November 2014

We have so much to be thankful for and November is the perfect time to reflect on all our blessings. I decided to do a study on the names of God to help get me in the mindset of thankfulness. Here are just a few meaningful names of God:

EL, ELOAH: God "mighty, strong, prominent" 
EL SHADDAI:“God Almighty” 
YAHWEH / JEHOVAH:“LORD”  
YAHWEH-JIREH:"The Lord Will Provide" 
YAHWEH-RAPHA:"The Lord Who Heals" 
YAHWEH-SHALOM:"The Lord Our Peace" 
YAHWEH-ELOHIM:"LORD God" 
EL ELYON:“Most High" 
EL ROI:"God of Seeing" 

ELOHIM:God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” 

In the midst of court dates and doctor's appointments, it was such a good reminder that God is Sovereign, mighty, heals, provides, and brings peace. We are still waiting on decisions regarding the future of the girls as well as lab work and treatment options for the boys and Jeff. It is hard to wait but we can rest in God knowing he holds the future in His strong hands. He sees us in our distress and answers us when we pray. 

Among the hard things this month were some fun things as well. Eli chose to use most of his birthday money to give to a missions organization that is building wells in Asia. He also filled 4 shoe-boxes for children around the world. Along with the toys inside, the kids will be given the Gospel... the wonderful news of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Eli also lost another tooth this month, celebrated his seventh birthday (again), and continued with his schooling.

Thad made a decision to follow the Lord with his life and prayed for salvation. We are so EXCITED at this next step in his spiritual journey. He also has been a big helper to Mommy.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the boys "surrogate Grandparents" from our church and one of their daughters. We made hands and wrote what we were thankful for on each of the fingers. In the middle we wrote our name as a remembrance that God has engraved our names on the palms of his hands.

We hope that as you celebrated Thanksgiving you too were able to thank God for his many blessings. As we head into the Christmas season, we set out minds on the birth of a tiny baby who would become the Savior. Yes, we have much to be thankful for!

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October 2014

October went by in a blur. We were so busy that our seat belts barely had time to reel back in before we pulled them out again and hit and road.

Here is a quick picture of this past month's events:
- Soccer for Eli was twice a week until tournaments. He had a blast and is already talking about next season.
- We continued to have small group on Wednesdays and had the privilege of hosting once this month. It is always fun to see how many people we can fit around our table!
- We enjoyed a wonderful visit with Grandma and Grandpa Rice. It was so much fun to make pear sauce, play-doh, and new memories.
- Eli was baptized and Jeff had the privilege of doing the dunking. What an absolutely precious event!
- Co-op classes continued until presentation night at the end of the month. Both boys had so much fun and learned many new things. It is nice to learn with friends!
- Jeff had two nights of parent/teacher conferences. He met several new parents and enjoyed a visit or two with those of previous students.
- Marie FINALLY got her hearing aids. It has been a whole new adventure for us all. She is saying many new sounds and is drawn to anything that makes noise.
- Mommy and Daddy continue to attend BSF (on separate days). They are studying Moses as is Thad, Marie, and Ava. Eli continues to attend ASK, his Monday afternoon, Bible Study.
- Daddy got a new truck! His old car is on its last leg and we were presented with an opportunity to upgrade a little. He has always wanted a truck!
- Mommy got to go on a Women's Retreat. The weather was beautiful and the fellowship was great. Daddy did awesome with the kiddos while she was away.
- Mommy and Daddy attended a costume party at one locale while Thad and Eli attended one in another place. Fun was had by all and many laughs!
- We also continued our Sunday night family ministry at church. This month we learned about creativity and how we are God's handiwork.
- We attended a Halloween party/birthday party for Eli. It was fun to be with friends to celebrate and also get to dress up. It doesn't get much better than that!

We hope your October was as blessed as ours. Enjoy the pictures!

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