HAPPY THANKSGIVING
to each of you!

We are having a lovely day, with so much to be thankful for. We hope all of you are doing well, and that you have a blessed day also.

With love,
Steve, Natalie
Seth and
Haddie

Constant Entertainment

I thought I'd share with you some amusing things we've heard our kids say, as well as some recent pictures.
*Seth saw Steve and I kiss and he asked if we were married. ;o) We said yes we are, and I also said something like "when you're older you might get married too." He replied with an excited but worried, "But, I don't have a ring!"

(Ironically, just as the weather turned cold, Seth began a new phase of trying to remove his clothing whenever possible!)

*When Seth was about three years old, we were having a conversation about how he used to be in my tummy. This is how Seth thinks he got there... “I was soooo little, and I went in your nose and went down into your tummy.” Hehe. Something like that.

*A few months later while talking about the same thing, Seth said, “When I was in your tummy, did you swallow me?..... Were my clothes wet?” He couldn't figure out why a baby in a mother's tummy wouldn't be wearing clothes. Cute.

*Apparently Haddie hears this… Starting at about 13 months, whenever I am holding her and I open the pantry door, she says, “Ummmm”.

* Here Haddie is doing "Angels" on the kitchen floor. ;o)

* Seth balanced a baby medicine measuring spoon on a pot and turned on the water. Then he said, "Hey, what do you think? It's a rain gauge!" He he he. I love his imagination!

*My aunt and her husband were visiting from Texas, and we were all having a meal together. Seth looked over at Sam, her husband, and after studying him for a while, remarked, “You have a Mr. Potato Head!” (He is bald on top.) Oh, dear!

* I started wondering why Haddie was randomly saying the word "mean". Then a couple days ago I figured it out. Haddie was eating a carrot and then she purposely dropped it on the ground. Next she patted her leg with her hand and said, "Mean-a, whe-a-ou?" Meshach came running and the light went on. "Meshach, where are you?" No wonder Meeshie likes Haddie so much!

* Steve had the fun idea to let the kids do some "winter camping" in our playroom with the tent. They have had a GREAT time!

*Until Seth was about three years old, even though he could repeat almost any word, he continued to call basketball “shalla-ball”. Therefore, basketball hoop was “shalla-ball boop”.

*A commonly heard phrase at our house is, "It's almost time to go (where ever). We just have to pack up." At three and a half, Seth was highly impressed and excited when we told him that we don’t have to “pack up” when we go to Heaven.

* For some reason, our kids have a fascination with being in "jail." In this picture they are, of course, in jail.

Implementing a Friend's Good Idea

I happen to be a pack rat. It is a habit I am working on. ;o) However, about a year ago my pack rat tendencies actually paid off a bit. I had been in the habit of saving all the cards we have received since we were married five and a half years ago (ok... I guess that sounds a little extreme! I'm getting better!). Anyway, last year I came across a fun idea that a friend had shared. She wrote about how, after Christmas season, a person could take all their Christmas cards and put them in a basket. Then, the person could periodically pull out a card and pray for whoever happened to be on the card. I liked the idea a lot, but with four extra hands around my house (that means 40 sticky fingers) I figured a basket just wouldn't do for our family. Soooo, I gathered up Christmas cards (and graduation invites) from the last two years (I wasn't up for the task of going any further than that! Hehe!), and put them in a large photo album. I put the album on a wooden tray on our dining room table, along with a children's Bible story book and a nice violet from Granny! Several times a week we read to Seth and Haddie at the table before they get down after meals, and then after story time we pull out the photo album (known fondly as the "prayer book" by Seth.) We've enjoyed this so far. It's a fun way to remember to pray for all the special people in our life!
So, if you've sent a Christmas card in the last couple years, or if you send one in the future, you'll be in our book! :o)

Some Randoms ; )

I had big plans to write up a post tonight, but it seems I used up all my energy on when I decided on a whim to clean out/organize a bunch of drawers through out our house. I should have done before and after pics. (Or maybe not. That might have been a bit embarrassing!) ;o) Anyway, here are some random pics from the past week. We took Seth and Haddie to a "Teddy Bear Band" at a near-by school one evening. The auditorium was full of young children and their teddy bears. A band at the front played some really fun music. The kids had a great time! Above Seth is dancing with his friend.

Haddie got into the dancing too!! Here she was spinning around - looks like she wasn't following the directions for the dance, according to the older kids laying on the ground!

Haddie trying out her winter coat and boots.

Seth can't wait till we have good snow for making snow balls! (Haddie watch out!)

Hot Soup for Cold Days

Recently I made this soup for a pastor's wives gathering and someone asked for the recipe, so I thought I'd share it here.
My friend Kelly originally gave me the recipe and I loved it as soon as I tried it (Any other Olive Garden fans out there? I really like Olive Garden's Italian soup, "Zupa Tuscana," and I think this recipe tastes a lot like it. Just leave out the tomatoes if you want the soup as close to O.G. as possible....although it's great with the tomatoes too!) : )

Italian soup
1 onion (The first time I made it, I used a frozen mixture of red, yellow and green peppers and onion. About one large cup total. This worked well too.)
2 cloves garlic, or the equivalent in dried minced garlic
1 1/2 - 2 large boxes chicken broth (I like the taste of powdered chicken bouillon, so that's what I hand on hand and used, mixed with water to make chicken broth)
1 lb. mild Italian sausage, browned
3 medium potatoes, diced or sliced with skin on
1 can tomatoes, or chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tsp. thyme
fresh spinach, arugula, or frozen or dried spinach
Parmesan cheese
*Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add broth, sausage, potatoes, tomatoes, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add spinach or arugula just before serving. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Hope you enjoy!

Catchin' Up (family, friends, & fun)

I thought I should put up some fun pics to show what we've been up to lately. We've been doing well (except for a brief flu bug for myself - we're thankful the rest of the family didn't get it!). Hope all of you are doing well also. This straw bail pic was taken a little while back (courtesy of Jess!). We do have a dusting of snow now, but I just love fall, so I wanted to put up one more fall picture before the winter ones come! :) (Side note: I don't know why this segment comes up underlined! I keep trying to undo that but it stays the same! Oh well.) We recently met Jess, Uncle Rob, Aunt Jen, Caleb and Daniel at Chuck-E- Cheese. Seth was thrilled! Haddie had fun too, once she got used to the atmosphere. You can see here she is a bit unsure about her first "ride". ; ) Haddie and Daniel checking out the games.

The blonde boys, Caleb and Seth.

Steve helping the kids. This "squirt gun game" was Seth's favorite. : )

We had a great time visiting with friends we don't get to see too often (the girls were having fun in their white tees!).

Steve and I had a chance to get away recently. We had a wonderful time staying with friends in another town, and the kids had a wonderful time celebrating in their costumes with Grandpa Doug, Grandma Barb, Aunt Megan, Uncle Andy, and cousin Hayden. Haddie was pumpkin, Hayden was a turtle, and Seth was, of course, Batman. (Here Haddie was a bit upset about putting her outfit on. She hates to be dressed!)

The night before our trip we took the kids to see Grandpa Dewey and Grandma Sheila. Seth and Haddie enjoyed a tractor ride! Steve, Haddie, and "Ezmeralda" the kitty. : )

Having fun on the saddles.

"Hey, chicken, do you see my shadow?"

Granny and Haddie, chillin' at the farm.

Seth, pretending to ride the 4-wheeler. : )

Windmill at the farm.

We enjoyed a visit from my Aunt Teresa and her husband Sam. Haddie got to meet them for the first time!

I just thought I would throw this one in here because the flowers are so pretty. A lady from church gave me these beautiful roses last week. That was so sweet of her, wasn't it? I love multi-colored roses!
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you all have great day!

Fears and HOPE

Fear. It isn't a stranger to me. It probably isn't to you either. I know today many are filled with fear that the presidential candidate of their choice will not be elected. Sometimes fear is debilitating. It can cause us to become sucked into a downward spiral of emotions, leaving us feeling drained, depressed, scared, and sometimes hopeless.


I wanted to write about hope today. Although I do have strong convictions about various issues, I have made it through this election year without a lot of fear in the end result. That isn't to say, however, that I have made it through this year without a glimpse of fear to plague my heart. At various times in my life fear has been a real and monstrous problem for me. I have been afraid that we wouldn't make enough money to live as comfortably as I'd like. I've been afraid that we would have to move when I didn't want to move. I think the biggest fear has been that one of my family members, specifically my children, would suffer pain. Or then there's the new one; that I would die at a young age and leave my children without a mother. Sometimes my fears have brought me to the point of lying in bed, late at night, my body stiff with anxiety, my mind numb and blurred from worry.


Thankfully, that isn't where my story stops. Every time I have found myself wracked with fear, I have heard a gentle voice speaking hope. I believe in a God who holds this world in his hands. A God who is never taken by surprise, even though I may be. My God can, and does work all things together for good, even when I may hate a particular situation, and want out of it in the worst way. Each time He has whispered to me, "Trust me. Take hope in my everlasting love. I will never leave you or forsake you." Each time His words have held true. Each time He has taken the frayed pieces of my life as I have seen it, and woven together a better situation than I could have imagined. But that's what I should expect. He can see and understand things that we can not. I am learning to trust Him more and more. I am learning to have hope even when I don't know how things are going to work out. I am also learning that my hope is not found in living in a certain house or town. My hope is not even found in health or long life or a certain president. My hope is found in Christ alone. He has saved me and I know that I am His, regardless of what might happen on this earth.
My earnest prayer is that all of you have the same hope to bring you through any fears or hard situations you may face.
(A couple more things... I wanted to include a quote from a man whose child is suffering from Leukemia, as he is facing the possibility of the very thing that I have feared. He has hope. It makes a difference. If you want to read it, see below. I've also included a link to a video that is fitting to my theme. Thanks.)

*video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8welVgKX8Qo

*From Brent Riggs:
Thirty percent. That number haunts me.
That’s the percentage chance that my daughter will die from Leukemia. Almost a one out three chance. Originally, her prognosis was in the 90% range but the high risk complications have put her in a different range.
“Oh, but look at the bright side, there’s a 70% chance she’ll live.”
“You just need to have faith and trust God.”
“Think positive thoughts, don’t have a negative confession.”
“God has a plan, His best is ahead for you.”
“Just be thankful for the time you still have with her.”
“I know it’s hard but time will heal.”
Well thanks for clearing that up for me. I don’t doubt the well meaning sincerity of folks who make such statements, but it most likely betrays a lack of life experience with tragedy and loss.
My wife and I don’t hide from the reality that Abby might die. We don’t avoid the issue fearing a “negative confession” will somehow be the catalyst for God saying “well, you didn’t have enough faith, so I’m just not going to have to let her die.”
Friends, if God could be forced to heal someone by the sheer number of faithful prayers, Abby would have been miraculously healed long before now. We miss the real blessing by that kind of thinking. There are literally THOUSANDS of people all over the world praying for her, praying for us. The REAL blessing of Abby’s ordeal is the number of people who have been uplifted by her story, who have turned to God in prayer, who have shown the love of Christ by serving and caring… and most importantly by the countless numbers of unsaved folks who have seen a real God in the real lives of real people show real love. That has a real impact on those who don’t really know God.
Openly facing the very real possibility of Abby’s death is NOT tantamount to giving up, losing heart or lacking faith. Every person in human history has either died, or will die. It is a fact of our existence. God numbers the days of each person, and just as He breathed in the breath of life, He determines when that breath will end. It is not our place to question it, make some futile attempt to derail it, or engage in some shallow positive thinking while crossing our fingers behind our back.
Like Job, in the Bible, we are to thank God for what He gives, and bless Him for what He takes back. My wife, with one comment the other day, showed more grasp on this than anyone I know. Now keep in mind, this is a mother, speaking about her daughter, whom she spent all her time, emotions and resources adopting just a couple of years ago:
“I know Abby might die. The worse we have to face is that she will go and be with God for a while, and we will see her again soon. I just want to enjoy her as much as I can now in case we have to say goodbye.”
Compare that statement to the empty list of platitudes above. Which has the real comfort? Which has the real eternal perspective? Which has the real faith? Which is real?
What heartache or tragedy are you facing today? Do you see the foundational truth in my wife’s statement? The underlying principle is “temporary” versus “eternal”. If you know God, then whatever suffering, loss or pain you are experiencing right now IS TEMPORARY. It is “for a little while” then God will make all things new, all things well, and all things restored.
There is a 30% chance our daughter will die. It is reality. We don’t act like it isn’t. We don’t avoid it any more than we avoid taking heart in her 70% chance of recovery. They both matter. Both possibilities are… well, they are possibilities. We don’t try to paint a pretty face on a tough situation. Even more real though is that we will spend all eternity with Abby, in God’s presence, cancer-free, regardless of what happens in this vapor of life. That’s where the joy and thankfulness springs from.
There’s a 100% chance that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us in our darkest hours. It is that 100% chance that allows us to embrace the present trials with hope and certainty. THAT is reality.
So with King David we say, “…and yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”. The Lord is our Shepherd. The Lord is Abby’s Shepherd.
I’m 100% sure of that. ~ Brent (see http://www.brentriggs.com/?ItemID=305) or http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/