I mentioned in an earlier post that my great-grandma blessed me with a large money gift for my sixteenth birthday. I knew that I wanted to buy a driver’s ed. program and I went ahead and bought it about a month ago. I wasn’t quite sure what else I would buy with the remainder of the money, though. I didn’t want to rush into anything, so I’ve been waiting, thinking, and praying.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized that I needed a laptop. At the co-op we attend, I have a job as journalist, so naturally I need a way to write. Laptops are great for that. I am also required to write quite a few lab reports for biology. I can bring a laptop and write in the classroom if we’re doing homework.

So, I ordered it with the help from Kane, our high-tech, used-to-be neighbor! It arrived last Tuesday and I am really enjoying it. I bought a mouse and backpack, too. All three—the laptop, backpack, and mouse—are in my favorite color. Can you guess by the picture?!

We had a lot of trouble setting up my email account. Thankfully, Kane was a great help in diagnosing the problem, and walking us through the steps to fixing it. We owe him a ton of cookies. LOL!

Today was a special day for me! My dad took the day off because he wasn’t feeling too good last night. It must have been God’s plan, because our friend from church went into labor at 2:30 in the morning! We had agreed to watch their other daughter while they were at the hospital. Mom spent the night at their house (about 5 min. away) and then brought her back over here for the next two days.

Anyway, the family had a baby boy on the 22nd! This was exciting in itself, but not exactly what I was going to write about.

So, as you know, my dad was home from work. He asked me if I would like to go ahead and go get my Instruction permit. Of course, I immediately agreed! We had planned on going to get it on Wednesday, since they are open later. I am glad, though, that I was able to get it two days sooner!!!

At first, I was a little nervous about taking the test. Praise the Lord, I passed it! After I received my permit, my dad took me out to Whataburger to celebrate. Then we went practice driving at an empty parking lot. It was a really wonderful day!

I had a wonderful sixteenth birthday!!! I was really blessed with a lot of cool gifts—from family and friends. My great-grandmother gave me a generous money gift so I can buy a drivers ed. program, and more! I hope to learn how to drive this year. I am so blessed to have such sweet family and friends!

Some really good friends of ours came in town to help me celebrate. My friend and her mom made me a really cute apron.

This family is almost exactly like our family. We don’t see them often since they live a few hours away, but we enjoy it when we do get together. Altogether, there are 17 of us. This time, however, their dad was overseas.

Another neat gift that I received from my parents was a purity ring! I had to wait for it to arrive, but that made me appreciate it even more. It says “TRUE LOVE WAITS” and it is beautiful.

We also had a really nice Christmas, as we had fun with family and celebrated Christ’s birth. New Year’s Day  (and weekend) was probably the only highlight of  the first two weeks of January. Uncle J. came in and we had a great time with him! Then, the next two weeks were filled with sickness. We think we had the Swine flu. Praise the LORD, we are finally WELL!!!!!

These past two weeks have been great. We went to church last Sunday for the first time in about a month. It was a blessing to be there and see everyone again! Last weekend, we were also invited over to two families’ houses—one on Saturday and one on Sunday. It was really fun.

Two days ago, which was Friday, we went to a funeral. One of the families at co-op lost their grandpa last Saturday. So, naturally we didn’t have co-op that day. Actually, it has been postponed until February 5th because some of the co-op families are out of town. I’m sure everybody will enjoy it when we start up again!

Yesterday afternoon my mom,  sisters, and I went to a baby shower! It was for a lady at church and it was a lot of fun. The guys ran a few errands, cleaned the house, and made dinner. So, I think it is clear to see who had more fun!!!

Today was nice, as well. We went to church this morning. There was a guest speaker who works in Ecuador as a missionary. Both of his messages were wonderful! He has a lot of neat stories to tell about how God is working in his life.

This afternoon, our grandma came over to visit.  My youngest brother entertained us during lunch (for about thirty minutes) with a really wild tale! He has a great imagination. Then we played a few games and watched movies.

~Paige

Today, I will briefly share with you one of our family’s most recent Christmas happenings. Last Christmas, my mom’s family all came down to our house. My mom’s parents have five children and all of them, except one, have families. So, we end up being a noisy crowd when we all get together!

Because we are such a big group, leaving our house—or wherever we may be—is a big thing! December 21, 2008, was especially hectic. We had decided to go out to eat at Bill Miller’s for dinner. As usual, people were trying to figure out where they were going to ride and with whom they were going to ride with. About five of the older kids— some of my cousins, two of my sisters, and me—were quickly seated in our Suburban. My dad and uncle were in the front seats.

I am not quite sure where everyone else was, or even if everyone was accounted for. My dad asked each car if they had the right amount of children, though, and all twelve were present. So, with that, my dad pulled out of the driveway and took off down the road.
It was getting dark outside, but still light enough to see. Suddenly, someone in our car happened to look back and see a lone runner. She was running like her life depended on it!

My sisters and I exclaimed, “That’s Momma!” almost at the same time.

In disbelief, my dad asked, “Really?”

Uncle Jay said, “Yep! It’s her.”

We were almost at the end of our street, and were about to turn onto the next one. As we watched my mom, it looked as if she had given up on any chance of us seeing her. My dad was prepared to turn around and pick her up, until we saw that my aunt and uncle picked her up as they drove past.

Everyone was so concerned about counting the children that they forgot to count the adults! My dad thought that Mom was going with my aunt and uncle, and my aunt and uncle thought that my mom had changed her mind and decided to go with my dad!

When we arrived at Bill Miller’s, everyone had a good laugh—including my mom. Now, my dad occasionally teases my mom by taking off when she comes out of the front door of our house! He always comes back, though!

It’s extremely beneficial,
To have a thankful heart.
Thankfulness always brings a smile,
So try to do your part!

I am thankful for my hobbies;
Things I do out of school.
I enjoy Ultimate Frisbee
Playing this is so cool!

Hiking is what I love to do,
But in the spring or fall.
Summer gets so very hot— whew!
I do a cannon ball!

Regardless of all the seasons,
I can read, blog, or write.
Singing with my sisters is fun—
Even up ‘til midnight!

Emailing friends who don’t live near
Is always fun for me.
Making stuff on Moviemaker
Always produces such glee!

Pink is my favorite color,
And I love eating fruit!
For me writing is not a chore—
It’s what I like to do.

These are all great boredom busters,
But how can they compare?
To family, friends, and neighbors,
Who lovingly are there.

Family time at home is special,
We read God’s Word and pray.
Life here is one big musical,
Songs are heard every day.

I am grateful for my parents,
Who taught me of God’s love.
They gave me siblings—great presents! —
And home school everyone.

I like playing with my cousins,
Birthdays with them are great!
You can’t hear much above the din;
Can you sort of relate?

I am thankful for December,
The month of my birthday!
Ultimately, we remember
The price God had to pay.

Though I’m thankful for all these things,
Jesus is my true prize!
These would mean completely nothing,
If He had not have died.

On the third day He rose again,
As the One, True Savior!
Through Him, my sins are forgiven;
I’m His forevermore!

This weekend, my mom is having her 2oth high school reunion. She went to two high schools—her family moved a lot—so, this is actually my mom’s second H.S. reunion. The other one was here in town earlier this summer. Anyway, everyone is really excited about going because we get to stay at our grandparents’ house!!! My mom’s twin sister and her family will be there as well. We always have a great time together.

So, today and tomorrow will be pretty hectic around here. That’s the way it always is at our house before a trip! My dad has to work until 7:30 P.M., so we have to be packed and ready when he arrives. Even so, we probably won’t get to my grandparents’ house until one or two in the morning. Grace and Faith have packed a lot of movies to watch on the way up there!

My Uncle B. (my mom’s twin sister’s husband) is turning FORTY on Friday! We plan to go to a football game that night and I’m sure someone will think of some way to embarrass him. It probably won’t be my dad, though, because he’s turning forty in March! It will most likely be my aunt and her kids.

We heard that a cold front is coming in on Friday, as well. Now, we have to re-pack a bit! I was originally going to bring flip-flops and capris. Oh well, I guess I am looking forward to cooler weather… just not too cold!

~C.P.C.

My Aunt J.  had her second daughter five days ago, which was last Friday! The baby’s name is Dawn. I have been so busy lately that I just got around to writing about her. I only wish that I could hold her. My aunt, uncle, and their two children live in Tennessee—which is about a seventeen hour drive from here. Maybe we will get to see them for Christmas! Hopefully, we’ll also be able to Skype them soon.

At least my grandparents were able to be there. This is their thirteenth grandchild! Dawn came six days earlier than expected, so my grandparents had to drive up there instead of  flying as planned. My aunt’s oldest daughter, Dee (age three), got the Swine flu three days before my aunt went into labor:( I think Dee is doing better now). As you can expect, everyone is tired and trying to adjust.

The pictures that my grandma e-mailed us are SO cute! In one of them, my uncle is holding Dawn and smiling at the camera. Dawn is not so happy.  She is looking at Uncle M. with a face that tells you she’s probably screaming. LOL!

~C.P.C.

Wow! The Lord has blessed us with a steady rain all day. We have badly needed it here. Our cottonwood tree in the backyard isn’t doing too well. It’s leaves are shriveling up and turning brown. Sadly, many other plants of ours are about to die as well—including our grass. Since the city has enforced water restrictions, we have basically just given up on watering.

Clouds are so beautiful when they look like this!

So, as a result or all this rain, our backyard is like one big mud puddle! It looks—DOES NOT FEEL!— as if it is winter already (you know, dead grass and rainy, overcast skies). But as I said before, this is still Texas. It rarely gets below eighty degrees:-(  I am so looking forward to cooler weather. I know that our winters are usually mild, but at least we get a few cold days.  Hopefully, we will have just a few more weeks—maybe a month—of this heat.

~C.P.C.

My parents have decided that this year, we will be doing a homeschool co-op. It is about 25-30 minutes away from us. There are currently nine families involved, most of them having four or more children. Our family has never been in a co-op, except for being in Jubilate Deo (a homeschool choir) two years ago.

Yesterday was the first Friday co-op—they will be once a week on Fridays—and it was mainly just an introduction. We will start official classes next week! Hooray! The classes I am taking are Biology, Industrial Tech, Speech, sports, and possibly Spanish. Then, after sports, our dad will come from work and some of the families will have a Bible study. So, if we end up staying for that, we will be at the co-op from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wow! What a long, fun Friday!

~C.P.C.

Today is our official first day of homeschool. Dad went back to work two weeks ago, but we got a little extra time! It’s good to be back into the schedule though. Summer is always fun and relaxing, but I prefer to be busy. With our new schedule, it will be easy to stay occupied!

This morning, we had blueberry muffins—which is a decade-old, back-to-school tradition for us. They were great! School has gone okay, considering that it’s our first day back and a Monday, too!

Speaking of hectic schedules, my time slot for the computer is up now!