in the future. All in all, the conference was good, with much encouragement and reunion of friendships made throughout the years! My children look forward to seeing many people again and also meeting new people. The little ones did very well considering all the sitting and being quiet they had to do!!! I was proud of my husband and his lectures. He did a great job!!!! This was a bit out of his comfort zone as he is 100% preacher and not used to lecturing!! He taught on how to get started in home education and the many ways to do it, including using God's Word as a measuring stick to what you choose. Making sure that your children's spiritual growth is most important, but that their intellect must not be ignored. There were many new parents as well as parents who have been doing this for some time. At the end of the conference, they had a banquet to honor all who worked so hard to put this together. We ended up leaving around 11 pm!!!! We got home around 12:30 am on Sunday. A great way to be refreshed for the 45th anniversary of our church!!!!

We had great services for our anniversary, with Bro Bill Wambsganss coming to rejoice with us!! He preached for the evening service which is always a blessing! A wonderful thing when a church is still preaching the gospel strong after 45 years. Praying for another 45+ years of ministry!!!!

Monday, well, we slept in a bit!! But couldn't leisure because we had much to do!! I needed groceries before our deacons meeting that evening. I took my "muscles" (Daniel) and went to get the groceries and to pick up our dog, getting home around 5. The meeting started at 6 with dinner at our house. We have started having the whole family come over for dinner and fellowship each month and then the men go over to the study for the meeting. The ladies and the children are all enjoying this change. After the meeting, we packed Craig's suitcase for his trip to Louisianna. At 2:30 this morning, I took him to the 76 station where he was picked up by the Kitsap Airporter. He is doing a second funeral for the same man, this time with his family, in his hometown. What an honor that they wanted Craig to be the one to do another funeral!!! My poor husband didn't get a wink of sleep last night and has a full schedule of meeting with the family today and then the funeral itself tomorrow. He gets home at 12:20 am on Thursday morning. I'll be picking him up this time as the airporter doesn't have any more runs at that timeframe. Sigh. We are hoping for a break soon. But, the sun is shining and we have rest in the Lord!!

Today I had my doctor's appointment which went well. Daniel also had his last speech therapy. He brought flowers and chocolates to the therapist because it was her birthday. She was thrilled!

In the busyness of the week, I want to leave you with a few things that I am especially thankful for:
I am thankful for a Savior who loves me even with my deepest, darkest sins,
I am thankful for a wonderful (and handsome) husband who is my best friend and confidant,
I am thankful for 11 fantastic children who bless me daily,
I am thankful for sons who are strong enough to lift the 52 lb. bag of dog food so I don't have to,
I am thankful for 2 new babies coming into our life just 4 months after our baby is born,
I am thankful that my friend's daughter is now cancer free!!!!!!!!!

Well, hope your week is a blessed one and that you all rejoice in the goodness of our loving Lord and Savior!!!

And the new mommy is....

2011-05-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Just a very quick update: In my last post, I said there was going to be a new niece or nephew. Now that it is public, I can say that my sister, Michelle, and her husband are going to have another baby!!! Her due date is January 1!!! And...........a couple of days later, I found out that my baby brother and his wife are also going to have another baby!!!!!!! Their due date? JANUARY 1!!!!!!! Isn't that fun?! I am quite excited, as I'm sure you all haven't figured that out yet!! So, praise the Lord for the new babies!! Two new cousins for my children!!! Yay! This makes 20 grandchildren for my mom and dad!!!

There Shall Be Showers of Blessing....

2011-04-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with blessings abundant!! It started last Monday, when we had someone from church stop by to tell us of a great opportunity!! Bro. George had a co-worker that was giving away a bunch of stuff. Amongst the "stuff" was a very nice lawn mower (we have needed one for a while and were planning on buying one this season!), a weed eater, lumber for the frame of a new deck, a porch swing, and.....and.......and.....A TREADMILL!!!!!! Oh, I have been praying for a treadmill and had asked some ladies to pray with me!! So I was very excited to have this very nice treadmill given to us!! Yay!!! I had been so very faithful at walking and jogging on our road, but since last June, when I injured my ankle, I have not been so faithful. My ankle still hurts and has started hurting worse with this pregnancy. The thought of going out on uneven ground has me a bit nervous, along with the wild animals that seem to have gotten bold over the years! So this gives me no excuse....not even the weather can stop me now!!! It was like having Christmas in April!! :-)

Friday was a fabulous family day!!! We thoroughly enjoyed the sun and spent most of the day out in it. My husband got out his golf clubs and started teaching our children how to swing and hit the ball. Later, they convinced daddy to play tag. I enjoyed watching from the sidelines!!! :-) Zeke loved being in the great outdoors and Winston was over joyed to have his people all day long! At the end of the day, I told Craig, "We did it! We spent an entire day at home!!!" It sure is cheaper to stay home, too!

Saturday was another gloriously beautiful day!! I took all of my girls out shopping. For those who know me, you know that I really HATE shopping!!! But I enjoyed my time with the girls. We got Easter dresses and new shoes, and stuff for their baskets. (They had to stay in the car while I did that part) The boys stayed home and did a good job keeping up on laundry and doing some outside work.
Zeke loves being outside and kept pointing out the window in hopes that someone would take him out there!! They did and had a fun time.

Yesterday, was a great day in the Lord's house! We had a wonderful Resurrection day, starting out with a great salvation message in the morning service. There were many visitors and I pray the Lord used the message to work on hearts and open the eyes of those in need of salvation. We had planned on guests for lunch but had a cancellation. Our menu was lamb and ham....a tradition we started a couple of years ago. Along with the meat, we had homemade cheesy scalloped potatoes. We ended up crashing someone else's party and brought over our food to add to their feast...which was also lamb and ham!! For dessert, we had an amazing lemon cheesecake made by a friend. It was beautiful as well as delicious! After the evening service, our daughter, Julia, got baptized as well as another man. What a great ending to a great day. This day also marked 9 years since the church affirmed my husband as the pastor here at Westside Baptist Church. We say affirmed because God called us here and they affirmed it. It is hard to believe that it has been that many years!!! In some ways it has been a long time while in other ways it has been a vapor. Julia is now the age our oldest, Naomi, was when we moved here!!! And since moving here, we have added Julia, Lydia, Abigail, Ezekiel, and baby #11!!! All in all, the week was full of blessings, including finding out that I am going to be an auntie again!!! I'll let you all know who is giving me another niece or nephew when it is made public, but until then......well, suspense never killed anyone! ;-) I hope you all had a blessed week too!!!!

And the rains came tumbling down....

2011-04-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

What is the first thing you think of that you would want to do in the cold rainy weather? How about camping? We currently have about eight of our boys from the scout troop camping up in our woods. Yep! They are soaked, cold, and just plain miserable!! Two of the young men went on their 20 mile hike! Yikes!!!!! They have one more night in this before they get a hot shower and dry clothes!! With the two gone, the boys have lost some leadership. They have talked of packing up and going home, we will see if they do or if they decide to tough it out one more night. Right now they are in my basement heating up food, as they were unable to get a campfire going with all the rain. Then they must decide their fate.....stay or go home. If they choose to go home, they must tear down their tents and get their things gathered, make a call home and let their parents know to pick them up after the scout meeting tonight. Regardless, they need to build a bonfire for tonight's meeting. Some are sceptical thinking they need to wait on the two that left to come back first. It was said they wouldn't be able to get the fire going without them. Others have faith that they can do it!!!! I think they can.

Meanwhile, I am here, in a nice warm house. I got to sleep in my comfy bed and I am NOT wet!!!! The only thing that would make it better, would be a fire in the wood stove. But we can't right now. Last night we opted to stay up and watch a video. (ok, my husband wanted to go to bed but I convinced him to let us stay up) Well, it turns out it was a good thing we were up!! Craig was dozing off when I looked out the window and saw sparks coming from the chimney!!! This woke Craig up immediately! He did some quick evaluation of the situation and decided because of the rain we did not need to call the fire department. He put water on the flames and we watched it for awhile. I decided everyone should probably sleep downstairs for the night just in case. The boys' room would be the first to go if we did have a major fire!! Thankfully, the flames died and so did the chimney fire!! I am thankful for a husband who knew just what to do....I am thankful he was here with me in the house instead of being up with the boys!! :-)

The rain continues to come down with gusto! While it is beautiful, I sure wouldn't want to be a boy scout in it!!!! Hmmm.....I'm glad I'm a girl!!!!!

I didn't get what I wanted....

2011-04-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

It was spring but it was summer I wanted; the warm days and the great outdoors.

It was summer but it was fall I wanted; the colorful leaves and the cool dry air.

It was fall but it was winter I wanted; the beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.

It was winter but it was spring I wanted; the warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child but it was adulthood I wanted; the freedom and the respect.

I was twenty but it was thirty I wanted; to be mature and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged but it was twenty I wanted; the youth and the free spirit.

I was retired but it was thirty I wanted; the presence of mind without limitations.

My life was over but I never got what I wanted.....

~ 14 year old author (unknown)

Quite a perspective on life!! Will we ever be content? Enjoy the moment! Stop and smell the roses while it is spring, enjoy the sun while it is summer, make memories when it is fall, snuggle close while it is winter........take advantage of the age you are while you are here. We are to enjoy life to the fullest, giving praise and glory to our Maker!! The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments.

Eleven years ago....

2011-04-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

Eleven years ago today, I went into the doctor's office feeling a bit discouraged. You see, I was 21 days past my due date with my 5th child. Everyone I knew who was expecting in the same time frame as I had already given birth and had their little ones cradled in their arms. And I was still waiting. Even my sister who was due in April had had her baby boy the last week of March!! We kind of swapped months.

At 9 am, I went in for my appointment. My doctor asked if I was feeling the contractions I was having. I wasn't. Craig asked if we could induce labor. (We lived 70 miles away and were staying at this point with my parents until baby was born). The phone call was made to the small hospital and we were told to come on over, there was an open room. Instead of starting out with pitocin, they decided to use another means to induce. My doctor, on the phone with the nurse, told her he didn't know why we were even trying induction as it had not worked on me before! We chuckled but trusted the Lord would allow this baby to be born. I started feeling the contractions after awhile. The hospital gave us a "leave" time of an hour to go get dinner. This meant that I was still a patient and still was occupying the LDR room, but we could leave the building for an hour. I can't even imagine a hospital doing that now!! When you are induced in any manner, you are strapped to monitors and NOT allowed to eat anything at all until baby is born!!!

We went to a place called, T Paul's cafe, a small restaurant that a friend we went to school with owned. We ordered sandwiches and the labor kicked in. My friend kept saying that she couldn't believe that I was in labor at her restaurant!! She was very excited!!! (BTW, if you are ever in Astoria, OR, I highly recommend this quaint cafe!!!)

Well, soon the hour was up and we were once again at the hospital, in very active labor. Nathanael Craig Houston was born late that evening. Weighing in at 8 lbs even!! (My smallest boy) It was love at first sight!! He had a head FULL of black hair, more than any of my other children (until Abby that is!) I can remember this all as if it had just happened. But that was 11 years ago.....

Today, my son celebrates his 11th birthday on the 11th day of April, 2011!!! What a special day today is!! He had his party on Saturday, with air soft wars and a taco bar. Today's menu ordered by this amazing young man: homemade biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs for breakfast, turkey sandwiches for lunch, and home fried chicken with asparagus and potatoes for dinner. He has great taste!!! ;-)

Another exciting aspect for a Houston boy who turns 11, is the official joining of the boyscouts!!! Yes, I now have three boyscouts in the home!!!

Nathanael is an amazing boy! He has brought much joy to our home. He is loving and compassionate, and loves the Lord with all of his heart. He enjoys life and almost always has a smile on his face!! I love you, son!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello, little one!

2011-04-10T00:46:00.000-07:00

Well, hello, little one! As I lay here, a million thoughts running through my head, I am reminded of your very presence as your soft little kicks are felt. I am reminded of how you are being fearfully and wonderfully made. I am blessed by the feeling of your precious little feet as they grow daily, and are more readily felt. I know that very soon I will be able to feel your every move as you continue in your development. I am also reminded to pray for you. For your physical needs as well as your spiritual needs. I am as in love with you as if I had known you for a lifetime, and yet, I have never met you face to face. I look forward to that meeting, when I can hold your warm little body in my arms, feel your soft skin beneath my lips, and drink in the wonderful aroma of pure baby-ness!! I look forward to the adventure of raising you for the glory and honor of our wonderful Heavenly Father! May you, precious child, grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you will one day receive the amazing gift of salvation and serve the Lord with your whole being! I love you.............

Mommy

Randomness

2011-04-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

What is it about the sun that calls our name? I love rainy days with a nice fire in the wood stove, as long as I can sit by that cozy fire and not go out in the rain! But the sun puts something into me, an inspiration to go out and to get things done. It is an energy giver. It is also a nostalgia bringer, if that makes any sense. And it makes me want to go make memories with my little ones. The days are getting longer and this makes me hopeful for some warmer weather. I am hoping for a summer of popcicles and bare feet, sun dresses and sandals. Trips to the beach and adventures in the park. I am ready for summer. Though we must get through spring first, I am still anxious!!

Ok, so this week has been extra busy with lots of visitors to our house and places to go. I won't lie, this makes me one tired out mama! I am thankful for a loving husband who is attentive to my physical need for rest. Yesterday, I went to my monthly doctor's appointment. It all went well, and I even lost a couple of pounds!!! The doc was pleased with everything. He did give me reason to hope....though I was measuring big, he checked the stats on last week's ultra sound and saw that baby is actually measuring small, just under the 50th percentile. He told me that at this stage in the game, we won't be growing a big baby. Yay!! I am going to look forward to seeing if this will be true. Meanwhile, baby is very active and the braxton hicks are becoming more frequent. My tummy is growing and my little ones love it!! I have a constant barrage of hands wanting to rub the belly!! I am thankful for the excitement that new babies bring to our home.

I am currently reading, "Large Family Logistics, The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family", by Kim Brenneman. It is very good and helpful, as well as convicting in areas that I know I need to improve on!! There are a lot of helpful ideas to try. I am always wanting to glean from others who have been down the same road and have managed to do it without ending up in a straight jacket!!! ;-) I love my large family, but it does bring a lot of hard work and juggling of priorities and personalities. It is a great way to keep any mom humble and to keep us completely dependent upon our Heavenly Father!!! I am thankful for the strength God gives me day to day.

In my personal Bible reading, I am currently in 1 Corinthians. I have been reading through the New testament, though not in order. I love the encouragement the NT brings as well as the exhortation to do right. God's word is life giving. So I will leave you with these questions, how are your personal times with the Lord doing? Are you allowing God to guide you in every area in your life? How is your thought life? How is your social life...is it full of gossip, slander, or vanities, or is it edifying? Are you truly living a Christlike life? Is the Lord glorified by your activities and attitudes?

Until next time.......May the Lord get all the glory!

Half way there!!! Well, almost!

2011-03-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Whoot whoot! We are "officially" at the half way mark for baby!!!! TWENTY weeks! Ok, who am I fooling? Give me another week and a half and then I can say that I am half way there. Seeing as I always go 42 1/2 - 43 weeks, I should just be honest with myself! But it is still a "milestone" of sorts. Tomorrow is our ultra sound and I am sooooo excited to see baby!!! Sorry folks, we will NOT be cheating!!! We enjoy getting surprised at the birth as to the gender of little one!!! This seems foreign to most, I know. And many say, "well, you must have everything you need for either gender" and they are right. But you know, we didn't find out with our first children either. Was it an inconvenience? NO! People showered us with gender appropriate gifts at the hospital and the days to follow so no child ever went home in their birthday suit!!! ;-) I love the joy of my husband telling me, "It's a......" after many hours of hard labor and the delivery of baby. It's a wonderful reward for all the hard work. And it is amazing at how excited the nursing staff is when they find out that you don't already know the gender of your baby! It just makes it fun. Yes, it is tempting because of baby sales and such and just wanting to know who this person is, but it is worth the wait. So..... in about 22 1/2 - 23 weeks, we will meet this little person. Official due date: August 16.......actually going to be here: September 1-6. Does this ever bother me? YES!!!! I am very impatient and always hopeful that "maybe this one" will be born close to it's due date!!! I am always hoping from the 2 weeks before due date until the actual day of birth. You would think that I would learn to be patient, but, when you are very uncomfortable and can't sleep, you would grow weary of being "late" too. My husband has asked me why I torture myself, why don't I just tell people I am due the first week of September? My answer is very easy. People expect you to be fully engaged with life until you are around 2 weeks before your due date, they then give you allowance for being tired and don't expect as much out of you. Well, I am just as tired as any other mommy 2 weeks before my due date, and it just gets worse each day and I want FULL credit for each day OVER my due date as I can get!!! Lol! Just a quick side note for all who are wondering, NO we do NOT miscalculate our due date, we really do go over each time!!! 40 weeks is a curving scale, some women go 37 weeks every time, the average woman goes 40 weeks, and yet others go 42 or 43 weeks every time. This is more rare, due to induction but it still happens......such as in my case. They always want to induce me, but if my body isn't ready, then they can pump me with the highest dose of pitocin they dare and I will barely have a twinge!!! So, rather than wear me out, we wait and do all of the lovely non-stress tests and ultra sounds that the doctor orders. Each of my children has a day appointed unto them to be born by God himself, and I need to be content with it. By God's grace, each child has been born healthy with no effects from being "late". And I don't even give birth to 10+ pounders!! ;-)

Missions

2011-03-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day in God's house!!! There was great preaching from the Word in the morning and we had our International dinner in the evening with missionaries to Korea, the Parks. Our sanctuary was transformed into a banquet hall and we had great participation in bringing food from many different countries. An offering was taken for our "Word for the World", Bibles for Uganda. We raised $4,611.00!!!! This is even more than we raised last year!!! I praise the Lord for faithful believers that have a heart to see God's Word placed in the hands of those who have never had the privilege of owning their own Bible!! It was a celebratory day with special music in the morning by our young adults' group and my own daughters sang in the evening. Many people also dressed up in clothing from other cultures, making it fun to see. The evening went late, but nobody seemed to mind as we were all having a great time! Two of my little ones fell asleep during the preaching with full tummies and no naps earlier. I am looking forward to the weeks to come as we see what God's people are preparing to give for the year of missions!!!

Our week at a glance

2011-03-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

Thursday, we had the privilege of taking our three oldest children along with others from our church, up to the George Washington Inn in Port Angeles, WA. There, we heard 3 lectures from Dr. Peter Lillback, the author of "George Washington's Sacred Fire". The book, an 843 page piece with 102 pages of appendix and 210 pages of endnotes, represents about 15 years of study for Dr. Lillback. Many in our nation today would have us believe that our founding father was a deist rather than a christian. This book refutes that claim with proof diligently sought out by this historian. The lectures were encouraging, educational, and inspiring. It was an intimate group, and ours was the only one with young people. We brought eight teens ranging in age from 13-19. This seemed to be very encouraging to the older group that was there, including the author. He gave them a charge to stand strong for the Christian faith and for faith in our nation. Dr. Lillback also honored us by signing our books and allowing us the time to ask questions and even to get our pictures taken with him. This proved to be a fantastic "field trip" for school, though I guarantee that absolutely none of what was spoken would ever be taught in the public schools!!! I am thankful for this opportunity to learn more about our first President, and am looking forward to reading this book! We have decided that this will be required reading for each of the high schoolers in our home.

Yesterday, we did some much needed spring cleaning! The day proved to be quite profitable as we got much accomplished. We had a little encouragement as our basement kept flooding. We were trying to figure out where the water was coming from, cleaning out drains and just keeping a watchful eye. The girls and I started noticing that the floor would be somewhat dry until after a load of laundry was finished. It appeared that the washing machine was draining all of the water directly onto the basement floor!!!! That is a lot of water, when you think that each load produces approx. 40-45 GALLONS!!!!! And all of this was flowing into our basement!!! Praise the Lord (once again) for willing and capable people who help out!! We had to replace our pump as it had completely burned out.... imagine that, a pump burning out in our home that does anywhere between 4-6 loads a day!!!! ;-) I am thankful that we can once again do laundry! We also took a load of garbage to the dump, got our septic pumped, oil in our tank, a large garbage bag ready for Goodwill, and the boys did some yard work. It feels good to get so much accomplished in a day!!

Today, the older children, with their Daddy, went and met Bro. Dave Hardy for coffee. He was in the area preaching at a church in Tacoma and called to see if Craig wanted to meet up. My husband and children were very willing to oblige!! They love their "Grandpa Hardy"!!! The rest of the day will consist of preparations for the Lord's day, including our International dinner tomorrow evening. We are making a much loved soup from Belarus, borsht. I love this soup and am looking forward to the tastiness of it tomorrow!! The dinner is the wrapping up of a month long missions theme as we commit to giving to missionaries all around the globe for the furtherance of the gospel. This is always a highlight in our church each year as we love our missionaries!!! I have mentioned in the past that it is our hope and vision to take each of our children to a foreign mission field sometime after their 13th birthday. My son, Samuel, is 13 and is hopeful for a trip to India this summer! My husband has been asked to come and speak for Bro. J.D. Moses once again, and as long as the Lord wills it, it is a possibility. Craig has had the awesome privilege to go there twice already, preaching to and teaching national pastors and loving on orphans, often coming home from these different countries begging people to pray about adoption!!! Though it breaks our hearts to see these little ones without the love of a mother and father, we are thankful for those who lovingly serve them in orphanages, teaching them the love of Christ.

Well, this pretty much wraps up our week!! Hope yours was a great week as well!! May all glory be given to God alone as we seek to honor our Lord with our lives!!!

Emily

creativity.....Hmmmm?!

2011-03-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

It is just sometimes hard to get the creative juices flowing in this ol' brain of mine!!! As I still have this borrowed computer, I thought that I should try a little harder to think "blog post" as we journey through the days. The problem? Life has been normal, not much interesting to blog about!! :-) So, please bear with me especially since I have no pictures to make it a bit more interesting!!! Lol!

We did get the privilege of going to an ordination service last night in Cle Elum, WA. What a wonderful thing to watch as a young man is set apart by the calling of God, having the hands of the Presbytery laid on him in prayer. What a journey this young family is about to partake in!!! Many joys and many trials await this family, along with the blessings of God. As they devote their lives to serving others, pleasing God over man, and preaching solidly the Word, our family is committing to upholding them in prayer, and sending encouragement to them along the way.

Currently, we are finishing up a days worth of school, and catching up on much needed cleaning of the house. The sunshine is very enjoyable and is beckoning us to come outside and enjoy the fresh air!! (even if it is cold out there!!) Winston's buddy, Dudley, has just moved away and so he is very anxiously awaiting his little people to come and play with him.

Progress on baby is coming along very well! I can't believe we are already 19 weeks today!! Baby startles me often throughout the day as my thoughts are on other things and baby starts kicking! It is a most wonderful feeling and never ceases to amaze me that there is a life inside of me!! The children all enjoy "seeing" the progress of this little one through the ticker at the side of my blog! It is fun to see the changes in baby and to read about the length and weight of little one. Next week, we go in for our 20 week ultra sound!! I can't wait to get to see this little child again!!

Last Wednesday we had a first! Usually, when people see our family, the typical questions are: Are you Catholic? or Are you Mormon? This time, as we entered McDonald's for some dollar menu fellowship with friends from church, we had two young men comment on the size of our family. They were amazed that all of these children came from one daddy and one mommy!! His next question? Are you Amish? Hahahaha! We all got a kick out of that! Craig quickly asked him in return, "do we LOOK Amish?!!!" We all got a good laugh, even the young man!!! My children invited him to our church and his response was that he'd been out of church for awhile and that maybe it was time to get back in!!! So maybe, someday we will again meet our "Amish" friend!!!!

On that note, I must get busy. I hope you all have a very blessed day!

We could......

2011-03-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

We could live in a place like Southern California where the sun shines and the weather is warm....most of the time. We could, but if we did, we would miss out on this beautiful Washington weather!! Though I may get tired of the rain and the gray skies, I would miss it if I didn't live here!! Right now, there is lightening and thunder, the rain is pouring and my son is preparing a fire in the wood stove. Tea water is on and the children are working on their school at the dining room table. The baby is napping, and I am taking this opportunity to post. The kitchen is freshly scrubbed and I am about to move on to folding clothes and then scrubbing the bathrooms. Okay, maybe just the downstairs bathroom (I'll save the upstairs one for one of the children to scrub!!) Life is good, God is good, His creation is good. I am thankful for the rain, for the green grass it produces, and I am thankful for a warm, cozy, and dry house. I am thankful for a family to teach these lessons of thankfulness to. I am thankful God has placed me here, now.

I did it!!

2011-03-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this may seem really lame to you techno geeks out there, but I actually got this baby ticker up all by myself!!! Seeing as it has been 4 months since I have been on a computer, I am really excited!! Next step, is to figure out how to create my own background!!!! That may take me a while so don't hold your breath!!

Has it really been 4 months?!!!

2011-03-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

Wow! How time flies! Has it really been 4 months since the blue screen of death came upon my computer?! I am still without a computer at home, but am currently borrowing one to live stream the conference that my husband is at. This made me think that maybe I should log in to my blog and update! Though I have no pictures to share, I can at least let you know what is going on in our home. So, here goes!

December brought issues with my heart (no, not spiritual, but physical!! Lol!) I started having episodes of major heart racing to the point of seeing lights, becoming dizzy, and nearly passing out. My resting heart rate was high and the Dr. had me wear a heart monitor for 48 hours. The funny part is that I was told to keep normal activity levels while wearing this thing but became sick that afternoon, requiring rest. My results came back normal though the episodes continued. Next came Christmas, which is always exciting in the Houston house! We were actually going to have a wonderful day spent at home with just us. What a lovely thought this was! Until I cut my thumb and had to go to urgent care to get stitches!! This was my first experience with having to get stitches due to injury, so needless to say, I was a bit nervous. The Doc was great, though, and kept us "in stitches" the entire time! (pun absolutely intended!) We went to Astoria, OR the last week of Dec to visit family. Heading home on Jan 3, I made a decision based on feeling so sick for a few weeks (with familiar sickness for a few days). I took a pregnancy test and received wonderful news!! Baby #11 is on it's way!!!! And quite possibly, the reason for the heart fluttering has been revealed!!!!

The end of January, we spent several days in Cannon Beach, OR for a pastor's getaway at the Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center. They have a program that allows pastors and their families to stay there free of charge for 3 nights every other year. This has been a tradition that our family looks forward to each year we go! Many memories have been made and good times had by all. We enjoyed clam chowder and garlic bread at Mo's, a walk on the beach to Haystack rock, and even a trip to the candy store.

In February, we had our first ultrasound. I am always amazed to see a baby being formed in the secret parts of the womb! God's creation is truly miraculous! We went in being unsure as to how far along we were, thinking we could only be about 8-12 weeks tops. You can imagine our surprise when we saw a very developed 15 week baby stretching, kicking, and waving it's little arms around! What a glorious surprise, once again! This is the first time EVER for me to be told that I am actually a whole month further along than I thought possible!!!! And this will be our very first summer baby! Our due date is August 16, so I expect a first week of Sept delivery. This does create a bit of a dilemma for family camp, though, as it starts Aug 15!! =-) I have recently started feeling the very first flutterings of baby kicking for which I am thrilled! We are so very blessed! Our children are excited, though they were all hoping for twins =-/, though they are ok with the idea of getting to meet this little one a month earlier than expected! This baby will also be the tie breaker as we have 5 girls, and 5 boys. The children are divided in which gender they want (and it's not just girls wanting a girl and boys wanting a boy!)

We are currently trying to get everybody healthy. Our family has had much sickness, including stomach yuckies, strep throat/scarlet fever, and an ear infection. I don't know of any other time that our family has experienced such a long and drawn out time of sickness!! It seems like forever since our whole family could be at church at the same time!! God has a reason and a purpose to all things, so I know it is not all in vain! It definitely has slowed us down for a season and I am thankful for that!

Lastly, but probably the most exciting bit of news, is that our daughter, Julia came to a saving knowledge of Christ after the Sunday evening service! She went forward during the invitation and asked her daddy to pray with her. This is something she has been talking about for over a year now, just not ready for, so I started praying that this would be the time! I then looked up and saw her bent over, shoulders shaking. When she got up, she had tears running down her face with a big smile!!! "I got saved!" is all she said. I am so blessed when a child of mine accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour!! And I know that it blesses the Saviour even more! One more child in the fold! Praises to God! There is such excitement in her countenance and she wants to tell everyone!

Well, I don't know exactly when we will be getting a new computer, but I do know it will be fairly soon. So it shouldn't take me 4 months to update again!! And next time I should be able to post pictures, too!! Hope you are all doing well!

Today I am thankful for......

2010-10-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

"Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox." Proverbs 14:4

Today, my house is filled with children of all ages. Each one makes their own mess....of course on different levels. But, I know that as I invest in these precious children, I will see increase of the amount of labor that can be done. For I alone can only do so much. And many hands make light work. This is also true of spiritual children. God's work can increase as you train up godly people to serve the Lord. This takes time and dedication, can be very frustrating and yet very rewarding. So invest, so that your labors might be multiplied. This being said, today I am thankful for...........

fingerprints on windows

smudges on walls

laundry in hampers (and on the floor)

dishes in the sink

garbage cans that are full

toys laying around

books on the table

singing in the air

the sound of children's laughter coming from the bedroom

diapers that need changing

baby that needs nursing

littles that need bathing

noses that need wiping

doctor appointments

slobbery kisses

the hug of a teenager

today I am thankful for my children!!!

Horseback Riding

2010-10-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

My children recently were blessed to be able to go horseback riding at some friends' home. What a treat for my family! All had a blast!! And, yes, that is MY cowboy riding off into the sunset!! ;-)

Happy Birthday, sweet Julia!!!

2010-10-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today is the close of an amazing day. Today, we celebrated a very special girls' 7th birthday! Julia Katherine is a joy and a delightful addition to our family. After a string of four boys in a row, it was a blessing to hear, "it's a girl!" She has continued to bless our family with her sweet smile and spunky personality! We enjoyed homemade cinnamon rolls per request of the birthday girl, and for dinner, she ordered taco salad. In the afternoon, we shared a celebration party with her two younger sisters, Lydia and Abigail, as their birthdays are all within a month of each other. We had many friends come and share in this joyful day! We are thankful for each friend who came!! We are thankful for a beautiful girl! we are thankful to our loving Lord who has blessed us abundantly!!! Happy Birthday, Julia!!!!! We love you so much!!

Psalms of David.........

2010-10-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Psalm 3 Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked: for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

Psalm 4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Happy 5th Birthday, Lydia Grace Houston!!!

2010-10-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

Wow! Five years goes by so fast! I can't believe my baby girl is 5 today!! It seems like yesterday when I was handed this tiny, warm, bundle of baby. It took a little bit of effort to get this beautiful baby girl to start breathing, as they worked on her, I said a silent prayer........."Lord, please let my baby live!" He was so gracious to me that day and everyday. And I am so blessed by this sweet, gentle spirit. Her soft voice and tender heart are combined with a bit of spunk and a twinkle in her eye. She has made life a little sweeter and a little brighter each and every day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LYDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Contemplation

2010-09-17T23:16:00.000-07:00

November 5, 2009

Tonight, as I read from Revelation, I am reminded of why we are here. Of how frivolous my earthly desires are. Of how my desires should be on Heaven, pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ. I look at my little son and sing to him of the love of Jesus, I read allowed the Bible, God's Word, to him and am reminded of my role in my children's lives- to teach them about Jesus, to lead them to live lives fully devoted to God. To not love the things that are in the world, and that no sacrifice made here is too great for our Lord. When war rages between my flesh and my spirit, may I die to self. May my flesh lose and the spirit claim the victory!

These are thoughts from a year ago (almost). As I write these down, I am reminded once again that my desires here should be directed to the Heavenly things, not the earthly. Even in friendships, I should seek to please God in these as well. My heart should not yearn for the friendships lost through gossip and speculations against me or my loved ones. Rather, I find comfort that in Christ, I have a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. And that true friendship is found with Christ as the center. That, with Christ, we can have deep and meaningful relationships, not shallow and surface, rainy day friendships that the world offers. It is a sad thing when "brothers" and "sisters" in Christ follow the ways of the world in how they handle friendship. "Lord, may I never lose a friend because of my sinful heart, ugly tongue, and complete disregard to what Your Word tells us. And may my reaction to those who offend be that of forgiveness and your love shining through me."

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:29-32

May my life be one that is an holy example for my children to follow. May I teach my children how to love one another, and more important, how to love Christ. And may our heart's desire be to honor and glorify our Heavenly Father in all that we say and do.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35

Labor Day

2010-09-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

On Moday, my husband surprised us with a family day!! We have been trying to take Fridays off and we don't normally get holidays because they often have landed on our normal family day, so this was a real treat! We celebrated according to how the weather turned out to be. Instead of the traditional BBQ and outdoor activities of a sunny day, we cuddled up next to the fire in the woodstove and read out loud. The weather was overcast and windy. The perfect ingredients for a cozy, stay at home, inside day! I made homemade split pea soup for lunch, and then mixed up some apple fritters and hot cocoa...the first of the season!! For dinner, my husband requested biscuits and gravy with bacon, eggs, and hashed potatoes! Definately not on our diet, but it was a celebration day! We ended our day with a family video and, of course, devotions! It was a wonderful day spent with our family!

Random Thoughts

2010-09-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

So, I have decided to occasionally write a post from my journal. This will be random, but, I hope a blessing to those who read it. I will start out with one marked, "September 2, 2009" a whole year ago. Let's see, I was very much with child and hopeful for an "on time" delivery (just a bit of background of where I was and what was going on in my life at the time):

September 2, 2009

Today, I read 1 & 2 Thessalonians. It is so refreshing to read God's Word. It truly is as cold waters to a thirsty soul! It feels good to be washed in the Word. Tonight, my thoughts are on being thankful and content. On being truly Christ like. I hope and pray that as I read God's word, it will encourage me to live a life worthy of being called Christian. I desire to be a God fearing, God loving woman. May my actions, my countenance, and my tone be honoring to my Lord. I pray that I will not be as those that sit and "read" God's word but then get up and live life as if they never had seen the precious words written for us to live by....

Last but not Least.......

2010-08-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Finally, family camp had great devotions, singing, and preaching! We were blessed to have our guest preacher, his wife, and two of their children for the week! Bro. Keven Brownfield did a great job bringing us the Word of God in a very deep way. It was good to get the "meat" of the Word! The devotions my husband brought to us each morning were also a tremendous blessing! Each aspect of camp was very enriching. All in all, the spirit of the people was wonderful and, I believe we were each challenged to deepen our relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ. Until next year......

Family Camp Activities!

2010-08-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Our family camp has so many fun things to do! You can hike, climb the rock wall, do the ropes course, go on the zipline, go horse back riding (not pictured), play games, take the little ones to the park area, or just rest. Whatever you decide, it's all a great time of memories being made as a family!! We all look forward to family camp each year!

Family Camp Scenery......So Beautiful!!!

2010-08-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

The last picture is of our family in front of the cabin we got to sleep in. As you can see, Tall Timbers Ranch is a very beautiful location!!! We have been so blessed to get to use this place for our annual family camp for three years now!!

Family Camp Fabulous Food!

2010-08-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

For three years now, we have gone to Tall Timbers Camp near Leavenworth, WA, for our annual family camp. Every year we have a fantastic time full of fun, beautiful scenery, and absolutely fabulous food!! I know, fabulous food isn't the "norm" for a description of camp food, but in this case, it fits!! For my first post on family camp, I have decided to put up pictures of some of the food we experience at this camp. Everything is made from scratch right there. It is all very delicious, and I am sure, full of calories!!! It's a good thing we do a lot of walking and other physical activities while we are there or we'd all come back weighing 20 pounds heavier!!!

Some more Family Pictures.....

2010-08-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from Astoria. My nieces and nephews and some of my children. We had pictures taken at my mom and dad's place of my brother's family as well as my sister's family. Unfortunately, Anna didn't have any of my sister's family on her camera, those are on someone else's. But, there are pictures of the the "favorite" son, can you tell which one that is? And pics of my family all grown up...my mom, dad, sister, brother, and me! We were being goofy and just having a great time together! The picture of Naomi with two of her cousins is a "remake" of one taken many years ago, like when the girls were about 9 months old and Scott was about 2!! They are now almost 16 (both girls) and Scott is 18! They were a good sport in letting me get that shot! There are also a few pictures of Craig's sister and some of her children. All in all, we had a good couple of days with family!

You Won't Believe It!!!!

2010-08-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

After a late start last Friday, due to our van being in the shop and a dryer-that-died-so-we-have-to-go-to-the-laundromat-situation, we were off to Springfield, OR where we went to Hillview Baptist Church. We went on visitation Saturday and Craig preached on the family on Sunday. Visitation had a record number in attendance...and that didn't even include our family!! The services were great with one baptism and two others who joined the church! Monday we took off in the sun and warm weather toward Astoria, full of clouds and chilly air!! We enjoyed a dinner of clam chowder and cheese bread at Mo's in Cannon Beach with Grandma and Papa. And then we were off to the candy shop where we all enjoyed handmade candy! Tuesday was a bit of a lazy day at Craig's sisters house. The cousins all enjoyed just hanging out together. Of course, we had to go to Fultano's for dinner!!! Fresh pizza from our favorite place was enjoyed by all! Wednesday, we went to my parents where my brother and his wife and daughter were staying. They live in Utah and it has been two years since we have seen them! My niece is 19 months old and adorable as can be!! Papa had a great idea to go to Fultano's for lunch...we didn't tell him we were there the night before! ;-) Had he known, he would have withdrawn the offer!! We willingly went and had some more fresh pizza from our favorite place. That evening, my sister and her family came over for a small family reunion. Thursday, we went to the fair. We ate junk and saw a lot of people from days of old!! The day was....can you guess? It was cloudy and cold!!!! Very cold!!! :-( But, we had a great time! My nephew had a dairy cow he was showing. Michael even got in on it and was allowed to show a cow!! It was a great day and we were ready to get going toward home. Just outside of town, headed toward Knappa, we were driving along when a deer ran out in front of us! It all happened so fast, I actually watched the end of this deer's life, right before me! We are so thankful that it was the end of the deer's life and not ours!! Craig pulled over, checked on the deer (which was VERY dead), and then looked at our van. :-( I knew it was bad when Craig's comment was, "we aren't going anywhere tonight!" We were able to go a bit further to a gas station, where Craig made a few phone calls. The radiator was completely smashed, both front turning lights are out, and the engine is pushed back. In Abby's words, "the van is broken!" Pastor Roberts from Astoria is loaning us their church van for a while! What a blessing, so we got to come home after all! We are hoping that our run ins with wildlife can end now. That poor van!!! We will find out soon if it is being totalled or if it will get fixed. Whatever happens, we know that God is in control and that He protected us yet again!!! Here are a few of the many pictures from our trip. I will post more in the days to come as there are too many for just one post!

"Behold! The Bridegroom Cometh!"

2010-07-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we went to a beautiful wedding. The groom's men all came forward to Scottish bagpiped music, and the bestman took a mic to announce boldly, "Behold! The bridegroom cometh!" Just then, the groom, adorned in a white tux, came galloping up on a white horse. He dismounted and walked up the aisle, where he then, took the mic and spoke of the picture of a bridegroom and his bride being compared to Christ, who is the bridegroom, and the church, who is the bride. The men then surrounded the groom and prayed blessings over him. The procession continued with 13 bride's maids, two ring bearers, ten bell ringers, and four flower girls. Then, the crowd stood as one as the bride came forth in white.......tears filled my eyes as I pictured the hosts of Heaven, one day standing at attention, as we, the church, will one day enter into Heaven's gate...arrayed in white through the precious blood of our bridegroom, Jesus Christ. What a holy and Christ honoring wedding this was.

Boyscout Summer Camp.

2010-07-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

Samuel and Daniel went to summer camp for the Boyscouts of America on July 4. They were there until the following Saturday. My husband went On the 5th and came home on Friday. It was a great week for camp with sunshine and warm weather everyday! On Friday evening, they had their last campfire and families were invited to join in the fun. Craig came and picked us up to take us there. We enjoyed getting to see a little bit of what our boys were doing all week. After the main campfire was over, we hiked on up to their campsite and enjoyed music and homemade stew as well as smores and cobbler! It was all very good. They invited a couple of other troops to this "friendship" campfire. Soon, it was time for us to get going and the boys to clean up and get to bed, they had a very early morning ahead of them to pack up and get going toward home! I love that my boys are being invested in. They are learning all kinds of things that will help build their character and give them experiences that will aid them in their future! I am thankful for our troop that is still Christ centered, so the boys truly get character building through the Word of God. And those who are leading this troop are godly men from our church who have a desire to see these boys turn into great men of God. What a great time we all had!!!

More fun photos!!!!

2010-07-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

Anna is always behind the camera!! We better get it from her soon!!!

Photo shoot

2010-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Sweet Zekers!

Mikey, Abby girl, Lyddy, Alfalfa?!, Nat, and JuJuBe! I love my children!! Anna had fun taking these pictures! These are just a few I thought I'd share.

16 Years and Counting...

2010-07-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I am so blessed to be married to the love of my life, my best friend, Craig Houston. I am thankful that our marriage is strong. It is strong because Christ is the center of it. We have weathered through good times and some not so good times. Each experience has brought us closer and has made us stronger. In this 16 years of marriage, we have been blessed with the birth of 10 beautiful children whom we seek to raise to the glory of God. I look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for us for the next 16, 20, 30+ years! May our marriage be a testimony to others that says, with Christ we can and will be faithful to our vows!