Merry Christmas!!

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was very nice. I had to work a couple of days while my parents were down here, but other than that we were at Leann and Ryan's house most of the time. Saturday there was a huge snow storm (while I was working) and it was blizzard conditions. It was so crazy. However, after all that, we all were together. This is a picture of all the grand kids. Can you believe it? It is a full house with all of us together. I guess that Mom and Dad should be thankful they only had two children!

Here are Richard and I with our coffee. How did we all get along without Starbucks? Gotta love it!! Obviously here are Ryan and Leann. Notice how Richard and I and Ryan and Leann do not have any children in our picture. That was a lot of work to keep them out of the picture.

Here are mom and dad at my house. Of course Wilson needed to be in the picture too as he is part of the family. He was very good staying here with Jasmine while we were off at Leann and Ryan's house. Good Dogs!!

And of course there is the traditional making of the gingerbread house. The kids and I worked on this Christmas day. We literally had it up for an hour and then ate it! It was really good. Apparently if you don't let ginger bread houses sit out for days at a time then they don't break your teeth when you bite into them. Who knew? Happy Holiday's everyone!

A Boy and His Dog

Yesterday Jacob was sitting by Jasmine (our dog who used to be Leann and Ryan's dog) and was starting to discuss with me how things work in the dog world. Jacob said that first the boy dog and the girl dog have to get married. Then the mom dog "has to stay home with her babies and the babies drink milk from the mom." He continued on, "the dad dog.....well....he goes out and goes hunting!" Ha! Have a great day everyone!

New Family Members (Again)

These pictures were from a couple days ago when we acquired new members to the family. The first picture is to show our Christmas tree. It is pitiful, but it was $10 so I am happy about it. I think that it is funny that the kids are almost as tall as it. Anyway, this next picture is Aaron and Jacob with their new fish, frog and shrimp. They love them, though the shrimp are really hard to find.

The girls had been begging for a hamster (Alyssa) and rat (Rebekah) so last week one of Richard's students was moving so they were giving away 2 cages and one hamster. They came with everything so all we had to get is the rat. The girls were so very happy. Rebekah named hers Mickey and Alyssa's is named Peaches.

I babysit Isabelle and Gideon every Tuesday and Wednesday while Leann and Ryan have meetings. So I took these pictures today as I think that these demonstrate the difference between boys and girls. You will notice that Isabelle is smiling nicely. The boys however, Gideon was squinting at me the whole time (because he thought it was funny) and Jacob was roaring at me. Boys! They are hilarious. Have a wonderful day everyone!

Thanksgiving

I hope that you all had a wonderful thanksgiving, I know that we did (even though I am not smiling in my picture, oh well). We had Thanksgiving by ourselves. It was very relaxing and we just made whatever our favorite things were. I even used my christmas goblets (which I usually forget that I have until after the holidays are over, go figure) so I was very proud of myself. We then decorated for Christmas. We listened to Christmas music while doing it, though I must confess that I have been listening to Christmas music for a while now. Actually, Leann and I always were listening to it in October when growing up so really, I am late! Then last night (Friday, the day after Thanksgiving) we got about an inch of snow. It is really pretty. The kids are having a great time playing in it. It is not sticking to the road or anything so that makes it very nice for us drivers. Richard had just got done cleaning out the garage yesterday so we could put our cars in there and then it snowed. I am so glad that he got that done. It is super nice not to have to get snow off the car. This is the first time that we have ever had a garage our whole married life. In North Carolina there were very few people that even had a garage on their house. Mom and Dad have been in Oregon over this Thanksgiving break and they should be back late tonight to their home. I know that they have had a fabulous time. Richard and I went and got our driver's licence changed over so we are officially part of Kansas now. Have a great weekend everyone!

Haiti Mission Trip

I would like to petition everyone for prayers as I will be (lord willing) going on a mission trip to Haiti, March 16-21. This will be to minister to the children in the orphanage and the community. My last mission trip was 2 years ago to New Orleans. It was when Hurricane Katrina had hit. It was a life changing experience. I am arranging for time off from school and work so that I may go. I would like to start applying for my passport next month so that I can be ready. God has blessed me with a husband who encourages me to go on these mission trips and is willing to be a parent by himself for a week. We are blessed that he is a teacher and it will be spring break for us. If you would like to look at the website it is http://haitichurchofchrist.org/ We will be organizing activities for the kids and visiting the hospital there. Please pray for the safety of all going and that everything that needs to be done will be done smoothly. Love, Mary

Check out my Slide Show!

I am trying to figure out how to use this slide show. I really like it, it is a lot of fun! These are pictures of Halloween. Then the others are just this weekend when we brought mom back home. Dad had gone hunting that morning and got a deer within a half hour. So my kids got to experience what it was like to slice up a deer! Oh, the memories. Alyssa didn't want to go outside so I only have one picture of her looking at the deer. It is cold in Nebraska! I think that Rebekah looks really scary for Halloween. We decorated our trunk of our car for Trunk or Treat at church. We had 30 cars there participating and over 300 kids showed up from the community. It was a lot of fun. Richard was very scary because he was in all black and would stand really still so people didn't know he was real until he moved. Have a wonderful day everyone! I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Sydney Evangeline

I am so happy that we have finally got to see Sydney. She is one precious little girl. Of course I needed to put this picture of Alyssa and Isabelle on here too. They are the best of friends. Every time the cousins see each other, it is like it has been years. So here are some pictures of us holding her. Enjoy!!

I would like to say that I went over to Leann and Ryan's house today and I still have not seen Sydney open her eyes. She is just very tired, either that or she is trying to ignore me!

October LiveWire

Ryan, Leann, Isabelle, and Gideon got to go with the kids and I to live wire. So I brought my camera and we had a great time. Rebekah and Isabelle were the only ones who had time to get their faces painted. Isabelle's is a ladybug and Rebekah has a heart. Aaron is in the background, I am not sure what he is doing.

Isabelle and Gideon were playing on the younger kids' moon bounce. My kids were scattered among the large moon bounces. This is a picture of the free pizza that we get there! Yahoo! Leann is in the back then Alyssa, Jacob, Rebekah, and Gideon. I know that Isabelle was in there somewhere, but I think she moved as I took the picture.

Here is Isabelle with her daddy. Isn't it so cute? I think that it is funny that Leann is in the background, ready for her picture to be taken! We have been trained well. Smile for the picture! Hope you all have had a terriffic weekend. The new baby arrives in two days. Pray for Leann's saftey and the Baby's. Love you all!

Famous Quote

Recently, I heard a quote that really impacted me. This quote was from Joan of Arc who said "I am not afraid... I was born to do this." This reminds me that as Christians, telling others about Jesus is what we were born to do. He gives us the strength and the ability when we feel we do not know how. After reading this quote, I came upon another quote from her: "One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying." What do we believe? How do we express that in our life?

The Zoo Again

This is Alyssa working on her costume. She is going to be a cowgirl, but her hat was grey and boring. We decided that it would be much more exciting if she would paint it. It also has glitter on it, but you can't tell. Friday I took all the kids (including Leann's) to the zoo. We had a lot of fun. We only stayed for a couple hours since we have a zoo pass (thank you mom and dad). It is nice to not have to see everything all at one time. We got to see the Lion, which Isabelle loved. She did not want to move on.

I had to take this last picture really fast because Isabelle was sliding off the back. I think this is a monkey. Rebekah watched Gideon the whole time and Alyssa watched Isabelle. It sure is nice to have older kids to watch the younger ones. Have a wonderful day.

Moving Day

It has finally happened. Leann and Ryan have moved down here. It was a very long weekend for them, but they are here. I am sure that Leann will blog about everything so I will not write about moving day. They did have lots of help from everyone so it didn't take too long for them to unload. I now get to babysit my neice and nephew for a few hours each week. I am glad that I get to see them a lot. Maybe mom and dad will eventually move down here! (Hint Hint Mom and Dad!).

These are my handsome boys. Jacob had water on his shirt right before church, but it is amazing that is the only thing that was on him!

This is outside of our house right before church on Sunday. Even Jasmine's head is in there. She is right by Jacob if you can't find her.

Our preacher took this picture for us at church. Pretty soon we will have to have another one since there will be a new baby in the family. Thanks again Mom and Dad for helping with the move. They have been spending an awful lot of time down here in Wichita. I guess it will be our turn to go to Nebraska.

Dad's Birthday

Today is Dad's birthday. I am sorry that we couldn't be there. He is a lot of fun to be around and his sense of humor is great! I don't think that he knows what it means to be shy. I have seen a huge change in him from when Leann and I were younger. His relationship in God is so much stronger. He really personifies what it is to be a christian man. He is a very hard worker and I am so proud that he is my dad! I love you dad!

Jacob's 5th Birthday

We had a great time for Jacob's 5th birthday. He turned 5 on Sunday, but we celebrated his birthday on Saturday so he had some more time to play with his new toys. He got a big Shrek pillow and a power ranger from my Mom and Dad and then he got a Larry boy beanie baby and a Larry boy action figure with a car from Richard and I. Leann and Ryan gave him this ball that you stick on the window so that it looks like it has broken the window. He has been playing with all of them constantly and has a special place that he puts them all so that no one else can get them! Ryan and Leann were down here this weekend to go to an auction for Maude and so they brought some of their things down for us that they were not going to keep. It was very nice of them! Jasmine is now here living with us since Ryan and Leann are not able to have her at Maude. She is a wonderful dog. We also have their fish, which the kids will just sit in front of the aquarium watching them like TV. It is hilarious. The cake Jacob has is Larry boy, however I didn't make it very well, but he loved it. The candle is because I don't have a clue where my candles for cakes went, so he blew out one gigantic one!

LiveWire

It is a miracle, but I have found the cord to my camera which means I can actually download pictures that I take of the kids. Yahoo! These are pictures from Friday. We went to a gathering called LiveWire where there was free drinks, food, and games for families. Afterward they had christian music playing and a play about obeying God. It was really fun. Aaron has his face painted as a crocodile and Jacob has his as a monkey. Those poor girls who had to decorate their faces. The boys don't give you something easy. Then Rebekah is a rabbit and Alyssa is a tiger. They had a super time and I hope that Ryan and Leann can come with us next time since they will be down here by then. I love you all!

Goodbye

Clark Dale Whitehead Sr. (January 15, 1944 - September 13, 2007)

Clark Dale Whitehead Sr. of Tacoma WA. Born January 15, 1944 in Seattle WA Passed September 13, 2007 in Tacoma WA Survived by Patricia his wife of 31 years His Sister Caroline Olague of Whittier CA 6 Children Clark Whitehead Jr. of Spanaway WA Richard Durham of Wichita KS Christina Miller of Sperry OK Victoria Colburn of Lakewood WA Corina Whitehead of Tacoma WA Alexander Whitehead of Gig Harbor WA 19 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am Wednesday, September19, 2007 Orchard St. Church 3601 S. Orchard St. Tacoma, WA 98466 following the service will be a potluck gathering of family and friends at 1:00pm 2020 165th St Ct E Spanaway, WA 98387

We will miss you!!!

Going Home

I wanted to ask everyone for their prayers. Richard's mom called and told us that Richard's step father had passed away this morning. He has been ill for awhile. Richard's mom had quit her job to take care of him. He is out of pain now and home. Please keep the family in your prayers.

Dad and Mom

These are pictures from my parents going camping. It was over labor day weekend. Anyway, I just wanted to talk a minute about my parents. They are both very giving people and have always been ready and willing to help anyone who needs help. I do not think there has been many times where they have said "no" to helping someone. Even though I am only 3 1/2 hours away from them, I miss them a lot. Aaron told me the other day that when he grows up he wants to be "big and strong like Grandpa!" My parents are wonderful role models. Leann and I had a great childhood because of their dedication to God, the church and each other. I hope that Richard and I can carry that same torch for our children. I love them dearly!