Thirty-One Christmas Open House

So here is a copy of the invitation to my big Christmas Open House! It will be November 14th from 1-4 pm. The best part--I'm giving away over $200 worth of goodies! Come check it out!

Frenchy

So Simon has been staying with us for a week and half now and it has been such a cool experience. Sure there's times when the 3 of us stare and aren't sure what to say, there's times I wonder if he's bored, but then there's all these other times that I'm grateful for the opportunity to really spend life with this new person for such a short period of time. More than anything, I'm glad that Simon (and all the kids for that matter) get a glimpse of who God is to me and Bryan and my prayer is that God's love will be so real and evident that it is tangible. My heart broke Sunday morning on the way to church when he told me that he didn't know anyone in France that goes to church. This is a generation that can change...we can make a difference. Dave's student said if church in France was like church in America she'd go. So...all that to say...pray for those people now and in the years to come that will have a special place in their heart for France. Pray also that these 15 or 16 kids can see God and be changed by being in His presence. Pray that I (and we the host families) can stay in communication with these students when they go home...

Inspired...

So my friend Stephanie just entered the blog world and I'm thinking I'm WWAAAAYY over due for a post. In the past year we've raised a beautiful baby girl who's turning one next month and we've merged with another church which is a big part of our life as well. We've moved twice (ha) most recently into an older house that used to be my grandparents. Our goal: save money. My parents goal: be able to sell it when we move out.

But back to the best stuff--Ellie--Ellie has been one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. Sure, she's already showing me that there will be tough moments in our relationship as she grows but man-what it feels like when she snuggles up with you-irreplaceable!

We've got a French foreign exchange student coming soon and I'll be headed back to work very soon too-but I'm trying to tell myself that this blog will be updated....maybe Stephanie can hold me to that!

Baby Stiverson....

S0...here we are several weeks later and I'm can happily say I'm 12 weeks pregant tomorrow and it hasn't been too rough! I had some pretty bad nausea there for about a month but it seems to have gone away. Now I'm just tired ALL THE TIME!!! We saw a sonogram and heard the heartbeat at around 9 1/2 weeks and everything looked good. You could actually see where [her-since that's what I believe Baby Stiverson is] hands and feet were. It was incredible! The heartbeat is a strong 162 (which everyone else convinces me is another sign of a girl). Just 8 more weeks and we'll know what this Babe Stiverson is. It's kind of crazy how fast it passes. In those 8 more weeks half of my pregnancy will be over. Good news....I don't have to work the last 3 months of my pregnancy, because, I'll be expereincing my first summer break ever!!! Yay-77 more days of school...but who's counting!

BIG NEWS!

Bryan and I are going to be called "mommy and daddy" in late August of next year.  We found out a couple of weeks ago that I'm pregnant!  I'm 6 weeks pregnant today, which is still pretty early.  Be praying for us through this exciting (and sometimes scary) time.  I'll keep you updated as I find out more. =)

2 months later...

Well...it's been just that 2 months....I've been teaching now for 6 weeks which I totally enjoy, but I had a little bump in the road last week. I was put on a displaced list due to too many teachers at my school. Every year the county does a ratio count of teachers and students. I was the lowest on the Tatum poll and I was shifted. Fortunately I'm still in Lakeland. I'm at Sleepy Hill Elementary which is brand new and full of technology. It is quite different, however. The students aren't the same and the school isn't the same. It's been a hard adjustment, but I'm dealing with it. Every morning on my way to school I remind myself and pray for the strength to remember that I am to be a light not only to these kids, but to my new co-workers. Other than that life is good. I've had baby fever for the past two months and Bryan and I have finally made the big decision...so....we're going for it. Pray for us during this time. I know it's not a given to be able to get pregnant but I do pray that God would bless us with children. Hopefully I'll be updating soon ( at least sooner than last time!)

Increasing Pet Survival...

For all of you that know me...you know why this story touched my heart. This Ledger story talked about the Winter Haven Fire Dept.'s new oxygen masks for animals. I liked one of the last paragraphs the most--it said, "Firefighters often face situations in which a resident has lost all his or her belongings, Heilman said.'Here's a family that has lost everything else,' Heilman said. 'Guys do everything they can to revive the pets.'" Check out the story!