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Stunt Junkies

"Go Big or Go Home"

Okay, just so everyone knows...Ben stayed up til 1 am typing that blog... can someone tell him he needs sleep?? Between Ryan and Matthew sleep is a precious commodity around here. So why is he skipping what little he can get?? Oh, and Ryan woke up last night screaming - Well, we think he was still asleep. Anyway...Ben said he used to wake up screaming in the middle of the night for no reason. He wanted to know if y'all remember that?

LIFE WITH TWO BOYS? YOU ASK?

How can I explain it...

1. Ryan yelling and laughing from his room at 10pm (after being there for two hours) "Daddy I had a tootie!!". And then another minute later hearing "Daddy I had another tootie!!".

2. Ryan bending down to kiss little baby Matthew on the head and instead headbutting him square on the top of his head.

3. Ryan laying beside mommy and baby in our bed and then out of the blue Ryan punching baby.

4. Hearing splashing in the toilet and hearing Ryan in the bathroom shaking out the poopy he so proudly made.

5. Matthew making some ungodly noises that scares Debbie and I to our feet thinking the end of Matthew is nearby, but it was just some spit up (we think).

6. Debbie and I being so angry at everything because of lack of sleep and in the middle of a "discussion" hearing Matthew let out a five second "tootie" that brings tears to our eyes in laughter.

7. Watching Ryan jump off his playground and landing so hard that his feet bounce back up over his head and then while running to make sure he is ok he gets up laughing and wanting to do it again. While trying to reason with him I tell him that he could break his legs if he does it. I though I had "gotten through" and then at breakfast he looks at Debbie with pride and said "Ryan jumped off playground and broke my legs".

8. Matthew began to cry so Ryan promptly drops what he was doing and runs over to help baby Matthew by lifting up his own shirt and saying "Ryan feed Matthew". (that not in the parenting classes)

9. Ryan crying for the first time in 6 months in the nursery at church because he wants me. :)

10. Seeing Matthew open his eyes and look around for the first time in his life. :)

NOTHING BEATS BEING THE FATHER OF TWO AWESOME SONS.

Things aren't slowing down either. Our next big family event will be moving thirty minutes closer to the church. We found a brand new home about 4 miles from the church that seems great for us. You can see it if you go to www.pensacolamls.com and type in the mls # 312843. we close on the house on March 15th and then have two weeks to move out of this home in Gulf Breeze. Debbie then starts back to work around the 25th. All the while things at church are really starting to pick up. We miraculously have 8 signed up for summer camp when we only average 9 on wed. and sunday. I'm heading up a fundraising golf tournament on the 17th of march. (should have at least 30 people) I'm designing a small brochure/tract for our youth ministries program. Pastor is trying to locate and buy a used 26 passanger bus (requires me to get a cdl) in the next couple of weeks. Pastor also would like to re-do the web page for the church and asked me to head that up. Summer camp is the first week in June and will be at the Wilds. VBS is another summer venture i'm headingup and have already begun signing up teachers and organizing activities for that. I just got a call from a local pastor that wants to head up a 3on3 basketball tournament about 3 miles from our church. He has already gotten the permission of all the local high schools to pass out flyers to every student in homerooms on morning. The tournament will be held on April 6-7 and should bring in 400-500 students from the immediate area. He asked if I would be willing to help him out. Our church usually does one but I didn't feel as if I could do one that would be any good (since i'm not all that great at that sport) so i was literally praying about what to do. Praise God this guy has come along. The church is actually 20 miles away but they could only find this gym in the area that would allow them to use it and it happens to be right beside our church. He told me he is calling on many local independant Baptist churches to help out (I told him good luck), unfortunately no one really wants to reach these kids. Praise God we have 4 interns from the college that seem to have a burden for the local youth. Please pray that our area will gain a vision for the desperately lost kids of our area, it seems that every church is gearign their programs for the the christian school kids and giving up on allthe others. So far i've heard of two churches in the area doing away with their youth groups all together. Actually this guy that is headign everything up was the youth pastor but is now called "outreach minister" because the pastor saw fit to do away with the youth group. Joel, Marie, Jon...has their every been a day that needed youth ministry more than ours?

Debbie and I were just talking about how awesome God has been and is to our family. He has taken us from a place of total despair and loneliness to blessing and fellowship. We have had family after family give us food, diapers, and encouragement almost every Sunday. God just continues to supply all our needs and then some. Even though some moments I feel like we are falling, over all I can see God is just guiding us to be the best servants for Him we can be.

Love

Ben, Debbie, Ryan, and Matthew

Oh yeah and
Snickers (playing dead)

Whew! The weekend is over!!

Hey all! We (Joel especially) have had one busy weekend! It started on Friday morning with an appt for Abigail. She had her second set of shots as well as giving some blood and a urine sample. I had no idea a 6 month old baby could even give a urine sample! She did it though! Way to go, Abigail!

Then that evening we had a one-night retreat for the students. It was their winter break this past week, so we ended it with a night in a chalet in the alps. Most of the students stayed up the entire night! They did at the last Zapik we had too, so we weren't surprised. Joel taught on the book of Nehemiah and walls-what they protect, keep out, etc. He did a great job!

Abigail went sledding for the first time while we were there. She didn't seem to notice when she would go down but would start to cry when she would see others sliding down. It was interesting.
I think she might have been fighting getting sick a little bit since she had those shots. She was a bit more emotional and her coping skills just weren't as strong as normal...of course! She's a trooper though!

We came back from that and relaxed for the evening and headed to bed at 10pm. We were just about asleep when music and fireworks started outside. The neighbor behind us turned 50 today and it's a big deal here. It's called your "Abraham" birthday for some reason.

Then this morning, Joel was back "on" again since he gave the sermon at church. He spoke in English and had one of our students, Tilen, who comes on a regular basis, translate for him. On Friday evening Joel went over the message with Tilen beforehand just to make sure he had a basic understanding and afterward asked him, "can you think of anything I should add or take out?" And Tilen said, "no, this is a good message, one that we all should hear." That's so great. Tilen is understanding more and more of the gospel, it's such an honor to watch. Abigail and I stayed home this morning though so she could get a good nap because....

...we went to that neighbors birthday party this afternoon. These sorts of things are so enjoyable for Joel and I. They usually are about 6 hours long and you're eating, drinking and talking the whole time. At this one there were lots of old traditional Slovenian songs that everyone was singing and dancing to. It was lots of fun. We didn't know the words, but it was so fun to see everyone around us singing, swaying back and forth and having a good time. People are just so relaxed at those things. We actually left early because Abigail was getting really sleepy and we were there for 4 hours! The rest of everyone is probably just now getting ready to leave about two hours later.

Tonight Joel is having a phone call with Cornerstone about the camp this summer. They'll call him during the service and somehow his voice will be over the speakers. That will be interesting! Next time we should try doing a video phone call! : )

So all that to say that the next few days we are going to be spending some time around the house! Joel especially needs to relax and recover!

Oh. And here are the instructions for posting a book title like you see on the left. After you've signed in, click on "Customize" in the upper right. Then click "Edit" on the Books We're Currently Reading box on the left. Type your title in the "Add Item List" box and click "Add Item" then click "Save Changes" after that click your refresh button and you should see your book added. Feel free to add anything else to the blog! Also, Ben & Debbie...are you in the same time zone as Mom & Dad or are you an hour different?

Okay, I think that's about all from over here! Love you all!!

I finally got my prints and frames and hung the pictures last night. The frames are not matted but clear glass. I forgot to choose matt finish when I ordered the prints but I think it's still okay. It will be fun to change out the pictures too. Dad and I went to the ocean yesterday for about an hour. It was pretty - as always - but very windy with a nip in the air. We also went to see "Amazing Grace". It is an incredible movie about William Wilberforce and John Newton. Pretty powerful message. Definetly worth the time and money! Grandma has another cousin coming by today to visit. Grandpa is doing better but still does not have his energy back. I've invited them all over for lunch and may take them on a "Charleston" ride this afternoon. Love the clocks and the book list, Amy. How can someone post a book? I ordered "Blue like Jazz" this week, Joel. It was referenced in the devotion I'm reading.

Glad we all came out of this last week relatively unscathed! :)

Noah's First Party

Erin went to her first baby shower today. It was put on by the older ladies from her arthritis class at the pool. They were really excited to do this for her. They were soo cute. They ranged from age 60 something to 91 (excluding her mom of course) and most of the gifts were hand made blankets and quilts. The quilt in the picture has "NOAH" embroidered down the middle. Not much else happening here. It seems like every one has a lot going on. How's life with two boys Ben?

William

Please pray for Will - I don't have all the details yet but Marie called last night close to midnight and was on the way to an accident scene. Will was coming home from a study group and a car in front of him slammed on his brakes. In order to avoid hitting the car he swerved off the road, went down an embackment, flipped a couple times, and hit a cement wall. The car is totaled, Marie called back and said she had taken him to the hospital so he was okay enough not to have to be in an ambulance. She was not sure what injuries, if any, he had. The police said if he'd hit the car it would have been another story. I'm sure we'll get more news this morning.

Katelyn playing soccer 10/2006. Katelyn and Morgan begin a new season tomorrow!

Happy President's Day!

It's been a great day off! My day began watching Abigail on the WebCam play with her toys and try to find me and dad when we taked. Amy couldn't see us well but we could see them great! It will be wonderful to be able to watch her grow and listen to her chatter as she begins to talk. Then Ben called and we were able to talk with Ryan and hear his excitement over Matthew. It sounds like they are adjusting quickly to baby 2! Marie, Katelyn, and Morgan met dad and I in Orangeburg at Cracker Barrel for breakfast - at about 11. We left there and explored the big city of Orangeburg, found a city park and played there awhile. It was a bit cold but still fun. Ended at McDonalds for ice cream sundaes. Jon called while we were at the park so we were able to include him in our excursion. A family affair! Stopped by G & G's on the way home and invited them for chili for supper. Grandpa has been having his pain again so they called after accepting and declined - guess he just doesn't feel well. Now I'm getting my mind in gear for a new work week - should be interesting. Thanks for your prayers! I should have taken some pictures today - have to get in the habit! Love you all!

Some more pictures

Leaving for the hospital at 12:30 a.m.

YUCKY baby, but for some reason nobody cares at that point

Ryan making everyone nervous

Me going to get the luggage

that is kilograms for you europeansIt says 7 lb 12 oz, and again Debbie happy!!

Ben

Wow!!! Life is one incredible road trip.

So I got ordained last Saturday and Sunday, had a baby on Friday, drop off my loan papers for my new house Monday and the cat had a hairball (ok I was lying about the hairball). Debbie is doing great but feeling drained. :) Matthew is ummmm kinda like the perfect baby we always saw with other families (we are holding our breathe). He is doing awesome. Ryan and I on the other hand are struggling to find our places again, i think we'll go golfing. :) I hope to write more soon but for now here is a pic that describes the excitement (Ryan sees Matthew for the first time at home, he has never been this excited before). Never thought I could be so proud. I love my boys!!!

Getting ready for Noah!

Hey everybody, just wanted to send you the latest construction of the nursery since we don't have a baby to take pictures of yet! I just completed refinishing the crib last night and found a part that was missing at a store downtown. The side closet is almost done, just a few more touch up spots. Erin is almost in month eight and feeling more and more uncomfortable but looking great. Love you guys! Congratulations Ben and Debbie!

Teething

I made Abigail some teething biscotti and she's eatin' 'em up!! he he...and...she has found her toes and loves them!

Also...we're praying for Morgan! Hope you all survive this season and that Will does good on his tests. Did you find out anything more Ben & Debbie? When is Matthew going to enter the world? Love you all! Amy for us three

A great idea!!

This will be great to help everyone keep in touch! We go to the doctors tomorrow to find out about when Matthew is coming.... Hopefully very soon. Everything is so ready and I am running out of maternity clothes fast. We'll keep you updated

A feather in your hat!

I think Katelyn looked exquiste in her outfit - what do you all think? Notice the feather to the left side of her hat! Way to go Katelyn!

Here we go....

The family blogging can begin...
and just in time for Ben & Debbie's new arrival!