Update on Life

A lot in our world has changed since January 1^st has come and gone. While I’m happy about most of the events that took place in 2007, I’m pretty glad it’s over. 2006 and 2007 were some of the most financially stressful (but so rewarding!) times in our lives (so far!) with me staying home with the kids. Since then, John has started a new job at Eli Lilly with very nice benefits. We have also started attending a Dave Ramsey class called “Financial Peace University” at Life Church. It’s helping us learn how to start saving for our kids college and our retirement. Plus, it teaches you the normal budgeting steps, too. I love it! It has totally changed my attitude and thought process about money. I’m not freaking out about it anymore and when the tax check comes (9-15 days from now!!) we will be able to pay off our car, a medical bill and be able to put an “emergency fund” together. That will leave us with a 1 more debt and our house to pay off!

Many of you have asked how my brother, Ryan, is doing. He’s home from the hospital and doing so much better. He’s had to make several trips to the doctor for therapy and now has this scuba diver looking shirt he has to wear (long sleeve, skin tight & spandex—very uh, fashionable!) 23 hours a day for a while. It’s supposed to help the grafts smooth out. He has been released to go back to work but he’s limited in what kind of jobs he can do. Right now, it’s looking like he might be doing some office work for a while.

Erin is doing much better with her tongue injury. It hasn’t totally healed but it is remarkable how fast it is healing. She doesn’t seem to be in any pain and absolutely loves all of the Popsicles (so is Ethan!). Unfortunately, all of this has not taught her a lesson about climbing. She’s climbed dressers, the dishwasher, the stove…you name it. My favorite story so far is one morning Erin wanted donuts. We had some sitting in a box on the counter above the dishwasher. I told her “no” since she had just eaten breakfast and I went around the corner to do something else. She went up to the dishwasher, opened it up, stood on the door and climbed up to the donuts. Then she proceeded to get one out AND get a bowl out of the dishwasher to put the donut in. She then brings it to me saying “Look, Mama! Donut!” She did get into trouble for disobeying and climbing. There are tons of hazards here. What if she grabbed a knife out of the dishwasher? What if she fell? What if (fill in the blank)? I do think she’s a genius for figuring out all of those steps and she’s not even 2! Yet, keeping her safe has become quite a chore. John and I always joke that she’s either going to be a missionary or end up in jail because of her “go get ‘em” personality! Oh, I love her so much though. She’s finally letting me cuddle with her sometimes and we have some sweet times singing and dancing together.

Ethan is doing great and loving preschool. It’s hard to believe that we will have to register him for Kindergarten soon. I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by. We’ve been running around the house pretending to be Secret Agents with binoculars and walky-talkies. Our kids crack me up!

In other news, Freedom Church had its grand opening 2 weeks ago and it was a huge hit! Tons of people showed up and we had a blast! You can read details here. It features a picture of Erin and our friend, Ian, in the nursery. I love our team. Not only are they fun to work with, they are a blast to hang out with too. I can’t believe the change we are already seeing in the lives of those who have come. It’s exciting. If you are interested, you can check out the messages online here. My favorite so far is the “The Way I See It-Part 2—The Church”. And I can’t wait for the “Family Secrets” series!!!

Anyway, it’s time to sleep. We’ve got a very great but busy day tomorrow!

 

-Rachel