gratitude

puppies ~ Sloane
Sounds odd, but I am thankful February is over. I need the new start March brings. ~ Relyn
the weather is good for resuming family walks with the dogs ~ Jeffrey

Tonight we took the dogs for a walk again. It has been so long. It's a reminder of how much pleasure it is possible to feel in small things; of how very many blessings we have to count.

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I got my first serve over the net! ~ Sloane
It was good to be back at church after being sick for so long. ~ Relyn
Sloane figured out serving at practice today. ~ Jeffrey

I have been sick for weeks and have missed church. I was reminded again today of the joy in being in the house of the Lord and worshiping with other believers.

Block Kids

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Block Kids was lots of fun. ~ Sloane
Dad is back safely from Africa. ~ Relyn
Bapak is home. ~ Jeffrey

from a photowalk

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date night and Sloane's friendship with Lauren ~ Relyn
time to just talk to Relyn ~ Jeffrey

Borders is going out of business in our town. That makes me sad, but it reminds me of how thankful I am for books and bookstores.

patterns

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books ~ Sloane
Sloane's perseverance ex. she did ALL her homework tonight in spite of being so sick ~ Relyn
doctors that care about Sloane personally ~ Jeffrey

my kind of picnic

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ice cream ~ Sloane
the story of Uticus ~ Relyn
getting my sub plans done and not having to go back to work ~ Jeffrey

Sloane teaches a mini-lesson

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I'm thankful that the heavy thing that fell on my wrist didn't get me any harder. ~ Sloane
No matter how bad or disappointing a day is, we have so much to be thankful for. ~ Relyn
resources like public libraries that allow us to provide extra help for our students that we can't offer on our own or even with just school resources ~ Jeffrey

Today was a Jonah Day for Sloane - just very disappointing. Even so, when I asked her what she was thankful for, she had an answer immediately. God is good. All the time. All the time, God is good.

at the spelling bee

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Lauren got to come over. ~ Sloane
strong antibiotics ~ Relyn
fun at my first shooting match ~ Jeffrey

laughter

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good volleyball practice ~ Sloane
I get to come and spend the night. ~ Lauren
a day to rest ~ Relyn
good sermon ~ Jeffrey

whale slide

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my Bible ~ Sloane
sitting outside with the dogs on warm nights ~ Relyn
country drives ~ Jeffrey

the poster as art

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Maudie Bennett and Lizzie ~ Sloane
family date night with Ibu ~ Relyn
family date ~ Jeffrey

the mermaid

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puppies ~ Sloane
good books and quiet evenings reading together ~ Relyn
time outside with the dogs ~ Jeffrey

so much to see at City Museum

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getting to go to Build-a-Bear on Friday ~ Sloane
good rest and feeling better ~ Relyn
dinner tasted great ~ Jeffrey

It was the most gorgeous weather today. Makes you feel good just to be alive. The first thing Sloane did when she got home was ride her bike.

lizard?

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the Valentine's Day Ibu and Bapak made for me ~ Sloane
concerned, compassionate friends & the way my Dad is always ready to serve ~ Relyn
Sloane did such a great job with her report. ~ Jeffrey

Jeffrey and I both had parent-teacher conferences tonight till 8:00. Add to that more than a week of sickness and you know our poor girl didn't get much in the way of Valentine's Day Celebrations. My parents are always there to pick up the slack, though. Not only did they keep her on a night when we had to work, but they gave her the best Valentines' Day. She was positively beaming. Not only is there Valentine slack, there's photo-slack, too. I think I'm going to have to go back in time and post more City Museum photos. That's all I can manage just now.

a Valentine mailbox

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Valentine's Day ~ Sloane
the way our whole family works together ~ Relyn
clear roads ~ Jeffrey

Sloane's biography project is due tomorrow. She and her Daddy finished up the diorama of President Ronald Reagan's oval office tonight. They carved a copy of the Resolute Desk and even placed a bowl of jelly beans on it. It's amazing! Pictures tomorrow.

dino in the snow

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my desk looks amazin' ~ Sloane
Jeffrey takes such good care of his girls. ~ Relyn
Relyn was able to be home from work before Sloane went to bed and she's feeling better. ~ Jeffrey

Sloane is working on a diorama for her President Reagan project. She's recreating his oval office.

seed pods in winter

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I get to go to Lauren's tomorrow. ~ Sloane
Sloane is so sweet, even when she's bored silly. ~ Relyn
the carving of Reagan's desk went well ~ Jeffrey

snowy roads

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a great Valentine's Day at school & banana bread ~ Sloane
playing Qwirkle with Sloane ~ Relyn
good beef stroganof recipe ~ Jeffrey

Valentines to give

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our puppies ~ Sloane
great friends who are also great subs ~ Relyn
snow melting weather ~ Jeffrey

We made Sloane's valentines tonight. Since she was three we've made homemade valentines for all her friends and teachers. This year was simple but cute. We bought Valentine pencils at Wal-Mart and made heart eraser toppers. Each one was personalized for the receiver by Sloane. The one in the picture is for her best friend at school and is a little BIG. Love it!

snowing again

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my new Ziggy book and animal books ~ Sloane
medicine ~ Relyn
Dr. Moose ~ Jeffrey

Another dad-gum snow day; shoot! Oh well, at least I didn't have to use a sick day.

the biggest, tallest, best snowman EVER

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Ibu and Bapak came to my game last night even though they had been gone for a week and were tired. ~ Sloane
the way that Sloane and Jeffrey take care of me when I am ill ~ Relyn
Sloane's enthusiasm for reading ~ Jeffrey

I am sick today. Jeffery and Sloane sweetly put me to bed as soon as I got home. Heavenly being cared for by two people who love me so much.

lucky number 8

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a great day at school ~ Sloane
we're back to school - YAY ~ Relyn
helping my colleagues find great books ~ Jeffrey

she's hoping to steal my zebra hat

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Ibu and Bapak made it home safely. ~ Sloane
Jeffrey and I figured a lot of things out about church today. ~ Relyn
Uncle Arlen is home from the hospital. ~ Jeffrey

Today's sermon was so good. Isn't it amazing the way that God so often uses a sermon to teach you what you need at the just the time you need to hear it? I just love that.

Hurley Methodist

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hiking ~ Sloane
the way Jeffrey never minds turning around so I can try to get the picture ~ Relyn
I really, really love the snow! ~ Jeffrey

We went for a hike today and it was gorgeous. We grabbed lunch at Subway and ate it outside in the snow. It reminded me of another snow picnic Jeffrey and I has when we were dating. I still smile just thinking about those kisses.

lunch at Taylor's

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books ~ Sloane
Dr. Hearty is a terrific doctor and really cares about Sloane ~ Relyn
my new sights ~ Jeffrey

We were on the way home tonight when Jeffrey saw two girls had gotten themselves stuck in a some slush going into a parking lot. Of course he pulled over and so did several other men. I was so thankful that we live in a place where people stop to help each other, no questions asked, no hurrying by. I love that.

the first game

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Lauren gets to be here ~ Sloane
getting to be here during the blizzard ~ Lauren
Sloane and Lauren's friendship~ Relyn
a chance to rest my back ~ Jeffrey

It was another quiet day around here; so cold the girls didn't want to go outside and play. They basically spent the day creating. Creating calendars, games, cheers, LPS games... Aren't kids incredible?

The picture today was from two days ago just after the girls' first volleyball game.

bird mask and chalk

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marshmallows ~ Sloane
I got to come here and we are all safe and warm. ~ Lauren
Persephone's safe delivery. ~ Relyn
I was able to get our car unstuck this afternoon. ~ Jeffrey

Today is a big day in our family. My brother became a father today. Persephone Arsinoe Chrisner was born today at 22:15. She is 8 pounds 14 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. Her father is completely smitten and her grandparents met her and held her and loved her on sight. The first thing my father did was hold her close and pray over her. The first thing my mother did was cuddle her and sing Jesus Loves Me to her. Welcome to this wonderful, beautiful world, sweet Persephone.

thingamajig

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dogs ~ Sloane
snow day ~ Relyn
the electricity stayed on ~ Jeffrey

Today was a snow day after a blizzard. I spent it being pretty lazy; we all did. One thing I managed was to sort through more St. Louis pictures. I really like today's.