Cat lost her 2nd tooth! The tooth fairy left money for her but forgot to take the tooth so...the tooth fairy had to return for a 2nd night....Cat got more money out of that visit!! Look at the permanent tooth behind where her baby tooth was, it is already quite large and very crooked. I know it'll turn straight now that it has room to do so.

Game number 2 and we lost...it was a tough game...Christopher made a beautiful 3 pointer...I missed it though as I had to step outside! He played hard...we'll get 'em next time!!

Prayer Request
I would covet your prayers for a friend from NJ, Eileen and her family. She had breast cancer a few years ago and then w/i the last year was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, that then spread to her liver. She was in the hospital this week after suffering a massive stroke. They released her today under the care of hospice.
She and her husband have 3 beautiful daughters, the oldest just had their first grandbaby and the middle daughter is to be married in Feb. The youngest is in college. Please pray for this dear family as they face much pain and grief.
Thanks so much!!

Slide show of the 2007 Pastor's Conference in Tamazunchale

I realized I hadn't posted anything about our trip to Mexico. We left from Dallas on Thu. after Christmas and arrived in Tamazunchale late Fri. night. Our purpose for the trip was to meet with the Pastors to fill them in on the changes that have taken place and what the vision is for the future. The Pastors as well as the people as a whole in the Huasteca are very shy and may not ask questions about "For the Fame of His Name" so Calixto wanted to sit down face to face with them to make sure everything was clear. They had a good meeting for several hours on Sunday. The kids and I just kind of hung out during the meeting, Catherine played a lot with Candido's 4 grandchildren...she had so much fun with them...she just couldn't understand why they couldn't understand her...but kids are kids and play doesn't require words so much! Christopher played with Pastor Chencho's son Jeshua (not sure of the spelling) they played Uno Spin, his gameboy and then football outside. Christopher is a bit more shy about playing with the kids but, after I called him over to play they had a blast with each other! It is so fun to see them interact with the kids there.

On Saturday evening we went to a church service at a new mission site-La Isla-They don't have a building yet and just meet at people's homes. We sat outside on plastic chairs and crude wooden benches. Lights were hanging from a tree, where chickens were roosting. Of course they did have a loud speaker system set up-what would church in Mexico be like w/o that?! I don't have any pictures b/c the cameras, both of them, were back in the truck which was parked down the road. Like every service-there are only a handful of people when the service begins but, by the end the place was full! Afterward they served us sac-o-wheel (phonetic spelling) it is a meal that is cooked in banana leaves and either cooked under ground or in an adobe type oven. It is not one of Calixto's favorite...I think it is ok, but it certainly is heavy...kind of like a hash of sorts with chicken...sometimes bones and all! It is a meal served on special occassions.
Below are pictures of where the new church building will be built. The first pic shows the holes that have already been dug for the footings the second shows the area. LeTourneau will be going to this site in March.

On New Year's eve we shopped downtown with the entire population of Tamaz and surrounding area!! It was Packed! Everyone was preparing for the evening's festivities. That afternoon the 4 of us drove down beside the river...it was beautiful! I don't think the people there realize how beautiful the area is. It was incredible the further we drove and the smaller the dirt road became. We walked down to the water and skipped stones for a while. I do have pix of that but they are on Calixto's camera and we can't find his cable to download them...I'll post them soon. That night we had a church service beginning at 10-everyone brought food and after the service we ate dinner-at midnight. While at the market we bought these huge sparklers for the kids so we lit those and played around till about 1am. We went to bed but the party on the streets outside our hostess' home went on until 8 in the morning!!! I think the parties only ended b/c it started to rain!
I was kind of nervous wondering what we do the next day, all business was complete, nothing was open and it rained all day, but it turned out to be the best day. Christopher finally got Calixto to ask Candido's sons to play Uno spin with him. We played from 11am til 10pm! It had gotten really chilly so they used the little charcoal grill to keep us all warm...Candido's house has no glass on the windows so it is hard to stay warm. The game turned out to be such an ice-breaker and we got to know them a lot better! Several families ended up stopping by for visits...it was a lot of fun, just hangin' out with everyone with no agenda or time constraint!
Since we were there over the holidays we got to have some traditional holiday food, like a punch made with all kinds of fruit and sugar cane...all the fruit are in big chunks so you half drink-half eat it and atole-a thick hot drink...mmm! And hot chocolate-Dana, I really liked it, maybe I will go buy some at the Mex store!
We need to make this kind of trip an annual thing! The drive to and from went well with no problems. The kids did pretty well aside from the usual arguing! Christopher got 2 new cd's for Christmas that we listened to over and over...I am Newsboys and Toby Mac'd out!!

We tried a new church yesterday and so far it is pretty close to what we are looking for. We'll try it out a few more times before we know for sure. The only problem, well not really a problem, is that it is in a different community-not Longview. There are 2 families that go to Christian Heritage too so that is nice. We haven't inquired about children's ministry yet...that is a big deciding factor for us...so we'll see. Calixto felt pretty upbeat about it. The kids were excited b/c we got to have lunch after church with friends who attend there too. Christopher said wow, it's been like 5 weeks since we've had lunch with anyone. At Crossroads we'd have lunch with another family just about every week.
We learned this week that a friend was just diagnosed with cancer. If you think of it please pray for Connie Puryear, the cancer she had 21 years ago has returned. She will have a test done tomorrow or Thu to determine exactly where it is coming from and then the treatment plan will be decided from there.
Our regular schedule resumed today. Christopher actually got out of bed pretty well and was ready when we needed to leave. I am glad for the return of a normal routine! Today I'm cooking a Christmas dinner, turkey-gravy-stuffing-sweet potato souffle-green beans and homemade bread and for dessert apple pie...I'm excited! I think we'll even eat in the dining room (we usually eat in the kitchen) with our china and nice silverware.
I have to take down the tree too...maybe it can wait till tomorrow?!

The first basketball game of the season and we won!! Christopher scored quite a few points! It is so fun to watch him play! Of course I forgot the camera at home. I'll get pix of him next week.

Help...
I keep trying to upload a video from youtube and everytime it says there is an error. I highlighted-copied-pasted the embed, then I clicked on the add video icon and then it states there is an error on the page...any suggestions??

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Isaiah 40:28-29

Just to show you how much Calixto doesn't like our kitty!

The day bed in our room is the perfect spot to take a Sunday afternoon nap on a sunny day!

I really don't like to make cut-out cookies...they never turn out the way I invision them. I went ahead and made some for the kids to decorate. They were very creative and loved the project! Ok, as you can see from the first picture my first batch were rolled too thin and got a little too done! But I corrected the problem and the rest of the batches were much better!

Christmas morning at our house!

Christopher informed me we had to take the obligitory picture of them walking into the living room (I forgot to do it this year). This was staged since they had already come into the room!

The kids both picked out gifts for each other...both choices were a hit with the other!

The only problem is we left Christopher's gift in Mexico! For any of you who have been to Tamazunchale, you know the steep hill/sidewalk the church is on...well, Christopher decided to play football outside of the church with a friend...not such a good idea...he took a big tumble. He said he just kept rolling...he had some pretty nasty scrapes/cuts on his leg!

Cahterine is so proud of her American girl doll from Mom-mom/Pop-pop!

Christmas afternoon at G'pa/G'ma's house

2007 Wrap up

January:
*On the 1st we drove home from NJ...everyone was sick (except for me)
*We sold our 1st home
*We moved into our new house
*Calixto flew to NJ for Mexico team orientation
*Basketball season for Christopher
February
*Continued working on the house
*Calixto flew to Minneapolis for annual Pastor's conference
*A visit from Danielle from Maine
*Calixto led a trip to Mexico
*While he was gone the gas was turned off due to a minor leak and the kids and I stayed at the Bolding's garage apartment for 5 days
March
*Soccer season...already
*Calixto and I led trip to Mexico...the kids stayed home with my mom
*continued to work on house
April
* The announcement is made that we are leaving the church
*Calixto and I flew to Minn. for a Children Desiring God Conference
*While there we drove to South Dakota to visit our friends the Swansons
*We bred our lab, Chessie
May
*Calixto preached on our last Sunday at Crossroads
*Ended soccer season in 1st place
*Went to Chris Tomlin concert
*Catherine had her first hair cut!
*School ended-goodbye 3rd grade!
* Spent a weekend in Dallas
June
*Spent a weekend in Granbury/Glen Rose
*Dad worked on the house
*Chessie had puppies!!
*It rained and rained
*We finally made it to the Gladewater rodeo
*Soccer camp
*A visit from my Uncle Lee/Aunt Barb
*Basketball camp
July
*We celebrated our 12th anniversary in Dallas at the Anatole and dinner at the Old Warsaw complete with roses and breakfast in our room...my husband is quite the romantic.
*Sold our first 2 puppies
August
*Vacationed for a week in Granbury...it was hot!!
*Calixto preached at Grace Community Church in Glen Rose
*School started-hello 4th grade
*Our Catherine Grace turned "5"
*Our friend Dave visited for a weekend
*Drove to Waco to sell a puppy
September
*Soccer season started for both kids
*2nd anniversary of my brother's death...already!
*I celebrated another birthday...the number I won't mention!
*I began tutoring a student in Writing Road to Reading
*Calixto preached at Grace Community Church in Longview (or is it Lakeport?)
*My parents flew in again
*Calixto and I flew to Minn for the annual Desiring God Conference
*We sold our last puppy!
October
*Our Christopher turned "10" and we were away for it!
*We flew from Minn. to NJ for a missions conference
*Calixto preached at Trinity Church in NJ
*Calixto celebrated a big birthday
*Chessie turned 2!
*Calixto left for Mexico
November
*Jeff Nine visited before going to Mx.
*Calixto held the 2nd Annual Pastor's conference in Tamazunchale
*Christopher/Calixto went to the Casting Crowns concert for their birthdays
*I began tutoring a new student
*Spent a weekend in Granbury
*Soccer ended with another 1 place victory
*Thanksgiving in Dallas
December
*Soccer tournament in Dallas
*Basketball practice started
*Calixto preached at Chalk Hill Community Church
*Christmas morning was spent here -then drove to Dallas
*Drove to Mexico to meet with the Pastors

2007 was a full year, it brought many changes, challenges, beginnings and endings. I am grateful that he has or will use "all" the things of this past year for my good! All the good, the bad and the ugly! How blessed to be a child of God and experience his new mercies every morning and know that no matter what we go through He will go there with us. Thank you God for your presence in my life and the promises that I can stand firm on!

Happy 2008!!

Here is a collage of pix of the Pastors and their wives in the Huasteca.

Fortunato & Florencia of Jalpa-Eduardo & Estefana of Tacial-Julio & Flora of Peclapixcla
Vicente & Rosalva of Xochiquatla-Miquel & Edith of La Isla-Juan of El Manantial (wife was unable to attend)
Candido & Nicolasa of Tamazunchale-Josue of Las Palomas-Chencho & Naomi of Rio Florido and Tampamalon

To see a snippet of Catherine dancing go to Youtube and search for Cat's monkey dance. It is too cute. Dana, I may call you later to actually get the video on my blog.

Here are pictures of 2 of the red and white ornaments I cross stitched. Actually, these are some I made a few years ago and are now on our tree. Dana was so kind to sew the ones I made this year, I then stuffed and hand sewed the seam. They've already been given as gifts

Thank you so much Dana!!

I spent the day in the kitchen making goodies. Here is the fruit of my labor! I made 2 of the these boxes (roasting pans) and 2 loaves of amish bread. I made my usual snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies with oats. The white things are cake bites and the others are oreo truffles.

I think the bread may have gotten a bit over-baked...hopefully, they aren't too dry...I have no choice but to give them away...I don't have the time or ingredients to make more. Of course Calixto thinks they will be fine...maybe I'm being too picky!

In case you are wondering- Cake bites: bake a cake (any flavor), when it is finished put it in a bowl (while still hot) and mix in a container of frosting (any flavor to compliment the cake). Roll that into balls when it is cool enough to handle and then dip them into chocolate or bark. I made a white cake with lemon frosting and vanilla bark.
Oreo truffles: you crush a package of oreos-either in a food processor or in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin-then mix the cookie crumbs with an 8 oz package of cream cheese, then dip them in chocolate or bark.
I used my cookies scoop to make both of these although they should only be about 1/2 the size (1 inch) Both are very rich and yummy. A friend told me the mint oreos are even better!

Yesterday Catherine had her Christmas program for parents. This is just a time to show Mom's and Dad's what they've been working on so far. In May she'll have the big-time recital.

She had a blast...last year she didn't do much but this year she did great. Hopefully she'll continue dance classes for a few more years!

Afterward we always have a little party. This cookies are beautiful. For those of you in Longview these are from edible art. They are pricey but, beautiful!

I have a video clip of her dancing, it is too funny but I don't know how to post videos, can anyone help me?

Christopher is home sick from school today. He came home yesterday, with a sore throat and hot ears (that's what he told me...hot ears!) Anyway, he came in the door and went right to bed...so I "knew" he was sick. I didn't take his temp but it was up w/i a few hours. Around 8:30 he threw up...praise the Lord that Calixto was home, b/c Christopher said...I don't want to be by myself, I want someone right beside me when I get sick. So, his Daddy stood beside him! He is still in bed now but I think his temp is done some. Hopefully Cat is well, but it is 8:30 and she isn't up yet, that is very unlike our early riser.
I'll be baking the day away...making cookies for some of Calixto's clients and making amish bread for some teachers...ok Cat is up, time for b'fast!

This afternoon we were at our old house for a party, the new owner graduated from LeTourneau yesterday. While there, the kids took that time to go play with their old neighborhood friends. Catherine went next door to play with Jasper, a few minutes later I looked out the window and she was riding a 2-wheel bike down the street all by herself! She has not ridden a bike without training wheels before!!! It was a milestone that no one helped her with and we didn't get any pictures of! I am so proud of her...of course I was upset that she was riding down the middle of the street...but, wow no training wheels! She is such the go-getter! When we got home she wanted to take her training wheels right off, it was too chilly but we'll do that soon! BTW our former house is up for sale already...they are moving to Alabama for a new job. I miss our house and wish we could buy it back, they wish the same thing b/c the real estate market is pretty slow right now.
Did anyone catch the Dallas-Eagles game??? Dallas lost! alright Eagles!! I do like the Cowboys but, I thought it cool that the Eagles beat them.

Friday night Christopher's school had their first annual Chritmas program. I don't have any pictures, as my camera didn't take good shots from the back of the church. The kids did a great job singing. They even sang one Christmas carol in Latin, it was sung in a round and it was absolutely beautiful. Since it was the first one...there were some kinks and the evening was very long!
Catherine enjoyed the program very much and told me she wants to be in kindergarten now! She informed me..."I'm going to kindergarten tomorrow!"
The next morning I drove Christopher and neighbors to school, I came home and started cleaning when I received a phone call from school. I was asked to substitute for Kindergarten (I'm not on the sub list but they had already called everyone on it) knowing that I had Catherine at home they told me that it would be fine if I brought her!! So she did indeed go to kindergarten the next day!! She was sooo excited and told me Jesus answered her prayer!
The class welcomed her and she joined right in with them. I didn't have time to prepare a good lunch and knew I was going to be hungry all afternoon. When I took the class to the cafeteria I was told it was a special day and lunch was provided for all teachers!! So, I got to eat a wonderful lunch (dessert too) and chat with other teachers who are friends. It was a fun day but, I must say I was exhausted by the time we got home. Catherine fell asleep on the way home! She did great but did have a little melt down at the end of the day...a very loud melt down! But, we got through it after we went to the supply closet for some discipline! When I left her in the cafeteria at lunch time, I told her I was going to eat in another room and she said "ok, I'll watch the kids"! too cute!
Last week I picked up a teaching application for next year...yesterday was a good test to see if that is something that I want to do...and I think it is. What better place to work (if you must) than your child's school?! But, we'll see if God opens that door!

Our Christmas tree!
From the picture it looks like we could use some more ornaments, in real life it looks pretty full! I promised Christopher next year we could do a kid's tree with colored lights and kid type ornaments...He thinks our tree is beautiful but would like something a bit..."less plain"! Maybe, I'll even do tinsel next year! I think if we continue to live in East Texas we may have to break down and buy an artificial tree...the Lowes trees just aren't so fresh when we buy them and they die quickly. This one is still drinking water but, is dropping tons of needles. I prefer a real tree b/c of the scent and the different shape we end up with every year. We could go to a local tree farm but, they don't have the type of tree I prefer. Ok, so I am picky when it comes to our Christmas trees. This year no matter how quickly it dies, I am not taking it apart to replace it...I did do that one year. Calixto was ok with it as long as I did it without his help, so one morning I dismantled the tree, put it in the back of the truck, picked out a new one and started all over again!!

I got this from my Aunt's blog and thought it was cute...

Dear Santa,
I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years..Here are my Christmas wishes:I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog. If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season.
Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family. Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.
Yours Always,MOM...

Here are some of the ornaments I have been making. I saw similar ones in Pottery Barn and thought "I can make those" so far they've turned out pretty good...a few didn't work so well because the ribbon was too wide. I used some whimsical colors and some more traditional Christmas colors. I still have to sew the cross stictch ornaments, I'll post when I get them sewn. I'm not so good on the sewing machine so I might ask someone else to sew those for me.

Since yesterday was unseasonably warm...80+ degrees we threw on some shorts and t-shirts and embarked on cleaning up the back yard. We spent several hours in the morning mowing, raking and bagging! We ended up filling 11 bags of leaves and grass! At the beginning the kids did great, they worked hard and helped each other without arguing. Unfortunately the peace didn't last the entire time. Is it just my kids or do other siblings just not get along?! Somehow, I would like to get them to act like they love each other...I know they do, I just want them to act like it!! Anyway, we did get a lot accomplished so I treated them to lunch at McD's.
I know some of you are laughing that it is the 2nd weekend in December and we are out raking leaves in shorts!! I prefer cold weather in December but I am grateful for the fact that our heat is off for a few days...it sure does help the gas bill stay low!

Oops, I guess my parents will see that their car (in the back ground) is not covered!! We'll get to that right away!

Whether the whole work time was peaceful or not the kids enjoyed the work...well, they enjoyed the final product of their labor! We want to instill in them the importance and value of hard work, this project sure helps with that...it also helps them (me too!) appreciate the hard work their Daddy does everyday for us!