Kids sing the funniest things

Today I heard Dallas singing a Christmas song in his room and it really struck me as funny. He was trying to sing "Felize Navidad." However, his version said "Alysse Mom and Dad." Too funny! And I was fixing Darilyn's hair for church the other night as she sang a worship chorus from our services. She loves to sing and was really 'feeling' the song. The song is "More of you, Jesus. More of your face. More of your glory in this place." Darilyn was singing with all her heart, "No other, Jesus. No other face. No other glory in this place." Well, I helped with the words and sang with her and we chuckled about the different words. She then explained, as only Darilyn can, how her words worked as well, because we don't want any other Jesus or his face or glory in church. That child like wonder and innocence is always refreshing.

Happy Birthday, Haley!

My niece Haley celebrated her 12th birthday yesterday. She has always been so special to me. She is the one who gave me the name Meme. When she was a baby, she would say Mama for her mom, Katrinia, and Meme for Aunt Melissa. The name just stuck. I love you, Haley! You are turning into a beautiful and remarkable young lady. I can't wait to see what God has in store for your future, but I am also excited to see what God begins to do, and is even doing with you, now. By the way, now that you are 12, do you think your mom and dad would let you fly out and stay with me for a couple of weeks in the summer? lol That's a long way, but we would love to have you. Hope you had a GREAT birthday and we love you sooo much!!!

Denae

Okay, I wanted to post an update on some of the new things Denae is doing. She still "talks" all the time, although not all her words are understandable. I think if I made a list of all the words I can understand, though, I would be surprised. She also has great use of her voice inflections. She can really carry on a conversation. You can tell when she is saying something she thinks is funny (Her eyes get all smiley and her voice kind of sounds like she is laughing) or when she is tattling (she sounds just like the bigger kids, whiney with her feelings hurt, only in 'another language' lol) And when she is mad, she definitely lets us know!! lol She also likes to sing. Her favorite right now is the ABC song. However, it is mainly just the tune, as I have not heard a recongnizable letter to date! Her other favorites, which I can pick out words in, are "Jesus loves me", "Who does Jesus love", and "The Bible," all from Sunday School. When she is singing, if I start to sing with her, her face just lights up like she is so happy I knew what she was saying. She also likes to do "Down, Down Baby" a hand clap game that my mom taught me and I taught my girls. Do you remember it, Mom or Trinia? Another funny thing about Denae is that she loves strawberry milk. All of my kids have always drank white milk, going to fat free as soon as they can. When they got older, I started giving chocolate milk as a treat, but only sometimes. I didn't want them to have to always have to have it flavored. Well, Denae is just like the rest; she will drink white milk. But recently, if she is by me when I pour her milk, she will get the strawberry syrup out of the fridge herself and give it to me. "Thes, Momma. Thes," she'll say. And then, when I put it in her sippy, she starts laughing and clapping her hands, dancing in a little circle. It is very cute! The other thing is, with in the last month or so, she has gotten attached to her blanket. She now tries to call it her blankie, but it sounds like she is saying mickey. The nice thing about it, though, is while one blanket is her main "mickey", pretty much any blanket will do. She's not picky, I guess. She really likes to copy her brother and sisters and will do pretty much whatever they do, from summersaults to dancing to "quoting" bible verses. She is also a big helper. If she knows we are getting ready to go "bye-bye", she'll start bringing everyone their coats and shoes, whether it's the ones we need or not, or whether we need them or not! Well, that's all I can think of right now. They just grow and change so quickly at this age. Everyday brings a new accomplishment for them and a new challenge for the moms! I wouldn't trade it for anything, except maybe a weekend spa treatment lol!

Uncommon Favor

Oh, my! God is soo awesome! These last few months one of our church prayers has been for uncommon favor, and since 2008 has begun God has been blessing my family in awesome way. Financially, we have had the opportunity to make more "extra" money, above and beyond the normal income, than ever before. Kevin had been blessed with many extra jobs, as well as bonus commissions at work. I have been praying about taking on at least one other child in a childcare capcity (I already have one), all the while knowing that even though the $$ would be a blessing, the vehicle situation would be a trial. We have a truck that I use that seats 6, and with me, my four, and my "other" child, that maxes out the seating. Not a big deal, except when it is time to pick Delaney up from school or errands later in the day. I really can't fit another child in the truck. However, God answered my prayer and worked it out on my behalf in an unbelievable way! The mom whose child I already watch has a friend that she works with. Their hours are changing and the friend needed to find a new childcare provider. The awesome thing is, that will mean the hours I keep the girls, both 2 or close to it, will be the same. I will have plenty of time to get my girls to school in morning and get some stuff done before they get to my house. Then, another friend that has children that attend school with my girls will pick Delaney up and bring her home for the rest of January. My girls are then off track (out of school) for 5, that's right FIVE, weeks in Feb. and the first of March. That gives us almost 2 mos to get the vehicle situation taken care of. I am praying for either a mini-van or something that seats 8, in a pretty, medium blue. I know God answers prayer, so I decided to get specific.:) Also, another friend of mine needs someone on a more sporadic basis to watch her son on the weekends, so that would be an added bonus. He hasn't just blessed us financially, but that is what I am tesitfying about right now. We just have such a peace and trust regarding our financial situation now. Where before we had worry and fret about bills, etc and the future, we now are looking back, seeing that even though we don't know how, God has made a way, and now He is blessing us with this uncommon favor that is literally blowing our minds. I wish I could explain it all in this post, but I don't think there is room on my page! We are still busy and even busier, but it is with the knowledge He is working for us and through us to achieve His will and purpose. We know that God will continue to bless us as we bless His kingdom. I know that somehow, someway, God is going to allow us to become an even bigger blessing in His kingdom than ever before. I know God is doing awesome things for others, so feel free to comment and share your blessing with me. I would love to hear about all the other awesome things my God is doing!!!

Random Pictures from December

The Little Lady