Faith, Hope, and Believing

In February, Jeff found out he was no longer going to have a job at the end of the month. Wow! "IT" was striking our family now. We had been watching and praying and reaching out to our friends and family that have lost jobs, but now it was going to be our turn. How would we handle it? Would we handle it with the hope, faith, joy, and peace that we have seen so many of our friends handle it with? We are sure trying! March has brought applications, phone conversations, and interviews but not the job God has in store for Jeff. Yet God continues to provide!

The biggest irony in this is that I still have my job. Why is that irony you might ask? For the last two years, my job has been on the verge of being eliminated due to one thing or another. The summer of 2008 I spent training my replacements and was told I would be done that September. I was ready to go, ready to move on . . . yet God had other plans. In 2009, it was said that by year end all remotes would be gone. I kept getting dates of my departure off and on. But December 31,2009 came and God had other plans. I still remain as a remote employee for my company that I have been at since 1999. I believe God has protected my job for such a time as this. For two years, I joked about when I would get fired, and what I was going to do, and now here I am thanking God that I have a job that will provide for us during this time.

So as we continue to have faith, hope and believe in what God is doing with our family - it is still nice to have visual reminders from Him. Reminding us who He is!

Last Thursday as we had a night off due to the rain - we sat at our kitchen table eating dinner and was able to catch this full double rainbow right in our backyard. Yep, God we get it! You are still here . . . before the storm, in the storm, and after the storm!

And if a beautiful double rainbow isn't enough to remind us . . . I can be certain that I am a princess of the King and I have the attitude to go with it!

Sophia-ism

Here is a good logical comment from Sophia the other night:

I bet Australia is such a big place so they could fit that whole name on it!

Too Gone for Too Long

WoW! It has been almost a month since I last blogged. I am sure the two of you missed me! Sorry about that. I have been running crazy with this family of mine and all their activities and mine. I hardly have any new pictures to share. Last Saturday, soccer games were cancelled due to the large amount of rain we had been receiving and the girls were putting together puzzles and insisted I take their picture with Dora. . . so ta da here they are . . .

It seems our next few months will be marked with saying good byes to good friends. First was Mr Tim. He is off to a new adventure living in Florida and doing his ministry from there. We will miss his amazing voice, crazy stories, and infectious laugh. Most of all, Sophia will miss the naps she would take with him on lazy Sunday afternoons. She believes that someday she is going to marry Mr Tim despite the age gap.

And soon we will be saying goodbye to the founder of the SustaHood and her family as they head off south to Chattanooga for a new job and a new adventure. Then sometime this summer our Racing BFF's are moving a few hours to the west also for a new job! The perk of having friends in other close cities is it gives you a reason for a quick weekend getaway and also a party with everyone when they visit 'home' again.
Our home is also in a state of transition as Jeff is currently not working and is looking around for his next career adventure. Keep him in your prayers. I know many have been in this same situation, and we have seen God provide and know that He will do the same for us. We know there is another great amazing job out there for Jeff.
Let's see what sort of trivial information might I share with you . . . Brandon is just two months away from graduation. The invites are sitting here by the desk ready to fill out and mail. The cap and gown came home the other day. So I guess this is really happening. My baby is growing up and graduating. On a good note, some friends of his have decided to also attend ETSU in the fall so he won't be alone. Although that might mean he won't be coming home as often either.
Gracie is in potty training mode. She has been very successful at the task. Next will be mastering overnight. Yikes!
Sophia is growing like a weed! She seems to be taller and taller everyday. Unfortunately she seems to be having growing pains also. We started her on some children vitamins and mentioned they would give her some extra punch and help her not to hurt so much - she ate one and said "I don't feel any different". :-)
Dawson is getting his grips still on middle school. He would prefer to spend his time on his IPod looking at silly YouTube videos and cackling like a crazy child. But occasionally we ask him to join the real world and talk to us.
Alright . . . enough rambling . . . that is the blog update . . . hopefully I will find more time to blog and more to blog about. Until then . . . Keep Smiling, it makes people wonder what you are up to!

Five Years of Fun, Mayhem, and most of all LOVE

Five years ago, Jeff, Brandon, Dawson, and I were in China. Five years ago, a precious scared little 13 month old girl was placed in my arms . . . FOREVER! I can NOT imagine my life without Sophia Faith! She was definately planned for our family! Thank you God for guiding us and directing us on that amazing journey to a wonderful girl who blesses us each and every day!

Another post about Brandon . . . could it be?

Welcome to yet another post about my super cool rad 18 year old . . . Brandon! This picture here above is a very proud moment . . . our college acceptance letter! Brandon will be graduating in May, and heading to East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN in the fall. Brandon discovered ETSU this summer on our vacation. We visited in November, and he was ready to go. Brandon plans to go into Criminal Justice and this school has a great program for that. And the campus is really nice, and so is the city. Originally we were also excited because we had some friends of ours that just moved there - but turns out they are now moving back here before Brandon gets to ETSU. Currently, it seems a few of his friends are also heading that way so he won't be alone five hours away from his momma! That is probably scarier for his momma then it is for him. CONGRATS BRANDON! WE ARE SO VERY PROUD OF YOU!!!

Boys Turns 18, Mom has mid-life crisis???

As you know, Brandon turned 18 a little over a week ago. Probably since his 16th birthday, he has talked about a tattoo. He would draw tattoos and talk about when he would get his tattoo. We all thought it was a phase and he would forget about it. But he didn't. Instead as the 18th birthday grew closer, he was more sure about his decision to get a tattoo. Brandon is a very mature teenager. He has a good head on his shoulder and thinks things through. We have been blessed abundantly by our first child and teenager. We can only pray we do as well with the other three and we don't somehow completely mess them up. :-)
Anyway . . . so Brandon did the research as to where he could have the tattoo placed since he plans to go into Criminal Justice and might someday want to work under cover. Although his mother would just prefer he stay in the nice safe lab and look at blood and fingernail clippings for evidence.
And again . . . anyway . . . so being that Brandon is who he is . . . we decided it would be fine for him to get a tattoo following his 18th birthday. The idea of my oldest son getting a tattoo got me to thinking about how since I was about 21 I have wanted one. And how each time I had thought I would do it, I didn't for whatever reason. I remember my first idea was Mickey Mouse on my hip area. Had I done that when I was 21 . . . YIKES . . .who knows what sad shape Mickey would be in now. That would be one distorted looking mouse.
Anyway . . . so with Brandon going to get his tattoo, I thought what greater bonding time for a mother and son then for them to get tat's together. So Saturday off we went . . . my level headed 18 year old son and his crazy middle aged mom . . . to get our tattoos.
Brandon had originally designed his tattoo, and then found one online that was very similar and went with that one. I knew I wanted something that would represent my four children. I had tossed around getting a four leaf clover, but then online I found the cutest one with ladybugs, and decided on that one.
The experience overall was very positive. Did it hurt? Oh yes, it hurt! The main thing you have to remember to do is breathe . . . which I tended to forget and ended up with a KILLER headache afterwards. Right now, it just kind of feels like a really bad sunburn. Which for Brandon and I with our very fair skin we are totally used to that pain so it really isn't much to bear.
Enjoy the pics . . . and beware because who knows what sort of nonsense this mom will pull when her baby graduates in May, then leaves for college in August. Never can tell what might happen!

Brandon ready to go . . . My chubby little leg being worked on . . .

Brandon getting worked on . . .

Brad and Tai looking at Brandon's master piece. . .

Brandon's final product. . .

Mama's final product . . .

Sophia and the Big Top Cupcake

Sophia turned six on Tuesday! What did the child want to do for her big day . . . she wanted to go to Taco Bell and have a Big Top Cupcake. Oh yes, the 18 year old chose Logans Steakhouse and ordered him a $20plus steak . . . the 6 year old . . . she just wants her some Taco Bell. We almost fed the whole family for what Brandon's steak meal cost. :-) And then we have Big Top Cupcake. Yes this is the product of the As Seen On TV Big Top Cupcake baking kit. You know have a cupcake 24 times the size of a regular cupcake. Amaze your party guests with the size of this cupcake. Overall to me it just looked like a two layer cake . . . but to my sweet six year old it was the coolest cake thus far! Score for momma! We are having her big friend party this year in about a week as the jump place here in town. She is very excited! But look at the loot a cute girl can score . . .And then for Grandma Hornsing here she is in the outfit that I wasn't sure about . . . that Sophia LOVES!