New Adventures

Hello all! Sorry it has been so long since we have posted. We have been to Utah to visit family and busy with life and work. First let me say what a blessing my part time job has been. It has allowed us to have a little less stress in our lives. I wasn't looking for a job and the Lord put it right in my lap. So far I have been able to do all of my work work at home with Zeke with me, no day care needed!!! Also my boss was very gracious about my trip to Utah and things. The ranch is in the process of building some offices, one for me so working at home all of the time may be ending sometime next year, but as far as I know having Zeke there shouldn't be a problem as long as I can keep him entertained there a few hours a day.

Now for those of you who don't know we no longer have BluBell. We found her a home with two home schooled children, other dogs, horses and 5 acres to run on and dig up. I am sure she is lonving life. But luckily a few days after we found her a home Matt found me a puppy!!! A teacher at his school found a pregnant dog abandon by their farm. The dog had 3 puppies and now one lives at our house. His name is Stewy. He is a purebred Heinz 57, and a very beautiful one at that. We belaive he has beagle, a shepard of some sort, and blue healer in him. He has been doing pretty well with potty training but his need to chew on things he shouldn't is driving us crazy. He I guess gets board of the things we bought for him to chew on and goes in serach of something new. Mainly Zeke's clothes, toys, and any power cords. With time things will hopefully get better.

Being the only LDS members in my neighborhood has been a new experience. For Christmas most of my gifts tended to be more related to Christ then in the past. We have given out plates with Jesus' hand signing I love you, as well as DVD's of Mr Kruger's Christmas to non-members friends (yes Dave we do have friends) and neighbors. I hope they enjoy their gifts.
Zeke has grown sooo much. Everyone kept commenting about it while we were in Utah. He about 13 months old and wears 24 month clothing (well the pants are rolled up for his short legs). He has also put on the weight. He is about 27 lbs currently and feels like much more after you have been holding him for very long. He started to really walk while we were in Utah and just keeps getting better. I thought he was into everything before!

On Christmas Eve will will be going to a friends house and eating appetizers. Then we will go look at Christmas lights with Matt's sister Jill and her family. Christmas day we will open presents in the morning at home then spend some time with the Cardon's then in the evening our wards 2 full time missionaries are coming over to call their families.

Since Matt was called to be Ward mission leader we have been able to spend more time with the missionaries and have really enjoyed it. We often go out on disscusinos with them. Lately I have been going with them to a recent converts house. After they teach a lesson I teach everyone a bit of sign language. This women is VERY hard of hearing and has a lot of trouble in church understanding what is being said. We are hoping that she will get to a point that with the help of Matt and I interpreting for her she will be able to "hear" it all.

On Sunday I was asked to do sign language for a few of the songs in out Christmas program. I was very happy to do so and it went really well. After the meeting some brothers came up and told Matt and I that there is actually a deaf man in our ward. He used to come to church and a lady from another ward would interpret for him. but he hadn't been coming for a while. I don't know why they didn't tell us this the first time I did sign laguage in sacrament meeting weeks ago!?! Anyway after church Matt went and visited this man and his family and he said he would come to the ward starting in January. He is married to a catholic women who is also deaf and have been attending her brothers ministry. The Lord keeps showing us different reasons he put us where he did. We wondered at first but we trusted in him and now we are starting to understand.

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, and remembers what this holiday is all about!!!