Christmas Happenings

My sweet sister, pictured above, was kind enough to let me borrow her computer again today. So while I have internet at my fingertips, I am going to share just a few pictures.

Owen despises Santa for the 2nd year in a row. Anna Clare only went through one year of Santa fear so I thought Owen might enjoy him this year. Hmmmm......no.

Anna Clare is a fan.

We've been eating LOTS of satsumas...they are wonderful! (The cat is not ours. He/She jumped in the picture. We prefer dogs:)



Anna Clare had her first piano recital. She did great!



She played "Up on the Housetop" and "O Come All Ye Faithful." We were so very proud of her.

Steve surprised her with an early Christmas gift. Meet Stella.

Did I mention we are dog people? She has wanted a cat for quite some time but because we have 2 (outside) dogs, we held her off. She did not ask for one for Christmas so she was VERY surprised and VERY excited. Stella is a rescue cat and is the sweetest thing! The girls are crazy about her. She makes me actually like cats. Our dogs are sweet, so we are hoping we can all coexist peacefully.

AND last but not least....



My brother is engaged!!! Scott and Laura are getting married July 24, 2010. We LOVE Laura (and Scott too:) and are super excited!


Enjoy this wonderful season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

What I Want For Christmas

Meet Vivi.



Isn't she adorable? Vivi is the child we sponsor through Compassion International . We found Vivi through their website and began sponsoring her Christmas 2006. She is Anna Clare's age and lives in Indonesia with her parents and younger brother. I have mentioned Vivi before in this post. It has been such a blessing to our family to read her letters, enjoy her artwork, and watch her grow. Her mother calls us "Uncle Steve and Family"...how cute is that?

This Christmas Compassion put together the "What I Want For Christmas" program to help the children on their waiting list find a sponsor family. Anna Clare wanted to participate so we requested an information kit.

Meet James




*I am having computer issues yet again-completely my fault this time- and am posting from my sister's Mac that I know nothing about. Please tilt head to get a better look at James:)


James is our "Christmas Child." Another cutie. He lives in The Philippines with his parents. His duties at home include helping in the kitchen, running errands and cleaning. His father is sometimes employed and his mother is sometimes employed (the packet doesn't say what type of employment...Vivi's father is a farmer). As part of Compassion's ministry, James participates in church activities and Vacation Bible School. He is also in primary school, and his favorite activities are singing, art, and walking. James is 11 years old. We would love to find him a sponsor in time for Christmas. He has been uniquely assigned to our family through December 31. If not, we will just keep praying because God most definitely has a plan for this child. For more information visit this link.

Would you please pray for James and children like him to find a sponsor, to be surrounded by God's love, to be safe, and to come to know Jesus? It sure would make Anna Clare a happy little girl to know you are praying:)

Merry Christmas!