Our Texas Snowman...

My brother posted on his blog some beautiful snowy pictures in France. Sooo... I decided I would post our picture of the snowman Joshua made a couple of weeks ago. (Don't laugh all you Northern Folks. Okay, you can laugh a little.)

This is actually a handsome snowman for down here. I remember making a snowman when I was a kid, that was just a lump. Mainly because the snow didn't stick that year. So this snowman was actually quite nice, and he's even dressed in his own leaf apron. (He's a modest snowman.) And how many snowmen do you see able to stand in such green grass. :)

Joshua made this snowman on a Friday night and we took this picture the next day. The rest of the snow had melted around it. By Sunday our poor snoman had a shrunken head, and he was dearly departed by Monday. But at least we got this picture before he was completely gone.

Our colds are still lingering. Scott sounds the worst. I think it is because he has to use his voice a lot more than the rest of us. Hopefully he'll be feeling better over the weekend. He only has to work a half day tomorrow, so maybe his voice will be fine by Sunday.

Sunday, we have a Christmas Skit planned with the children. Hannah will be Mary, Jonathan will be Joseph. Ruth will be an Angel, and if there are any other girls present, they can be angels too. Joshua and Andrew (a boy at our church) will be shepherds. I'll be reading Luke 2 and they will sing Christmas Carols between each of the sections of the skit. We have a doll cradle that we are going to use as a manger and we will borrow some hay from someone at church. We would like to use their new baby goats for the cattle but I'm afraid that would be a little too messy. The goats would probably steal the show or at least the hay. I'll try to take pictures.

Then after the services, we plan to have a Birthday cake for Jesus. I am hoping to make the cake on Saturday. I'll try to get a picture of the cake as well.

Then Sunday night after our service we will head to my parents. We will be taking Scott to an airport on Monday. He'll be visiting Missionary Ted Barker and his family in Paraguay during the Christmas Holiday. Bro. Barker had invited him out a few months ago, and I encouraged him to go ahead and go. He loves helping Missionaries. He would have like for me to come with him, but I wasn't sure if I was quite ready to go with him on a trip that far away so soon, and also the fact that I'm entering my Third Tri-mester in my pregnancy. I would hate for something to happen while I was in another country. He understood and I told him that I would go with him another time, after the baby is born. I sure will miss him though.

The last mission trip we went on was to Ukraine in 2006. We spent 2 weeks over there with a group that was formed by Bro. David Smith and X-STREAM global missions. Before that we hadn't been on a trip since right before Joshua was born. Before we were married Scott had taken several Mission trips. I find that it is good for him. It gives him a chance to use his language skills that he doesn't get at home. He also enjoys being able to help and encourage missionaries.

Pray for him while he is on this trip. Also pray he doesn't have problems with the climate change. It's going to be in the heat of Summer there in Paraguay. We'll be cold here and he'll be melting there. Sure sounds odd.

The kids and I will be spending Christmas with my parents this next couple of weeks. We are all looking forward to it. I'll try to be a little more prompt at posting while we're there.

Dr. Hannah

Hannah caught a cold Friday evening. She had gone outside in the snow and got too cold while she was out there. I noticed her cough on Saturday. I asked her when she started coughing and she told me that it was while she was playing in the snow. "I'm allergic to snow," she explained.

Monday morning she still had a cough. She asked me if she could have oatmeal for breakfast. "I need some hot oatmeal. And I'm not going to blow on it because hot is good for your throat," she told me, "and I need some hot tea too."

I told her that I didn't mind her having some tea, and oatmeal as long as she didn't let it burn her mouth. So hot tea and oatmeal was the breakfast of choice yesterday morning.

Hannah is amazingly good at giving us all a good laugh. She turns into the little expert about everything.

I let her feel our baby kick. Babies are a facinating thing for 4 yr olds. She asked me, "Mommy, do I have a baby in my tummy?"

I explained that she did not. And that she had to grow up and get married before getting a baby in her tummy. Then she asked, "Does Daddy have a baby in his tummy?"

I guess in her mind Daddy is grown up and married. I did explain that Daddies don't have babies in their tummies only Mommies can have babies in their tummies. Thankfully that seemed to have cleared it all up for her.

Yesterday, I had a Doctor's appointment and had the kids all ready to go for my appointment. Hannah announced, "I'm going to be a Doctor when I grow up!"

Of course a sibling had to ask, "I thought you wanted to be a football player."

I came to her rescue though, "Ah, so are you going to be a football playing doctor?"

She just smiled. The picture above is one I took yesterday. Hannah wanted to wear her stethoscope to my Doctor's appointment. And I had to take a picture of her all dressed up to go.

Our "New" Van

We've had the van about two weeks now. Time sure goes by fast. Here are some pictures of our "new" used '98 Dodge Caravan. This van has really been a blessing. The previous owner took really good care of it.

We originally thought we would have to save up money and find something in February before the baby was born. But the Lord blessed and through a coworker Scott found out about this van for sale at a really good price.

This week was busy, besides what I mentioned in my last post we also went on Tuesday evening to see a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. It was a great learning experience for the kids. The only other change to the weeks plan was finding out that the singing had been canceled. However the pastor and his wife of the host church invited us to visit in their home. We had good fellowship with them.

Today Jonathan was helping Scott fix a computer. I remember when Joshua was that little. Besides the pictures of the van, I'll include a couple pictures of Jonathan helping Daddy.