Awesome

Freely you have received. Freely give. Matthew 10:8

Signs

We must see past what it seems & 
read each others signs.



Seek peace, and pursue it. Psalms 34:14

Baby Claire

First pictures of Baby Claire Kramer~My sister and Chris found out they are having a GIRL at their ultrasound today. I am so excited for another niece-almost as excited as Emma and Lauren! Lauren kept asking me today when she would get to see her and I explained that she wouldn't be here for a little while. That didn't stop her from bringing me numerous dolls that she was sure Claire would want to play with! I love her and her loving heart so much!!



Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead.
1 Peter 1:6

Birthdays and Anniversarys

In September my grandparents celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary! What a blessing these two are to our family- I love them both so much. We weren't able to celebrate in September because my grandpa had surgery for his back. He was having lots of pain and we are so thankful it helped and that he is doing so much better now. My grandma turned 80 last Thursday so we decided to hold both celebrations at the same time. We celebrated with family and cake at my Aunts house on Sunday.




Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. Jeremiah 17:7

Whoop-Ti-Doo's & La-Ti-Daa's

This year for my Grandma Lingren's birthday we traveled to Webster City for lunch. I had heard about a fun little eatery called Whoop-ti-doo's and La-ti-daa's and it looked like a fun new place to go. They serve a variety of panini's, wraps, salads and soups along with desserts and Picket Fence Ice Cream. The ice cream was really fun for the girls because they got to pick their flavor of ice cream and then create what they wanted with a huge choice of candy they could mix in! The food was really good and the store had a fun atmosphere to it! It was a great afternoon spent with family-I am truly blessed to have all these women/girls in my life!










The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Psalms 33:5

School Updates

Updates from 2nd Grade

Emma's 2nd Quarter Report Card



Emma continues to show great leadership through her strong study skills and work ethic. - Mrs. Moeller

Second Grade is going extremely well for Emma! Along with their classroom work they have been working on the computer and doing a typing tutor program to become proficient in their keyboarding skills. Emma has told me this is one of her favorite things to do at school and she is spending more time on the computer at home! We are very proud of her and she continues to excel both in and out of school. Emma has recently moved to Level 6 in gymnastics and practices 16 hours per week all while doing a fabulous job in school. She also continues to do dance and piano. A typical week for Emma:

Sunday~
Church 8am
Sunday School 9:15-10:15
Gymnastics 1-5
TOP's 5-6:30
Homework:Reading/Spelling/Memory Work

Monday~
School 8-3
Piano 3:30-4
Gymnastics 4:30-8
Reading

Tuesday~
School 8-3
Hip Hop 4:15-4:45
Reading/Memory Work

Wednesday~ School 8-3
Gymnastics 4:30-8
Reading

Thursday~
School 8-3
Dance 4:15-5:30
Reading/Memory Work

Friday~
School 8-3
Gymnastics 4:30-8

Saturday~
FREE DAY!

Emma's favorite subjects: Art and Spelling
What I'm reading:


Preschool Updates

Lauren's preschool class just finished learning about the four seasons and have been looking forward to Winter and are enjoying playing in the snow! They also have begun learning about all the different animals. Lauren is such an animal lover so I am sure she will love learning about them.
Some of the things they have been practicing and learning in class:

• letters
• numbers
  
• counting
  
• writing their name
• reading their friends names
• how to behave in school
• how to resolve conflicts
• how to be a good friend
• Jesus and his love for them
  

The preschoolers decorated the bulletin board outside Pastor's office for the month of December


Lauren and her friends wearing their pajamas for "Crazy" day at school!


Their class also made sheep and practiced counting them!


Lauren has also been doing very well in school. She loves playing with her friends and making fun projects. She adores her teacher Miss Meyer and classroom helper Mrs.Westrum. They both do an amazing job in their classroom. We are so blessed to have them both at Trinity. Lauren has learned to write her first and last name, can count to 29, and recognize many letters in the alphabet and some numbers.
A typical week for Lauren:

Sunday~
Church 8am
Sunday School 9:15

Monday~
Free Day!

Tuesday~
School 8-11
Gymnastics 5-6

Wednesday~
Free Day!

Thursday~
School 8-11
Gymnastics 5-6

Friday~
Dance 5-5:30

Saturday~
Free Day!

Lauren's favorite part of school: Everything!
What I love read to me: Berenstain Bears Books
Princess books
Dr. Suess Books

*Lauren absolutely loves to be read to!

Click here to view Lauren's preschool blog. Her teacher Miss Meyer has started a blog to keep us updated on all the things they have been busy doing at school!

Lauren loves to go to the Library and pick out books to read. Right now the girls are participating in the Ames Public Library's Winter Reading Program Read Like an Egyptian!

Celebrating a fantastic first semester at Fuji!

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

Good Checkup

The girls had dentist appointments on Wednesday and they both were cavity free!! Emma did have a filling fall out (her one and only cavity) so she has to go back to have that fixed. They were both excited to get a certificate for a Kid's Buffet at Pizza Ranch!

May the Lord continually bless you with heaven's blessings as well as with human joys. Psalms 128:5

SNOW DAY

They had predicted snow for Monday and Tuesday so the girls were hoping for a snow day. It started snowing pretty good on Monday and we knew before we went to bed Monday night that they would have a late start. When they got up Tuesday morning it was officially a SNOW DAY! Lauren was especially excited as this was her very first snow day from school!
On our agenda for the snow day was as follows:

watching movies
Wii Sports
Wii Just Dance 2
Reading

Apparently Lauren is a natural at Wii Sports. She did amazingly well in all of the sports-she beat us every time!



Yup-the 168 is Lauren!

Emma did great too and her favorite was definitely Tennis!



I had called my dad to see if he could bring me some bottled water and he surprised the girls with Monster Cookie Ice cream! He was also kind enough to shovel my sidewalk and driveway!!

I came that you may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance, until it overflows.
John 10:10

New Years Eve Party & Sleepover

This year for New Years Eve I let the girls each invite friends over for a sleepover. We originally were going to have a sleepover at our Gym however, that fell through so the girls had one of their own! Emma invited friends Jayda and Mikayla (Jada had to cancel at the last minute) and Lauren invited friends Mora and Hannah. The girls had Chinese for supper-definitely a favorite! They started off the night by playing dress up/fashion show. Emma and Mikayla used the Karaoke machine to announce the younger girls as they showed off their outfits. After each dressing change they would then announce the awards. The younger girls LOVED this!! After the fashion show the girls watched a movie and had popcorn and M&M's. It was around 10pm when the movie got over so we decided to play the wii to keep everyone awake! We (yes I was totally involved!) had a blast playing Wii Bowling, Wii Just Dance 2, and Wii Sing It (favorite!). The timed passed quickly and before we knew it it was time for the countdown! The girls had a great time toasting with their "drinks" and blowing their noise makers! I quickly got everyone ready to lay down as I was exhausted! Lauren and Hannah were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow and Mora followed soon after. Emma and Mikayla were determined to make it until 1 am-I believe they made it til 12:45! Such a fun night!


Getting ready to watch a movie w/popcorn and m&m's




Wii Sing It & Karaoke



Wii Bowling


Everything is ready!

The countdown.... 10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1......

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!










He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11