Praise God!

We are finally getting better. After two weeks of having the stomach flue, with all the stuff that goes with it, I am happy to say that we are over it. We eventually had to call our doctor from California and ask her if there is anything else that could be done for them. She said that by the sound of their symptoms that they had an infection in their colon. So I ran out and got some special medicine and started them on it. The medicine worked really fast. I also had to put them on a special diet, which they don't really care for. They have not thrown up for about 2 days now, and are very active. Thank you all who knew and were praying for my boys.

Update On Us

Hi, everyone. I hope that you are all doing well and that you are enjoying the start of the Christmas season. We have been doing well, just busy. Here is an update on how we have been doing.

Paul and Peter: they sure have been getting into this Christmas stuff. They love every decoration that we put out, especially the tree. I take them on walks and they love to look at the Christmas lights, Christmas trees, and decorations that the different houses have. We have been having fun starting some new traditions with them. It is going to be so much fun to celebrate Christmas as they grow older.

Joshua and Amy: we have been busy with the boys. I seem to tire out more quickly now then I did before I was pregnant. We are also getting ready for Christmas (9 days away!!!!) and for the arrival of Joshua's mom, who is going to be celebrating Christmas with us and spending about a week here. Joshua is busy at the shop and with the boys. I am doing okay, but please pray that my eating will come back where it needs to be. I don't need to be losing any more weight.

Bob and Marie: they just got back from a trip to Iowa that they took last Friday. The family was getting together for Christmas and my parents decided to go and see everyone again. They had such a fun time last time and this time. We sure did miss them. They have also been busy with the shop, trying to keep everything running smooth. My mom is also in charge of some of the events at our church, especially the Christmas brunch we are having this Sunday. They are also busy with the grandkids,as they love to play with them when they get home and before work.

Marlene: she has been busy with helping me, especially since I have not been feeling well lately and helping at the shop. Marlene and I have been having fun taking the boys to the indoor playground and taking them on the train. I am glad that I get to spend time with my sister, she is such a big help. She also likes to cook dinners for us and go to the shop to help out while the boys sleep. Marlene also likes to play with the boys and she loves being an auntie.

We hope that you are all doing well and that you have a Merry Christmas. Thank you for your friendship, keeping in touch, and praying for us.

Update On Us

In case you were all wondering if something happened to me, it did. In the middle of taking care of the boys, I got sick. The boys had it worse though. I am pleased to say that we are all doing better and besides a cough and little runny nose, we are pretty much over this sickness. Thanks for all your prayers.

The Battle Belongs To The Lord

In heavenly armour we'll enter the land, The battle belongs to the Lord.
No weapon that's fashioned against us will stand, The battle belongs to the Lord.

Chorus:
And we sing glory, honour, power and strength to the lor. We sing glory, honour, power and strength to the Lord.

When the power of darkness comes in like a flood. The battle belongs to the Lord.
He'll raise up a standard, the power of His blood, The battle belongs to the Lord.

Chorus

When Your enemy presses in hard, do not fear, The battle belongs to the Lord.
Take courage my friend, your redemption is near, The battle belongs to the Lord.

Chorus

In times such as these, it is easy to become uncertain and afraid of the future. I know that I have become this way. What a promise God has given us. I am so glad that God does not leave us in the dark about what the future hold. I love this song and often cling to the promise. It has certainly helped me hold fast to all God's promises. I hope that this encourages you.

Update On Us

I have very good news. The Lord has been so faithful to us concerning the cell phone shop. The business has picked up so much!!!! It is harder to talk to my mom during the day. Jeff and Jeff have been a tremendous help to us, we don't know what we would do without them. We are hoping and praying that business will stay this way. Please also pray for strength for my mom. She is having a hard time with working outside of the home and often comes home tired. Thank you Lord for always being faithful to those you love!!! And thank you for all your prayers. Please pray for us that we would not get sick, or if we do that we won't get it that bad. It is very hard to work when you don't feel good. The boys have not been feeling good, making it hard on mommy. Otherwise we are all doing fine and keeping busy and out of trouble.

Update On Us

We are all doing fine and as usual keeping very busy. It has been hard to go and do things because of the snow. It snows every once in awhile and does not last very long, but I sure don't like to take them out if I can help it. The shop is going good, but we could still use your prayers. It seems like they get more and more people coming through. Joshua is trying to make it over to the violin side and we have had some people stop and buy things from the shop. I am trying to go over twice a week and help set things up and enter in bills. I miss not being in there with Joshua, but I am in a season where I can't. I just decided that I would be able to go there and help out for a few hours because the boys were old enough. My mom and sister watch the boys, so I can work without alot of interruption. The boys are doing good and growing. It amazes me that Paul is going to be 2 on the 27th of this month and that Peter is going to be 9 months on the 15th. I can't believe that I am going to be a mom of a 2 year old. My parents are going out of town for their anniversary on Tuesday thur Wednesday. Its a small trip, but it will be worth it. I know that it is early, but when you have your grandson's birthday two days before your anniversary and your daughters birthday on the same day, it makes it hard to celebrate it. I am running low on energy lately. I think it is my thyroid, but it sure makes it tough on taking care of the boys. I have been exercising lately and when I come up (after 20 mins), I feel terrible and can't hardly take care of the boys. I think it is also because Peter is teething and still does not sleep through the night. If we put him to bed at 8:00 pm, then he gets up at 6:30 or 6:45 am. Who needs sleep anyways :). My sister has been real helpful to see that I sleep in in the mornings or get a nap. I love my kids and I love being a mom. God bless you all, today and always.

Update On Us

How blessed we feel that God let us move to Colorado and that we were able to do it as a family. Even though we don't get to spend too much time together, we feel just as close as we always have. God has blessed us termendously. He provided a house, business at the shop, and friends. The shop has been going well. It seems like whenever I go over there they are busy. Even when I call my mom to talk to her. I don't get over very often, though I am going to try so that I can help out in the violin shop. It has helped alot having Jeff and Jeff at the shop to help us. They are getting to know the trade so well that it takes less stress on my parents and Joshua. It is so nice to see them relaxing more and not having so many late nights. Just today my dad said that they must be getting more customers and better at their work because without them they would be swamped. It seemed like they had 5 or 6 people at a time! We love our new house and love being able to make it our own. We love the neighborhood and our backyard. It is so nice to have a place to call our own. We feel so blessed with our new friends and church family. We could not have done all these things without them. They seem always willing to lend a hand. God is so amazing that He knows what you need before you know or say anything. Thank you God for all Your wonderful blessings. And thank all of you for keeping in touch through this blog and for all your prayers. We are doing fine, except that we seem to be getting this cold over and over again. God bless you all.

Becoming Use To Change

One thing that I would like to note is that we are adjusting well to our new environment. Its funny how fast your body adjusts to wherever you are. When we first arrived, which was in the summer, it was alot like California. It was hot and very sunny. Then as we got into fall and winter, it started to get alittle colder. It was not to bad to begin with. Many of you were concerned about us surviving this winter. On the days that were cold, the boys, my sister, and I would stay in the house. Especially if the boys were not feeling well. It was often in the 20's or below. The weather has been "warming" up. It has been in the 40's and even 50's. We have gotten use to the weather where if it is 40 degrees or more it feels really warm. I have gone out in a sweater and even without a sweater and have been fine. My mom who gets cold easily has been enjoying this kind of weather. She does not feel cold at all.If and when we ever go back to Riverside to visit, it will be very interesting to see what we feel like in the winter. We may be saying how hot it is and wearing shorts!

Happy New Year

I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year. I hope that you and your family have a blessed time. My prayers for you are:
-that God would become more real to you.
-that you would continue to grow in Him.
-that He would become your all in all.
-that whatever you have planned to do in the New Year would be done in His strength.
-that God will bless you all.

May God bless you today and always.

Update On Us

Hi everyone. I hope this finds you well. We have been busy with life, plus we don't have internet access at our new house. So the only way I would be able to blog is if I go to the shop. But there is only one problem. The boys have been sick for the past two weeks with a bad cold. So lets see if I can recap for you all. On Thanksgiving we worked over at the house until 1:00 pm when Joshua, my sister, the boys and I went over to our Pastors house to eat. My parents stayed at the house and ran some errands. We did not really feel like celebrating. And eat we did, the boys were fussy and we had alot to do so we soon left after. That weekend all of us moved over to the new house and were still unpacking. On Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, some friends of our brought us a Thanksgiving dinner because they felt bad that we were not able to celebrate. It was a very special time, they eat with us and we had so much fun. Then the boys got sick, Paul the worst. They had stuffy, runny noses, fevers, coughs. And we still unpacked because we are going to have a yard sale. Joshua and I spent some time putting up Christmas lights, though we did have some problems with where to get the power. We decorated the house for Christmas. We got our trees yesterday. That's about it. Please pray that the boys would get better and that the rest of us would stay well. That the shop would continue to pick us. And that we would be able to enjoy the holidays coming up.
P.S. We have asked the two Jeffs, the two families that bought us Thanksgiving dinner, to help at the shop. They are having alot of fun learning and we are so grateful for the extra help as we are all tiring out from all the work. So that's a praise.

Update On Us

Sorry I have not written in a while. We have been very busy getting the new house ready. There are so many boxes and so much stuff! Half of the things I forgot I had :). My mom has been nervous about moving everything into the new house, so my sister and I are doing most of the work. I just about finished the kitchen. There is still so much to do. In the mist of all this, I have not been getting enough sleep because Peter is still waking up once or twice a night, Paul is getting up early, and my hip has been hurting from all the up and down and going up stairs. It is starting to look like a home and feel like home. Please pray for my mom as she goes through this emotional time, my sister and I as we try to come along side and set up the house, and my hip to heal so that I can do what is necessary in the house as well and take care of the boys. My mom is going to see the house for the first time since we moved everything in and got the new carpet. Please pray that she will not be overwhelmed with everything and able to enjoy herself. Thank you for all your prayers.

I Am Truly Blessed

I am so blessed. I am blessed with my family and that we all were able to come here to Colorado. I am blessed that my parents and sister are able to be apart of my children's lives. I am blessed that I have a husband that loves me and my children. I am also blessed to have the Lord as part of my life and that He provides for my every need (even before I ask him). I am very blessed that I can write these posts knowing that you read them and are blessed. I am so thankful that I can keep up with everyone of you and you can still be apart of our lives. You were all so special to us and we miss you. As I write each one of these posts, it surprises me that so much can happen in a short amount of time. Sometimes I wonder if I will have alot to write each month and something new happens. I now realize that so many things to happen that I want to share with you so that you can be apart of our lives. I hope that I don't bore you with all my posts and pictures. May you all be blessed today and always. Thanks for being part of our lives and sharing in our adventures. Know that as I write these posts, I think of you and pray for you all. I also think about how you will laugh, praise God, and pray for us as you read these. I also love hearing from you.

Update On Us

We are all doing well. The boys have been fighting colds for about a week, but so has everyone else. They are just starting to feel better. Peter is getting teeth, and has been for the past few months. He has two teeth now (the bottom ones) and I can see the two teeth on top, but they have not popped through yet. The shop is going good. When I call my mom, they seem to be more busy. I have been staying home with the boys because of their colds. The shop is not meeting our bills yet. It seems like we are having a hard time getting ahead. We are having to pay money up front for advertising and having the help we need, which is hard on us starting a business. We are hoping not to have to take money that we can use to fix the house for the bills. Please pray for health as winter arrives and we are adjusting to the new climate. That Peter would not be in so much pain as he gets his teeth and that we would have the patience as he does. That God would continue to provide for us as He has been since we moved. The Lord's blessing on this new house and that everything would go smoothly as we move into it. That we would give all our worries and cares to Him. Thank you for all your prayers. You all mean so much to us. God Bless.

Some Exciting News

WE OWN A HOUSE IN COLORADO SPRINGS!!!!!
I have been waiting a long time to say that (about 4 months). The owner decided to except our offer and we will be buying the house. There is going to be alot of work needed on the house, but it is so cute and it fits us so well. Its a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, with a BIG backyard. I can't wait to take pictures so that all of you can see it. My parents plans are to finish the basement into a bedroom, laundry room, and bathroom for them to live downstairs. The rest of us will be upstairs. Like I said the windows, carpet, sinks, dishwasher, and painting will probably be done before we move in. I wish we could start the process now so that we could move in sooner. I would like to be living there around Thanksgiving. I am so ready to have my own house. We are out growing this house (mostly because someone is already living there). It will also be nice to be able to hang up clothes, get organized, and have everything we need when we need it. It is also hard when you are planning for things (such as my dad's birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), there is just not alot of room to put things (especially when they don't have their own place and are put into piles). We feel very blessed that Ed did not mind us staying for so long, but we would like to give him his house back. It is hard to work around someone else (especially when its their home). It has been a challenge because of all the work he is having done on his house. Thank you for all your prayers concerning the house. We really appreciate it. God bless you all.

Update On What's Happening

Well, yesterday we had the inspector out to see this new house. There are quite a lot of little things that need to be fixed on the house. We already knew that we would need to replace the window, but we thought that we could do that later on down the road. If everything when well, we were going to re-carpet and paint the upstairs bedrooms before moving in. My parents were going to finish the basement with a bedroom and a bathroom where they would be living. It turns out that some of the sinks in the bathroom are going to need to be replaced and that the window have condensation in them and are rotted, so they are going to need to be placed right away. We have a counter-offer into the seller and we are waiting to see what the owner has to say. We are hoping that they will help us with some of the repairs or that he will drop the price, so we would have money to fix up the house (if we decide to buy it). We will have to hire out for most of this work because we won't have the time. It has been hard not to get discouraged about this happening to every house we have looked at. I know that God will lead us to the right house, but I am so ready to get into a house. Please pray for patience on our part and that God's will will be done for finding the perfect house. I will post more later when I know more.

Update On What's Happening

We have found another house that we would like to buy and have placed a bid on it. On Friday, we are going to have an inspector come and look at the house. Please pray that God will let us know His will concerning this house. We would love to have this house and move in. Also, Peter is growing like a weed and learning all sorts of new things. He got his first tooth today and can sit up (he still leans over quite a bit), and is starting to move around on the floor (by dragging himself). It is quite amazing to see them develop in each new stage of life. The shop is going well. More and More people are coming through our shop. We are making just enough money to met the bills. The other day we received a phone call from someone who was starting a Cell Phone Repair shop in Texas. It seems like we have the reputation for being the fastest starting store ever. We were very surprise. We also were able to give him some good tips. I hope this all finds you well and thanks for being part of our lives.

Update on What's Happening

It was the Lord's will that we were not to buy that house. We definitely feel God's protection. The owner's were not willing to produce the permits to show that the basement was done up to code. They also were taking a long time to get back to us about paying for half of the roof. We feel a huge let down, as we were feeling uneasy about the whole thing. Now we are again house hunting. My parents are looking after work and before work. Please pray that we would find the house that God wants us to have. We are all getting anxious about finding a house and giving our friend back his house (seeing that we have been living in his house for 3 months). But we definitely know that we would not want to be out of God's will for us. Please also pray for our health (as it is getting colder and the start of the cold season). I have not been feeling good again and it is hard to take care of two kids (my sister has been a great help, I don't know what I would do without her). Thank you for all your prayers and faithfullness in reading this blog.

A Praise and Request

The praise is that our house in California has sold! It just closed today. We are very happy that the sell went through and that we were able to sell it. We are even more excited about the granddaughter who bought the house. I am going to miss that house though. That is the only house that I have ever known. It was a very nice house. Too bad we could not take it with us. The request is that we would know God's will about the house we were thinking about buying. We really like the house, but when we had an inspection done, there was alot of things needed to be done on the house. The roof would need to be replaced, the shower needs to be fixed, and the basement has no permits (at least they say they have permits, but we need actual proof). We are waiting for the appraiser to come and then we will make a final decision. Please pray that we would know God's will and that we would be able to make a wise decision. We don't have alot of time for necessary repairs.

Prayer Requests and Updates

The boys have been fighting illness off and on since we arrived. I have been told by someone who lives here that the first year is the hardest because your body is getting use to its new envirnoment and we should except to get sick several times. Please pray that we would be able to fight off this sickness and that I would be able to take care of the boys and myself. Please continue to pray for the selling of the house. The sell of the house is suppose to close on the 12th of October. We are really hoping that it does so that we can get into our own house. We have found a house that we would like to buy. Please also pray that if it is the Lord's will that we would be able to buy this house. My mom is still hurting in her neck and I have been having pain in my right hip. We have been going to a new chiropractor and they have been working to get us back into adjustment, but we are experiencing alot of pain. Please pray that we would be healed and that the pain will soon lessen. Paul has been acting up and it has been hard on me to know what to do. Please pray that the Lord will show Joshua and I the right steps we need to take in disciplining Paul. The shop has not been doing to well lately. We were getting excited about the increase of sells, but it has slowen down alot. Please pray that the Lord's hand will be with us and that we would continually trust in Him to provide for all our needs. Thank you to all of those who have been praying for us as we have been going through this adventure.

Update on the House

We did sell the house! Well, its in Escrow. The funny thing is is that the granddaughter of the lady that my parents bought it from is the one buying the house. She loves what we did to the house and decided to buy it. The Lord sure does do things that we could not even imagine. What a sense of humor He has! We don't have much time, but we have been looking for a house here. The funny thing is is that they don't have Escrow in Colorado. We could not believe it! We will keep you updated on what's happening.