Christmas photos!

Here is Jathan, relaxing!

The card game! 3's and 13's.

The theology/politics/baptism/stewardship discussion.

This is Ben and Sarah Knerr. They have just joined our church.

Singing around the piano. Lots of singing this Christmas. What fun!

I gave a short synopsis yesterday, but pictures are nicer. I didn't manage any pictures of Kyrie's hair on fire or the Deatsches, because the battery was dead and the charger was at work. Rats! Oh well. It was a wonderful day, and we are so thankful for friends and family.

Christmas

I meant to have many Christmas photos for this blog, but I left the camera at work!

Christmas Eve - G and G Keister came along with some friends from church - Ben and Sarah Knerr. We sang hymns, played cards and the men talked theology and politics! Everyone had a great time! We did turn the table upside down at midnight in order to glue some reinforcements to the legs! I think the Knerr's were intrigued!

Christmas Day - We turned the table back over, and added G and G Deatsch along with Linda (Tom's sister) to the mix. We sang some more and read Luke 2. Then we opened presents and then ate. Muffin - my co-worker's dog joined us about 2. We were dog-sitting for the evening. Kyrie was taking pictures of people and stepped backwards and managed to catch her hair on fire. She was fine, but the room was filled with smoke for a while, and the smell was intensely yucky! Jathan played "Silent Night" on his new guitar for us. It is exciting to see him learning to play. Kesse enjoyed giving books to everyone and just being around the house again. Kyrie was busy burning her hair, taking pictures and get this - getting the classic gift for Christmas from the Deatsches - a hair cut! Kayren made many of her gifts this year and she gave Jathan a very special cross stitch that she had made with a Jim Elliott quote on it. Lorien enjoyed giving gifts this year too, since she had earned some of her own money babysitting. She loved being able to get nice things for others. Aleya also earned some of her own money and was able to buy some of the gifts she gave. We were blessed to visit with Hannah Mahan in the evening, and tell stories and learn about some of her time at college.

After Christmas Day - SLEEP!! Lorien is babysitting, and Tom and I are working. The kids are just hanging around. Kyrie got her hair cut - seriously.

We are so thankful to our Lord for His goodness to us. What a blessed year with family and friends.

I will try to post pictures soon!

Kayren is enjoying having her picture taken!

Aleya is enjoying having her picture taken!

















Lorien made a pinata in Spanish lab.
Yes - it's full of candy!











Kyrie -talking on the phone!

Believe it or not - she doesn't talk on the phone much at all.






Kyrie has an elementary Christmas program to attend. We are giving her a place to hang out for a few minutes at Faith. So, we are listening to music and blogging! They are voicing their displeasure in pictures and comments!

Yes, we are still here!

Shoveling snow and ice! Welcome to Iowa.

Still shoveling snow.

Decorating for Christmas!

What fun!

The girls are done with the tree!

We got to go to a very upscale place for our Faith Academy Christmas dinner! Tom dressed up!

More decorating!

The tree before the kids attended it.

We have accomplished many things, though blogging has not been one of them! Kyrie and Lorien were able to sing in the Grandview Park Baptist choir Christmas program. It was terrific!

We've had lots of snow and ice.

Tom and I were invited to a very upscale restaurant in Des Moines for the Faith Academy Christmas party. It was very nice, and very good food, and amazing service.

We have gotten to decorate the house and tree this year, earlier than last, and with lots of gusto! We love to decorate!

Blogging is suffering because we are so busy. The church is growing seemingly all at once, and Tom is swamped with church business. School is very busy too, with the girls at Grandview very active in extra things. Kayren and Aleya are working hard for their Christmas recital too. It's seems that we just fly from morning til we drop.

We love hearing from you all.

These girls are ready to go to a concert!

Kyrie and Lorien sang for Grandview's

Christmas program.

Thanksgiving weekend

I surprised Aleya who was coming around the corner.






Here is Tom, the day after Thanksgiving, chewing on McDonald's!







Grandma and Grandpa are fixing our dining room table. They are going to make it sturdier.








Kayren is somewhat sleepy - coming out of her room.










Kyrie is watching Jathan read. Hmmm.








Here is Jathan reading.






I wish that I had taken photos yesterday. The Deatsches came over too, with Tom's sister, Linda. Mary Kathryn had beautiful pictures of food on her blog. We had some great food too, but no pictures!

Each child baked something - Lorien made mint chocolate fudge, Kayren made cherry pie; Kyrie made cheesecake and apple pie; Aleya made cookies and cream fudge; Jathan made hot sausage cheese dip; and I made the pecan pie bars, the toffee, and the bread.

It was a yummy day. We missed Kesse, but were thankful that she got to spend the holiday with Arne and Debbie and family. Our Lord is so good. We are very grateful to Him for all He has done for us!

Kyrie's car after her wreck.

Don't worry - she is fine!

She was behind a Jeep at a stop light, when he decided to BACK up, and backed right into her.

God is so gracious. She wasn't hurt, and the airbag didn't go off, and even the headlights weren't broken.

Sorry guys - no pictures this morning. The battery is dead in the camera. Hopefully, I will get some good pictures of the Harvest Dinner that our church is having tomorrow night. We have a lovely young couple coming who will join in the music with singing and the harp!

Grandview has their last football home game tonight. Kyrie and Lorien both would like to attend that. Grandview is undefeated at the moment.

Kesse did call after a while, and seems to be doing well. She had a wonderful break in North Carolina with grandparents and cousins.

Jathan is feeling better too after a round of antibiotics.

Mom also seems to be doing better after some antibiotics.

We are regularly so busy, and I am wondering how we go into the "busy" season from here?

We rejoice with Adrian and Susan and their news of a wee one due sometime this summer!

Well, work calls - more later - Lord willing.

Aleya is hiding from the camera.

Kayren at FA, working on English.

Lorien watching the sewer destruction in front of our house.

This is the mud in front of our house. They are digging up the sewer on our street.

My neighbor's beautiful flowers in contrast.

This is the bulldozer getting stuck. It was amuzing considering that this huge equipment was stuck in the mud in the suburbs!

Here he got stuck!

Huge equipment on our street, digging up our sewer.

Our sewer is being replaced, which is probably a good thing. Parking is somewhat tenuous at the moment. Sometimes our driveway is open, sometimes not. It is very entertaining to watch - especially when they get stuck in the mud.

This is Kayren working at Faith. She came early with me this morning so she could get her work done.

This is Kayren saying, "Maahhhmmmm!"

Today and tomorrow, Lorien and Kyrie do not have school. They are home sleeping in! What a treat! The rest of us are doing business as usual. Today after work we are decorating the church for Chuck's ordination, getting some haircuts, and cleaning house. Tomorrow, the Goldens are coming for the ordination and staying with us for the night. It is also homecoming for Grandview, which Kyrie wants to attend. Life is busy! We are so grateful for the Lord's blessings for our family!

Jathan is sick and has been for a couple of weeks. Please pray for him. He was able to manage a large test that he had yesterday, but I think that wiped him out for a while. He went to the campus nurse yesterday, but I don't know what came of it.

Kesse finally called - wow! She is fine and busy too. She is trying to keep up with all the work. She seems to really enjoy Bryan.

This is sweet little Lilly - Susan's granddaughter. The girls trade watching her periodically and got to watch her this week while Jason and Jenny were in Arizona.

This is Kyrie Jo, working on Calculus homework. She is smiling at the moment, though she has a test tomorrow, and a couple of problems that have stumped her.

Here is a sample problem. Any help from anyone?

Kayren is getting ready for a Physical Science test tomorrow. Look how happy all these girls look about their tests! Wow!

And, here is Lorien, working on Algebra I. And she is smiling too! How can this be?

This is Tom after his Cubbies lost. What a sad game! It would have been easier to accept the loss if the Cubs had played reasonably well. Oh well. The possible agony anticipated last week won!

This is Oscar looking very strange. He runs away from the camera. I am not sure what he thinks it is going to do to him, but he definitely doesn't like it!

And, this week brings a homecoming for Grandview. Kyrie is very excited about that. Chuck Muether will be ordained this week. He is our assistant pastor and working on a church plant in Pella. Dad and Mom are back home in Minn, but sick. Adrian and Susan don't blog anymore! Jathan might be home over Thanksgiving with some friends. Kesse doesn't write, call, or communicate anymore either. We hope that she is still doing well.

Aleya is in bed, so she missed the pictures. Maybe we'll get the chance to take more tomorrow.

Alan Strange was our guest preaching this morning and was outstanding! We had a wonderful worship service today.

Getting behind

I would really like to post more often, but always seem too swamped to do it. We just finished up Jason and Jenny's wedding (my good friend, Susan's son is Jason.) Of course, I meant to post some pictures, but didn't have the camera with me this morning.

The Cubs made the playoffs! We are shocked and excited! What fun to watch them this next week - though it may be agony, too.

Lorien is on a fossil field trip today. She has one more volleyball game.

Kayren is finally better. She quit coughing a couple of days ago. I was thinking that she had been sick for a long time, but compared to Hannah Robinson, it is probably nothing. We continue to pray for Hannah, who has mono.

Lots of exciting things are happening in church. Our assistant will be ordained next week. We have an annual Harvest Dinner at the end of the month. A couple of ladies will probably be having their babies, too. Several families that have worshiped with us for some months want to join the church. We are so thankful for what the Lord is doing!

Wedding pictures!

This is Shena - Jathan's girlfriend from Dordt.

This is harpist who played the processional. It was such lovely music!

Here is Adrian during picture-taking time. He is not married yet!

This is Susan with many of her friends, who brought her flowers to her! What a great idea!