His Love

It's not in what we give
or in what we receive.
It's not in money spent
but rather what we believe.

It's not found in a store
or from shopping online.
It's something else completely
that makes this season divine.

It's something that brings joy.
It's something that brings peace.
Something so wonderful
that it's truly a masterpiece.

We can feel it all around us
and see it in the air.
When we know the true meaning
no Earthly thing can compare.

So don't get lost in the crowd
and all the commercial things,
but rather get lost it Him
in our King of Kings.

All throughout the year
and not just in December
it is in Him and His love
that we should always remember.

As you spend time with family
and visit with old friends
feel His love around you
and from you let it extend.

Deverie Bradley
December 2009

Introducing Our Lil' Man

With 2 weeks to go, the doctor told us that the baby could come at anytime, so we started getting things ready.  The house got cleaned room by room, things got put into storage and taken to the DI, baby clothes were brought out, we got a cradle, and thought alright, any time would be great!  And we waited, counted contractions, went for long walks and waited some more.  With one week to go, the doctor was kinda surprised we were there, but still said we could go at any time.  So we went for more long walks, ate spicy food, counted more contractions, and waited some more!  On his due date, we went to the doctor again, and he was really surprised we were there.  He said he expected us to call during Thanksgiving dinner, and he even stayed in town so he would be here, but the baby was stubborn and decided to wait.  Luckily the doctor took pitty on me and decided to get us in and induce us the day after we were due.  So we went home and made a few more preperations and got ready.  On Wednesday morning at 8:30 a we got a phone call from the hospital asking if we could be there by 9 to get started.  So we rushed to get ready, got Lil’ Beastie taken care of and went to the hospital, only to wait some more!  The couple that was scheduled after us went into labor on their own that morning so, since we werent in labor we got to wait.  About 10:15 we got settled into our room, and after a couple rounds of musical nurses, we got things started.  6 hours later, Lil’ Man made his appearance!  He was born at 4:29 PM weighing in at 8 lbs 13 oz and measuring 22 in long.  He was wide awake and wanted to eat first thing.  We are really glad he is finally here.  He has been a great baby so far.  He eats really well, sleeps well, and even stays awake for more than 5 minutes at a time.  Lil’ Beastie was not really sure what to think about him at first, but now she loves to give him kisses, and snuggle him.  She even likes to pretend to nurse her new doll “Happy Baby” while mom nurses Lil’ Man.  She is going to make a great older sister.

The Results Are In...

Thank-you everyone who voted. Thanks to those votes, I WON!!!! 4-3 thanks to Cortney's vote. Sean and Brittany you guys are weird! Chocolate and Peanut Butter are way better! :) Katie came to the conclusion that it is a family thing, with a few weird people who are different. No matter what it is, I win!

Peanut Butter vs. Caramel

Katie and I have to settle a disagreement so I need everyone's vote!
Chocolate and Peanut Butter or Chocolate and Caramel?
I am going to tally up the votes on Friday the 20 at 11:58 in the P.M.
Just leave a comment with your vote!
Feel free to ask everyone in your family and include their choice in your comment!
Oh and only vote if you are on my side!
Thanks!

These are a few of the pictures taken at our family reunion this summer. Most of these are in front of Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Jame's cabin in Chesterfield. It was fun. Thanks Brianne for doing the pictures. Love to all.

My Mom Did What?!

Anyone who knows my mom knows that she is very "Cocky" in the kitchen. She won't deny that she is, her response is always, "I know I'm a good cook!" She will even talk about her ego. For Kenadee's birthday she wanted to make her this really cool cake, well my mom isn't exactly a cake decorator. Lucky for her, our good friend and neighbor Katie, is. Katie is very talented so my mom asked her if she would be willing to come over and help with the cake. Katie agreed.
I didn't know that I would ever see the day that my mom would have someone teaching her how to do something in her own kitchen! So of course I had to take pictures. You can thank me later!

It started off good, light and casual. Both of them working together like any good team.

My mom then started frosting the bottom piece of the cake so Katie just sat back and let her go.


Then came the time for the next layer of cake to be frosted and this is when the tension began!


Here we have my mom continuing to work and Katie trying very hard not to hover too much as she watched my mom work! Remember Katie is a professional!

I think this is where Katie had had enough and decided to take over!

I'm pretty sure this was when I reminded them to share and the teamwork came back into focus!
See look, they are taking turns! My doing of course!

Still sharing! I am such a good influence on them!

The time came when my mom had to step back and let the professional work!

C'est fini! Don't you love the work I do?!

Update

I guess I am in the 'dark' 'cause I don't use facebook, so I don't know what is going on in everyone's lives. Darren looks at facebook once in a while so he keeps me updated that way.

We are all doing well. It is good to have Deverie home again. We missed her but from the pictures she took, it looks like she had a wonderful time. She set her camera up to the tv the other night when Logan was here and we watched her 'slide show.' She really did take a lot of pictures.

We had our 2nd reunion with our family at Lava Hot Springs last weekend. It was so fun to have all of our little family together. We number 16 now with number 17 due the end of November. Wow! We are really growing. I will send pictures as soon as Brianne sends them to me.

We went to Grandma Ruth and Grandpa James' cabin in Chesterfield for lunch on Saturday. It was cool to see what work has been done on the cabin. We told the kids a little of the history behind the cabin and why it was moved to the townsite. We sure hope they appreciate their heritage. We ate lunch in the cabin and then took pictures outside of it. That was a fun afternoon. Then we went to the cemetery and showed the kids where family members are buried.

We didn't get a chance to float the river 'cause it was really crowded. The weather was great, except it rained Sunday morning. Then just as we were leaving, it really started to rain. It rained on us all the way home. What a fun weekend.

Next year Brianne and Charlie will be in charge, so we will see where we end up.

That is our little family update. Love to everyone. Darren and Tina