Christmas Memories 2009

A few pics from Christmas...Samantha & her hubby Lee Anna and her hubby Corey
Sweet Bailey

Nanny & Jacob@ Mom's Christmas Eve.

It was a blessing seeing her up and walking around.

Thank you Lord for another year

with my *miracle* Nanny.

Mom & Jon

Please continue to remember my mom

she still is not doing very good at all.

Samantha & Katie

Hubby & Jacob Noah

Hubs, Bay,and Jacob

Look at Anna's tummy:)

She was 34.5 weeks on Christmas!

I love this pic:)

Miss Ashley

Making cookies 4 Santa on Christmas eve

Santa's cookies & milk

Christmas morning

We had a wonderful Christmas!

I'm still here!

Just wanted to stop by and say hello! We've been super busy these last few days,as I can imagine everyone has been. We had a wonderful Christmas.
We spent Christmas Eve at my Mom's. I just couldn't imagine not going home to Mom's on Christmas Eve. I am just so thankful that I still have my Mom & Nanny here this Christmas. I enjoyed spending time with them. They are so precious to me. I honestly didn't think that Nanny would make it this far ,but she has and I thank God for that. She just continues to amaze us all and actually she seemed to be doing better this week.
I was also thankful to have lil Bailey for a while Christmas eve. I appreciate her family for sharing her with us. She is just a special part of our family and just having her here made the day more special.
I was also thankful to have my hubby & kids here. I am just so blessed.
On Christmas Eve night, we took Bay home and we stayed there for a while and opened presents with her family. They have become like family to us. I really realized just how much when we were leaving and my Hubby told them that he loved them and to call us if they need us and they told us the same. It made me realize more than ever that we are on the same page. I just never dreamed that fostering would change our lives in this way. It's amazing!
After that, we came home and just had our own family time. Ashley & Jacob baked cookies for Santa while I finished wrapping gifts and the others watched movies.
Corey & Anna spent the night and I was glad to have them here. I know this will probably be the last year and that's okay. Next year they will have their own little girl and I'm sure they will want to spend Christmas night in their own home. But, I sure enjoyed having them.
I got so tickled watching Corey & Hubby playing with all of Jacob's toys from Santa. Even though Hubby nearly killed himself on Jacob's bike:) I think they stayed up until 2 AM just playing & laughing ...lol
Corey my son-in-law is the BIGGEST kid ever at Christmas. He kept trying to peep in when I was wrapping gifts:) Then he laid in the floor and begged to open just one present Christmas night:)... But I didn't give in. I made him wait all the way to morning.
At 5 AM,Samantha my other BIG kid came home and woke us all up by flipping on the light and telling us Santa came. So at 5 AM she made us all get up:) I love how my kids still get excited about Christmas...even the ones who are in their 20's. I've always tried to make Christmas special & exciting and I love that they still carry this on in their own lives.
We talked about the true meaning of Christmas and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and then we opened gifts. Later, Corey & Dylan ran to Waffle House to get us all breakfast. Then we just set around and watched Jacob play. It was just a calm wonderful Christmas day.
I'm kinda sad to see it end,although the spirit never has to end. I think Hubby feels the same way because when I walked in while ago from buying groceries, he had my Christmas CD's out playing. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.
We have wonderful family members and precious friends that continue to bless us year after year. We just can't thank them enough for all they've done for us. We really are blessed.
But above all...we have a Father in Heaven who continues to pour His love on us and for that we are so thankful. He is just so good.
I hope you & your family had a wonderful Christmas too. I hope that all your Christmas wishes came true. But above that, I hope you felt the presence of the one that made Christmas what it is...JESUS. He is what it's all about.

Our Wish For You

Dear family & friends,
I would like to take this time to wish each and every one of you a *CHRIST* filled Christmas, this year. My prayer is that God's love will surround you & your family and that the peace and joy that Christ has to offer will be with you and yours.
I hope this holiday is a blessed one for all of you and that you will find yourself surrounded by the ones you hold so dear. Have a safe, healthy,and happy Christmas.
God bless you every one.
Wth love, The Howell Family

Please keep Christ in your CHRISTmas. ~~~~~
Remember JESUS is the reaSON for the season.

The Legend Of The Candy Cane

A Candymaker wanted to make a candy that would help us remember who Christmas is really about. So he made a Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus. Hard candy to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation of the Church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the name of Jesus. It also represented the staff of the "Good Shepherd".

The candymaker then included red stripes. He used three small stripes and a large red stripe to represent the suffering Christ endured at the end of his life.

The candy became known as a Candy Cane - a decoration seen at Christmas time. The meaning has faded , but still gives joy to children young and old, whom Jesus loves and treasures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The true meaning of the Candy Cane


Look at the Candy Cane

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me


White is for my Savior

Who's sinless and pure!

"J" is for Jesus My Lord, that's for sure!



Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Was born for Me!

It's time for some fun!

Making cookies.

Lots of cookies.

Making Christmas cards.

Making our 1st gingerbread tree.

It turned out cute!

Good job Jacob,Trinton, and Bailey!

A new pic

Just thought I'd share a pic of Anna & her hubby Corey....and lil Brookelyn who is now 33 weeks inside her mommy's tummy.

They took this yesterday in front of my tree:) Anna is really showing now:) We are so thankful and excited about this precious gift that God has given us. If you would like to see updates on the baby, just click on the "Baby Updates" link at the top of my blog. I'll be updating more often as the time draws near for the arrival of our lil miracle *GRAND*-baby.

The perfect gift for those you love.

A Smoke Alarm Saved My Nanny & Uncle's Life Last Week!
Please Read....
We've all been told that smoke alarms save lives. Well, once more it was proven true.
Back a couple of months ago my nanny was complaining about having headaches and she thought she was smelling something like gas. I was concerned that it might be carbon monoxide. So I ran down to walmart and bought her a detector with a smoke alarm...yes you can get the combo.
She had a smoke detector that my mom bought her 20+ years ago that was still up in the hall. She had taken it down the first year she got it and took out the batteries ,because it kept going off due to being placed to close to her heater. So instead of moving it to another location, she just removed the batteries and put it back up.
Well, I took the new detector and put it up in her living room ,which is the main room she is in now. She no longer uses her bedroom because she can't get in and out of there very good.
Anyhow, to make this long story a little shorter...
My uncle had lite a candle on her coffee table and then he laid down on the couch and fell asleep. Nanny was asleep too. The candle was NOT in a jar .It was one of those round candles without a holder and he had placed it on a saucer. PLEASE DON'T EVER DO THAT. Well it burned down and ran off the saucer and caught the table on fire. The smoke detector went off and woke them from their sleep. By the time it woke them up the living room was blazing.
So do NOT think that smoke will wake you up...It won't. We took a safety class on this a few years ago and we were taught that smoke can actually put you in a deeper sleep. Had they not had the smoke detector it's a good chance that they would not be here today.
Every home needs a smoke detector, fire extinguisher, and a carbon monoxide detector if they have gas. If you don't have one please consider buying one. You can buy a smoke detector for under $10 at Walmart. Carbon monoxide detectors are a lil higher ,but isn't your family worth it?
This would be the perfect gift for those you love.
It's better safe than sorry and I don't want to loose any of you.((hugs)) Sandy ~~~~~~~Plus one more thing...okay maybe two...lolDecember is a popular month for house fires due to candles, live trees, fireplaces, and gift wrap.If you have a live tree keep it watered. A dry tree is very flammable.So do not take a chance and think that it won't happen to you. Houses can be replaced, but people can't.Another safety thing we were taught... Do not burn your wrapping paper, boxes, plastic wrap,etc(after you open gifts ) because these items can put off carbon monoxide poison in your home. Plus the paper can drift out of the chimney and set your house on fire.I'm just trying to keep you safe.((hugs)))

Congratulations!

Congratulations Lee & SamanthaI wish you all the very best in life.
They will be having a wedding & reception in April and all
family & friends are invited to join us in celebrating their new life together.
~*~*~*~

Our Lil Gingerbread House

It was sooooo much fun to make!!!!!!
And a lil messy:)

It turned out cute!

Good job Jacob,Bailey, and Ashley!

Now you can eat it...lol

Today's Devotion

1 Peter 2:9 (King James Version)
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light

Thoughts-
So many times we as Christians appear to be no different than anyone else in society. It is not necessary for us to physically appear odd, but our behavior should certainly appear to be odd in comparison with the traditional lifestyles and thinking of our culture. We view material wealth as blessings not possessions, doing good to someone who has wronged us, loving those who hate us, giving more than we can afford to a good cause ,neglecting even common sense ,but trusting in something much greater. By societies standards this behavior seems odd. We can be happy that we are odd enough to stand out and not blend into the crowd. The only cause for concern is when there is no difference.

Our Den Christmas Tree

Update from Howellville

Just stopping by from Howellville:)
I've been very busy these last few weeks, as you can tell by my lack of updates here.
Life has been a roller coaster for me.
If you drop down two posts you will see why
I've been sooooooo busy.
I've come to believe that God does not intend for
me to be lazy or to get bored.
So here's what's happening in our world right now...
This week we've celebrated Anna & my dad's birthday:)
Happy birthday Anna & Daddy!
~~~~
As I mentioned in my other post, DFCS sent me a letter the last week of November to inform me that they were short of staff and because of that they needed to move my yearly homestudy/ re-licensing up by two months...yes 2 months...which meant December... The busiest month of the year for me. So in other words, I've been trying to get everything done so that the head lady can come on out and complete our home study before Christmas or New Years.
My list of things to do looks like this....just in case you've ever wondered what foster parents have to do every year to be re-certified:) The first year is the hardest because you have so much more you have to do, but once you get that done, every year after looks kinda like this...
1.Background check on Brent...
which means we have to go be fingerprinted to be sure
that we are not criminals...we're not...I promise:)
2.Background check on Sandy
3.Form 404 on Sandy
4.Form 404 on Brent
5.Financial statement
6.Copy of insurance
7.Copy of license
8.Pet check up/shots
9.Foster re-evaluation in home...
Which means she goes through my house and checks my smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, medicine cabinets, baby latches & plugs, gun cabinet, checks to be sure my pool is locked and secure, baby gates, she even checks to see if the toilets flush, the cribs meet safety standards, and she checks for any health or safety hazards in my home. If she finds any problems she will tell us what needs to be done to correct it. Only twice has she ever had a problem and that was with our stairs the first year. We had to carpet them and put a permanent gate at the top and bottom and the year before last we had to fix our pool fence because the bars were spaced to far apart.
10.DFCS safety check/agreement plan
11.Verification of our training hours for 2009
12.CPR/first aid -adult and child
13.Basic water rescue training
14.Health & safety issues form
15.Physical on Brent
16.TB test on Brent
17.Physical on Sandy
18.TB test on Sandy
19.Physical on Katie
20. TB test on Katie
21.Physical on Ashley
22.TB test on Ashley
23.Physical on Jon
24.TB test on Jon
25.Physical on Jacob
26.Eye check ups & dental
27.Flu shots and update on immunizations.
Woooo.....see what I mean????
But guess what...
I've done over half of that just this week:)
I'm determined to get this done and behind me,
so that I can just relax and enjoy the Holidays.
Right now...
We are also in the middle of getting our house ready for Christmas. Hubby has been working long hours everyday this week...which is rough on him ,but the money is a blessing. We've been doing some shopping for family & friends...which is always fun:) and Hubby & I managed to squeeze in two dates this week... I know I'm spoiled:)
Yes, it is a very busy time of the year, but it is still one of my all time favorites.
I may not get to update everyday,but I will be stopping in from time to time to see how all of you are doing and I'll be adding lots of new pictures throughout the holidays...I promise. So stop by from time to time to see what's new:)
Have a great weekend everyone!

((hugs)) Sandy

Happy Birthday Anna!

Happy Birthday Anna!
I just can't believe that my 1st born baby is turning 20 today! Wow, it's amazing how fast the time goes. It seems just like it was only yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital and we were so excited about being blessed with such a precious lil girl.
You are such a wonderful daughter and you have brought so much joy to our lives.
We are so blessed to be your parents.
I hope you have a wonderful birthday sweetheart.
Love, Mom & Dad
(Anna's pic from 20 years ago 12/02/1989)
(Anna at 6 months)
(Anna around age 5)


(Anna around age 8)

(Anna age 19)...expecting her 1st daughter next February!

Guess What Time It Is??!!??

It's December!!!!!
It's the most wonderful time of the year...and the busiest for us.

The month of December is the month we decorate our home for the Holidays. First we put up our tree and all our favorite ornaments and keepsakes. Then the stockings get hung by the chimney with care.

It's the month we do lots of shopping and we try hard to find that that one special gift for the ones we love the most.
We enjoy watching all our favorite holiday movies.
It's the month that we listen to Christmas music everyday...
We love Christmas music!!!!!!!
We always build a gingerbread house or two:)
This is one of Jacob's favorite things in December.
Along with homemade cookies & milk
and don't forget the egg nog for Mom:)

And yes we take too many pictures... if there really is such a thing.

On the calendar for this month...
We have Four birthdays!
My oldest turns another year older.
Wow! Where has the time gone?
Happy birthday sweet Anna.
It's also "Happy Birthday" to my Nanny & my dad too.
But the greatest birthday of all is the end of this month...
and it's that birthday that makes this month so very special.

We have one dentist appointment for Jacob and an orthodontist apt for Jon.

And Anna has an OB checkup to be sure lil Brookelyn is still doing good.
Can you believe she is already 31 weeks along????

We also received our yearly DFCS re-certification check list...two months early...grrr

So as you can imagine we've got tons to do before the end of the year. Normally we handle this in Feb,but the state is behind and that is why it has to be done this month...grrrr

Among the other things we have to do....

DFCS wants us to all have complete health screenings on the whole family this month.
We have to go and take a 4 hour class. Then take 5 more hours of classes online and

some how squeeze in another class somewhere this month....grrrr

as you can tell I'm not thrilled with DFCS deciding to pop this on us,not right here during the

busiest month of the year, but it will get done.

But we are looking forward to...

Our annual trip to have breakfast & pictures with

Santa and the foster family Christmas party.

We will be joining our friends for a trip

to Pettit creek Farms .
Along with three Christmas parties with family & friends.

And we are excited about this years Christmas play at our church.

My son will be playing the part of a shepherd.

Yes, we have tons to do and we are already counting down...

to Christmas!!!!

It's so exciting!

We are all excited about Santa's visit.

But the greatest thing about December is that it is

Jesus birthday!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Thank you so much for all you've done for us.

You are the greatest gift of all!!!

Yes, you are the reason for this very special season!