December 2012

December was an awesome time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus's birth. We enjoyed time spent with family and friends and the many celebrations that pointed us toward the birth of our Savior.

Here is a quick recap of the month...

Jeff finally had his kidney stone removed five weeks after feeling the initial pain. The procedure went well but it took several days to completely recover. We pray that this is his last one! He also had a visit with his GI doctor and we are praying about the next step to take in the treatment of his Crohns. He wrapped up the semester at school with semester tests and also participated in the Secret Santa game. He has thoroughly enjoyed this year at school so far!

Leigh Ann was busy with the women's ministry at church as well as wrapping up BSF for the semester. She also babysits for a friend one morning a week and has enjoyed having two more kiddos playing in the house.

The kids also enjoyed several play dates as well as a special Christmas story-time at the library. We wrapped up the month with one final ride on the Holiday train as Thad had been praying about it since Thanksgiving! Thad has started potty training and we are hopefully a few steps closer to being a diaper free household! Eli sang in church at the end of the month but Thad wanted nothing to do with the limelight. Of course, the snow made for a ton of fun up at camp where we celebrated Christmas with Nana and Papa.

We were blessed with visits from Ms. Scheible and the MacPeeks. We also enjoyed time spent with friends here in Fort Smith.

As we look forward to the New Year, we pray that God would be glorified in our lives and that He would be made known to the world!

Psalm 95:6  Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

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November 2012

November was a month to make memories. From Eli's 5th birthday party to a wonderful Thanksgiving, we were blessed by family, friends, and good times.

Jeff started the month with another kidney stone but thankfully the pain was short lived and he was able to enjoy all the festivities surrounding Eli's 5th Birthday. We decided to do "old school" party games along with a Spiderman pinata and birthday cake. The Lord blessed us with an absolutely gorgeous day and everyone had a great time. It is hard to believe that we are parents of a 5 year old. Time really does fly!!!

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The boys had another appointment with their kidney specialist this month. Thankfully their blood-work didn't show anything to be overly concerned about. We will not have to see him again for another six months.

The following weeks were filled with planning for Thanksgiving. We were blessed to have both of Jeff's brothers and their families along with his parents travel to Arkansas for the holiday. After hosting Doug, Kristen, and their kids for a night at our house we headed to Pinecrest Camp where Leigh Ann's parents work. We rented out their big conference center for the next three days. What followed were days filled with food, fun, and memory making. The biggest blessing for us were the time of devotion and worship each day. What an amazing gift to be a part of a family that loves the Lord and serves him with all their hearts! It was a double blessing for Leigh Ann who was able to have her parents and her "sister" Tanya be able to join in the festivities. The Lord again blessed us with beautiful weather in a perfect wooded setting. There was no shortage of things to do as you will see from the pictures. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this venture a huge success. After that, the Illinois Rices and Jeff's parents spent a night at our house and attended church with us before heading home. It was neat for everyone to get to see where we live and where Jeff works. We also took the opportunity to ride the Holiday Express Train at Creekmore Park. What fun!

We pray that you had many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and that you give God all the glory for his marvelous blessings.

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