Thankful for a wonderful older brother like Jack!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Isn't he cute?

Trying out the new hoodie.

Couldn't ask for a better older brother!

Nate & Connor.

Mindy and her fashionable box hat.

Molly & Emily

How many people does it take to play 'Happy Birthday' with the preset?

Photographers for the night.

Painting

Jack and I painted his new office this week.

Everything going along smoothly.

"Uhh....Jack?

...maybe we better stop painting for tonight."

Christmas Eve Dinner

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Elizabeth and I decided that we would try to start a new tradition to spice up our Christmas celebration. We consulted recipes and grocery ads in order to get the fanciest (yet still affordable) Christmas Eve dinner for our family. We thought it would be nice for everyone to have a relaxing evening after all the busyness of the season.

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Ingredients for Lizzy's all-vegetable soup.

Right before stirring it up...

Lizzy and I spent most of the day at the counter...

Fresh baked dinner rolls...

The younger children were wondering why we used Soooooooo much silverware! :o)

"Touch the rolls before dinner, and you die!"

The menu...

Partners in cuisine...

Appetizer: Tropical Crystal

Salad...

Mushroom/cheese tortelloni with broccoli florets and four cheese pasta sauce...

Drizzled fruit cheesecake...

Connor, after being served the first four courses, watched as we started to serve the cheesecake. Then, in a very full and weary voice, he said, "Cheesecake? I'll have mine tomorrow." Now you know a young boy is REALLY full when he refuses such a desert! :o)

The Entree: Bacon wrapped angus filet supreme...

I am sure that many of you who prepare meals for your family wonder at times if they really enjoyed the meal or if they are just being nice. Well, when I came out to make sure everyone was satisfied at the end of the meal, I got a pretty good indication that it was well received.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Jack's Birthday

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Jack turned 19 yesterday. This was Luke's creative way of wishing him a wonderful day!

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Jack and his little buddy, Nathan

Being dramatic. This box contained clothing. :)

Mindy and Nathan

Blowing out the candles

The Reign Of Metal Has Ended! (sort of)

Finally...I cannot be called "zipper lips" or "train wreck" or "tinsel teeth" :o) I didn't care about the names anyway, it is just nice to not have a mouthful of metal after a little over a year of constant wires!

So, it is 8:30 this morning.

I walk into the orthodontic office with fear and trepidation in my heart knowing that these little pieces of metal that have remained firmly in place for over a year on my teeth must now be removed.

When I am called by the nurse, I settle myself comfortably in the chair....well....as comfortable as you can be with your ankles at a higher elevation than your head! (Man those chairs!) And prepare to watch them hook up a jackhammer to knock my brackets off.

But lo and behold! She only takes out a little metal pick! I think to myself, "hallelujah!" this won't be hard at all.

UNTIL!! Until she starts picking and grinding and scraping and wreaking havoc on my teeth to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had A Farm"!

Do any of you get irritated by the sound of fingernails on a chalk board? If so, let me tell you something. You have never REALLY experienced that feeling fully until the person scraping out the sound is doing it on YOUR teeth!

Anyway, after the nurse is done giving me whiplash by jerking the brackets off, it is time for the Orthodontist to come out and take the metal ring bands (or as I call them...blades) off of my molar teeth.

Now I am really scared! I lie there, closing my eyes. Wondering how it will feel to lose four teeth right in a row without any pain killer. I feel the doctor reaching into my mouth with a pair of gargantuan pliers that he borrowed from the auto mechanic down the street ....waiting......waiting....waiting......

"Alright kid, you can close your mouth now."

Amazing! I didn't even feel them come off! Just remember kids, when you want a pair of quality pliers for your toolbox, buy "Dento Wrencher Thingys" brand! They work wonderfully! :o)

All that to say, my braces are off.

A few pics below to remind myself why I went through all of this:

Before:

After:

The views expressed in above story may be slightly enhanced by the author for reader interest. Please do not hold a grudge against any orthodontist after reading this story or develop a phobia of all things tooth related. Need help? Call 1-800-I-Am-Scared-Of-People-With-Metal-Tools-Designed-For-My-Teeth or go to www.don'ttouchmewiththatthing.com

More Russia Pictures

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We had a wonderful time in Ukraine and Russia. God was so good to allow this opportunity. It's definitely a trip that we won't forget!

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Before leaving for the airport, at 4:30 a.m.

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Ready to go - making our way across the airport, to board our first flight.

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This was the luggage for our whole group... you'd think we were moving to Russia, instead of visiting for 12 days!

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From my window, in the plane

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Shutterbugs!

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A music school we passed, in Russia

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And all the way over there, we still find... McDonalds!

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Jack, with St. Basil's Cathedral in the background.
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St. Basils!
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There is just something that comes over you... and you wish desperately that you could walk up to these guys and try to make them laugh.
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Jack and I, at a restaurant we visited.
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A neat picture that Jack took.

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A shot of the guys.

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Here I am, with two sweet people from the youth camp. Mrs. Shrock is a missionary wife and Coleen's parents are missionaries also. L to R: Mrs. Shrock, me, Coleen

- They had some gorgeous flowers in the some of the cities.

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We rode the Metro several times. Depending on how many people were riding, the handle bars really came in handy.

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A rainy day in Moscow.

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The markets were fascinating.

- Well, I don't have to explain what this little building was for... wow, nothing like the ones in the states, for sure!

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Pastor, handing tracts out to a couple of young guys.

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A Sunday service at the Ossewaarde's church. It was so neat to meet some of their converts!

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With some of the Ukrainian people at the Hudson's church.

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At the park.

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Their version of a trampoline. One child would "bounce" in the middle of the net. As you can see, it's quite a popular toy!

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With Coleen and Cindy. We worked in the kitchen together at camp... not actually making the food, but setting tables and dishing up bowls.

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Bro. Don, our assistant pastor at church, talking with a couple of little girls.

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Kids at the camp, in Ukraine.

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Walking down a main street in Russia.

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Our longest train ride was 17 hours. Some people had to see our passports whenever we crossed the border, whether that happened to be at 2:00 p.m or 2:00 a.m.
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A view of the Black Sea.

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A driver/guide drove us up to the top of a mountain, near Yalta. It was kind of windy up there, but really beautiful temp. It was unbelievable to be able look down at all the sea, buildings, clouds. Absolutely amazing!

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The Ossewaardes, good friends, came up with us.

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Looking down from the mountain.

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Jack and I, on top of the mountain. See the video camera? Jack was able to get some neat shots of different things in Russia and Ukraine.

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They had banners up for some sort of celebration.

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Bro. Don, Pastor and Mr. Ossewaarde

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Yes, we visited Yalta! The history involved with that place made it special to be there. The museum was closed when we went, which was disappointing, but we were still happy to go and see the outside. Again, very beautiful place and scenery.
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And what would any place be without kids? We didn't see many children when we were out and about, but the missionary families that we met had several small children. They were adorable and a lot of fun!

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This girl was a cutie. She couldn't say her K's, so I was immediately given the title, "Tait".

Hope you've enjoyed viewing these photos!