Babysitting

One thing I really like about babysitting is the fact that I get to take lots of pictures of really cute kids! Usually I have to warm the kids up to the idea of having their picture taken (depending on the child...), but once they get used to it, they have fun making me take lot of pictures of them. While most of the faces they make are "silly" or "cool," I manage to sneak in a few shots of them when they are actually smiling, and those are the pictures I usually end up keeping.

When it comes to making them smile normally, this can be a challenge, not only because they want to make weird faces, but also because their "camera smile" looks fake and rather silly. Example:

And:

But if you turn the whole picture taking time into a game, and make them laugh or smile at something you say, you can get some really cute pictures:








Aren't they both so cute?!


"I will praise You, O Lord,
among the nations;
I will sing of You among the
peoples.
For great is Your love,
reaching to the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches
to the skies."

Psalm 57:9-10

Psalm 119


4 You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.

5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!

6 Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws.

8 I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me.

Psalm 119:1-8

Verse of the Day


"It is God's will that you should be sanctified:"
1 Thessalonians 4:3a (emphasis added)

Christmas Tree!


On Saturday, my family (minus Heidi) went to get our Christmas tree! We went dressed for the worst - gloves, boots, winter coats, etc., since we have had some not-so-good experiences with having to drive halfway across the farm in a field of mud and tramp around in our church shoes searching for the perfect Christmas tree. But thankfully this year we found the perfect one in the group of already-cut-down trees, and we just had to pick it up (or should I say, the boys just had to pick it up :)) and rope it to the top of the van. Here are some pictures:


Isn't he cute?!?!

Here it is! Our be-a-u-tiful tree!!



The only problem with the tree is that it is REALLY prickly!!! Ouch...


"Ooohh, Mom, it's freezing out here!"


My rather unsuccessful attempt at taking Ben out of the picture, since he ruined it with one of his ridiculous faces (if you have a brother, you know what I'm talking about). ;)


Here's a better one, but it turned out blurry :(.


A rather terrible picture of both of us. Oh well.


"Can we...*jump*...please...*shiver*...go NOW?"

"Why do you have to take so many pictures?"



And here's quite a good picture of Ben, one of the few where he's actually smiling.

Thanksgiving!


Happy Thanksgiving!

As I was thinking this week of what I am thankful for, the Lord came foremost to my mind. What better can I be thankful for besides my heavenly Father? I decided to come up with a relatively short list (compared to how long it could be!) of reasons I found in the Bible to be thankful for our God. Here it is:


The Lord...

...is the Maker of heaven and earth (Ps. 124:8)
...is good (Ps. 135:3)
...determined the number of stars and calls them each by name (Ps. 147:4)
...reigns (Ps. 96:10)
...is great and mighty (Ps. 147:5)
...'s thoughts outnumber the grains of sand (Ps. 139: 17-18)
...created my inmost being (Ps. 139:13)
...delights in those who fear Him (Ps. 147:11)
...looks upon the lowly, even though He is on high (Ps. 138:6)
...searches the heart and examines the mind (Jer. 17:10)
...is righteous (Ps. 129:4)
...heals the brokenhearted (Ps. 147:3)
...sustains the humble (Ps. 147:6)
...will fulfill His purpose for me (Ps. 138:8)
...searches me and knows me (Ps. 139:1)
...is great, greater than all gods (Ps. 135:5)
...'s name endures forever (Ps. 135:13)
...has exalted above all things His name and His word (Ps. 138:2)
...hems me in and has lain His hand upon me (Ps. 139:5)
...has ordained all my days (Ps. 139:16)
...raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him (1 Peter 1:21)
...is the Rock of our salvation (Ps. 95:1)
...is the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8)
...is my God, in whom I trust (Ps. 91:2)

HE is the one I want to praise and always give thanks for!

The Farm

A couple weekends ago we got to go out to the A's farm to get together with the church and some people who came up from the DR. The weather was pretty good, although it was cloudy and a bit chilly most of the time. We were just glad it didn't rain!! We got to build a fire in the evening, and heard some good DR guitar playing and singing!

It's such a pretty farm:



Some of us girls went for a walk:

Friends!!: <3

While we were there I got the change to take pictures of the little girls....some of the cutest kids to take pictures of!!:






Pinta and Nina

Last Friday we went with some friends to see the Pinta and the Nina, replicas of two of the ships Colombus sailed in 1492. They were so small!!

We had such a beautiful day to go downtown and see them, which made the trip all the better!






I love our city: :)





Psalm 115



1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us
 but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.

2 Why do the nations say,
"Where is their God?"

3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.

11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.

12 The LORD remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless the house of Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,

13 he will bless those who fear the LORD—
small and great alike.

17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD,
those who go down to silence;

18 it is we who extol the LORD,
both now and forevermore.
 Praise the LORD.



Psalm 115:1-3, 11-13, 17-18

Pictures!

This morning after church, I got my camera out and had fun taking pictures of some of the girls and Bo.






Bo actually smiled for me for about a minute!! I took advantage of the rare opportunity and came up with these:

This one is my favorite: