PS – January 31, 2010
Today MIcah learned his first color! Yellow!!! He calls it “lello!” And, he also had jello for the first time and calls it “lello” too =) It’s very cute!
– Emily
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January 31, 2010
Let me just first say that this is the last day of the month and i have done a journal for every day this month! So far the year is perfect!
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This was a good month, but I have to say that it’s been a long month!
Today was a great day! This morning Ryan and I had a discussion on 2 Peter 1:5-9. I have been reading through Peter and have had some trouble understanding some of these verses. It was a good discussion! I’m excited to keep studying it!
We had a great day with Bitty! He and Ryan played in Micah’s tent, and we had family cuddle time, which turned into family jump on the bed time. We would take turns running from the door and jumping onto the bed. MIcah was so cute – we would run to the door, and we would say “Go!” and we woud run as fast as he could to the bed, jump as high as he could and hold his feet in the air clinging to the bed until Ryan picked him up and threw him on the bed! We had the funnest time! And we danced to the song “Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night” for a long time too!
This morning before 9 I finished cleaning Micah’s room. It’s amazing how much you can accompish on a Sunday morning when church doesn’t start until 11!
Me and Bitty also took a long nap today, and we all had tacos for dinner. Micah loved the tacos!
The Lord is so good to us. I was also reading tonight in Titus 3. Verses 4-5 say “but when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy.” I look back on my life and God’s mercy is clearly woven throughout it. I am so blessed to be a child of God.
– Emily
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Jaunary 30, 2010
Another very productive day for me! I worked all day cleaning and organizing MIcah’s room, and doing laundry and dishes and baking and i put the second coat of paint on my bookshelf. I put up the tent Micah got for Christmas today to keep him occupied while I cleaned his room. he loved it! It has a tunnel for him to crawl through. When he wasn’t in it, Tag was, Tag loves it even more than Micah. Micah did a GREAT job playing on his own today! He’s such a god boy! I just love him so much! It was sad for me to put away his baby clothes and toys today. We need to have another baby soon so i can get them back out! =) Ryan, Micah, and Tag are getting better, which is great!
Tonight Tag went outside to go to the bathroom and he saw a frog on the wall. He scared it and it fell off the wall, hit the water cooler that was out there, and landed on Tag. Tag ran around and around with the frog on his back trying to get it off. It was VERY funny!
– Emily
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January 29, 2010
I was very productive today! I got lots of cleaning done, and I painted a coat on a book shelf, did lots of laundry, washed lots of dishes, and took care of Ryan, Micah, and Tag, who all needed extra love today because they are all not feeling well. Ryan still has a cold, Micah still has diaper rash – bad, and Tag still has his infection. I took him to the vet today to get checked out and pick up some medicine for him. He’s actually getting a lot better.
Thismorning I tried to potty train Micah. i took up the rug, moved the couches aside, and took off Micah’s diaper and let him run free for the morning with the potty in front of the bathroom door. He never pooped, but he peed all the time, just never on the potty! By lunch time i had given up and decided he’s too little. He didn’t grasp the concept at all! We’ll wait for a few months I think. I don’t want him to grow up too quickly. He’s such a good little boy!
Tonight I made a curtain, and Horatio and Rachelle came over for a while. THey are such a fun couple!
– Emily
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January 28, 2010
Today was a sad day. Pastor Chuck and Libby left this morning. It’s always sad when friends and family leave. Ryan has a cold now, and Micah has diaper rash. Micah and I took naps today. And other than that today was just a normal day.
– Emily
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January 27, 2010
I have the best husband! He took Micah thismorning to Windemere. Chuck preached, so Ryan got to watch Micah and let me sleep in! Hooray! It was a great start to the day! Thisafternoon CHuck and LIbby treated us to Tapas again. We all ate until we were STUFFED! It was Great! We had the chocolate truffles again =) And after that we walked along the beach at Club Med for a while. Micah had so much fun! He ran through the waves all the way down the beach! At one point he saw a man in the distance walking our way and he thought it was his grandpa, and he took off running, so excited, yelling “gada! gada! gada!” all the way to him! The man and his wife were amused! He misses his grandpas! Tonight Ryan and Chuck headed to their last night of classes, and LIbby and I chatted for a while and she painted my toenails. It was another blessed day!
– Emily
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January 26, 2010
The weather today was sorta cloudy. We had a lovely breakfast though the Libby and Chuck made for us! And then we went to Pam’s for some last minute shopping, and then to Hidden Beach. The waves were the biggest I have ever seen them! They were HUGE! It was awesome to watch them crash into the rocks! Since we obviously couldn’t swim there, we went to the cliffs and walked around for a while. Once again, the Lord blew me away at the beauty of His creation! I never get over the beauty here!
– Emily
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January 25, 2010
Monday Monday…..Micah slept in until 9:30 this morning! It was great! Tag has another infection in his leg. We started putting ham on the end of the medicine dropped, and when he went to eat to, we just squirt the medicine it! It’s great! He doesn’t even know he’s getting any!
It’s great to have Chuck and Libby here! LIbby and I went to Rock Sound today to get an oil filter, and we went to Pam’s this afternoon.
– Emily
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January 24, 2010
Today was a great day! This morning we went to the church in Palmetto Point that Pastor Luke is the Pastor of. It was such a great service! I didn’t understand any of it because it was in Creol, but it was just amazing to be worshipping the same God with these people from another culture. It is a Hatian church, and the men and women sit on different sides of the church. My attention went to Micah the whole time, and the few other little kids who smae to play with him during the service. Our pew was the toddler pew by the end. I loved it! It was so sweet to hear the people worship in their language. It’s a little taste of what Heaven will b like with so many different languages singing to the same God! It was great to see Pastor Luke’s family too. Their little boy is about the same age as Micah, his name is Joshua. THey’re friends!
After that today we came back and we all had lunch together. And then Pastor Chuck and Libby watched Micah for us while we went on a date! It was GREAT! We went to Twin Coves and walked along the beach. THe waves were huge! It was pretty at sunset! Then, in a search for ice cream to three different places, we landed at Tapas and ordered a pizza and the best desserts! Ryan got Coconut Sorbet and Tiramasu, and I got the BEST EVER Chocolate Truffle! We had a lovely time! AFter that we parked near the sea and listened to football on the radio, Brett Farve was playing. THen we went to go see The Frog Princess! It was a great movie! I’m so glad it was playing! Since there’s only one movie theature here with one movie playing at a time for a few weeks I wasn’t sure if they would play it, but I’m glad they did! We had a great date night! It was special to be able to spend some time together just us! We were glad to get back to see Bitty though =)
– Emily
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January 23, 2010
Today Micah turned 21 months! Happy Birthday Micah! It was another busy day today! But another great one! Micah and I went to Tammy’s today to give Wadainya her birthday card, and then we took Chuck and Libby to Billy’s for lunch, then we all headed up to Spanish Wells. Tag, poor dog, has another infection and we picked up some medicine for him there, and walked around a little. Then we went to Preacher’s Cave, then to Harbor Island! Busy day! In Harbor Island we went to the beach and spent the whole time at the beach looking for a 92 year old man who was lost. His poor wife was begging us to help find him. She was so scared! It took a while, but Ryan finally found him a long way down the beach. We were glad to help them! We ate at Valentines for dinner, and had some yummy cheesecake! It was a great day!
By the end Micah was fast asleep, he even slept through his bath when we got home, it was very cute!
– Emily
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January 22, 2010
Today was a super busy day! We drove to Rock Sound for lunch at Rose’s, which was very yummy! We love going to here restraunt, for the food and to see her! And then we went to the Ocean hole, and Chuck and I swam there. It was fun, Micah would “push” me off the cliff into the water! And we got to feed the fish, of “ish” as Micah calls them.
After that we headed to Lighthouse for a while. It’s a long drive, but so pretty! Micah had fun again running, and running, and running along the beach. After that we drove to the other side of the island by the island school, then we sped back to Rock Sound for class. We got there just in time, and then i spent the next few hours chasing Micah, again. I was completely exhausted by the end of the night! But it was a good day! I love showing people around the island, and even though I have seen it all tons of times, I’m always amazed that the Lord would make such beautiful things for us to look at and enjoy!
– Emily
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January 21, 2010
Today Micah and i took it easy. We ended up going to North to pick up the mail, which was very fun. We didn’t get much today, just a few books for Ryan and the Center, and i got my Family Fun magazine, which was was great! We always have fun driving up there! Ryan and Chuck and Libby went to the Navy Beach, and tonight LIbby and i had dinner together again and got to talk more. It was a good Thursday!
Oh, and I got to talk to Leia tonight!
– Emily
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January 20, 2010
Today we took Chuck and Libby to Club Med Beach. We also went to Buccuneer for lunch. Ryan helped some people break into their car when they locked their keys in it. He’s a good car breaker inner! Micah played in the sand for the whole time at the beach, and we spent a little time in the cold water, as much as we could stand! I met some tourists and had fun talking to them too. And tonight Libby and I had dinner together and talked for a while. It’s so good to have them here! Libby has been planting a garden for us! It’s so great!
– Emily
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January 19, 2010
Another great day today! It was fun to spend the day with Chuck and Libby! We had lunch together and went to the grocery store. And tonight they all went to class. And this afternoon we went for a walk along the beach. Micah had fun, he played in the sand and the water. It was the most precious moment for me to walk along the beach with him. It’s one of those perfect moments in life that is a special gift from the Lord. I thought back to all of the times I spent years ago before I was even dating Ryan when I would walk along that beach and talk to the Lord. And now I’m walking along that same beach with my little boy. Back then I never imagined the Lord would have such a perfect plan for me! He is so very gracious!
– Emily
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January 18, 2010
Today our friends from Frisco got here! It’s so great to have them here! Before they got here, me and Bitty spent the day preparing. We went to the grocery store, and we made pumpkin and banana bread for class tonight. And we cleaned. It’s so fun to prepare for people to visit!
Micah had a fun day. He had some trouble with not throwing his food though. At lunch he trew his mac and cheese all over the floor, and at dinner he threw his salad on Libby.
I also gave him a haircut, and he was wearing a shirt with the body of BamBam from the Flinstones, which was super cute because he looked like BamBam! And this morning I tried putting undies on him, and he kept saying ”undies! undies!” It was so cute!
Our kitchen table is my favorite table ever, and today I washed the cushion covers, which are white. When they were finally dry, I was putting the chairs back together, and Micah was eating a chocolate chip cookie. He got chocolate all over his mouth, and it made me laugh! But then, I thought to myself “somehow he’s going to get chocolate on my clean white chair cushions….” I ignored the thought though because he wasn’t near them. But less than a minute later, he picked one up, and the first thing he did was put it right to his mouth, smearing chocolate on it!!!!” I couldn’t even be mad because I knew in the back of my head that it would happen, and he was smiling so big! Oh well, the moment of his big chocolate smile was worth the stained chair!
– Emily
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January 17, 2010
We had a fun day today! This morning on the way to church we saw some dolphins! I love seeing dolphins! We were in a hurry to get to Rock Sound for church so we couldn’t watch them for long though. Church was great! We got there a little late though because we thought it started later than it did, but it was an encouraging service! There are lots of our students that attend the church, and the preacher is a student at the training center too. They are such wonderful people!
This afternoon we came back for naptime, and then Micah and I played with playdough. It was the first time Micah has played with playdough, and he loved it! He sat in a chair and played with his playdough for over an hour!
We’re attempting to pre-pottytrain right now. He’s doing a great job sitting on the potty, but so far it’s only sitting. Tomorrow I am going to make more of an effort to train him…here we go!
– Emily
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January 16, 2010
I finally finished painting! Hooray! I never want to paint again! I would much rather be spending time with my family. I like the colors though. We went out for cheeseburgers today as a family. And we had mocha chip ice cream, which is out favorite!
– Emily
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January 15, 2010
I went and painted forever this morning, and didn’t get very far. When I got home though I got to take a short nap while Micah napped. I went and visited Tammy tonight too, I haven’t seen her since we got back, and I got to talk to Valencia for a while too. And, I wrote out all my recipes tonight, to et them organized! I am so proud!
– Emily
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January 14, 2010
We and Bitty watched Snow White today! I haven’t seen that movie in forever! It was fun to watch with him, even though he only watched about ½ hour of it and then played. And tonight we all went to Rock Sound to talk to some of the students, and at the grocery store they had the BEST apples! They looked just like the apple in Snow White! We had fun on our trip to Rock Sound, and we got to have dinner with our friend Rose. It was a blessing to spend time with her and get to talk to some other students.
– Emily
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January 13, 2010
It’s so great to have our dog Tag back! He’s such a great part of our family! Micah loves to throw balls for him and then Tag goes and gets them and brings it back to him to throw again. It’s fun!
Today I went to Palm Cottage and painted. I am so ready to be finsished painting! And tonight I made Enchilladas and corn bread for dinner and then Wade and Little Wade came over for a while.
Somehow I am still not back into a routine with housework and our house remains unorganized. I did manage to get the laundry clean today, but not folded. Oh well. I am anxious to see my Bible study girls, I think I’ll search them out this week and see how they’re doing.
– Emily
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January 12, 2010
Today there was an earthquake in Haiti, and we now have tsunami watches. I told Ryan we should get a raft. We are praying that no tsunamis come this way, and we’re praying for those who have been hit by the earthquake.
Today Micah learned the word “off.” He loves fans but always points out when a fan is not on. And today he finally learned that when one if not on, we say it’s “off!” So he has been telling us “off” every time he sees a fan or light that is off today. It’s very cute! And, he calls trucks “gucks, or ucks” which is also very cute! And he still says “audi” for airplane, which I kinda hope he does for a long time. It’s fun now that I can ask him a yes or no question and he answers ad understands. Most of the time he replies with a “noooo” while he shakes his head no. It’s so very cute!
I started the Bible Study by Beth Moore on Esther yesterday. It’s so great to learn new things about the Bible that I never knew, and already I have learned so much! I never knew the story of Esther had so much background and significance in history! I knew about some of it’s importance, but even just in one day I have learned so much more! It’s very exciting!
– Emily
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January 11, 2010
Today was a day of running errands and paying bills…fun stuff! We did get to see some friends though, which was fun. I feel like I haven’t been out of the house since we got back! Life is still not back to normal around here. And, it’s like 64 degrees, and we are all freezing and trying at the same time to enjoy the cooler weather knowing that summer will come soon.
– Emily
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January Special Journal
I just wanted to write a journal about what the Lord has been teaching me lately. This trip the Lord has taught me so much! Before the trip I had been reading and thinking about the verse that says “Let me live that I may praise You”. That verse has been on my mind a lot this Christmas.
Also, my favorite Christmas song, “Let There Be Light” has been on my mind. I have seen Christ as “The Light of the World” this Christmas. I have looked around so much at so much pain and hopelessness in the world, and I long to see Christ as the Light. I long too to see Christ as real for today. He is the same God as the God of the Bible. Somtimes it doesn’t seem like it. But He is! And also I have been thinking about us as lights in the world. As I was sitting in the waiting room I was praying for a miracle, and I was praying for a light, the light of Christ, to show Himself real that day….He did.
Also, when we went to church at Grace in Fairlawn, Pastor Jeff talked about the verse “He must become greater, I must become less.” I have prayed that a lot and meditated on what that means in my life.
The Lord has provided in so many ways this Christmas season. We have had friends who have sent us letters and support that came at just the right moment, when Ryan and I needed signs of the Lord’s provision and faithfullness. And we had so many encouraging conversations with many people. And we saw the hand of the Lord so very closely as He healed Ryan’s heart and held us in our fear.
– Emily
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January 10, 2010
Today we all stayed in our jammies the whole day! How great! I am slowly checking off my list and getting life back to normal.
– Emily
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January 9, 2010
It’s cold here!!! I think the Lord knew that we would need our Cedarville sweatshirts!!! It’s the coldest we’ve seen it here. I have to say though that it’s really nice. And last night was the best night’s sleep we’ve had in a looooong time. We all slept in until 9:45 thismorning, and woke up comfy and rested! I spent the day putting things away and trying to orgainze life.
And, I went to Spanish Wells today to get Tag! Hooray! It’s so fun to have him home! Now I am retraining Tag and Micah, although Tag is much easier! The groomer took good care of him and taught him manners! Micah however, got used to being spoiled, and although it’s not as bad as I thought it would be, it’s a retraining week for us. He broke my vase today, and I cried. It was my pretty one for our kitchen table, and you can’t just go to the store an buy a new one here. It’s very sad. I’m glad he didn’t get hurt though.
There’s tons of mold in our shower that grew while we were gone…yuck!
And, I gave Micah his last morning bottle this morning, which was sad for me. He’s growing up….
– Emily
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January 8, 2010
Our day started out today a little rocky, at 3:30. We left the house at 4:15, and it had been snowing all night and still was. On the way to the airport the car spun out on 77N, and we almost hit the middle divider, then we spun around to almost go down into a ravine area, and we ended up backwards on the edge of the highway with trucks and cars heading for us. Again though, the Lord was so good to us! That spin could have been so bad for us, but the Lord kept us from getting hurt at all. We waited for the cars to clear and turned around to continue driving. It was very scary! God kept us safe though. Our flights were amazingly all on time and great the whole day!!! And, fun part of the day, Micah discovered stickers. He got some in a Happy Meal, and we spent a lot of time in Nassau sticking stickers on each other. He stuck them all over my face =) It was fun! We made it home around 3:30. It sure is good to be home! Flying over the Carribean was like we were already home! I am just continually amazed at the grace of the Lord this whole trip!
The rest of the day was spent unpacking. Our luggage even all made it back!
A few fun facts about Micah this trip…..we are taking him off of his last morning bottles, and moving him to a 7o’clock bedtime. And, he throws his food! We need to change that! He weighed 29lb 11.76oz at the doctor, and he is 36.8 inches!
– Emily
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January 7, 2010
Another whirlwind of a day! I had a huge list of things to do and I got them all done! It was busy though! We went to get Ryan’s bloodwork done this morning at Akron Children’s Hospital. It was a very sad place. The waiting room had poor little kids who knew they were going to get shots, and they were asking lots of questions, and we watched as their parents searched for the right words to give comfort. You could tell the parents were hurting watching their kids have to have bloodwork done. Ryan got to talk to the nurse doing his bloodwork though. She said she was a Baptist, and Ryan got to encourage her that she gets to love all the kids coming in.
We went to lunch with my mom and dad to Cracker Barrell this afternoon too, and then we headed home in the tons of snow! And Jeremy and Katiera and the kids came for dinner. Micah was sorta a bully with Annika, but I think she didn’t mind. He had so much fun playing with Maggie and Noah!
We also did lots of packing today! I think we got it all packed finally!
Oh, and this morning I learned that even in the freezing cold snow, Starbucks mocha frapachinos still hit the spot!
The best part of the day today though, and definitly of the year so far was the news from the doctor. Ryan does not have Marfans, and his aortic root is the same as in Dallas! The Lord is healing him! It’s amazing! The grace and mercy of the Lord amazes me!!!!! He’ sooooo good to us! Praise the LORD!!!! He continually blow’s our minds with His goodness!
– Emily
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January 6, 2010
Today turned out differently than planned, as usual. We drove back this morning, and then when we got to my parents, we left right away to go to Cleveland to get Ryan’s MRI, which took 4 hours. This trip has been one of a lot of emotions for us. The doctor told Ryan that he can’t lift any more than 20 pounds, because there’s still a chance that he may have Marfans, and that news was hard to swallow. While the trip has been great, there’s been a fear of unknown also. It’s scary for him to have to get an MRI. It seems so big. We ar trusting the Lord though, and He is keeping us close to His heart this trip. We’re not sure when we’ll find out the results of the MRI, but we’re hoping it’s soon.
– Emily
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January 5, 2010
Well, our original intention was to drive home today, but the Lord had other plans. It was a grat day though! This morning we went to chapel, which for me meant chasing Micah around, which was exhausting. I do love being a mom though, even though I’m a tired one! After that we had an alumni lunch. That was very fun and encouraging, but most of that was spent by me chasing Micah too. At one point we lost him in the alumni hall, and everyone was looking for him. I would have paniced if it wasn’t at Cedarville. I heard a phone off the hook though and immediately knew he must be nearby. I walked into Jeff Beste’s office to find MIcah behind the desk on the computer with the phone off the hook. He’s just like his daddy for sure!
Ryan and I won sweatshirts at the lunch, which was funny because we’re the ones who live in the Bahamas and never need sweatshirts! We love them though, and they are perfect for cold Ohio weather!
After the lunch Micah and I went back to Delora’s and took a nap. Well, MIcah did at least. I still can’t sleep from my cold. Oh well! I rested anyways. Then RYan came and picked us up for a family date to Colonials. That was one of our favorite Cedarville places, and it was great to take Micah there, even though we had to speed eat before chapel.
Chapel was so great! We left Micah at Delora’s to sleep, and we went to chapel. Ryan got to say the prayer in chapel, which was a great honor for him! And we got to go up with all the missionaries and introduce ourselves. It was so humbling to be there with all the other missionaries on stage at Cedarville. They prayed for us and there was a standing ovation that brought tears to our eyes.
After chapel we talked to lots of people, and then Ryan and I went up to our prayer spot in the chapel and prayed together. It was very special.
After that we said goodbyes to Paul and Lisa, and went back to Delora’s where we decided to stay the night because it was snowing a lot.
– Emily
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January 4, 2010
We’re both sick today with colds, but we left this morning anyways for Cedarville. It’s been so great to be here! As soon as we got here we were greeted by Delora who had made us the BEST lunch of soup! It’s so great to be back in cedarville! After lunch we went and registered for the missions conference and waited for Paul and Lisa to get here. When they got here we set our booth up, and talked to them for a while, and then there was a banquet for the missionaries. It was weird to be at a banquet at Cedarville and not be working at it! It was so fun to see old friends from here though. I spent most of the evening chasing Micah around, all over, up and down steps millions of times, in and out doors. He’s so wonderful!
– Emily
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January 3, 2010
We got to go to church this morning. It was wonderful! We went to the North Campus, and Micah did pretty god in the nursery, but they said that when another kid got pivked up he thought he was going to be and he cried for a while. It was nice to sit through church though!
Kari came over today too, and we all had a big dinner together here and jeremy and Katiera and the kids came too. I actually have a cold and felt miserabl after dinner and took a nap. My nose won’t quit running! Tonight Ryan and Kari went to dinner to watch the Packers game since it’s not on our TV.
– Emily
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January 2, 2010
I made it to the second day of my New year’s Resolution! Hooray! This morning Ryan and i went on a date to the mall and Walmart. We had fun! Then thisafternoon we went to see the UWGB girls basketball team play at Cleveland State. Mom came with us. It was fun to see Kari and Heather and Hannah! They won again..they’re awesome! Micah and I had a ton of fun playing in the bouncy houses too! I think I have more fun than Micah sometimes! he sure loves to jump! Tonight we ordered pizza for dinner then i went to Sephanie’s and had a girls night with her, Bethany, and Alexis. It’s so great to just sit around and talk to them! We talked for three anda half hours catching up. God has blessed me with great friends!
– Emily
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January 1, 2010
So I think that my new years resolution will be to write a journal for every day this year……..maybe it will last through January! Probably not though, but I will try. We had our Christmas Day today as a family. Thismorning we slept in, and then Jeremy and Katiera and the kids came over and we opened presents. This year we did only presents for the kids, but some how there were twice as many presents under the tree! Micah had some trouble because we woke him from a nap to open presents…note to self…don’t do that again! Cried through half of the present opening time, but he loved the toys he got! He even opened some that weren’t his! It was CRAZY with all four kids opening presents at the same time! I found myself needing a moment of peace by the end. It was so joyful though! Kids and family bring so much joy to our lives! It’s such a blessing to have such a wonderful family!
Tonight Ryan and Jeremy and Dad went to see Avatar, and I went to bed early and rested. It was a good start to the New Year.
– Emily
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